Minnesota DVS Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. You are already inside an intersection when you realize you should be in the lane beside you. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay in your lane through the intersection and change lanes afterwards
Drivers in an intersection are watching for cross traffic and turning vehicles, so an unexpected sideways move there is easily missed.
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2. Which action becomes clearly more risky beyond this sign?
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Answer A: Using the left side of the roadway to overtake
With vehicles coming the other way on the same pavement, overtaking on the left needs enough clear road to pull out, pass and return, which is often not available.
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3. Why is smooth, early braking better than hard, late braking?
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Answer D: It keeps you in control and gives the driver behind more warning
Braking early and gently keeps the tires well within their grip and gives following drivers time to react to your brake lights.
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4. What should you do before you back out of your own driveway at home?
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Answer A: Walk around the vehicle and check behind it for children or objects
A small child, a bicycle or a toy can sit entirely inside the blind area behind a vehicle, and a walk-around is the only way to be sure it is clear.
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5. On a narrow residential street, why does parking tight against the curb matter so much?
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Answer C: Because fire trucks and ambulances need the width to get through
Cars parked even a foot out from the curb on both sides can narrow a street until a fire truck or ambulance cannot pass.
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6. You have begun to move into the next lane when the gap you were aiming for closes. What is the safest action?
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Answer C: Return to your own lane, cancel the signal and wait for a better gap
An unfinished lane change leaves you in a space that no longer exists, and the lane you came from is still yours.
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7. A dust storm is blowing across the highway ahead of you. What is the recommended response?
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Answer B: Leave the road if you can, park well clear and take your foot off the brake
Get well off the pavement, switch the lights off and keep your foot off the brake, so drivers still on the road do not follow your tail lights off the highway.
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8. When should you adjust your seat, mirrors and steering wheel?
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Answer B: Before you start moving
Adjusting the driving position while moving takes your attention and often your hands away from driving. Make every adjustment while parked, every time.
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9. Traffic safety experts describe three kinds of driver distraction. Which set is correct?
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Answer A: Visual, manual and cognitive
Distraction takes the eyes off the road, the hands off the controls or the mind off driving, and many activities do more than one of those at once.
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10. You have parked a manual transmission car facing downhill. Which gear should you leave it in?
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Answer D: Reverse, along with the parking brake set firmly
Facing downhill the car would roll forward, so reverse gear opposes that movement while the parking brake and turned wheels back it up.
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11. Where does the restriction that starts at this sign come to an end?
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Answer D: Where the centerline markings show that overtaking is allowed again
The sign marks the start of the restricted section, and the centerline markings along the road show how far it runs and where overtaking becomes lawful again.
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12. You are turning left out of a driveway onto a busy two-way street. What must you do?
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Answer D: Wait for a gap in both directions before you start to move
The turn crosses one direction of traffic and joins the other, so you need a gap in both before leaving the driveway rather than stopping across a lane.
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13. A yellow diamond showing arrows arranged in a circle warns of
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Answer B: a circular intersection such as a roundabout ahead
The circular intersection warning sign announces a roundabout or traffic circle so drivers can slow down and prepare to yield to traffic already circulating.
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14. How is organ donor status shown on a Minnesota driver's license?
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Answer A: The word donor is printed on the front of the card
Minnesota Statutes 171.07 places the designation donor on the front of the license, and that designation is by itself sufficient legal authority for donation.
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15. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
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Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
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16. A wheel comes off your car while you are driving. What should you do?
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Answer A: Hold the wheel firmly, ease off the gas and steer gently to the shoulder
A firm grip and a gradual slowing keep the vehicle straight, while hard or sudden braking makes a damaged corner pull the car out of line.
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17. The added lane warning sign tells a driver that
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Answer A: an extra lane begins ahead, so entering traffic does not have to merge into an existing lane
Where a lane is added, traffic entering the roadway gets a lane of its own, so merging is not required, although drivers should still watch the vehicles beside them.
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18. What is the Minnesota speed limit on an interstate highway outside the limits of any urbanized area?
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Answer B: 70 mph
Minnesota Statutes 169.14 sets 70 miles per hour on interstate highways outside urbanized areas and a lower figure inside them.
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19. How much room must a Minnesota driver leave when overtaking a bicycle going the same way?
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Answer A: At least three feet
Minnesota Statutes 169.18 requires a safe distance and in no case less than three feet of clearance when overtaking a bicycle.
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20. You began a turn from the wrong lane and are already inside the intersection. What should you not do?
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Answer A: Reverse in order to get back into the correct lane
Backing up in an intersection puts you into the path of traffic that cannot expect it; finish the movement and fix your position afterwards.
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21. Which of these makes you unpredictable to other drivers?
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Answer B: Changing lanes suddenly without signaling, to save a moment
An unsignalled, sudden lane change gives nobody time to react and is a common cause of sideswipe collisions.
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22. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?
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Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade
A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.
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23. Your right wheels have dropped onto a soft shoulder. Why should you not steer straight back onto the pavement?
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Answer A: The tires can catch the pavement edge and throw you across the road
A tire pressed against the edge of the pavement climbs it suddenly, and at speed that jolt can send the vehicle across the center line.
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24. 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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25. 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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26. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?
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Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly
Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.
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27. What does Minnesota's basic speed rule require on a road posted at 55 mph during freezing rain?
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Answer B: Driving no faster than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions
Minnesota Statutes 169.14 forbids driving faster than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions, so the posted limit is a ceiling rather than a target.
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28. You have a small extinguisher and a fire has started under the hood. What is the safe way to use it?
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Answer B: Release the latch and spray through the gap without raising the hood at all
Opening the hood feeds the fire a rush of air, so spraying through the gap at the base of the flames is both safer and more effective.
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29. You are joining a highway from a short ramp that has no acceleration lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stop or slow at the end of the ramp and wait for a safe gap
Without an acceleration lane there is no room to match speed, so you must yield at the end of the ramp and enter only when a gap allows it.
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30. How may a Minnesota driver use a navigation app while the vehicle is in motion?
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Answer C: By viewing it without holding the device or typing on it
Minnesota Statutes 169.475 permits viewing a global positioning or navigation system as long as the driver neither types on it nor holds it.
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31. Your parking brake no longer holds the car on a slope. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have it repaired, and until then park only on level ground
A parking brake that will not hold is a defect to be fixed; avoiding grades in the meantime keeps the vehicle from rolling away.
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32. What weekly cap applies to Minnesota no-fault income loss benefits?
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Answer B: 500 dollars
Minnesota Statutes 65B.44 compensates 85 percent of lost gross income up to a maximum of 500 dollars per week.
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33. A high truck ahead of you hides the traffic signal as you approach the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer A: Drop back so you can see the signal and the truck's brake lights
Extra following distance restores your view of the signal, so you are reacting to the light yourself rather than copying the truck driver.
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34. Your vehicle leaves the road and enters deep water. What gives you the best chance of escape?
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Answer B: Release your seat belt and get out through a window as quickly as possible
Water pressure holds the doors shut, so a window is the reliable exit and the first seconds after entry are the best time to use it.
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35. You have just passed a vehicle on a two-lane road. When may you return to your lane?
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Answer B: When you can see the whole vehicle in your inside mirror
Seeing the entire vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror shows there is room to pull back in without cutting it off.
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36. 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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37. What may the Minnesota commissioner of public safety do to a driver found to be a habitual violator of the traffic laws?
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Answer D: Suspend the driver's license
Minnesota Statutes 171.18 lists being a habitual violator of the traffic laws as a ground for suspension of the license.
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38. Along a highway the reference markers count upward as you travel. Where does the numbering normally begin?
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Answer C: At the southern or western edge of the state
Mileage numbering starts where the route enters the state from the south or the west, so rising numbers tell a driver which way they are heading.
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39. In most states, how far before a turn must your signal already be on in city traffic?
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Answer B: At least 100 feet, roughly the length of six or seven cars
Most states require the signal for at least 100 feet before a turn in city driving, which gives drivers behind you time to react before you slow; several require more at higher speeds.
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40. You are towing a trailer and turning right at an intersection. What must you allow for?
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Answer D: The trailer cuts the corner, so swing wider than usual
A trailer follows a shorter path than the towing vehicle, so its wheels track inside your line and can mount the curb unless you take the turn wide.