Minnesota DVS Permit Practice Test 19

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass32
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 32 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. What is the correct technique for backing a vehicle straight?

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    Answer B: Check behind the vehicle before getting in, then turn and look through the rear window while backing slowly

    Mirrors and cameras leave gaps close to the vehicle, so walk behind it first, then turn in your seat for a direct view and keep the speed low enough to stop instantly.

  2. 2. Traffic is backed up just past the exit you want to use at a single-lane roundabout. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Wait at the yield line until you can pass through and exit

    You must not enter a roundabout unless you can clear it, because stopping inside blocks every other entry.

  3. 3. At a rural intersection a beacon flashes yellow toward the main road and red toward the side road. How is each approach treated?

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    Answer A: The main road slows and proceeds, the side road stops

    An intersection control beacon assigns flashing yellow to the road with priority and flashing red to the approach that must stop and yield.

  4. 4. A Minnesota driver reasonably believes a person's life is in immediate danger. What does the hands-free law allow?

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    Answer A: Using the device in the hand to summon help

    Minnesota Statutes 169.475 excepts a driver acting on a reasonable belief that a person's life or safety is in immediate danger.

  5. 5. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb

    All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.

  6. 6. Why does even a small reduction in speed matter so much where people are walking?

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    Answer D: Because a pedestrian struck at a lower speed is far more likely to survive

    The chance that a pedestrian survives falls steeply as impact speed rises, so a few miles per hour can decide the outcome.

  7. 7. On a street with parking along the curb, the shared lane marking is painted well out from the curb face. What does that placement tell a bicyclist?

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    Answer C: To ride clear of the doors of parked cars

    The marking is set at least eleven feet from the curb where parking is allowed so that riders are guided outside the reach of an opening door.

  8. 8. When is switching traction control off sometimes useful?

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    Answer A: When you need spinning wheels to rock out of deep snow or mud

    Rocking a stuck vehicle free needs the wheel spin that the system normally prevents. Switch it back on as soon as you are moving again.

  9. 9. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?

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    Answer C: Not remembering the last few miles you drove

    Memory gaps, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids and drifting are the body signaling that sleep is winning, and they mean stop rather than push on.

  10. 10. Two solid white lines are painted between your lane and the lane beside it. What do they mean?

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    Answer D: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited

    Double solid white lines separate lanes of traffic going the same way and may not be crossed.

  11. 11. The driver ahead of you is straddling the lane line and is not signaling. How should you respond?

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    Answer B: Stay back until you can see which lane that driver will take

    A vehicle astride the line could move either way, so the only safe place is behind it where both possibilities are still covered.

  12. 12. The blue signs mounted before a freeway interchange that carry the logos of individual businesses are

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    Answer C: specific service signs, which show the brands available at that exit

    Specific service signs, often called logo signs, list eligible businesses for categories such as gas, food, lodging, camping, attractions and 24-hour pharmacies at the upcoming interchange.

  13. 13. What counts as a complete stop at a stop sign?

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    Answer C: The wheels stop turning before the stop line

    A legal stop means the vehicle is no longer moving, made at the stop line or before entering the crosswalk or intersection.

  14. 14. Visibility drops suddenly and you decide to leave the highway. What is the safest way to do it?

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    Answer A: Take the next exit or a wide pull off, well clear of the traffic lanes

    Get right off the traveled way, and off the shoulder too if you can, because vehicles in poor visibility often drift onto the shoulder.

  15. 15. A yellow diamond showing a bicycle is posted on a rural road. What should a driver expect?

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    Answer A: Bicyclists crossing or riding along the roadway there

    The bicycle warning sign is used where a bikeway crosses the road or where riders are likely to be in the traffic lanes, so drivers should look carefully and pass wide.

  16. 16. Where should a rear-facing infant seat never be placed?

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    Answer C: In a front seat with an active passenger air bag

    A deploying front air bag strikes the back of a rear-facing seat with enormous force. Rear-facing seats belong in the back seat.

  17. 17. The gates at a railroad crossing are down, and you can see that the road beyond them is clear. What is the correct action?

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    Answer A: Wait until the gates rise completely and the lights go out

    Lowered gates mean rail traffic is expected, and driving around them removes the only protection the crossing provides.

  18. 18. What is the consequence of refusing a chemical test under the Minnesota implied consent law?

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    Answer D: A crime and a revocation of driving privileges of one to six years

    Refusing the blood, breath or urine test is a crime in Minnesota and results in a revocation of one to six years depending on the number of prior offenses.

  19. 19. A signal stands part way up a freeway entrance ramp and turns green briefly again and again. How many vehicles does such a signal normally release on each green?

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    Answer A: One for each lane of the ramp

    A ramp control signal releases a single vehicle per lane on each green so that vehicles reach the merge one at a time instead of in a bunch.

  20. 20. A crash happens directly in front of you and vehicles are blocking both lanes. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Stop at a safe distance, put on the hazards and warn the traffic behind

    The greatest danger after a crash is a second collision, so stop short of it and make sure the traffic behind you can see the problem.

  21. 21. What should you avoid when a hostile driver pulls alongside you?

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    Answer A: Making eye contact, or answering the gestures in any way at all

    Any response, including a look, encourages an aggressive driver, so give none and let the vehicle go.

  22. 22. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?

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    Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle

    High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.

  23. 23. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?

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    Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing

    A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.

  24. 24. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?

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    Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system

    As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.

  25. 25. You are starting from a stop on a snowy, icy street and the drive wheels begin to spin. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and start again more gently

    Spinning tires polish the surface and dig in. Very gentle pressure on the accelerator, and a higher gear if you have one, gives the tires the best chance to grip.

  26. 26. You realize you have driven several miles without remembering any of it. What kind of distraction is this?

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    Answer C: Cognitive distraction, because your mind was not on driving

    Daydreaming or being lost in thought is a cognitive distraction. Your eyes may be on the road, but your brain is not processing what they see.

  27. 27. Where are signs of this kind placed at an intersection?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer C: At the near right and far left corners, facing drivers on the intersecting street

    They are installed at the corners of the intersecting street so that a driver about to turn in sees the restriction before committing to the turn.

  28. 28. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?

    A downward pointing white triangle with a wide red border
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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.

  29. 29. You need to reverse direction on a busy street. Which choice is usually safest?

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    Answer D: Driving around the block and using the intersections instead

    Going around the block uses normal turns at controlled intersections instead of stopping across live traffic lanes.

  30. 30. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?

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    Answer A: Branches, dust and loose objects blown into your path

    High wind strips branches, litter and dust onto the roadway and can push other vehicles out of their lane, so scan much further ahead than usual.

  31. 31. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead

    A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.

  32. 32. As a general rule, how far should you travel along a center two-way left-turn lane before you turn?

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    Answer C: Only a short distance, just enough to slow down and wait for a gap

    The center lane is for making or preparing a left turn, so you enter it only shortly before the turn and never travel along it as a through lane; several states set a specific limit such as 200 or 300 feet.

  33. 33. At an intersection that uses a lagging left turn, when is the left-turn arrow displayed?

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    Answer B: After the through movement has run

    A lagging left turn phase runs at the end of the green rather than the start, so a driver waiting to turn should not assume the arrow has been missed.

  34. 34. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop

    Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.

  35. 35. A driver has to stop for a train at this sign. How far back from the nearest rail should the vehicle be held?

    Two white crossed boards forming an X, with black lettering along each board
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    Answer C: No closer than roughly fifteen feet

    A train and its load overhang the rails, so stopping no closer than about fifteen feet keeps the vehicle outside the space the train actually sweeps.

  36. 36. On a school speed limit sign, the part carrying the word SCHOOL is shown

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    Answer A: in black on a fluorescent yellow-green background

    The SCHOOL portion of the school speed limit sign uses the same fluorescent yellow-green background as school warning signs, while the speed portion keeps the standard regulatory appearance.

  37. 37. A sign beside the signal reads STOP HERE ON RED. What does it tell you?

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    Answer B: Stop at that point on red, not closer to the intersection

    The sign marks the required stopping point, which is set back from the corner so that turning vehicles and sight lines are not blocked.

  38. 38. How long should a young child ride in a rear-facing child seat?

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    Answer D: Until the child outgrows the height or the weight limit of the seat

    Rear facing is the safest position and should be kept until the child reaches the top height or weight allowed by the seat.

  39. 39. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?

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    Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path

    When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.

  40. 40. How far from a school bus with flashing red lights and an extended stop arm must a Minnesota driver stop?

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    Answer A: At least 20 feet

    Minnesota Statutes 169.444 requires drivers to stop at least 20 feet from the bus and to stay stopped until the arm retracts and the red lights stop flashing.