Washington DOL Permit Practice Test 12
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Someone appears seriously injured after a crash. What should you generally do?
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Answer C: Call for emergency help and avoid moving the person unless there is an immediate danger such as fire
Moving an injured person can worsen spinal or internal injuries, so summon trained help and leave the person in place unless staying there is more dangerous than moving.
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2. A yellow diamond in which one line joins another at an angle warns that
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Answer B: traffic from another roadway will merge into the driver's lane ahead
The merge sign warns that another traffic stream will join the same lane ahead, so drivers on both roadways must adjust speed and spacing.
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3. What is a designated driver?
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Answer A: Someone who agrees to drink nothing at all
A designated driver drinks no alcohol whatsoever, because any amount begins to affect judgment and the whole point is a sober driver.
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4. A child has outgrown the rear-facing seat. What comes next?
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Answer D: A forward-facing seat with a harness, used up to its own stated limits
The stages run rear facing, then forward facing with a harness, then a booster, then the adult belt alone.
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5. 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.
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6. A bicyclist ahead of you puts the left arm straight out to the side. What is being signaled?
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Answer B: A left turn or a move to the left
The left arm held straight out is the bicycle signal for a left turn, so hold back and give the rider room to cross toward the center.
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7. 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.
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8. 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.
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9. Your left-turn lane shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does that indication allow?
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Answer B: A left turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians
A flashing yellow arrow marks a permissive left turn: the movement is allowed, but oncoming vehicles and pedestrians keep the right-of-way.
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10. You are driving in fog so thick that you can barely see the vehicle ahead. Which pavement marking is the best guide for staying in your lane?
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Answer A: The white edge line on the right side of the road
The right edge line keeps you positioned away from oncoming traffic and is easy to follow at low speed. Following tail lights closely tempts you to drive faster than you can see.
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11. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to
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Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location
Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.
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12. A pedestrian is crossing at a corner where no crosswalk is painted on the pavement. What is your duty?
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Answer A: Yield, because a legal crosswalk exists at the corner even without paint
Every intersection has a crosswalk whether or not it is marked, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there.
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13. 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.
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14. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?
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Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed
A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.
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15. How should you follow a school bus in traffic?
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Answer A: Far enough back to see its lights and stop in time
A school bus stops often and with little warning, so a longer following distance gives you time to see the lights come on and stop clear of it.
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16. A steady green arrow pointing left is displayed for your turning lane. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: The turn is protected because conflicting traffic is being held
A steady green arrow gives a protected movement in the direction shown, although you still yield to pedestrians and to any vehicle already inside the intersection.
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17. A reduced speed limit posted with this sign and a plaque giving hours is in force
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Answer C: during the hours shown on the plaque, or while the beacon is flashing
A school speed limit applies during the periods stated on the plaque or while the attached beacon flashes, and the regular limit governs outside those periods.
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18. When is passing another vehicle on the right generally permitted?
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Answer C: When the road has two or more lanes in your direction, or the vehicle ahead is turning left and there is room without leaving the pavement
Passing on the right is limited to situations where a lawful lane exists for it or the vehicle ahead is turning left, and it may never be done by driving onto the shoulder.
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19. A flagger in a work zone turns a paddle so that the red octagonal face reading STOP is toward you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop completely and wait for the flagger to signal you forward
The STOP face of a flagger paddle requires a complete stop, and you may move again only when the flagger directs you to.
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20. You approach an intersection where the signal is flashing yellow. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow down and cross the intersection with caution
A flashing yellow signal warns you to slow down and cross with care; it does not require a stop, but it does not give you priority either.
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21. A sign at the intersection prohibits U-turns, but the opening looks wide and clear. What may you do?
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Answer B: Obey the sign and turn around somewhere else
A prohibition applies whatever the traffic looks like at that moment, usually because of sight distance or conflicts you cannot see from the lane.
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22. What does a marked crosswalk tell a driver approaching a corner?
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Answer D: Where pedestrians are expected to cross and must be given way
Crosswalk markings show pedestrians where to cross and warn drivers to yield to anyone using the crossing.
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23. 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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24. How far may a Washington driver travel in a center two-way left turn lane?
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Answer B: No farther than 300 feet
Washington says these lanes must not be used for passing and that a driver should not travel farther than 300 feet in a center turn lane.
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25. Which sequence describes a well-made turn?
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Answer A: Signal, move into the correct lane, slow down, check, then turn
Tell others first, take your position, lose the speed before the corner, take a final look, and only then steer through the turn.
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26. 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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27. A sign with a green background and a white legend normally provides
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Answer A: directions, distances and destinations
Green is the background color of the guide sign series, which names routes and destinations and gives the distance to them.
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28. As a center two-way left-turn lane reaches an intersection, the markings change into a single left-turn lane. What does that mean for you?
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Answer D: From that point it serves one direction only, so use it just to turn left
Where the shared lane becomes a marked turn bay it belongs to one direction of travel, and only vehicles making that left turn may occupy it.
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29. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
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Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
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30. A broken white line separates your lane from the lane beside it. What does it indicate?
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Answer C: Both lanes carry traffic in the same direction and lane changes are permitted
White lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, and a broken white line means changing lanes across it is permitted when it is safe.
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31. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?
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Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street
Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.
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32. You want to move into the right lane just as an entrance ramp joins the highway at that point. What is the better choice?
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Answer B: Wait until you are past the merge area so you do not squeeze the entering traffic
The merge area is where ramp traffic has to find a gap, so adding a lane change of your own into the same space creates a conflict.
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33. The brake pedal goes to the floor and the vehicle does not slow. What should you try first?
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Answer C: Pump the pedal quickly to try to build pressure
Most vehicles have a split braking system, so rapid pumping can often build enough pressure to slow you. If it does not, use the parking brake gradually.
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34. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe
More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.
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35. 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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36. Which driver is exempt from Washington's electronic device restrictions while performing their duties?
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Answer B: An operator of an authorized emergency vehicle
Washington's electronic device law exempts operators of authorized emergency vehicles while performing their duties.
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37. 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.
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38. You see an open curb space on the opposite side of a two-way street. What should you do?
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Answer B: Drive on, turn around, and come back on that side
You must park on the right, facing the direction of travel, so reaching a space on the other side means going around rather than crossing into it.
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39. You want to turn left at an intersection with no signs or signals and a vehicle is coming straight toward you from the opposite direction. What must you do?
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Answer C: Yield and turn after the oncoming vehicle has passed
A driver turning left always gives way to oncoming traffic that is close enough to be a hazard, whether or not the intersection is controlled.
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40. If a cited Washington driver later proves to the court that valid insurance existed at the time of the citation, what may the court assess before dismissing the case?
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Answer D: Up to $25 in administrative costs
Washington allows a court to assess up to $25 in administrative costs when dismissing a citation after the driver later proves valid coverage existed.