Minnesota DVS Permit Practice Test 30
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Why would this sign be installed on an approach?
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Answer B: Because the signal cannot be seen from far enough back for a driver to react in time
Advance notice of a signal is used where a crest, a curve, trees or a building keep the signal heads out of view until a driver is already too close to stop comfortably.
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2. You approach a one-lane bridge and there is a yield sign facing your side of it. What does that mean?
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Answer B: Oncoming traffic crosses the bridge first and you wait at the approach
At a one-lane bridge the yield sign tells one direction to give way, so you wait clear of the bridge until oncoming traffic has crossed.
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3. On a rural two-lane road you pass small blue signs, each naming one business with an arrow and a distance. What are they?
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Answer D: Tourist-oriented directional signs for traveler businesses
Tourist-oriented directional signs carry a white legend on blue and are used on rural conventional roads to guide travelers to eligible businesses.
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4. 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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5. Where must a Minnesota driver stop for an approaching emergency vehicle when an intersection is just ahead?
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Answer C: Clear of the intersection
Minnesota Statutes 169.20 requires the driver to move to the right-hand edge or curb clear of any intersection before stopping.
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6. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?
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Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it
A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.
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7. Your car has side curtain airbags. What should you avoid doing?
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Answer B: Resting your head against the window or the door pillar
A side airbag deploys from the pillar or roof rail, so a head leaning against that area is directly in its path.
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8. What happens when alcohol is combined with another drug that also affects the nervous system?
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Answer B: Impairment is often far greater than either one alone would produce
Combined substances can multiply each other's effects, producing impairment well beyond what a driver would expect from either one taken separately.
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9. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?
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Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead
Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.
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10. 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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11. You come upon a person riding a horse on the roadway ahead of you. What is the correct way to pass?
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Answer A: Slow down, give plenty of room and do not use the horn
Horses startle easily, and a frightened horse can throw its rider into your path. Pass slowly and wide, and avoid any sudden noise.
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12. Your car is sinking after leaving the road into deep water and two children are in the back. In what order should you act?
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Answer D: Free yourself from the belt first, then release the children, the oldest one first
You cannot help anyone while you are still belted in, and the oldest child released first needs the least help getting out.
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13. You are passing a large truck on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What should you expect?
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Answer A: A push toward the truck, then a push the other way as you clear it
The truck shelters you as you go by and then releases you into the full gust, so the load on the steering changes twice during the pass.
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14. You reach a red light with a sign reading NO TURN ON RED. What may you do?
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Answer D: Wait for the green; no turn is allowed while the light is red
That sign removes the usual permission to turn on red at the intersection, so you must wait for a green indication.
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15. You are about to slow down sharply for a turn. Which check comes first?
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Answer A: A look in the mirror to see how close the traffic behind you is
Any hard slowing needs a mirror check first, because the driver behind is the one who has to react to it.
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16. You correct a rear wheel skid and the back of the vehicle swings the other way. Why?
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Answer D: You steered too far, so be ready to correct back the other way
Over correcting sends the tail past straight and starts a second skid the opposite way. Steer smoothly and be ready to unwind the correction.
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17. Your road ends at a T-intersection with no signs or signals. Who has the right-of-way?
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Answer A: Traffic on the through road, and you must yield before entering
A driver on a road that ends at a T-intersection must yield to traffic on the through road that continues past the junction.
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18. A highway lane is marked with a large white diamond and signed as a high-occupancy vehicle lane. Who may use it?
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Answer B: Only vehicles carrying at least the number of occupants shown on the sign, during the posted hours
The diamond marking identifies a preferential lane whose occupancy requirement and hours of operation are stated on the accompanying signs.
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19. A bicycle symbol topped by two chevrons is painted in the middle of a travel lane. What does that marking indicate?
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Answer D: Bicyclists share the lane with motor vehicles and may ride away from the curb
A shared lane marking shows drivers where bicyclists are likely to ride in a lane used by both bicycles and motor vehicles.
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20. Two vehicles meet on a steep, narrow mountain road with no room to pass. Which driver should back up?
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Answer C: The driver heading downhill, who has more control while reversing
On a narrow mountain road the vehicle facing downhill yields, because backing uphill gives better control than reversing down a grade.
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21. The circular sign shape is reserved for which warning?
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Answer C: Advance warning of a highway-rail grade crossing
A round yellow sign with a black X and the letters RR is the grade crossing advance warning sign, and the circular outline is used for no other message.
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22. Where is this sign installed in relation to the hazard it announces?
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Answer A: Far enough before the hazard that a driver can slow down and stop short of it
This is an advance warning sign, placed on the approach so a driver has time to react before reaching a crossing that a curve or a crest may be hiding.
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23. How close to a fire hydrant may a vehicle be parked in Minnesota?
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Answer D: No closer than 10 feet
Minnesota Statutes 169.34 prohibits stopping, standing or parking within ten feet of a fire hydrant.
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24. Blue pavement markings are used together with white markings at
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Answer D: parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities
Blue supplements the white markings of accessible parking spaces, which is the only assignment blue has on the pavement.
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25. You have a steady green ball to turn left, and the oncoming traffic gets a green left arrow. What does that mean for you?
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Answer C: Oncoming vehicles will turn across your path, so you must wait
A green ball is permissive, so when the oncoming side receives a protected arrow those vehicles have priority and you must yield until they clear.
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26. 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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27. Once you are moving, which way of using a navigation device costs you the least attention?
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Answer B: Listening to the spoken directions
Voice guidance lets you keep your eyes on the road, while anything that needs the screen takes glances that add up over a trip.
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28. On dry pavement in good weather, what is the smallest following gap you should keep?
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Answer A: About three seconds behind the vehicle ahead
Three seconds is the accepted minimum on dry roads in good visibility, and the gap should be longer in poor conditions.
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29. Rain is falling and the outside temperature reads close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is that dangerous?
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Answer A: The rain can freeze on contact and glaze the road with ice
Near freezing, rain landing on cold pavement can turn to a glaze of ice almost at once, so a road that looks merely wet may have no grip at all.
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30. 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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31. You are about to pull out from a stop sign. Which scanning habit is correct?
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Answer A: Look to the left, then to the right, then to the left again before moving
Traffic from the left reaches you first, and a second look left catches anything that arrived while you were looking right.
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32. Your phone is in a mount on the dashboard rather than in your hand. What is true?
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Answer B: It still takes your eyes and mind off the road
A mount solves the hand problem but not the eye or the mind problem, and reading or tapping a mounted screen costs the same seconds of attention.
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33. On a two-lane road with a broken yellow center line, may you cross it to turn into a driveway on the left?
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Answer C: Yes, when it is safe and the oncoming lane is clear
A broken center line may be crossed for a pass or for a left turn into a road or a driveway, once the oncoming lane is clear.
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34. You are turning left from a divided highway through a median opening into a business on the other side. Who has the right of way?
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Answer C: The traffic on the roadway you are crossing
Turning through a median opening means crossing the opposite roadway, so you yield to all traffic on it before you go.
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35. A flashing red arrow is displayed for your turning lane. What does it require?
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Answer D: Stopping, then turning when the way is clear
A flashing red arrow is treated like a stop sign for that movement: come to a full stop, then turn when it is safe and no one has to be cut off.
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36. Which sign shape is reserved for one message only, the requirement to stop?
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Answer A: The octagon
The octagon is used for the stop sign and for no other message, so the outline alone identifies the requirement even when the legend is hard to read.
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37. The red brake warning light stays on after you release the parking brake. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop safely and have the brakes checked before driving on
With the parking brake released, that light points to low fluid or a fault in one half of the braking system, which can leave you with very little braking.
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38. At a stop sign with a painted stop line and a crosswalk, where must you stop?
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Answer D: At the stop line, before it and before the crosswalk
You stop at the stop line first, and only if there is no stop line do you stop before the crosswalk, and only if there is neither do you stop before entering the intersection.
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39. You drive away and the car feels sluggish while a warning light glows on the dash. What is a likely cause?
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Answer B: The parking brake was left partly applied
Driving with the parking brake partly on overheats the rear brakes and can ruin them, so release it fully and check that the warning light goes out.
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40. You find that your shoulder belt has some slack in it. Why does that matter?
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Answer D: You travel further before the belt restrains you, so injuries are worse
Slack lets your body build up speed before the belt takes hold, which increases the forces on you and the risk of hitting the interior.