How are great circle tracks and rhumb lines drawn when not on a chart?
When answering questions I have noticed that they all take the rhumb line track as being straight and the great circle track as being curved towards the equator. Why is this the case?
In my G-nav atpl book (Padpilot), and online, I have found sources which state that the rhumb line is curved and the great circle straight. So why in the questions do they take them as being the other way round when they aren't on a chart?
For example, 'what is the initial great circle direction from 45*N14*12'W to 45*N12*48'E?' takes the rhumb line as straight and the great circle as a curve. Whereas, 'an aircraft flies from point A at 44*54.0'N33*W to point B at 44*54.0'N052*E by following a great circle route. The initial direction at point A is 060*. What is the approximate direction of the route at point B' draws the great circle as a straight line and the rhumb line as a curve?
Please can someone explain why the questions do this? I've wasted a long time trying to figure it out and guess I must be missing something obvious!