District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 22
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. What is the safest way to leave a perpendicular parking space in a busy lot?
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Answer B: Back out slowly, checking both ways and yielding
Backing out gives you the poorest view of any maneuver, so it must be done slowly, with checks in both directions and with yielding to whoever is already there.
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2. You are leaving a freeway at an exit that has a deceleration lane. Where should you slow down?
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Answer C: After you have moved fully into the exit lane
Braking in a through lane surprises the traffic behind you, so you move into the exit lane at highway speed and then slow down inside it.
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3. An orange sign reading END ROAD WORK is posted beside the highway. What does it mark?
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Answer C: The point where the work zone restrictions stop
The sign is installed at the downstream end of the temporary traffic control zone to tell drivers that normal conditions apply again.
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4. When should headlights be switched on besides during the hours of darkness?
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Answer C: Whenever rain, fog, snow or dust makes it harder to see or to be seen
Headlights are as much about being seen as about seeing, so they go on whenever visibility drops.
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5. What is the basic rule for entering a roundabout?
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Answer B: Traffic already circulating goes first, and you wait for a gap
Entering traffic yields to vehicles already going around the circle, which is what keeps a roundabout moving instead of locking up.
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6. There is a driveway and a side street between you and the corner where you will turn right. When should you signal?
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Answer C: After passing the openings, so nobody pulls out in front of you
A signal switched on before an opening tells drivers waiting there that you are turning in, and they may pull out into your path.
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7. What does a NARROW BRIDGE warning sign tell a driver?
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Answer A: The bridge is tighter than the road leading up to it
A narrow bridge still carries both directions, but with much less clearance than the approaches, so drivers should slow and hold their lane position carefully.
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8. You leave a brightly lit service area onto a dark rural road. Why should you slow down for a while?
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Answer C: Your eyes need time to adjust, so at first you see less
Eyes take a few minutes to adapt from bright light to darkness, and during that time you can see much less than your headlights actually show.
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9. How many alcoholic drinks does it take to begin affecting driving ability?
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Answer C: Even one drink can affect it
A single drink can slow reactions and weaken judgment before you feel any change. Impairment starts long before a person feels drunk.
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10. Why should you avoid swinging wide to the left before making a right turn in a car?
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Answer A: Another driver may think you are turning left and try to pass on your right
Swinging left first misleads other road users about your intention and invites someone to move up on your right, exactly where you are about to go.
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11. A center lane is marked with a broken yellow line on each side and is controlled by overhead lane signals. How is that lane used?
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Answer A: It carries traffic one way or the other according to the signals
A reversible lane is marked with broken yellow lines on both sides and its direction of travel is set by the lane control signals above it.
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12. Which handling of a mobile telephone does DC law leave outside the hands-free restriction?
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Answer D: Initiating or terminating a call, or turning the telephone on or off
DC law places initiating or terminating a call, and switching the telephone on or off, outside the restriction on handheld use.
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13. How does marijuana affect a driver?
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Answer C: It slows reaction time and impairs judgment of time and distance
Marijuana impairs coordination, attention and the ability to judge speed and distance. Driving while impaired by it is illegal everywhere, even where its use is legal.
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14. You have entered a work zone where crews are working close to the open lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready for workers and machines
Workers and equipment cross the open lane without warning in a work zone, so reduced speed and attention on the road ahead are what keep them safe.
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15. You are driving on a divided highway and see a solid yellow line along the left side of your lanes. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: It marks the left edge of the roadway for your direction
On a divided highway or a one-way roadway, the left edge of the traveled way is marked with a solid yellow line.
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16. What is the rule about leaving a child or a pet in a parked vehicle?
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Answer A: Never do it; the inside can turn deadly hot very quickly
The inside of a parked vehicle heats far faster than the air outside, and cracking a window does not prevent it, so a child or animal must never be left there.
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17. The tire pressure monitoring symbol lights up on your dashboard. What is the system telling you?
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Answer A: At least one tire is significantly underinflated
The system warns when a tire falls well below the recommended pressure. Check all four with a gauge and inflate to the placard figure while they are cold.
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18. You drive away and the car feels sluggish while a warning light glows on the dash. What is a likely cause?
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Answer B: The parking brake was left partly applied
Driving with the parking brake partly on overheats the rear brakes and can ruin them, so release it fully and check that the warning light goes out.
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19. You have just passed a large truck on the freeway. Why is it dangerous to pull back in front of it and then brake for your exit?
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Answer B: A loaded truck needs much more distance to stop than a car
A fully loaded tractor-trailer can need the length of a football field or more to stop from highway speed. Cutting in and braking leaves the driver no room to avoid hitting you.
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20. How can you tell a tire has reached its wear limit without measuring it?
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Answer C: The wear bars across the grooves become level with the tread
Molded bars sit at the bottom of the grooves. Once the surrounding tread has worn down to them, the tire has reached the end of its safe life.
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21. How long can cannabis affect a driver?
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Answer A: For hours after the strongest effects have passed
Slowed reactions, poor tracking and weak judgment of distance can last for hours, well beyond the point where the user believes the effects are over.
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22. You are about to pull out of a driveway when someone on the sidewalk is walking toward it. What should you do?
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Answer D: Wait, because traffic on the sidewalk has the right-of-way
A vehicle entering the roadway from a driveway yields to people on the sidewalk as well as to traffic on the street.
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23. You are traveling at 55 mph on a rural road and come up behind a horse-drawn buggy. What is the main danger?
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Answer D: You close on it very quickly because it moves at walking pace
A buggy travels only a few miles an hour, so the gap closes far faster than drivers expect and there is very little time to brake once you see it.
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24. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?
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Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.
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25. You brake hard in a vehicle with antilock brakes and feel the pedal pulsing under your foot. What should you do?
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Answer A: Keep firm, steady pressure on the pedal and steer where you need to go
The pulsing is the system releasing and reapplying the brakes so the wheels keep rolling, which is what lets you steer while braking. Pumping the pedal defeats it.