District of Columbia DC DMV Permit Practice Test 51
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. On a long drive you notice repeated yawning, missed exits and drifting toward the lane line. What should you do?
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Answer C: Pull off at a safe place and sleep, or change drivers
Those are warning signs that sleepiness is already interfering with driving, and only rest restores alertness. Fresh air, music and caffeine do not reverse it.
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2. A law enforcement officer is directing traffic and waves you forward while the signal facing you shows red. What should you do?
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Answer A: Follow the officer's direction and proceed
Directions given by an officer controlling traffic take priority over signals, signs and pavement markings.
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3. Your vehicle has stalled on railroad tracks and no train is in sight. After getting everyone away, whom should you call first?
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Answer B: The railroad emergency number posted on the blue sign at the crossing, giving the crossing number
Every public crossing has a blue emergency notification sign with a phone number and a crossing identification number. That call lets the railroad stop or slow trains before they reach you.
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4. Which effect appears as a drinker's blood alcohol level climbs well past the first drinks?
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Answer D: Loss of muscle control and steady steering
Higher levels of alcohol reach the parts of the brain that control movement, which shows up as clumsy steering, late braking and poor lane control.
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5. What is the proper use of the horn?
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Answer C: To give a brief warning when another road user may not have seen you
The horn is a warning device meant to alert someone to your presence when a collision is possible, and using it in anger tends to escalate conflict rather than prevent crashes.
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6. What is the only reliable remedy for a driver who is sleepy?
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Answer A: Sleep
Caffeine, fresh air and noise may make you feel alert for a few minutes, but they do not remove the need for sleep. Stop somewhere safe and rest.
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7. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?
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Answer B: The traffic already traveling on the freeway
The sign places the duty on the entering driver, who must adjust speed and fit into a gap without forcing through traffic to brake or swerve.
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8. When do the DC provisional license hour restrictions not apply?
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Answer B: When driving to or from work, school events, religious or athletic activities, or when accompanied by a licensed driver aged 21 or older
The hour limits are waived for work, school, religious and athletic travel, and when a licensed driver aged 21 or older is in the vehicle.
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9. Why must you never leave the engine running in a closed garage?
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Answer B: Because carbon monoxide builds up and can kill within minutes
Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, which has no smell or color and can reach fatal levels in an enclosed space very quickly.
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10. A piece of farm machinery ahead of you is wider than its own lane. What should you do?
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Answer C: Hold back until you can see far enough to pass safely
Wide equipment leaves no gap inside the lane and may use part of the other side, so a pass needs a long clear view of the road ahead.
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11. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
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Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
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12. You are approaching a multilane roundabout. When should you choose your lane?
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Answer C: Before you enter, using the lane-choice sign on the approach
You select your lane on the approach the way you would at any multilane intersection, then stay in that lane all the way around, because changing lanes inside a roundabout creates side-impact conflicts.
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13. You are at a red light where right turns on red are allowed, you cannot see clearly, and the driver behind sounds the horn. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay stopped until you can see that the turn is safe
Turning right on red is permitted, never required, so you wait until you can see that the way is clear no matter what the driver behind does.
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14. You must stop for a train at a highway-rail crossing. Where should you stop?
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Answer B: Behind the stop line, gate or signal and well clear of the nearest rail
Stop behind the stop line, gate or flashing-light signal and well clear of the nearest rail, because a train overhangs its track by several feet on each side.
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15. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive
Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.
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16. What must a DC vehicle owner do as soon as the insurance on the vehicle lapses?
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Answer A: Return or surrender the tags and registration to DC DMV immediately
DC DMV requires the owner to return or surrender the vehicle tags and registration immediately when insurance lapses; keeping them leads to fines and penalties.
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17. You come to a place where a storm has dropped a power line across the road ahead. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop well back, keep everyone away from it and report it to the police
A downed line may be live and can energize the ground around it, so keep well clear and let the utility or the police handle it.
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18. Two lanes at the corner are marked for right turns. What does that require of you?
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Answer A: Keep your own lane through the turn and into the matching new lane
Dual turn lanes work only if each vehicle stays in its own lane all the way round and finishes in the corresponding lane of the new street.
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19. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
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Answer B: Stay back and give it room until it leaves the roundabout
Long vehicles need extra width to get around the central island, so drivers behind must hold back rather than share the space beside them.
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20. You must cross a stretch of water lying across the road that you know is shallow. What is the right technique?
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Answer A: Slow down before you reach it and cross steadily in a low gear
Slow before the water, then keep a steady low speed so you do not throw water over the engine or lose steering. Test the brakes gently once you are through.
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21. Heavy trucks have worn deep ruts into a highway lane and rain has filled them. What is the danger?
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Answer D: Water collects in them, so the tires can lose contact with the road
Ruts hold standing water long after the rest of the lane has drained, which makes them the most likely place to start hydroplaning.
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22. What does DC law say about carrying an unrestrained child in the front seat?
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Answer C: It is never permitted
Even under the limited exception for a parent carrying more children than there are belted positions, DC forbids transporting an unrestrained child in the front seat.
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23. The road is icy and visibility is poor, but you are driving at the posted speed limit. Is this acceptable?
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Answer A: No, because you may never drive faster than is safe for the conditions
Under the basic speed rule a driver must travel at a speed that is reasonable for the actual conditions, so a legal posted speed can still be an unlawful and unsafe speed.
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24. You receive a phone call that you feel you must answer while driving. What is the safest way to take it?
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Answer D: Pull off the road, stop in a safe place and then answer
No call is worth a crash. Stopping in a safe location removes the distraction completely, while every other option divides your attention.
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25. What is the recommended minimum distance between the driver's breastbone and the center of the steering wheel air bag cover?
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Answer C: About 10 inches
An air bag inflates extremely fast, and keeping that much space lets it deploy fully before it reaches the driver, which is why the seat should be moved back as far as still allows comfortable control of the pedals.