Civil Air Patrol Cadet Competition Written Exam Comprehensive Study Guide
Cadet Competition Written Exam Guidelines and General Information
Objective: The written exam evaluates academic knowledge in leadership and aerospace on both an individual and team basis. Team performance is assessed by comparing total scores among teams.
Exam Composition (70 Questions Total):
32 leadership questions (4 questions per chapter).
30 aerospace questions (5 questions per module).
5 drill questions.
3 aerospace current event questions of national significance.
Format and Conditions:
The test is a closed-book examination.
Time Limit: .
Question Formats: Multiple choice, true/false, or matching.
Subject Matter: The exam is drawn from the most current editions (as of 2014) of Learn to Lead (Volumes 1 and 2), Aerospace Dimensions (3rd Edition, all six modules), and AFMAN 36-2203 (Chapters 1 through 4).
Scoring and Tabulation:
All questions carry equal weight; scores are the total count of correct answers.
Ghost Cadets: If a team has fewer than six members, the "ghost" members receive a score designated as either (the lowest score of a real cadet on the team minus ) or a score of , whichever value is greater.
Rank Order: Determined by sorting teams by total points earned.
Individual Recognition: Awards are given to the individual cadet(s) with the highest score.
Cadets with Special Needs: Accommodations require requests endorsed by an impartial professional (such as a school psychologist). Requests must be submitted roughly 1 week prior to the competition arrival.
Leadership Chapter 1: Character and the Air Force Tradition
Uniform Guidance: Detailed instructions for the proper wear of the uniform are found in CAP Manual 39-1.
Attitudes: All attitudes, whether positive or negative, are contagious.
Chain of Command: Defined as the order of authority.
Attitude Source: Positive attitudes generally arise from understanding.
Customs and Courtesies:
Root: The root of all military customs and courtesies is politeness and respect.
Purpose: Habitually rendering these courtesies strengthens self-discipline.
Saluting: The junior person must initiate the salute when they are six paces from the senior person.
Cadet Definition: A young person training to become a leader.
Primary Job of a Cadet: To learn how to lead.
Grade Insignia Identification:
Cadet Senior Airman: Identified in question bank item 5.
Cadet Lieutenant Colonel: Identified in question bank item 7.
Leadership Chapter 2: The Cadet and the Team
Cadet Oath: Cadets pledge to attend meetings regularly.
Communication:
Main Goal: To share meaning.
Attentive Listening: Listeners must focus on the meaning of what is said, not just the sounds.
Goal Setting: The most effective way to set goals is to work back from the future.
Time Management: Leaders must develop personal time-management skills before taking on the burden of managing the time of others.
Mentoring:
Definition: A mentor is a close, trusted, and experienced advisor.
Setting: Most mentoring occurs one-on-one informally.
Teams:
Definition: A collection of individuals committed to working together toward a common goal.
Advantage: Great teams utilize individuals' special skills to their advantage.
Ethical Trap: This occurs when unethical solutions to a problem yield additional problems.
Stress Management:
Stress Definition: The body's response to change.
Relaxation: Practicing relaxation can fool the body into stopping the release of stress hormones.
Critical Reading: The process of examining, analyzing, and evaluating a writer's message.
Leadership Chapter 3: The Art and the Science of Leadership
Personnel Management: A leader’s primary "tools" are people.
Historical Figures: Billy Mitchell’s vision of an independent air force was famously ridiculed in the 1920s.
Leadership Influence: Genuine leaders use a positive approach to influence others.
Air Force Doctrine: Leadership is built from experience, education, and training.
Great Man Theory: This theory focuses on studying the life stories of successful people.
Leader as Expert: This role involves bringing deep technical knowledge of a specific field to the leadership position.
U.S. Flag Etiquette:
Positioning: When displayed with another flag, the American flag belongs on its own right.
Respect: The U.S. Congress asked Americans to display the flag with a special degree of respect because it represents the best of the nation.
Communication Skills: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‐I Have a Dream‐ speech is a prime example of the leader as communicator.
Etiquette: Defined as a code of polite behavior.
Mission: The reason a team exists is to accomplish the mission.
Leadership Chapter 4: The Cadet NCO and the Team
Motivation: A strong reason or desire for something.
Teamwork Philosophy: Harnessing each individual’s strengths.
Morale: The level of confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a group or person at a specific time.
Standards: Leaders use standards to express what is expected of the team.
Servant Leadership: Leadership is not about controlling people, but serving them.
Military Bearing: Refers to how those in uniform carry themselves.
Constructive Discipline:
Focus: Leaders focus on performance to keep discipline positive.
Timing: Discipline should take place while the problem behavior is still fresh.
Leadership Arenas: The highest level is the strategic arena.
Physical Readiness: Refers to being healthy and leading fitness training.
Punishment: Primarily teaches a person what behaviors to avoid.
NCO Duties: A primary duty of an NCO is to train people to do their jobs.
Leadership Chapter 5: Brainpower for Leadership
Experiential Learning: The CAP Cadet Program develops leadership primarily through hands-on experiential learning.
Learning Modalities: Tactile learners prefer to physically touch what they are studying.
Thinking Styles:
Big-Picture Thinking: Stepping back from an issue to take more of it in.
Critical Thinking: Guided by universal values of logic and respect for the truth; developed through study and practice.
Learning Objectives: These allow teachers to state a precise goal and measure student success.
Instructional Methods: Lecture is considered a form of passive learning. Seating for a guided discussion should be u-shaped.
Logical Fallacies:
Red Herring: A fallacy that may be true but distracts from the relevant issue.
Appeal to Tradition: The assumption that older ideas are inherently better.
Status Quo: People often resist change to maintain the status quo.
Logic: An argument is logical when one point supports the next and conclusions follow naturally.
Leadership Chapter 6: The Human Element
Personality: The sum of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make someone unique.
Defense Mechanisms: Suppression is knowing a problem exists but refusing to think about it.
Behavioral Modification: Negative reinforcement occurs when an unpleasant stimulus is removed to encourage a desired behavior.
Prejudice: To pre-judge someone.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:
Hierarchy levels: Physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.
Safety: Includes freedom from fear, violence, and uncertainty.
Diversity: Respect for diversity will become more important in the future due to U.S. population projections.
Conflict Resolution:
Duty: Leaders have a duty to respond to conflict because they are responsible for the team.
Definition: A disagreement where individuals perceive a threat to their needs, interests, or concerns.
Zero-Sum Game: The concept that one person's gain (e.g., eating a pizza slice) is a loss for another (the second person cannot eat that same slice).
Hawthorne Lesson: Put into action through the Cadet Advisory Council.
Leadership Chapter 7: Leadership Schools of Thought
Power Types: Coercive power is used when followers obey because they fear punishment.
Management Styles: Active management-by-exception involves watching followers closely for mistakes and correcting them immediately.
Systems Theory: Based on the principle that all different parts of a system depend on each other for survival.
Goal Advocacy: Advocacy is the act of arguing in favor of a specific course of action.
Situational Leadership: A laissez-faire style is appropriate for teams of veterans who require minimal oversight.
Transformational Leadership: Characterized by helping followers reach their fullest potential. A key factor is intellectual stimulation, which urges followers to be creative and innovative.
Alignment: A team lacks alignment if members are working in opposite directions.
Path-Goal Theory: The leader clears the paths that subordinates must take to accomplish goals.
Leadership Chapter 8: Effective Communication
Writing Structure:
Topic Sentence: Introduces the main idea of a paragraph.
Conclusion: Restates the thesis and summarizes main points.
Essay Body: Should contain at least 2 paragraphs.
Professional Email: Guidelines include using proper spelling and grammar.
Speech Foundations:
Purpose: An exact statement of what the audience should understand, do, or believe. It belongs at the top of the outline.
Successful Communication: Founded on knowledge of the audience, organization of material, and having a purpose.
Arguments: Defined as reasons given in proof or rebuttal.
Speech Types:
Memorized: Tends to sound monotone and flat.
Extemporaneous: Carefully planned and outlined but not read word-for-word.
Audience: The term for those to whom you speak or write.
Interviews: Preparation includes asking good questions.
Aerospace Module 1: Introduction to Flight
Atmospheric Forces: Rising columns of air are known as thermals.
Historical Aircraft: Gliders were the first aircraft with directional control.
Wing Design: The upper surface has more curvature, known as camber, than the bottom.
Fluid Dynamics: Bernoulli found that the pressure of a fluid (like air) drops when it is accelerated.
Airflow: Air over the top of a wing travels faster than the air beneath it.
Axes of Rotation:
Roll: Rotation around the longitudinal axis.
Yaw: The nose right/nose left motion.
Hot Air Balloons: Directional control is minimal.
Forces of Flight: Thrust is considered an artificial force because it requires a mechanical device (engine/propeller) to generate it.
Propellers: The tip of the propeller has the highest rotational speed.
Paper Airplanes: Adjusting the elevons allows the plane to land gently.
Aerospace Module 2: Aircraft Systems and Airports
Engines:
Mechanical Energy: Internal combustion engines change heat into mechanical energy.
Cycle: The spark plug ignites the fuel-air mixture, driving the piston downward.
Jet Engines: Excess energy is expelled out of the tailpipe as thrust.
Measurement: A nautical mile is .
Cockpit Controls:
Mixture Control: Used to "meter" the amount of fuel available to the carburetor.
Attitude Indicator: Provides the pilot with an artificial horizon.
Electrical Systems: Circuit breakers protect against overloads and are reset manually.
Airport Standards: The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) governs U.S. airway systems and airport standards.
Runway and Taxiway Indicators:
Runway Numbers: A runway labeled "18" is oriented clockwise from magnetic north.
Taxiway Lights: The standard color is blue.
Aerospace Module 3: Air Environment
Weather Fundaments: The Earth's weather is primarily caused by the sun heating the Earth.
Wind and Flight Planning:
Jet Stream: Pilots monitor the jet stream because it can cause them to save or lose time.
Tailwind: Wind blowing from behind the airplane.
Crosswinds: Winds blowing toward the side of the airplane.
Wind Chill: Determined using temperature and wind speed.
Temperature: Affects takeoff performance.
Wind Capability: Found in the aircraft manual published by the manufacturer.
Clouds:
Cirrus: High altitude, composed mainly of ice crystals.
Cumulus: Associated with turbulence.
Thunderstorms: The dissipating stage is characterized by downdrafts only.
Tornadoes: Roughly 700 are reported in the U.S. annually.
Aerospace Module 4: Rockets
Space History:
Yuri Gagarin: First man in space (1961).
Alan Shepard: First American in space.
Skylab: The first U.S. space station.
Newton's Laws and Motion:
Second Law applied to Rockets: Force is the pressure created by controlled explosions.
Second Law applied to Friction: A sliding hockey puck slows due to friction.
Acceleration: The rate of change in velocity with respect to time.
Engineering: Airframes must withstand stress while using the least possible weight.
Rocket Technology:
First Rocket Engine: Developed by Hero.
Motion: In Hero's engine, the sphere rotated due to thrust from escaping gas.
Propellants: Most modern rockets use liquid propellant. Solid propellants utilize a mixture of hydrogen compounds and carbon with an oxygen-based oxidizer.
Payload: Can contain equipment and/or people.
Aerospace Module 5: Space Environment
Lunar Characteristics:
Orbit: The Moon's distance from Earth varies because its orbit is elliptical.
Time: A Moon day lasts 27 Earth days.
Planetary Data:
Mars: Has the most favorable conditions for life next to Earth.
Jupiter: Has a mass equal to about 318 Earths.
Neptune: Takes 165 years to complete one orbit of the Sun.
Solar System Bodies:
Asteroids: Chunks of rock ranging from dust to several hundred miles wide.
Saturn's Rings: Primarily made of ice chunks.
Comet: Composed of frozen gases, dust, and icy lumps; leaves a long tail as it sheds material.
Space Definitions:
Solar System: The sun and the bodies that orbit it.
Space Altitude: Defined by the Air Force and NASA as beginning at .
Cislunar Space: The space located between the Earth and the Moon.
Gravity: Space is characterized as an area of small or low gravity.
Aerospace Module 6: Spacecraft
Satellites: The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite.
Systems:
Propulsion: Provides the boost to get a satellite into orbit.
Power: Solar cells provide most electricity for satellites.
Telemetry: Tells a controller how a satellite is functioning.
Scientists and Theories:
Copernicus: Developed the heliocentric theory (sun-centered).
Ptolemy: Developed the geocentric theory (Earth-centered).
Newton: Developed the Law of Universal Gravitation.
Orbital Definitions: Orbit refers to the path toward or around a celestial body; the shape is determined by gravity.
Radiation: Heat energy emitted from the sun.
Manned Flight History:
Project Mercury: America's first manned spaceflight program.
John Glenn: First American to orbit the Earth.
Neil Armstrong: First man to walk on the Moon.
Valentina Tereshkova: First woman in space.
Drill and Ceremonies
Commands:
Most have two parts: the preparatory command and the command of execution.
Command Voice Characteristics: Loudness, Projection, Distinctness, Inflection, and Snap.
Positions:
Rest Positions: Parade Rest, At Ease, Rest, and Fall Out.
About Face: Executed by turning to the right.
Attention: Resumed from Dress Right Dress using the command "Ready, FRONT."
Marching:
Step: All steps begin with the left foot EXCEPT right step and Close March.
Quick Time: Resume quick time from double time using the command "Quick Time, MARCH."
Close Ranks: The second rank takes one pace forward and halts at attention.
Column Left: The second element leader takes 2 steps between the 45-degree pivots.
Single File: The command is "Column of Files, From the Right, Column Right, MARCH."
Training Only: The "Hand Salute" command is used for training purposes only.