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U.S. Military Communications Trivia Quiz

Clear & concise communications are the key to any successful military operation. This quiz covers common words, procedures and systems used to achieve security, reliability and speed.

A multiple-choice quiz by wjames. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
wjames

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
363,961

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
493

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Despite frequent misuse in movies and on TV, which two procedure words (prowords) are NEVER to be said together, since they have conflicting meanings? Hint

Over and Out

Over and Under

Roger and Dodger

Negative and No

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Question 2 of 10

2. The word "Repeat" means "Fire Again", so that word is never used to ask for a repetition. Which phrase does the U.S. military use to ask a sender to repeat their message? Hint

Say what?

Did not copy

Say your last

Say again

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Ones like "Maverick" and "Bat-21" sound way cool...less so ones like "Alpha Two Mike". What are these forms of address called? Hint

Radio names

Nicknames

Call signs

Addresses

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Question 4 of 10

4. "SIGINT" is used to try to deduce the movements and intentions of the enemy. What does "SIGINT" stand for? Hint

Signals of Interest

Significant Intelligence

Significant Interest

Signals Intelligence

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which single word, also a letter in the old phonetic alphabet and a man's name, is frequently used by military members to mean "I hear you". Hint

Charlie

Mike

Romeo

Roger

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which "code", developed for one of the first means of electronic communication, is still used today to send messages by signal lamps or "flashing light" among ships? Hint

Morse code

Encrypted code

Zip code

Enigma code

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which spectrum of light, that can be seen only with special equipment, is used to send short coded messages on a battlefield? Hint

IR - Infrared

BL - blinker light

UV - Ultraviolet

HF - high frequency

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Question 8 of 10

8. What is the name of the type of communication where naval ships have those pretty little multi-colored flags flying from their yardarms? Hint

Flag hoist

Semaphore

Visual signalling

AVC - Allied Visual Communications

9. Even national flags are used to communicate among military units - the basic information about the identity of the units. What word, also a military rank, is used to denote a national flag flown by a ship? Hint

Ensign

General

Corporal

Private

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Question 10 of 10

10. Sound-powered phones (SPP) are used both in warships and on battlefields where wires can be strung between friendly positions. What items don't SPP require, that make other systems more prone to failure? Hint

Batteries

Speakers

Microphones

Antennas

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Despite frequent misuse in movies and on TV, which two procedure words (prowords) are NEVER to be said together, since they have conflicting meanings?

Answer: Over and Out

"Over" means "I am finished with my message and an waiting for a reply", while "Out" means "I am finished, no reply expected". So, "Over and Out" may sound official to civilians, but it is incorrect and grates on the nerves of military communicators.

2. The word "Repeat" means "Fire Again", so that word is never used to ask for a repetition. Which phrase does the U.S. military use to ask a sender to repeat their message?

Answer: Say again

"Say again" means to repeat the entire message. If you only missed part, you can use "Say all after (last word heard)".

3. Ones like "Maverick" and "Bat-21" sound way cool...less so ones like "Alpha Two Mike". What are these forms of address called?

Answer: Call signs

Call signs serve to give a certain level of security by disguising the user's identity, and they are generally shorter than the official title of the person/unit using them.

4. "SIGINT" is used to try to deduce the movements and intentions of the enemy. What does "SIGINT" stand for?

Answer: Signals Intelligence

Signals Intelligence includes intercepting, decrypting and analyzing enemy communications, both the communication itself (COMINT) and information about the location, purpose and technical details of the electronic transmitter (ELINT).

5. Which single word, also a letter in the old phonetic alphabet and a man's name, is frequently used by military members to mean "I hear you".

Answer: Roger

"Roger" represented the letter "R" in the old phonetic alphabet, and a single "R" in visual communications stands for "Received"; thus, "Roger" means "Message Received". The letter "R" in the modern phonetic alphabet is represented by "Romeo".

6. Which "code", developed for one of the first means of electronic communication, is still used today to send messages by signal lamps or "flashing light" among ships?

Answer: Morse code

Morse code was first used in telegraphy, with each letter of the alphabet consisting of a pattern of "dots" and "dashes". Flashing light signaling uses Morse code sent by a search light that has shutters fitted so that the light can be shown in short "dots" or longer "dashes".

7. Which spectrum of light, that can be seen only with special equipment, is used to send short coded messages on a battlefield?

Answer: IR - Infrared

Night vision devices "see" in the infrared spectrum, and allow trained operators to effectively operate at night, giving a great advantage over forces that don't have that capability. An IR light source allows secure communications as only NVD-equipped persons can see the message.

8. What is the name of the type of communication where naval ships have those pretty little multi-colored flags flying from their yardarms?

Answer: Flag hoist

Flag hoist sends coded messages using flags that represent each letter of the alphabet, pennants that represent numbers and "special" pennants that have certain commonly-used meanings such as "Turn" or "Prepare To...".

Answer: Ensign

The Ensign (flag) is flown from warships and merchant ships to identify their country of origin. Many countries have different designs of their national flag that are flown by merchant ships, warships and civilian ships. The rank of Ensign is so-named as one of the early duties of that most-junior seagoing officer was as flag (Ensign) bearer.

Answer: Batteries

Sound-powered phones do not require batteries; as the name indicates, the vibrations of the speaker's voice is all that is needed to produce the electricity needed to transmit the message along the wire. The basic SPP system developed in the 1930s remains unchanged today, providing reliable communications when all other systems failed due to lack of external power.

Source: Author wjames

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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