Virginia DMV Permit Practice Test 7
Test 7 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 34 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Virginia test.
- Questions40
- Correct to pass34
- Passing score85%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. An angry driver is following you closely and gesturing at you. What is the safe response?
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Answer B: Drive to a police station or to a busy public place and call for help
Never stop to confront an aggressive driver and never lead one home; go somewhere public and get the police involved.
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2. The engine dies at speed and the dashboard lights go out on a dark road. What should you do?
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Answer C: Hold the wheel firmly, steer over to the shoulder and use the hazard lights
Never switch the ignition to lock, because the steering can lock; steer to the shoulder and warn traffic with the hazard lights.
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3. The vehicle you have borrowed is larger and heavier than your own. How should you drive it?
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Answer B: Allow more room for stopping and for turns until you are used to it
Extra weight and length mean longer stopping distances and wider turns, so give yourself more room until you are used to it.
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4. 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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5. Many signs use a symbol instead of words. The main advantage is that a symbol
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Answer C: can be read from farther away and by more people
A symbol is recognized at greater distance than a line of text and does not depend on the reader knowing English.
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6. Your left-turn lane faces a steady green ball and oncoming traffic is heavy. What are you allowed to do?
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Answer C: Move into the intersection and turn when a safe gap appears
A green ball permits the turn but gives no priority, so you may move into the intersection and wait there for a gap in the oncoming traffic.
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7. During which hours may a licensed Virginia driver under 18 generally not drive?
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Answer C: From midnight to 4 a.m.
Virginia bars drivers under 18 from driving between midnight and 4 a.m., with limited exceptions for work, supervised activities, emergencies or a licensed adult in the front passenger seat.
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8. What is wrong with slowing to a crawl at a stop sign and then rolling on through?
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Answer C: It is not a stop, and you may miss a pedestrian or cross traffic
A rolling stop is a violation and it also cuts short the moment you need in order to look carefully in each direction before entering.
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9. Where is a road work ahead sign placed?
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Answer B: In advance of the work space or detour, so drivers are warned before reaching it
Advance warning signs are placed upstream of the work space or detour so that drivers have time to slow down and change lanes before reaching the activity.
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10. Roughly how far does a vehicle travel at 55 mph during the few seconds a driver spends reading a text message?
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Answer D: About the length of a football field
Sending or reading a message takes the eyes off the road for about five seconds, which at 55 mph covers roughly the length of a football field with nobody watching the road.
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11. 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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12. From which lane should a permitted U-turn be started?
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Answer A: The lane nearest the center line, the same one used for a left turn
A U-turn is begun from the far left lane for your direction, the same position used for a left turn, so you do not cut across traffic beside you.
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13. In Virginia, at what speed can an officer charge a driver with reckless driving regardless of the posted speed limit?
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Answer D: Over 85 miles per hour
Virginia allows a reckless driving charge for driving 20 or more miles per hour above the limit, or for driving over 85 miles per hour regardless of the posted limit.
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14. You are turning left at an intersection just beyond the crest of a hill. What is the added risk?
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Answer B: Oncoming vehicles appear with very little warning and close quickly
A crest hides approaching traffic until it is close, so the gap you thought was empty can fill in the time the turn takes.
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15. After a Virginia vehicle fails its safety inspection, how much time does the owner have to correct the defects and get the vehicle reinspected?
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Answer A: 15 days
Virginia requires all defects found during a failed safety inspection to be corrected and the vehicle reinspected within 15 days.
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16. A police officer is directing traffic at an intersection and waves you through a red light. What should you do?
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Answer C: Follow the officer, whose directions come before signs and signals
Directions given by a police officer or an authorized flagger override signs, signals and pavement markings.
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17. Who may supervise a Virginia learner's permit holder from the front passenger seat?
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Answer D: A licensed driver at least 21 years of age, or a licensed sibling, step sibling or legal guardian aged 18 to 20
Virginia requires a licensed driver at least 21 years old in the front passenger seat, although a legal guardian, brother, sister, half sibling or step sibling aged 18, 19 or 20 may supervise instead.
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18. Why are tall vehicles such as SUVs and vans at extra risk in sudden steering maneuvers?
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Answer B: Their higher center of gravity makes them more likely to roll over
The higher a vehicle's mass sits, the more it leans in an abrupt turn, and a sharp swerve can tip it over. Smooth, gradual steering inputs are essential in tall vehicles.
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19. Loose gravel has been swept into the middle of your lane on a downhill bend. Which controls are affected most?
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Answer D: Steering and braking, since the loose stones roll under the tires
Gravel rolls between rubber and pavement, so the tires can neither turn the vehicle nor slow it as they would on a clean surface.
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20. What is the standard fee the Virginia DMV charges to issue or renew a standard eight-year driver's license?
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Answer B: 32 dollars
The Virginia DMV charges 32 dollars for a standard driver's license, whether issued for the first time or renewed.
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21. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?
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Answer C: At the opening before the solid line begins
The solid line marks where lane changes are no longer intended, so you move into the turn bay at its opening rather than cutting across the line later.
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22. 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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23. 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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24. Your vehicle breaks down on a busy highway. What is the safest course of action?
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Answer D: Get it as far off the roadway as possible, switch on the hazard lights and keep clear of the traffic lanes
A vehicle left in or beside a travel lane is a hazard, so move it well off the road, make it conspicuous with hazard lights and keep yourself away from passing traffic.
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25. What is the main danger when you back out of an angle parking space?
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Answer A: Parked vehicles beside you hide the traffic coming along the aisle
You have to edge out blind past the vehicles on either side, so back very slowly and be ready to stop as soon as any part of the aisle comes into view.
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26. On what Virginia public highways may a low-speed vehicle legally be operated?
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Answer C: Only highways where the posted maximum speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less
Virginia restricts low-speed vehicle operation to public highways where the maximum posted speed limit is no greater than 35 miles per hour.
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27. A first-time Virginia DUI offender registers a blood alcohol concentration above .20. What additional mandatory minimum jail time applies, beyond the ordinary first offense penalty?
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Answer D: An additional mandatory minimum of ten days
Virginia doubles the additional mandatory jail time to ten days when a first-time DUI offender's blood alcohol concentration is above .20, compared to five days for a BAC of .15 to .20.
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28. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?
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Answer A: Try to find the owner, or leave a note with your name and contact details, and report the crash
Hitting an unattended vehicle carries the same duties as any crash. Leaving without identifying yourself is a hit-and-run offense.
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29. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?
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Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes
On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.
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30. 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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31. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signal is completely dark because of a power failure. How should you proceed?
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Answer C: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop
When a signal shows no indication at all, drivers on every approach must stop and then take turns, exactly as at an all-way stop.
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32. What does Virginia law say about a driver consuming an alcoholic beverage while actually driving on a public highway?
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Answer A: It is a distinct Class 4 misdemeanor to consume an alcoholic beverage while driving
Virginia separately makes it a Class 4 misdemeanor to consume an alcoholic beverage while driving a motor vehicle on a public highway, regardless of the resulting blood alcohol level.
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33. Under Virginia law, what happens to a moped's legal classification once it is operated at a speed faster than 35 miles per hour?
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Answer A: It is treated as a motorcycle for purposes of the motor vehicle code
Virginia law provides that a person operating a moped faster than 35 miles per hour is deemed, for all purposes of the title, to be operating a motorcycle.
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34. What are the two recognized pathways for a Virginia applicant under 18 to satisfy the driver training requirement before getting a license?
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Answer A: A driver education program with classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction, or a parent or guardian certified 45 hour driving log
Virginia allows an applicant under 18 to satisfy driver training either through a formal driver education program or through a parent or guardian certified log of at least 45 hours of driving.
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35. A provisional license holder in Virginia is driving during the midnight to 4 a.m. curfew window with a passenger in the car. Which passenger makes this driving lawful under a curfew exception?
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Answer D: The driver's parent, legal guardian, or a spouse who is at least 18
Virginia's curfew exceptions let a provisional license holder drive during the restricted hours when a parent, legal guardian, or a spouse at least 18 years old is riding along.
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36. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor and the vehicle does not slow down. What is a reasonable sequence of actions?
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Answer C: Pump the pedal, shift to a lower gear and apply the parking brake gradually while steering to a safe spot
Pumping can rebuild pressure in a partly failed system, a lower gear adds engine braking, and easing on the parking brake slows the vehicle without locking the wheels.
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37. A driver sees this sign on a quiet road with no other traffic in either direction. What is the correct response?
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Answer C: Slow down, look and listen for a train, and be ready to stop
The sign gives advance notice of a highway-rail grade crossing, so the driver reduces speed, checks both directions along the tracks and keeps enough room to stop short of the rails.
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38. At the scene of a crash you were part of, what are you required to do besides stopping?
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Answer B: Give your name, your address and vehicle details, and help anyone who is hurt
Every state requires drivers involved in a crash to identify themselves and to render reasonable aid to anyone injured.
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39. A square sign with a red field, a wide white horizontal bar and the words DO NOT ENTER tells a driver that
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Answer B: the roadway ahead must not be entered from that point
The do not enter sign is posted at the end of a one-way roadway or ramp to keep traffic from driving into it against the flow.
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40. How long is the automatic administrative suspension in Virginia for a first offense when a driver refuses a breath test or registers .08 or higher?
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Answer A: Seven days
Virginia imposes an automatic administrative suspension of seven days for a first offense, 60 days or until trial for a second, and until trial for a third.