Virginia DMV Permit Practice Test 26
- Questions40
- Correct to pass34
- Passing score85%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. 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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2. A yellow diamond on an exit ramp shows a truck tipping over onto two wheels. Which drivers does it concern most?
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Answer D: Those in tall vehicles carrying a high load
The truck rollover sign warns that the curve can overturn a vehicle with a high center of gravity, so such drivers must slow well below the normal ramp speed.
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3. What is the fine in Virginia for a conviction of using a handheld communications device in a highway work zone?
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Answer B: 250 dollars
Virginia sets a 250 dollar fine for using a handheld communications device in a highway work zone.
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4. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?
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Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up
Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.
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5. 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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6. In Virginia, when are you excused from stopping for a school bus that is loading or unloading with red lights flashing?
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Answer A: When you are traveling in the opposite direction on a roadway with a median or barrier dividing the road
Virginia requires a stop from any direction on a highway, private road or school driveway, and excuses only drivers traveling in the opposite direction on a roadway with a median or barrier dividing the road.
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7. How many demerit points does Virginia assign to a conviction for speeding between ten and nineteen miles per hour above the posted limit?
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Answer A: Four points
Virginia assigns four demerit points to a conviction for speeding between ten and nineteen miles per hour above the posted limit, one tier above the lowest speeding band.
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8. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?
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Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods
A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.
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9. Why is a shoulder check especially important on a road with motorcycles and bicycles?
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Answer D: A narrow vehicle can disappear completely in the blind spot
A motorcycle or a bicycle is small enough to be hidden entirely by a door pillar or by the blind spot the mirrors do not cover.
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10. You decide to turn around using a driveway on your right. What is the safer way to do it?
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Answer C: Stop past the driveway, reverse into it, then pull out and drive away
Passing the driveway and backing in means you reverse off the roadway and then rejoin traffic facing forward, with a full view of both directions.
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11. Traffic ahead of you has stopped in your lane while the next lane is still moving. What is the first thing to do?
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Answer C: Slow down first and check the next lane before moving over
Braking is the action that keeps you from hitting the stopped traffic, and the lane change is only safe once you have looked.
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12. There is a driveway and a side street between you and the corner where you will turn right. When should you signal?
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Answer C: After passing the openings, so nobody pulls out in front of you
A signal switched on before an opening tells drivers waiting there that you are turning in, and they may pull out into your path.
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13. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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14. You feel drowsy, so you open a window and turn the radio up. What does that achieve?
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Answer B: Very little, because the drowsiness comes back
Cold air and loud music are not sleep, so the alerting effect lasts a minute or two and the driver is soon just as sleepy and closer to a lapse.
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15. Your right wheels drop off the edge of the pavement onto a soft shoulder. What should you do?
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Answer C: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel straight and steer back gently once you have slowed
Yanking the wheel while the tires are pressed against a pavement lip can throw the vehicle across the road, so slow down first and then make a gentle correction.
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16. After turning right you see a sign showing that your lane ends a short way ahead. What should you do?
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Answer B: Signal and merge into the next lane while there is still room
Merge early and smoothly while a gap is still available, rather than running out of pavement or forcing your way in at the last moment.
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17. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back
Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.
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18. Another vehicle is passing you on a two-lane road. What should you do with your speed?
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Answer A: Hold your speed or ease off slightly to shorten the pass
Speeding up strands the passing driver in the oncoming lane, while a steady speed or a slight lift lets the pass finish quickly and safely.
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19. You hold steady pressure on the brake pedal for the whole of a long descent. What is likely to happen?
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Answer B: The brakes overheat and fade, so they slow you less and less
Continuous braking heats the brakes until they fade and lose effectiveness; use a lower gear and short, firm applications instead.
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20. What makes a left turn protected rather than permissive?
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Answer B: Oncoming traffic is held by a red signal while you have a green arrow
A protected turn is one where the conflicting movements are stopped by their own signal, which is what the green arrow indicates.
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21. Is it acceptable to drive with your vehicle straddling the line between two lanes?
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Answer D: No, you must drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane
A vehicle astride the line takes up two lanes and leaves the drivers around it unable to predict where it will go.
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22. The stability control warning light flashes while you are driving through a curve. What does it mean?
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Answer A: The system is actively working to keep the vehicle under control, so slow down
A flashing stability control light means the system is braking individual wheels because you are near the limit of grip. Ease off and drive more gently.
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23. When should headlights be switched on besides during the hours of darkness?
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Answer C: Whenever rain, fog, snow or dust makes it harder to see or to be seen
Headlights are as much about being seen as about seeing, so they go on whenever visibility drops.
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24. Why is a U-turn on a one-way street a problem?
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Answer A: You would end up facing the wrong way against all the traffic
Every lane of a one-way street runs the same way, so turning around leaves you driving head-on against all of the traffic.
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25. On a wet road, how should a driver adjust after passing this sign?
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Answer B: Start braking earlier, because a slippery surface lengthens the stopping distance
A wet surface lengthens stopping distance, so the extra warning distance should be spent braking gently and early instead of late and hard.
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26. The queue for an exit ramp has backed up into the right lane of the highway. What should you do if you want that exit?
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Answer B: Join the back of the queue in the lane instead of cutting in later
Passing a queue and forcing in at the front stops the whole line, and using the shoulder puts you where broken-down vehicles are expected to be.
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27. You see a shield for a three-digit Interstate whose first digit is even. What does that tell you about the route?
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Answer C: It loops around a city and rejoins its parent route
A three-digit Interstate beginning with an even digit is a loop or beltway that connects back to the main route at both ends, while an odd first digit marks a spur.
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28. As an alternative to a formal driver education program, how can a Virginia applicant under 18 satisfy the behind-the-wheel training requirement?
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Answer D: By having a parent or guardian certify at least 45 hours of driving, including at least 15 hours after sunset
Virginia lets an applicant under 18 satisfy the training requirement by having a parent or guardian certify at least 45 hours of driving practice, including at least 15 hours after sunset.
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29. You have stopped after a crash. Why should the engines of the vehicles involved be switched off?
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Answer A: To reduce the risk of a fire starting around any fuel that has spilled
Crashes often break fuel lines, and a running engine is a source of ignition, so switching off lowers the risk of fire.
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30. At an intersection where turning right on red is permitted and no sign prohibits it, what must you do before turning?
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Answer A: Come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians and cross traffic
A right turn on red is allowed only after a full stop, and the turning driver must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to traffic already using the intersection.
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31. A driver who has been drinking has two cups of strong coffee. What has changed?
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Answer D: The driver is more awake but just as impaired
Coffee can make a drinker feel alert, but nothing except time removes alcohol from the blood, so a wide awake drinker is still an impaired driver.
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32. You are turning left from a two-way street onto another two-way street. Where should you begin and end the turn?
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Answer B: Begin in the lane just right of the center line and finish just right of the center line of the new street
You approach a left turn from the lane closest to the center line and enter the new roadway just to the right of its center line, which keeps you clear of oncoming traffic.
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33. In a vehicle with automatic transmission, which foot should operate the brake and accelerator?
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Answer D: The right foot for both pedals
Using only the right foot prevents pressing both pedals at once and keeps the response the same in every vehicle you drive. The left foot rests on the floor or the footrest.
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34. A pedestrian is crossing a wide four-lane street and has reached the lanes on the far side. When may you go on?
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Answer C: Only after the person has finished crossing the roadway
Waiting until the pedestrian has finished crossing is correct in every state and removes any doubt about how much clearance your state demands.
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35. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
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Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
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36. What is a driver being warned about here?
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Answer B: The pavement ahead carries vehicles traveling in the opposite direction
Beyond this point vehicles come the other way on the same pavement, which commonly happens where a one-way section or a separated stretch comes to an end.
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37. You are following a large truck on a two-lane road and cannot see past it. What should you do before deciding to pass?
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Answer D: Drop back so that your view of the road ahead opens up
Distance is what buys you a view around a large vehicle, and no decision to pass can be made from a position where you cannot see.
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38. Children are playing close to the edge of a residential street. What is the right speed choice?
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Answer D: Well below the limit, slow enough to stop for a sudden dash
Children can step out without warning, so the safe speed is the one that lets you stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
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39. A sign at the signal reads LEFT TURN ON GREEN ARROW ONLY. The ball turns green but no arrow appears. What may you do?
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Answer C: Wait, because your turn is allowed only while the arrow is showing
The sign removes the permissive turn, so the left is legal only during the green arrow and you must wait behind the line until it appears.
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40. What actually lowers the amount of alcohol in a person's blood?
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Answer D: The passage of time
The body eliminates alcohol at its own steady rate, so only time reduces blood alcohol. Coffee or a cold shower may make a person feel more awake while still impaired.