District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 17
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. Why should you avoid parking over tall dry grass or a pile of dead leaves?
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Answer B: Because the hot exhaust can set the dry material on fire
The exhaust system stays hot for a long time after a drive and can ignite dry vegetation underneath the vehicle.
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2. You park a manual transmission car facing uphill at a curb. What is the correct combination?
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Answer A: First gear, wheels turned away from the curb, parking brake set
Facing uphill the car would roll back, so first gear resists that, the wheels turned out let a tire catch the curb, and the parking brake holds it.
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3. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
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Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
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4. A motorcycle ahead of you is weaving slightly as it crosses a stretch of grooved pavement. What should you do?
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Answer D: Give the rider extra room until the surface improves
Grooves, metal plates and loose material affect a motorcycle far more than a car, so back off and let the rider deal with the surface.
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5. Why is this restriction used so often on a divided road just before a crest or a bend?
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Answer A: Because a vehicle turning across the median there stays hidden from approaching drivers until it is too late
The maneuver needs a long gap and good visibility, and where sight distance is short an approaching driver has no time to react to a vehicle turning across the road.
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6. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?
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Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up
Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.
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7. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?
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Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it
Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.
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8. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back
Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.
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9. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?
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Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly
Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.
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10. You have loaded the trunk heavily. Why might oncoming drivers flash their lights at you at night?
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Answer D: The rear sits lower, so your headlights point higher and dazzle them
Weight in the back tips the vehicle nose up and lifts the beam pattern, so low beams shine into the eyes of drivers coming the other way.
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11. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?
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Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it
The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.
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12. A mixed drink is made with two shots of spirits. How much alcohol is that?
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Answer C: About two standard drinks
A standard drink is a fixed amount of pure alcohol, so a glass poured with two measures counts as two drinks however it is served.
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13. At highway speed, a large object suddenly appears in your lane and there is open space beside you. Which response is often the most effective?
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Answer B: Steer around it, since at speed you can often turn quicker than you can stop
Above roughly 25 mph, stopping distance is long while a lane change takes only a moment. When space is available, a controlled steer around the hazard avoids the impact.
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14. How long does a parallel parking space need to be for the car you are driving?
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Answer D: About five or six feet longer than your vehicle
A few extra feet at each end give you the room to swing in and to straighten up without touching the vehicles in front or behind.
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15. In the code that governs pavement markings, what does a double line stand for?
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Answer B: A maximum restriction
The marking code is consistent: a double line means the strongest restriction, a solid line discourages or forbids crossing, and a broken line is permissive.
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16. A regulatory sign reads TURN ON HEADLIGHTS NEXT 15 MILES. What does it require?
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Answer C: Low beam headlights on for that stretch, day or night
Such a section is signed where a road is hard to see along, and the requirement is to run headlights, not just daytime running lamps, through the whole stretch even in bright daylight.
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17. When is it acceptable to reach into the back seat for something while driving?
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Answer A: Never; stop somewhere safe instead
Twisting round takes your eyes off the road and your control of the wheel with it, so anything in the back seat waits until the car is stopped.
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18. What may DC not do to a driver who fails to pay an automated traffic enforcement ticket?
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Answer B: Suspend the driver license for that failure
DC law bars suspending a driver license because of failure to pay, respond to, or appear on an automated traffic enforcement notice.
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19. What most often starts a rear wheel skid?
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Answer A: Too much speed, braking or acceleration for the grip available
A skid begins when what you ask of the tires exceeds what the surface can give, which is usually a matter of speed and of how abruptly you use the controls.
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20. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?
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Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.
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21. A school bus ahead of you has its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended. What are you required to do?
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Answer A: Stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus starts moving
Flashing red lights and an extended stop arm mean children are getting on or off, so traffic must stop and wait until the bus withdraws the signals and moves again.
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22. You are leaving a freeway on an exit ramp posted with an advisory speed of 25 mph. Where should you slow to that speed?
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Answer A: In the deceleration lane, before you reach the curve of the ramp
Slowing belongs in the deceleration lane so you arrive at the curve already at the advisory speed and do not hold up traffic still in the through lanes.
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23. The lane control signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer A: Prepare to leave the lane, because it is about to be closed
A steady yellow X is the warning that the lane below it is about to close, giving drivers time to move over before the red X appears.
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24. Why is wearing headphones over both ears a problem while driving?
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Answer D: You may not hear horns, sirens or other warning sounds
Hearing is part of your awareness of traffic. Covering both ears blocks emergency sirens, horns and the sound of an approaching vehicle you cannot yet see.
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25. Rain is heavy enough that you have your windshield wipers running. What else should you switch on?
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Answer A: Your headlights, so you can see and others can see you
Rain heavy enough to need wipers also cuts how far away you can be seen, so the headlights belong on. Many states write this into law as a wipers on, lights on rule.