California DMV Permit Practice Test 10
Test 10 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 30 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real California test.
- Questions36
- Correct to pass30
- Passing score83%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. 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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2. You realize at the last moment that you have passed the street where you meant to turn. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep going and turn around where it is safe and legal
A missed turn is a minor inconvenience; braking suddenly, backing up or turning across traffic to recover it causes crashes.
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3. 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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4. Why is it often safer to back into a parking space than to back out of one?
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Answer D: Because you leave the space going forward, with a clear view
Backing into the space puts the difficult maneuver where you are stopped and looking around, and lets you drive out facing the traffic and pedestrians.
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5. You stop at the curb on a busy street to let passengers out. What should you tell them?
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Answer A: To get out on the curb side, away from traffic
Passengers should always leave on the side away from moving traffic, which keeps both them and the door out of the travel lane.
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6. How long may a California driving privilege be suspended after a collision if the driver had no proper insurance?
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Answer A: Up to four years
California may suspend the driving privilege for up to four years after an uninsured collision, no matter who was at fault, with limited reinstatement available using an SR 22 certificate.
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7. You are passing a line of slow traffic in the lane beside you and you notice a gap in that line ahead. What should you expect?
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Answer A: A vehicle may pull out of that gap into your lane
A gap in a slow line is an invitation to any driver waiting to turn out of a side street or to change lanes, and they are looking at the gap rather than at you.
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8. Some states allow a left turn against a red light. Which movement is it?
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Answer A: A left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street
The movement generally allowed on red is one-way to one-way, because the turn does not cross any lane of oncoming traffic; a few states also extend it to a two-way street turning onto a one-way street.
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9. You are waiting to turn left and a motorcycle is approaching from the opposite direction. Why should you take extra care judging its speed and distance?
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Answer A: Its small size makes it look farther away and slower than it really is
A motorcycle's narrow profile fools the eye, so drivers often misjudge how soon it will arrive. Left turns across an oncoming motorcycle are a leading cause of rider deaths.
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10. How may a California driver show evidence of financial responsibility when a peace officer asks for it?
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Answer A: On a mobile electronic device, which the officer may not otherwise browse
Section 16028 lets the driver present evidence of financial responsibility on a mobile electronic device, and bars the officer from viewing any other content on that device.
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11. When is it appropriate to use cruise control?
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Answer B: On a dry, open highway with light traffic
Cruise control suits steady conditions where you rarely need to change speed. It is a poor choice in traffic, on curves, on slippery roads or when drowsy, because it removes you from the speed decision.
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12. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?
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Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over
Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.
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13. Warning signs such as stop ahead, yield ahead and signal ahead are installed mainly where
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Answer B: the traffic control device cannot be seen from far enough away
These advance warning signs are used when a crest, curve or obstruction keeps the stop sign, yield sign or signal from coming into view in time for a driver to react.
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14. When do the California provisional license passenger and curfew restrictions stop applying?
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Answer B: After 12 months with the license or on the driver's 18th birthday
The provisional restrictions in section 12814.6 run through the first period of licensure and end no later than the driver's 18th birthday.
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15. A large truck ahead of you swings toward the left just before turning right at an intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stay back and never try to move into the gap between the truck and the curb
Long vehicles need extra room and often swing wide to complete a right turn, so the space that opens on their right closes again as the trailer sweeps through it.
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16. A turn restriction sign at the corner shows a range of times below the symbol. What does that mean?
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Answer A: The turn is banned only during the hours shown on the sign
Times posted under a regulatory symbol set the period during which the restriction applies; outside those hours the movement is permitted.
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17. Trees block the view along the tracks as a driver approaches this sign. What approach speed is correct?
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Answer B: Slow enough to stop before the nearest rail once a train comes into view
Where the view along the track is obstructed, the only safe speed is one that still leaves stopping distance after a train first becomes visible.
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18. What size mounting area does California allow in the center uppermost portion of the windshield?
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Answer C: A five-inch square
Section 26708 allows a five-inch square in the center uppermost portion of the windshield interior for a device such as a portable navigation unit or an electronic communication device.
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19. Where should your hands normally rest on the steering wheel?
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Answer C: On opposite sides of the wheel, near the 9 and 3 positions
Hands placed opposite each other near the middle of the wheel give smooth, balanced control and keep the arms clear of a deploying air bag.
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20. After completing a turn you notice your signal is still flashing. What should you do?
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Answer A: Switch it off at once, before other drivers act on it
A signal left on after a turn is a false message, and drivers waiting to pull out may move into your path because of it.
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21. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?
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Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane
The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.
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22. How should tire pressure be checked and set?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer
Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.
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23. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?
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Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance
Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.
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24. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?
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Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes
On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.
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25. A white regulatory sign shows the silhouette of a truck inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What does it mean?
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Answer A: Trucks are not allowed to use that road
The circle and slash over a symbol always means the movement or vehicle shown is prohibited, so trucks must keep off that roadway.
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26. You and a driver coming from the opposite direction reach a four-way stop at the same time and you are both going straight ahead. What happens next?
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Answer D: Both of you may move off together, because your paths do not cross each other
Opposing vehicles that are both going straight do not cross paths, so they can move off together once the intersection is clear.
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27. What does it mean to cover the brake, and when should you do it?
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Answer B: Hold your foot over the brake pedal without pressing it when a hazard seems likely
Covering the brake cuts reaction time when you expect trouble, such as near children, parked cars or a vehicle that may pull out. Riding the brake wears it out and confuses drivers behind you.
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28. You notice at night that one of your headlights has burned out. What should you do?
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Answer B: Get it replaced promptly, because other drivers may take you for a motorcycle
A single light makes your vehicle look narrower and further away, so other drivers misjudge you, and one light is also illegal.
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29. 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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30. The word SCHOOL is painted in large letters across the roadway. What is it doing?
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Answer D: Backing up the signs marking a school zone
Word markings on the pavement reinforce a message that is already signed, and a driver looking at the road ahead cannot miss them.
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31. A school bus ahead of you has its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended. What are you required to do?
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Answer A: Stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus starts moving
Flashing red lights and an extended stop arm mean children are getting on or off, so traffic must stop and wait until the bus withdraws the signals and moves again.
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32. A large panel mounted on a trailer at the roadside displays a flashing arrow pointing left. What does it tell you?
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Answer B: Move into the lane to your left
An arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane, so the arrow shows the direction you must move rather than the shape of the road ahead.
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33. A vehicle is sitting in your blind spot and you need to change into that lane. What should you do?
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Answer B: Adjust your speed to open a clear gap, then check again and move over
Changing your speed either drops the other vehicle behind you or lets it move ahead, which turns the blind spot back into open space.
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34. You are stopped at a red light ready to turn right when a person pushing a stroller steps into the crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stay stopped until they have crossed your path
A turn on red gives way to every pedestrian in the crosswalk, and someone pushing a stroller has even less room to react.
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35. Where may an opened container of an alcoholic beverage legally be carried in a California passenger vehicle?
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Answer B: In the trunk of the vehicle
Section 23225 requires an opened container to be kept in the trunk, or in a part of the vehicle not normally occupied by the driver or passengers when there is no trunk, and expressly excludes the glove or utility compartment.
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36. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?
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Answer C: A left turn
The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.