District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 49
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. What mandatory minimum jail term applies to a first DC impaired driving conviction when the alcohol concentration was 0.20 or higher?
Show answer
Answer B: 10 days
A first DC conviction with an alcohol concentration of 0.20 or more carries a mandatory minimum of 10 days, and the minimum rises further at 0.25 and 0.30.
-
2. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
Show answer
Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.
-
3. Where among these is parking specifically prohibited?
Show answer
Answer A: On a bridge, in a tunnel or on railroad tracks
Bridges and tunnels have no safe refuge and cannot be widened, and a vehicle left on railroad tracks cannot be avoided by an approaching train.
-
4. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic
When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.
-
5. Children are playing close to the edge of a residential street. What is the right speed choice?
Show answer
Answer D: Well below the limit, slow enough to stop for a sudden dash
Children can step out without warning, so the safe speed is the one that lets you stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
-
6. What do two solid yellow lines down the middle of a two-way road mean?
Show answer
Answer D: Passing is prohibited for traffic in both directions
A double solid yellow line marks a two-direction no-passing zone, so neither direction may cross it to overtake another vehicle.
-
7. A yellow diamond shows two lanes narrowing into one. What does it require of a driver?
Show answer
Answer D: Adjusting speed and merging before the lane disappears
The lane ends sign gives notice that one lane will be dropped, so drivers should adjust speed and blend into the continuing lane in good time.
-
8. On a two-lane road with a broken yellow center line, may you cross it to turn into a driveway on the left?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, when it is safe and the oncoming lane is clear
A broken center line may be crossed for a pass or for a left turn into a road or a driveway, once the oncoming lane is clear.
-
9. Snow has covered the pavement markings on a two-lane road. How should a driver judge lane position?
Show answer
Answer B: By the tracks of other traffic and the roadside features
With the markings hidden, ruts left by earlier traffic, signs, poles and the line of the shoulder are the best clues to where the lane runs.
-
10. You signaled a lane change and the signal did not switch itself off afterwards. Why does that matter?
Show answer
Answer B: Other drivers may act on a turn you do not intend to make
A signal left on tells other drivers you are about to turn, and someone may pull out in front of you. Cancel it as soon as the maneuver is finished.
-
11. A driver moves into the space you were keeping ahead of you. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Ease off and rebuild the gap in front of you
Losing a following gap is common in traffic; the answer is simply to drop back and recreate it rather than drive too close.
-
12. What ticket does DC issue for parking on a snow emergency route while a snow emergency is in effect?
Show answer
Answer B: 250 dollars
Parking on a snow emergency route during a declared snow emergency draws a 250 dollar ticket in DC, on top of towing and storage charges.
-
13. Halfway through a curve you realize you are going too fast. What is the best response?
Show answer
Answer C: Ease off the gas gently and look where you want to go
Easing off transfers a little weight to the front tires without upsetting the balance, and looking through the curve keeps your steering smooth.
-
14. A short driver cannot get ten inches between the chest and the steering wheel airbag. What is the answer?
Show answer
Answer D: Move the seat back and tilt the wheel downward, or fit pedal extenders
Distance from the airbag is gained by moving the seat back and aiming the wheel at the chest, using pedal extenders if the pedals are then out of reach.
-
15. Is it acceptable to drive with your vehicle straddling the line between two lanes?
Show answer
Answer D: No, you must drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane
A vehicle astride the line takes up two lanes and leaves the drivers around it unable to predict where it will go.
-
16. A line of short dashes set closer together than an ordinary lane line runs beside your lane where a ramp leaves the highway. What does a dotted line of that kind convey?
Show answer
Answer A: A warning that the lane is about to change function
Dotted lines give guidance or warning about a downstream change, such as a lane that becomes an exit only lane or a lane line carried across an intersection.
-
17. You are approaching the crest of a hill and cannot see the road beyond it. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down and keep well to the right
Beyond a blind crest there may be a stopped vehicle, a cyclist or an oncoming driver crossing the center line, so reduce speed and hold your own side.
-
18. It is dark, it is raining and you are towing a trailer. How should you set your following gap?
Show answer
Answer B: Add extra seconds for each condition, well beyond three
Each factor that lengthens your stopping distance or shortens your view calls for another second or more, and they add up when several occur together.
-
19. Does this sign settle who has the right-of-way at the intersection ahead?
Show answer
Answer D: No, it only gives notice of the intersection; the control there decides priority
A warning prepares the driver for what is coming but grants no priority, so whatever stop control, yield control, signal or right-of-way rule applies at the intersection is what decides.
-
20. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?
Show answer
Answer B: A right turn
The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.
-
21. At what tread depth should a tire be replaced?
Show answer
Answer A: When the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch
At that depth a tire loses grip quickly, especially on wet roads, and the built in wear bars or the penny test both show when the point has been reached.
-
22. 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.
-
23. 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.
-
24. A black and white regulatory sign facing traffic at a divided section reads KEEP LEFT. What does it require?
Show answer
Answer D: Passing the island or obstruction on its left side
Keep Left is posted at an island or obstruction that traffic must pass on the left, which is the opposite of the far more common Keep Right situation.
-
25. You are approaching an uncontrolled intersection on a residential street where parked cars hide the cross street. What is the correct approach?
Show answer
Answer B: Slow enough to stop and creep out until you can see
Without a sign or signal you still have to be able to yield, and you cannot yield to traffic you have not seen.