District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 50
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. How does DC DMV learn that a vehicle's insurance has been cancelled?
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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.
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2. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
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Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.
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3. In a normal signal cycle, what comes after a steady red indication?
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Answer A: A green indication that starts the next movement
Yellow is a warning that a movement is ending, so it never precedes a green; a red is followed by a green or a green arrow.
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4. Why is following distance measured in seconds rather than in car lengths?
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Answer A: Because a time gap automatically grows with speed, while a fixed number of car lengths does not
A gap counted in seconds keeps the same margin of reaction time at any speed, whereas a fixed number of car lengths becomes far too small as speed rises.
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5. Below a speed limit sign is a smaller panel with white numbers on a black background and the word NIGHT. What does it show?
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Answer D: The limit that applies after dark
A night speed limit panel sets a separate legal maximum for the hours of darkness, and its reversed colors mark it as the night figure.
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6. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way
Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.
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7. What do the grooves in a tire tread do on a flooded road surface?
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Answer B: They give the water a way to escape so the tread can touch the road
Tread grooves pump water out from under the tire so rubber can meet pavement. A worn tread moves less water, so hydroplaning starts sooner.
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8. You are hosting a party and a guest who has been drinking wants to drive home. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop serving and arrange a ride or a bed
Only time removes alcohol, so a host who wants to prevent a crash has to remove the driving, not try to speed up sobering that cannot be sped up.
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9. What should you do with the key and your belongings when you leave the vehicle in a public lot?
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Answer D: Take the key with you, lock up and put valuables out of sight
Most vehicle thefts are opportunistic: a key left behind or a bag in plain view is the invitation.
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10. Traffic is heavy and crawling where a sign warns that your lane ends and two lanes must become one. What is the best practice?
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Answer C: Use the lane to the end, then take turns merging one by one
In stop-and-go traffic the zipper merge, using both lanes up to the merge point and then alternating, keeps the queue shorter and traffic moving; in free-flowing traffic move over as soon as it is safe.
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11. You must leave your vehicle beside a narrow rural road at night. What should you do?
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Answer B: Get it right off the pavement and switch on the hazard lights
A vehicle left on an unlit rural road is very hard to see, so move it completely clear of the traveled surface and mark it with the hazard lights.
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12. As speed rises, which part of the total stopping distance grows the fastest?
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Answer B: The braking distance, which grows far faster than speed itself
Perception and reaction distances grow in step with speed, but braking distance grows roughly with the square of speed, so it dominates at higher speeds.
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13. How long must a DC provisional license be held before applying for a full license with conditions?
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Answer C: At least 6 months
A DC provisional license must be held for at least 6 months before the holder can apply for a full license with conditions.
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14. What is the most common cause of rear-end collisions?
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Answer C: Following too closely to stop in time
A driver who leaves too little space has no room to perceive, react and brake when the vehicle ahead slows, which is why space management prevents rear-end crashes.
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15. Why would a restriction like this one be applied to a stretch of road?
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Answer A: Because there is not enough visible road ahead to complete a pass safely
Limits on overtaking are set where a hill, a curve or an obstruction leaves too little sight distance for a driver to pull out, pass and return before meeting oncoming traffic.
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16. If you must abandon a vehicle stuck on the tracks with a train coming, why do you move toward the train and away at an angle?
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Answer D: Because debris from the impact is thrown forward, away from the train
A train pushes wreckage down the track ahead of it, so walking toward the train and off to the side keeps you out of the debris path.
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17. A driver who is passing you cannot complete the pass because a vehicle is coming. What should you do?
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Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and make room for them to drop back in
The only place for the passing vehicle to go is the gap behind you, and easing off opens that gap immediately.
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18. Can a driver be charged with impaired driving after taking a legal over the counter medicine?
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Answer C: Yes, if the medicine impairs the ability to drive safely
Impaired driving laws cover any substance that affects driving, including cold remedies, allergy pills and sleep aids sold without a prescription.
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19. You have strapped luggage to the roof rack for a long trip. What should you expect?
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Answer D: A higher center of gravity, so take the curves and lane changes gently
Weight on the roof raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicle lean and respond more slowly to steering.
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20. A steady red arrow is displayed for your left-turn lane at a two-way intersection. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop and remain stopped until an indication permits the turn
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to, so the driver stops and waits for a green arrow, a flashing yellow arrow or another indication that permits the turn.
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21. The lights at a highway-rail grade crossing begin to flash red as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer B: Stop short of the tracks and wait until the lights stop and no train is near
Flashing red lights at a crossing require a stop clear of the tracks, and you may proceed only once the lights have stopped, any gates are fully raised and no train is approaching.
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22. You come up behind a bicyclist who is descending a steep hill in the middle of the traffic lane. What should you take into account?
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Answer D: The rider may be moving at close to the speed of the traffic
A bicycle can reach the speed of traffic on a descent, so there is little to gain from a pass and the rider needs the whole lane to steer around surface hazards.
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23. A yellow diamond showing two vertical arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down, warns that
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Answer A: the road ahead carries traffic in both directions
The two-way traffic sign warns that the roadway ahead is not divided and that vehicles will be coming from the opposite direction.
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24. You are waiting in a center two-way left-turn lane. What should you expect from oncoming traffic?
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Answer A: Oncoming drivers may enter the same lane to prepare their own left turns
Both directions share a two-way left-turn lane, so an oncoming vehicle may be waiting in it and you must never treat it as yours alone.
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25. The vehicle in front of you has stopped and is waiting to turn left, and there is a paved shoulder to the right. May you use it to get by?
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Answer D: No, in most states a pass may not be made by leaving the paved travel lanes
Passing on the right is normally lawful only inside the marked travel lanes, and most states prohibit driving onto the shoulder to get around a turning vehicle; the few states that allow it attach strict conditions.