District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 2
Test 2 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 20 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real District of Columbia test.
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. How long must a driver stay in the DC Intelligent Speed Assistance Program after a first conviction requiring enrolment?
Show answer
Answer D: One year
The DC Intelligent Speed Assistance Program runs one year for a first conviction, two years for a second and three for a third or subsequent one.
-
2. What happens if a DC applicant fails the knowledge test six times within 12 months?
Show answer
Answer D: The seventh attempt is blocked until 12 months after the first failure
After six failures in a 12-month period, the seventh test cannot be taken until 12 months have passed since the first failure.
-
3. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time
Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.
-
4. You reach a red light with a sign reading NO TURN ON RED. What may you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait for the green; no turn is allowed while the light is red
That sign removes the usual permission to turn on red at the intersection, so you must wait for a green indication.
-
5. What injury does a correctly set head restraint help prevent?
Show answer
Answer A: A neck injury of the kind caused when your vehicle is struck from behind
In a rear impact the body is pushed forward and the head restraint stops the head from whipping backward.
-
6. What must you do before changing lanes, in addition to signaling and checking your mirrors?
Show answer
Answer D: Glance over your shoulder to check the blind spot the mirrors do not cover
Mirrors leave an area beside and behind the vehicle that they cannot show, so a quick head check is needed before the vehicle moves sideways.
-
7. You want to pass on a two-lane road where several people are walking on the narrow shoulder ahead. What should you consider?
Show answer
Answer D: There is no escape room if the pass goes wrong, so wait for a better place
A pass depends on having somewhere to go if it goes wrong, and a shoulder occupied by pedestrians removes that option for both vehicles.
-
8. An ambulance has just gone by and traffic starts to move again. Why should you wait a moment before pulling back out?
Show answer
Answer B: Another emergency vehicle may be following the first one
Emergency calls often bring several vehicles, so check that nothing else is coming before you rejoin the traffic lane.
-
9. How does DC law treat a driver's refusal to submit to a chemical test at a later hearing or trial?
Show answer
Answer A: The refusal is admissible in evidence
DC law makes evidence of the refusal admissible in any civil or criminal proceeding arising from the conduct alleged before the arrest.
-
10. An emergency vehicle is stopped on the shoulder ahead with its lights flashing. What does the move over principle require?
Show answer
Answer D: Change lanes away from it, or slow down if you cannot
Move over laws ask you to give responders an empty lane, and where traffic or a two-lane road makes that impossible, you slow down instead.
-
11. What is the maximum lawful speed in a District alley?
Show answer
Answer C: 15 mph
The maximum lawful speed in a DC alley is 15 mph, below the 20 mph default that applies to streets.
-
12. How many points does DC assess for driving 11 to 15 mph above the posted speed limit?
Show answer
Answer D: 3 points
The DC point chart assigns 3 points to speeding of 11 to 15 mph over the limit, rising with each higher speed band.
-
13. Which mobile telephone use does DC law expressly exempt from the hands-free requirement?
Show answer
Answer A: An emergency call to 911 or 311, a hospital, an ambulance service, a fire department or a law enforcement agency
DC law exempts emergency use of a mobile telephone, including calls to 911 or 311, a hospital, an ambulance service provider, a fire department, a law enforcement agency or a first-aid squad.
-
14. What happens when a DC driver accumulates 12 or more points?
Show answer
Answer C: The license is revoked and cannot be reinstated for at least six months
At 12 or more points the DC license is revoked, and driving privileges are lost until DC DMV reinstates the license, at least six months after the revocation.
-
15. What is the main function of the guide sign series?
Show answer
Answer D: To identify routes and lead road users to their destinations
Guide signs identify routes, name destinations and give distances, so drivers can navigate without stopping to consult a map.
-
16. Why does a long downhill grade lengthen the distance you need to stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Because gravity keeps pulling the vehicle forward as you brake
On a downgrade gravity works with the vehicle and against the brakes, so the same speed needs noticeably more distance than it would on level ground.
-
17. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?
Show answer
Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact
Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.
-
18. How does DC DMV learn that a vehicle's insurance has been cancelled?
Show answer
Answer B: The insurance company is required to notify DC DMV
Insurance companies must tell DC DMV about cancellations, after which the agency sends the owner a verification notice about the gap in coverage.
-
19. What is the minimum age to obtain a DC DMV learner permit?
Show answer
Answer C: 16
An applicant must be at least 16 years old to obtain a learner permit in the District of Columbia.
-
20. You come back to find that your parked car has rolled out into the street. What most likely went wrong?
Show answer
Answer C: The parking brake was not set and the wheels were not turned
The parking brake, a gear or park, and turned front wheels are three separate safeguards, and a runaway means at least the first two were missing.
-
21. The rear of your vehicle begins to slide sideways on a slippery surface. What is the correct correction?
Show answer
Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to go
Looking and steering toward your intended path lines the front wheels up with the direction of travel, while sudden braking or a sharp opposite input usually makes the slide worse.
-
22. What does the DC traffic regulation require of an operator with respect to attention?
Show answer
Answer A: Full time and attention must be given to operating the vehicle
DC regulations require an operator to give full time and attention to the operation of the vehicle, and the breach is ticketed in its own right.
-
23. How much should you normally reduce your speed on a road covered with packed snow compared with dry conditions?
Show answer
Answer C: By about half
Packed snow roughly doubles the distance needed to stop, so a common guideline is to cut speed by about half. On ice, slow to a crawl.
-
24. What should you do as you approach your exit from a roundabout?
Show answer
Answer A: Signal right and check the crosswalk for pedestrians before leaving
A right signal tells following drivers and waiting drivers that you are leaving, and pedestrians cross at the exit leg, so the crosswalk must be checked.
-
25. How many hours of certified driving practice must a DC learner permit holder log before the provisional license?
Show answer
Answer C: 40 hours
The DC Certification of Eligibility for Provisional License requires at least 40 hours of practice signed off by a qualifying tutor.