Washington DOL Permit Practice Test 2
Test 2 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 32 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Washington test.
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. For a first Washington DUI conviction where the alcohol concentration is below 0.15, what is the mandatory minimum jail term set by statute?
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Answer B: 24 hours
Washington law sets a mandatory minimum of 24 consecutive hours in jail for a first DUI conviction when the alcohol concentration is below 0.15.
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2. How many vehicles must a person have registered in Washington to qualify as a self-insurer instead of carrying a policy?
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Answer C: More than 25
Washington allows a person with more than 25 vehicles registered in their name to qualify as a self-insurer.
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3. You have turned onto a ramp at night and your headlights pick out large white arrows painted on the pavement pointing straight back at you. What do they mean?
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Answer C: You are traveling against the flow and must turn back
Wrong-way arrows are laid so that a driver going the correct way never sees them head on, so an arrow pointing at you means you are on the ramp backwards.
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4. What happens when tires are driven underinflated for a long time?
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Answer D: They wear at the edges, they run hot and they are more likely to fail
An underinflated tire flexes too much, which wears the shoulders and builds up heat that can destroy the tire.
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5. The tire pressure monitoring symbol lights up on your dashboard. What is the system telling you?
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Answer A: At least one tire is significantly underinflated
The system warns when a tire falls well below the recommended pressure. Check all four with a gauge and inflate to the placard figure while they are cold.
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6. In Washington, what is negligent driving in the second degree, and how is it penalized?
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Answer C: A $250 traffic infraction for negligent operation
Washington classifies negligent driving in the second degree as a traffic infraction with a $250 fine for operating a vehicle negligently in a way that endangers a person or property, without requiring proof of impairment.
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7. 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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8. A single solid white line separates two lanes running in the same direction. What is it telling drivers?
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Answer A: Changing lanes there is discouraged
A solid white lane line discourages lane changing, typically where merging or weaving would create a hazard.
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9. Where do you find how much weight your vehicle may carry?
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Answer C: On the placard in the driver door opening
The certification placard in the driver door opening gives the load limit and the recommended cold tire pressures for the vehicle as built.
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10. A tractor-trailer is backing slowly across the roadway to enter a loading dock. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stop and wait until the truck has finished the maneuver
A backing truck driver has a very limited view and the trailer can swing unexpectedly. Trying to squeeze past in either direction risks being crushed.
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11. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?
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Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb
All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.
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12. A white arrow painted in your lane points only to the right, and a sign above the lane shows the same movement. What must you do?
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Answer C: Turn right from that lane
Pavement arrows used with lane-use signs are regulatory, so a driver occupying that lane must make the movement shown.
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13. The center line beside your lane is a broken yellow line. What does it allow?
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Answer D: You may cross into the opposing lane to pass when it is safe and clear
A broken yellow center line marks a passing zone where traffic in that direction may cross into the opposing lane to pass when the way ahead is clear.
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14. Absent any other posted limit, what speed does Washington law set as the maximum on city and town streets?
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Answer A: 25 miles per hour
Washington's basic speed statute sets 25 miles per hour as the default maximum on city and town streets when no other limit is posted.
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15. 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.
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16. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?
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Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle
High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.
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17. 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.
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18. Starting November 1, 2026, what additional course must a first-time Washington driver license applicant under age 25 complete?
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Answer B: A work zone and first responder safety course
Washington's Department of Licensing states that starting November 1, 2026, first-time applicants under age 25 must also complete a work zone and first responder safety course.
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19. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back
A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.
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20. What is the school zone speed limit in Washington?
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Answer B: 20 miles per hour
Washington sets the school zone speed limit at 20 miles per hour, and signs may clarify when the limit applies.
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21. A school sign paired with a plaque showing a diagonal downward-pointing arrow is installed
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Answer D: at the school crossing itself, or as close to it as possible
The diagonal downward arrow points at the crossing, so this assembly is placed at the crossing location rather than in advance of it.
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22. Which surfaces usually offer less grip than the pavement around them when wet?
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Answer B: Painted markings, metal plates and bridge decks
Paint, steel and bridge decks all shed grip when wet or cold, so brake before you reach them rather than on top of them.
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23. 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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24. 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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25. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?
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Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop
Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.
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26. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?
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Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance
A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.
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27. Four vehicles reach a four-way stop from all four directions at the same instant. How is the deadlock resolved?
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Answer C: Each driver yields to the vehicle on the right and they go one by one
Yielding to the right applies to every driver, so the group untangles itself as drivers take turns rather than moving together.
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28. What must a driver be ready for beyond this sign?
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Answer C: Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction in the next lane over
The separation between the two directions runs out, so from that point oncoming vehicles share the same pavement and the driver has to keep right.
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29. What is meant by keeping a space cushion?
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Answer C: Keeping open space on all sides of your vehicle so you always have somewhere to go
Open space ahead, behind and to the sides gives you time to react and an escape path when a hazard appears, which is the core idea of defensive driving.
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30. Which two pathways can satisfy Washington's driver training requirement for a minor applicant?
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Answer D: A school or approved private program, or a licensed driving school
Washington satisfies the driver training requirement for a minor through a school district or approved private school program, or through a licensed driver training school.
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31. What does black ice usually look like from the driver seat?
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Answer C: A patch of pavement that simply looks wet or slightly glossy
Black ice is clear, so you see the dark road through it and read it as a wet patch. In freezing weather, treat any wet looking patch as ice.
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32. What happens under Washington law if a driver cannot display proof of financial responsibility when a law enforcement officer requests it?
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Answer C: The driver commits a traffic infraction
Washington makes it a traffic infraction to fail to display proof of financial responsibility when a law enforcement officer requests it.
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33. A high-occupancy vehicle lane is separated from the general lanes by a pair of solid white lines with a gap every so often. Where may you enter or leave it?
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Answer D: Only at the openings where the solid lines are broken
The solid lines forbid crossing, so entry and exit are limited to the designated openings where the marking is broken.
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34. A regulatory message is normally carried on a sign whose shape is
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Answer A: a rectangle standing taller than it is wide
Regulatory signs that state a law, such as speed limits and turn restrictions, use a vertical rectangle with a black legend on a white background.
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35. You are waiting to turn left at a solid green light with no green arrow. Oncoming traffic is approaching. What should you do?
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Answer A: Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when there is a safe gap
A solid green light permits the left turn but does not protect it, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians before turning.
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36. What happens to a Washington driver's license when the Department of Licensing is notified that the driver failed to respond to a notice of traffic infraction?
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Answer C: Driving privileges are suspended until the case is resolved
Washington automatically suspends a driver's privileges when notified of a failure to respond to or appear on a moving violation, and the suspension lasts until the case is resolved.
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37. The electric windows will not work as your vehicle sinks in water. What is the best option?
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Answer C: Break a side window with a hard, pointed object and climb out through it
Side windows are tempered glass and can be broken, while the laminated windshield cannot, and water pressure holds the doors shut.
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38. Can a Washington court waive, reduce or suspend the fine for a move-over law violation?
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Answer D: No, the fine may not be waived, reduced or suspended
Washington law prohibits waiving, reducing or suspending the fine for a move-over law violation.
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39. Enhanced reference location markers differ from ordinary mileposts in that they
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Answer B: carry the route number and a mileage figure to the tenth of a mile
An enhanced reference location marker adds the route designation and carries the mileage to a tenth, so the point named is far more precise than a plain milepost.
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40. On the Interstate system, what do the odd-numbered one and two digit routes have in common?
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Answer D: They run mainly north and south
Odd numbers are given to north and south Interstates and even numbers to east and west ones, with the numbers rising toward the north and the east.