What is the rank designation for Mark Mayo?

• A. PO2
• B. MA3
• C. MA2
• D. CPO

Answer: (C)

Understanding how rank designations are written helps here. In many military branches, a person’s designation combines their specialty (the rating) with a numerical level. The Master-at-Arms specialty is abbreviated MA. The number that follows shows the level within that specialty (the pay grade). So MA2 is Master-at-Arms Second Class, which corresponds to the E-5 level in that specialty.

That’s why MA2 is the best fit for Mark Mayo. It correctly pairs the Master-at-Arms designation with the second-class level. The other options don’t fit because they either use a different specialty (PO2 would be Petty Officer Second Class without the MA specialization) or indicate a different level within Master-at-Arms (MA3 would be Third Class, which is lower), or represent a different, unrelated rank (CPO is Chief Petty Officer, a higher, different track).