Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM)
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Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
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1. Which of the following best defines a floodplain?
A) An area adjacent to a river that is always underwater
B) Any land area susceptible to being inundated by flood waters from any source
C) Land within 100 feet of any body of water
D) Areas designated as wetlands by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
B) Any land area susceptible to being inundated by flood waters from any source
is the correct definition of a floodplain. Floodplains are land areas that can be
flooded from any source, including riverine, coastal, and shallow flooding .
2. The three major categories of flooding are:
A) Riverine, coastal, and flash flooding
B) Riverine, coastal, and shallow flooding
C) Overbank, flash, and urban flooding
D) Coastal, storm surge, and tsunami flooding
B) Riverine, coastal, and shallow flooding are the three major categories of
flooding recognized in floodplain management .
3. What is a watershed?
A) A structure built to prevent flooding
B) The channel of a river or stream
,C) An area that drains into a lake, stream, or other body of water
D) The highest point in a floodplain
C) A watershed, also called a basin or catchment area, is an area that drains into
a lake, stream, or other body of water .
4. The most common type of flooding in the United States is:
A) Flash flooding
B) Coastal flooding
C) Overbank flooding
D) Urban flooding
C) Overbank flooding is the most common type of flooding in the United States.
It occurs when downstream channels receive more rain or snowmelt than
normal, or a channel is blocked by ice or debris, causing excess water to
overload the channels and flow out onto the floodplain .
5. Which type of flooding ranks first as the cause of flood-related deaths in the
United States?
A) Overbank flooding
B) Coastal storm surge
C) Flash flooding
D) Ice jam flooding
C) Flash flooding ranks first as the cause of flood-related deaths in the United
States. It develops in a very short time, usually caused by intense and heavy
rainfall .
6. What is the thalweg?
A) The top of a river bank
B) The bottom of a river channel
C) A type of coastal dune
D) The highest flood elevation
B) The thalweg is the bottom of a river channel .
,7. The speed of moving water in a flood is measured in:
A) Miles per hour
B) Knots
C) Feet per second
D) Cubic feet per second
C) Velocity, the speed of moving water, is measured in feet per second .
8. What is the hydrologic cycle?
A) The process of building levees and floodwalls
B) The natural cycle that circulates water throughout the environment to maintain
balance between water in the air, on the surface, and in the ground
C) The study of flood patterns in urban areas
D) The method used to calculate flood insurance rates
B) The hydrologic cycle is the natural cycle that circulates water throughout the
environment to maintain an overall balance between water in the air, on the
surface, and in the ground .
9. What is a meander in a river channel?
A) A straight section of a river
B) A curve in the river channel where the outside bank is subject to erosion and
the inside bank is subject to deposits
C) The deepest part of a river
D) The point where a river meets the ocean
B) A meander is a curve in the channel. The outside bank of the meander is
subject to erosion, while the inside bank is subject to deposits .
10. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for
administering the NFIP through:
A) Local communities only
B) State governments only
, C) The 10 FEMA Regional Offices
D) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
C) Most of the NFIP field work and community coordination are done through
the 10 FEMA Regional Offices .
11. What is a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)?
A) A change to a FEMA floodplain map that removes an area that was
inadvertently included in the Special Flood Hazard Area
B) A revision to a FEMA map that changes flood elevations
C) A permit to build in a floodplain
D) A document that approves flood insurance claims
A) A LOMA is an official revision to a FEMA map that removes an area that was
inadvertently included in the Special Flood Hazard Area .
12. What is a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR)?
A) A final map revision after construction is complete
B) A statement from FEMA that if a project is constructed as planned, a LOMR can
be issued later
C) A document that denies flood insurance coverage
D) An appeal of a flood map determination
B) A CLOMR is a statement from FEMA that if a project is constructed as
planned, a LOMR can be issued later .
13. What is the definition of "development" under NFIP regulations?
A) Only the construction of new buildings
B) Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but
not limited to buildings, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, or
storage of equipment and materials
C) Only commercial construction projects
D) Changes to land that increase property value
Practice Examination Questions And
Correct Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
1. Which of the following best defines a floodplain?
A) An area adjacent to a river that is always underwater
B) Any land area susceptible to being inundated by flood waters from any source
C) Land within 100 feet of any body of water
D) Areas designated as wetlands by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
B) Any land area susceptible to being inundated by flood waters from any source
is the correct definition of a floodplain. Floodplains are land areas that can be
flooded from any source, including riverine, coastal, and shallow flooding .
2. The three major categories of flooding are:
A) Riverine, coastal, and flash flooding
B) Riverine, coastal, and shallow flooding
C) Overbank, flash, and urban flooding
D) Coastal, storm surge, and tsunami flooding
B) Riverine, coastal, and shallow flooding are the three major categories of
flooding recognized in floodplain management .
3. What is a watershed?
A) A structure built to prevent flooding
B) The channel of a river or stream
,C) An area that drains into a lake, stream, or other body of water
D) The highest point in a floodplain
C) A watershed, also called a basin or catchment area, is an area that drains into
a lake, stream, or other body of water .
4. The most common type of flooding in the United States is:
A) Flash flooding
B) Coastal flooding
C) Overbank flooding
D) Urban flooding
C) Overbank flooding is the most common type of flooding in the United States.
It occurs when downstream channels receive more rain or snowmelt than
normal, or a channel is blocked by ice or debris, causing excess water to
overload the channels and flow out onto the floodplain .
5. Which type of flooding ranks first as the cause of flood-related deaths in the
United States?
A) Overbank flooding
B) Coastal storm surge
C) Flash flooding
D) Ice jam flooding
C) Flash flooding ranks first as the cause of flood-related deaths in the United
States. It develops in a very short time, usually caused by intense and heavy
rainfall .
6. What is the thalweg?
A) The top of a river bank
B) The bottom of a river channel
C) A type of coastal dune
D) The highest flood elevation
B) The thalweg is the bottom of a river channel .
,7. The speed of moving water in a flood is measured in:
A) Miles per hour
B) Knots
C) Feet per second
D) Cubic feet per second
C) Velocity, the speed of moving water, is measured in feet per second .
8. What is the hydrologic cycle?
A) The process of building levees and floodwalls
B) The natural cycle that circulates water throughout the environment to maintain
balance between water in the air, on the surface, and in the ground
C) The study of flood patterns in urban areas
D) The method used to calculate flood insurance rates
B) The hydrologic cycle is the natural cycle that circulates water throughout the
environment to maintain an overall balance between water in the air, on the
surface, and in the ground .
9. What is a meander in a river channel?
A) A straight section of a river
B) A curve in the river channel where the outside bank is subject to erosion and
the inside bank is subject to deposits
C) The deepest part of a river
D) The point where a river meets the ocean
B) A meander is a curve in the channel. The outside bank of the meander is
subject to erosion, while the inside bank is subject to deposits .
10. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for
administering the NFIP through:
A) Local communities only
B) State governments only
, C) The 10 FEMA Regional Offices
D) The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
C) Most of the NFIP field work and community coordination are done through
the 10 FEMA Regional Offices .
11. What is a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA)?
A) A change to a FEMA floodplain map that removes an area that was
inadvertently included in the Special Flood Hazard Area
B) A revision to a FEMA map that changes flood elevations
C) A permit to build in a floodplain
D) A document that approves flood insurance claims
A) A LOMA is an official revision to a FEMA map that removes an area that was
inadvertently included in the Special Flood Hazard Area .
12. What is a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR)?
A) A final map revision after construction is complete
B) A statement from FEMA that if a project is constructed as planned, a LOMR can
be issued later
C) A document that denies flood insurance coverage
D) An appeal of a flood map determination
B) A CLOMR is a statement from FEMA that if a project is constructed as
planned, a LOMR can be issued later .
13. What is the definition of "development" under NFIP regulations?
A) Only the construction of new buildings
B) Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including but
not limited to buildings, mining, dredging, filling, grading, paving, excavation, or
storage of equipment and materials
C) Only commercial construction projects
D) Changes to land that increase property value
