District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 38
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. How should you handle a prescription or over the counter medicine before driving?
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Answer D: Read the label and ask a pharmacist or doctor whether it affects driving
Many common medicines, including allergy and cold remedies, cause drowsiness or slowed reactions, and the label or a pharmacist can tell you whether driving is safe.
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2. A small yellow plaque showing a speed number below a curve warning sign gives
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Answer C: the speed recommended for the condition being warned about
The advisory speed plaque belongs to the warning series and states the speed judged safe for the condition ahead under good circumstances, not a regulatory limit.
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3. After passing the DC knowledge test, how long does an applicant have to visit a service center with the required documents?
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Answer B: 14 business days
A passing knowledge test result must be followed by a service center visit within 14 business days.
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4. Where is the best place in the car for a child safety seat?
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Answer A: In the rear seat, secured either with the belt or with the lower anchors
The rear seat is furthest from most impacts and from the front airbags, and the seat must be locked in with the belt or the anchors.
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5. A driver holds a steady highway speed into the section this sign warns about. What is the most likely result?
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Answer B: The vehicle runs wide toward the outside and can cross into another lane or leave the pavement
Holding speed into a change of alignment asks the tires for more side grip than they can supply, so the vehicle runs wide and the driver is left with less room to correct.
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6. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?
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Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you
Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.
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7. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane
A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.
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8. You are involved in a collision, even a minor one. What is your first legal duty?
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Answer A: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic more than necessary
Every driver involved in a crash must stop at the scene, and leaving before meeting that duty is a serious offense. Move the vehicles only as far as needed to clear the traffic lanes.
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9. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road
The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.
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10. You have finished parallel parking at the curb. How should the vehicle sit?
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Answer A: Close to the curb, so that it does not stick out into the traffic lane
A parked vehicle must sit close enough to the curb that it does not intrude into the path of passing traffic; the exact maximum distance is set by each state.
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11. An emergency vehicle is stopped on the shoulder ahead with its lights flashing. What does the move over principle require?
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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.
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12. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have the tire replaced before driving far, because it could blow out
A sidewall bulge means the internal cords have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. The tire can fail suddenly at any speed.
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13. You are turning left across tracks that run along the center of the street. What should you do before crossing them?
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Answer B: Look along the tracks in both directions and cross only when clear
Rail vehicles running in the street can arrive from either direction and cannot stop quickly, so look along the tracks before you turn across them.
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14. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?
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Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it
Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.
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15. Where is a strong crosswind most likely to hit you suddenly?
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Answer D: Coming out of a tunnel or a cut onto an open bridge
Gusts arrive the moment you leave shelter, which is why bridge approaches and the ends of cuts and tunnels catch drivers out.
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16. Why is being thrown out of a vehicle in a crash so dangerous?
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Answer C: Because you strike the road or other objects at high speed, and rarely survive
Ejection is one of the deadliest outcomes of a crash, and a fastened belt is what keeps a person inside the vehicle.
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17. A pedestrian near the curb is staring at a phone and not looking at traffic. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, because the pedestrian may step out without looking
Distracted pedestrians step into the street without checking. Assume they have not seen you and give yourself time and space to stop.
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18. What is the best way to handle the radio, the music player and the climate controls on a trip?
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Answer B: Set them before you start driving and let a passenger handle changes
Fiddling with controls takes eyes and hands off the driving task. Setting them before you move and letting a passenger make later changes removes the distraction entirely.
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19. A large electronic advertising sign beside the road catches your eye. What should you do?
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Answer A: Glance briefly and return your eyes to the road
Bright changing displays are designed to hold attention, so treat them like any roadside object and give them no more than a brief glance.
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20. You feel dizzy and get a headache while driving with the windows closed. What could be the cause and what should you do?
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Answer D: An exhaust leak letting carbon monoxide into the cabin, so open the windows and stop to get fresh air
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, and headache, dizziness and drowsiness are early signs. Get fresh air at once and have the exhaust system inspected.
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21. What does DC require of a driver approaching the scene of an incident?
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Answer D: Proceeding with caution and at reduced speed
DC creates separate 100 dollar infractions for failing to proceed with caution and reduced speed when approaching an incident and for failing to proceed with caution through it.
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22. The left-turn signal facing you shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does it mean?
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Answer C: You may turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians
A flashing yellow arrow permits a left turn but gives no protection, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to people in the crosswalk.
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23. How long should a young child ride in a rear-facing child seat?
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Answer D: Until the child outgrows the height or the weight limit of the seat
Rear facing is the safest position and should be kept until the child reaches the top height or weight allowed by the seat.
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24. You and an oncoming driver are both turning left at the same intersection. What is the usual rule?
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Answer D: Both turn in front of each other unless markings show otherwise
The normal practice is to pass driver side to driver side, turning in front of one another, unless pavement markings or signs direct a different path.
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25. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?
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Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path
When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.