Minnesota DVS Permit Practice Test 32

  • 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. You park on level ground in a lot. Where should the front wheels be pointing?

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    Answer C: Straight ahead, so the car would not veer if it moved

    On the level the wheels go straight so that the car stays in its own space, and so that a shunt from behind does not send it across a lane.

  2. 2. A person with a guide dog is standing at the corner facing the street you are about to cross. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Stop well back and wait quietly for them to decide

    Blind pedestrians rely on engine sound to judge traffic, so stop back from the crossing and avoid the horn, which only confuses them.

  3. 3. The rear of your vehicle begins to slide sideways on a slippery surface. What is the correct correction?

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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to go

    Looking and steering toward your intended path lines the front wheels up with the direction of travel, while sudden braking or a sharp opposite input usually makes the slide worse.

  4. 4. How long should a glance at a mirror or an instrument take?

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    Answer A: A brief glance of about a second, returning your eyes to the road at once

    Checks should be quick flicks of the eyes. At highway speed, a few seconds with your eyes off the road covers a distance long enough for a hazard to appear.

  5. 5. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?

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    Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact

    Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.

  6. 6. How does a NO OUTLET sign differ from a DEAD END sign?

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    Answer B: It warns that a whole group of streets has no way out

    No Outlet is posted where the road leads into a network of streets from which there is no through route, while Dead End refers to the single street itself.

  7. 7. When do the Minnesota provisional license passenger limits stop applying?

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    Answer B: When a parent or guardian is riding with the driver

    Minnesota Statutes 171.055 suspends the passenger restriction while the provisional license holder is accompanied by a parent or guardian.

  8. 8. At a four-way stop another driver pulls out ahead of you when it was clearly your turn. What is the correct response?

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    Answer B: Let that driver go through, then take your turn when the way is clear again

    Right of way is something you give, never something you take, so yielding to a driver who takes it wrongly avoids a crash you would otherwise share.

  9. 9. On a multi-lane street, a yield line is painted well back from an unsignalized crosswalk rather than right at it. Why?

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    Answer D: So drivers in the other lanes can see the pedestrian

    Setting the yield line back keeps a stopped vehicle from hiding a crossing pedestrian from drivers in the next lane, which is a common cause of these crashes.

  10. 10. A steady green downward arrow is displayed above the lane you are in. What does it tell you?

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    Answer A: You may drive in that lane

    A green downward arrow means the lane beneath it is open for travel in your direction.

  11. 11. Your vehicle has a blind spot warning light in the door mirror. What should that mean for your habits?

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    Answer B: You still check the blind spot yourself, because the system can miss a rider

    Blind spot systems are an aid, not a substitute, and a motorcycle or a bicycle can be missed or arrive faster than the sensor expects.

  12. 12. Which statement about standard drinks is correct?

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    Answer C: A standard serving of beer, of table wine and of distilled spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol

    Roughly 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of table wine and 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol, so the type of drink does not change the effect.

  13. 13. A yellow lamp flashes above a warning sign at a sharp curve. What does it ask of a driver?

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    Answer D: Slow down and pass the point with extra care

    A warning beacon draws attention to the sign it is mounted with, and the message of the sign is what the driver must act on.

  14. 14. How should a long trip be broken up to keep the driver alert?

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    Answer D: Stop for a break every couple of hours and share out the driving

    Regular breaks and a change of driver are the only reliable answers to fatigue; caffeine only postpones it.

  15. 15. Two drivers each have three drinks, one over three hours and one in half an hour. What is the difference?

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    Answer C: The fast drinker reaches a higher peak level

    The liver removes alcohol at a steady rate, so drinking faster than the body can clear it pushes the blood alcohol level much higher.

  16. 16. Some toll facilities use signs and markings with a purple background or a purple stripe. What do they identify?

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    Answer D: Lanes reserved for vehicles with an electronic toll account

    Purple is assigned to lanes and ramps restricted to vehicles with a registered electronic toll collection account, so drivers without one must stay out.

  17. 17. You are traveling beside a solid white lane line. What does it tell you?

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    Answer B: Crossing it is discouraged or prohibited, so stay in your lane

    A solid white line separates lanes going the same direction where lane changing is discouraged or prohibited, such as where a through lane meets a mandatory turn lane.

  18. 18. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning

    A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.

  19. 19. A driver ignores this sign and passes on the opposite side. What is the main risk?

    A white vertical rectangle with a black border and black legend
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    Answer B: Ending up on the wrong side of a divider, facing traffic coming the other way

    The sign settles which side of a fixed divider is the legal one, so taking the other side sends the vehicle into the opposing stream or straight at the obstruction.

  20. 20. A yellow diamond shows a car with wavy lines behind its rear tires. What is the warning?

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    Answer D: The surface loses grip badly when it is wet

    The slippery when wet sign marks a stretch where traction falls off sharply in rain, so speed and braking must be reduced well in advance.

  21. 21. You are waiting in a center two-way left-turn lane. What should you expect from oncoming traffic?

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    Answer A: Oncoming drivers may enter the same lane to prepare their own left turns

    Both directions share a two-way left-turn lane, so an oncoming vehicle may be waiting in it and you must never treat it as yours alone.

  22. 22. What will the driver have to do at the point this sign refers to?

    A yellow diamond showing a small downward pointing triangle above a black arrow pointing at it
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    Answer C: Slow down and let conflicting traffic go first, stopping if that is what it takes

    Further along, the driver has to let conflicting traffic and pedestrians go first, reducing speed and stopping whenever that is necessary to avoid interfering with them.

  23. 23. What must a driver be prepared to do at the point this sign refers to?

    A yellow diamond showing a black T shape
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    Answer D: Turn left or right, because the road being traveled ends there

    The road ends at another roadway, so the driver must slow, give way to traffic on the through road and turn in one direction or the other.

  24. 24. You are stopped at a T-intersection and a driver on the through road is signaling a right turn into your road. What is the safe assumption?

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    Answer B: The driver may not actually turn, so wait until the vehicle slows and starts turning

    A blinking signal may have been left on by mistake or may be for the next street, so wait until the vehicle actually slows and turns.

  25. 25. Why are eating, drinking and personal grooming risky behind the wheel?

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    Answer B: They occupy hands, eyes and attention that driving requires

    Each of these tasks takes a hand off the controls and attention off the road, and a spill or a dropped item can pull the driver's eyes away entirely.

  26. 26. What does a posted speed limit sign represent?

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    Answer B: The maximum speed permitted under ideal conditions

    A speed limit is an upper limit that assumes good weather, good visibility and light traffic, so the safe speed is often lower than the posted figure.

  27. 27. On an undivided two-lane road you meet a school bus coming toward you with its red lights flashing and its stop arm out. What must you do?

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    Answer C: Stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing

    On an undivided road drivers in both directions must stop for a school bus loading or unloading, because children may cross in front of it.

  28. 28. A bicyclist in the bike lane ahead of you signals and starts to move left toward the turn lane. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down and let the rider move across

    A bicyclist who needs to leave the bike lane to turn left is changing lanes like any driver, and following traffic should make room.

  29. 29. What should you do before leaving a parked vehicle unattended?

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    Answer C: Set the parking brake, place the transmission in park or in gear, switch off the engine and take the key

    Securing the vehicle with the parking brake, the transmission and the ignition prevents it from rolling away and from being moved by someone else.

  30. 30. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way

    Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.

  31. 31. The steering suddenly becomes very heavy while you are driving. What has happened and what should you do?

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    Answer C: The power steering has failed, so steer with more effort and pull over

    Loss of power assistance leaves the steering usable but very heavy. Keep both hands on the wheel, slow gradually and pull off the road to check it.

  32. 32. At an intersection the signal flashes red toward you and flashes yellow toward the cross street. Who must yield?

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    Answer D: You must, because the flashing red faces your road

    A flashing red means stop and yield like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow lets the other road proceed with caution.

  33. 33. Travelling at about 55 mph on dry pavement, roughly how much room does an average car need to perceive, react and stop?

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    Answer D: About 300 feet, close to the length of a football field

    Reaction distance plus braking distance at 55 mph comes to roughly 300 feet on good dry pavement, and considerably more on a wet or loose surface.

  34. 34. Where is this sign normally installed?

    A white vertical rectangle with a black border and black legend
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    Answer A: At an island or other obstruction in the roadway, to show which side traffic must take

    It is placed at a divider, island or fixed obstruction so that drivers approaching it know without hesitating which side to pass on.

  35. 35. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass

    Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.

  36. 36. What offense is committed by driving while a Minnesota license is suspended?

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    Answer B: A misdemeanor

    Minnesota Statutes 171.24 makes driving after suspension a misdemeanor.

  37. 37. How should your following distance change in heavy rain?

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    Answer D: It should be increased well beyond what you use on dry pavement

    Wet pavement lengthens stopping distance and rain cuts visibility at the same time, so a larger gap gives you the extra seconds needed to see a problem and stop for it.

  38. 38. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?

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    Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path

    A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.

  39. 39. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?

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    Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch

    Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.

  40. 40. What does electronic stability control do that ordinary brakes cannot?

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    Answer C: It brakes single wheels to bring the vehicle back on your intended path

    The system compares where you have steered with where the vehicle is actually going, then brakes individual wheels to pull it back into line.