Which of the following describes a rhumb line’s cross-meridian behavior?

• A. An arc crossing all meridians at a constant angle
• B. A straight line along a latitude
• C. A geodesic path along a great circle
• D. A curve that follows a constant longitude

Answer: (A)

A rhumb line, or loxodrome, is defined by maintaining a constant bearing with respect to true north as you move across the globe. That means you meet every line of longitude (meridian) at the same angle. This exact property—crossing all meridians at a constant angle—is what the statement describes.

Why this is the best description: it gets to the heart of what a rhumb line does on the sphere. The other options point to different concepts. A great-circle path is a geodesic and its angle with meridians changes along the route, not a constant angle. A curve following a constant longitude is a meridian itself and doesn’t cross many meridians with a consistent angle. A latitude line is a small circle and, while it intersects meridians, it isn’t defined by a single fixed crossing angle in the same sense as a rhumb line’s constant bearing.