🔍 Key Concepts

• Review the IALA cardinal mark system and how topmark cone directions indicate quadrants (North, East, South, West). • Remember the memory aids: cones both up, both down, points together, bases together each mean a different quadrant. • Look closely at this illustration’s topmarks: note which way the points of the cones face and whether they form an hourglass or a straight shape.

💭 Think About

• Do the cone points on this mark both point in the same direction, or do they point toward or away from each other? • Which cardinal quadrant is associated with cone points that come together versus cone points that spread apart? • If you redraw the cone shapes as a simple stick figure or letter, what letter or shape do they resemble, and which quadrant does that memory aid correspond to?

✅ Before You Answer

• Confirm whether the upper cone’s point is facing up or down. • Confirm whether the lower cone’s point is facing up or down. • Match that exact cone orientation to your cardinal mark reference chart before choosing an answer.