Washington DOL Permit Practice Test 28
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. What is true about an airbag once it has inflated in a crash?
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Answer B: It must be replaced by a technician before the car is driven any further
An airbag is a single use device, and the module and often the belts must be replaced before the vehicle protects anyone again.
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2. 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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3. How does the penalty change for a second or subsequent violation of Washington's electronic device law?
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Answer D: It is doubled compared to the first-offense amount
Washington doubles the penalty amount for a second or subsequent violation of the personal electronic device law.
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4. Rain is falling and the outside temperature reads close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is that dangerous?
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Answer A: The rain can freeze on contact and glaze the road with ice
Near freezing, rain landing on cold pavement can turn to a glaze of ice almost at once, so a road that looks merely wet may have no grip at all.
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5. You are stopped at a stop sign on a two-way stop intersection and the cross street has no stop signs at all. What does that mean for you?
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Answer A: You yield to all cross traffic no matter how long that takes
At a two-way stop only your direction is controlled, so there is no taking turns; you wait for a gap big enough to enter safely.
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6. You need to reverse direction on a busy street. Which choice is usually safest?
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Answer D: Driving around the block and using the intersections instead
Going around the block uses normal turns at controlled intersections instead of stopping across live traffic lanes.
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7. How does driving on overinflated tires affect the vehicle?
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Answer D: It gives a harsher ride and a smaller contact patch
An overinflated tire bulges in the middle, so less rubber touches the road, grip suffers and the ride becomes hard. The center of the tread wears first.
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8. How much moving water is generally enough to float and carry away most passenger vehicles?
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Answer D: About one foot
About a foot of moving water will float most cars, and even less will stall an engine. That is why the rule is to turn around instead of judging the depth.
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9. You are driving through a long curve on a road with two lanes in your direction. What is correct?
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Answer A: Stay within your own lane all the way through, adjusting speed before you enter
Wandering out of your lane in a curve puts you into the path of a vehicle you cannot see, and the slowing belongs before the curve rather than in it.
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10. Your vehicle stalls on railroad tracks and you see a train approaching. What should you do?
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Answer D: Get everyone out and run toward the train at an angle away from the tracks
Leave the vehicle at once. Running toward the oncoming train and away from the tracks keeps you clear of the wreckage, which is thrown forward in the direction the train is moving.
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11. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?
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Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it
Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.
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12. You are about to pull out from a stop sign. Which scanning habit is correct?
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Answer A: Look to the left, then to the right, then to the left again before moving
Traffic from the left reaches you first, and a second look left catches anything that arrived while you were looking right.
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13. 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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14. Who may sign the certification that a Washington intermediate license applicant completed the required supervised driving hours?
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Answer A: A parent, guardian, employer or other responsible adult
Washington accepts certification of the required supervised driving hours from a parent, guardian, employer or other responsible adult.
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15. A stop sign at a busy corner has a stop line and a crosswalk, but buildings block your view of the cross street. What is the correct sequence?
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Answer C: Stop at the line first, then edge forward and stop again to see
The first stop is required at the line or before the crosswalk, and a second stop farther forward is what actually lets you yield safely.
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16. Traffic is backed up beyond a railroad crossing. When may you start across the tracks?
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Answer B: Only when there is room for your whole vehicle on the far side
Never enter a crossing you cannot clear; a vehicle stopped on the tracks in a queue has nowhere to go if the signals start.
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17. Your passengers are being noisy and you are losing concentration. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ask them to settle down, or pull over safely until they do
The driver is responsible for the conditions inside the vehicle, and stopping is always better than driving distracted.
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18. The sun is low behind you and shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. What should you do?
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Answer C: Turn on your headlights and expect oncoming drivers not to see you
Drivers facing the low sun may not see you at all, so make yourself as visible as possible and give way rather than insisting on your right of way.
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19. Your vehicle has antilock brakes. What should you never do in an emergency stop?
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Answer A: Pump the pedal up and down
The system already releases and reapplies the brakes many times a second. Pumping the pedal interrupts it and makes the stop longer.
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20. Which trailer lights must work before you drive away?
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Answer B: The tail lights, brake lights and turn signals
The trailer hides the vehicle lights from anyone behind, so its own tail, brake and turn signals have to work before you move.
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21. You are turning left at an intersection and an oncoming bicyclist is approaching in the bike lane. What must you do?
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Answer B: Yield and complete the turn only after the bicyclist has passed
A bicycle in the roadway has the same right of way as a vehicle, so a left-turning driver must yield to an oncoming rider just as to an oncoming car.
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22. A driver reaches this sign and the intersecting roadway is completely clear. What is required?
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Answer D: Slowing to a speed that allows stopping, then going on without stopping if the way stays clear
This control asks the driver to slow down and be ready to stop, and a full stop becomes necessary only when traffic or pedestrians would otherwise be interfered with.
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23. What does it mean to scan the road while driving?
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Answer A: Moving your eyes constantly over the road, the sides and the mirrors
Scanning keeps information coming in from every direction, while a fixed stare leaves you blind to everything else.
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24. You will leave your vehicle for several hours after dark. Where is the best place to park it?
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Answer D: In a well-lit spot with people and cameras nearby
Light, passing people and cameras all discourage theft and make your own return to the vehicle safer.
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25. What is the rule about leaving a child or a pet in a parked vehicle?
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Answer A: Never do it; the inside can turn deadly hot very quickly
The inside of a parked vehicle heats far faster than the air outside, and cracking a window does not prevent it, so a child or animal must never be left there.
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26. This sign leads to a crossing that has no gates and no flashing lights. What does that mean for the driver?
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Answer D: Nothing will warn of an approaching train, so the driver must check the tracks personally
At a passive crossing there is no active device to announce a train, so the whole judgment rests on the driver, who must approach slowly enough to stop after looking along the track.
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27. What is the highest speed limit Washington's Secretary of Transportation may set on a divided or limited access highway based on an engineering study?
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Answer D: 75 miles per hour
Washington authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to set limited access highway speed limits as high as 75 miles per hour when an engineering and traffic study supports it.
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28. You are about to pass a bicyclist on a narrow two-lane road. What is the correct way to do it?
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Answer A: Wait for a clear gap and move well left, giving the rider wide space
Pass a cyclist as you would a car: wait for clear road, change lane position to leave generous clearance, and return only when the rider is well behind you.
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29. What is the basic rule for entering a roundabout?
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Answer B: Traffic already circulating goes first, and you wait for a gap
Entering traffic yields to vehicles already going around the circle, which is what keeps a roundabout moving instead of locking up.
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30. You are the second vehicle waiting to turn left on a green ball. Where should you wait?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, until the first vehicle has actually turned
Only the lead vehicle should move into the intersection to wait; a second vehicle inside it is likely to be stranded there when the light changes.
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31. What does a NARROW BRIDGE warning sign tell a driver?
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Answer A: The bridge is tighter than the road leading up to it
A narrow bridge still carries both directions, but with much less clearance than the approaches, so drivers should slow and hold their lane position carefully.
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32. After the first 6 months and until age 18, how many passengers under age 20 may a Washington intermediate license holder carry?
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Answer C: No more than three, except immediate family members
From 6 months until age 18 or one year of safe driving, a Washington intermediate license holder may carry no more than 3 passengers under age 20, not counting immediate family members.
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33. You are stopped at a stop sign where your road ends at a two-way through street and you plan to turn left. What must you yield to?
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Answer B: Traffic from both directions and any pedestrians crossing
A left turn from the stem of a T crosses the near lane and joins the far one, so you give way to traffic in both directions and to pedestrians.
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34. When is it acceptable to reach into the back seat for something while driving?
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Answer A: Never; stop somewhere safe instead
Twisting round takes your eyes off the road and your control of the wheel with it, so anything in the back seat waits until the car is stopped.
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35. Why is hard braking the wrong response to a tire blowout at speed?
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Answer C: Because it can pull the vehicle further out of line and start it spinning
With one tire gone the braking forces are uneven, so heavy braking increases the pull to one side and can spin the vehicle.
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36. You are overtaking in a short passing lane on a two-lane road and it is about to end. What must you do?
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Answer A: Finish the pass and move back to the right before it ends
The added lane ends and the traffic returns to a single lane in each direction, so the pass has to be complete before the pavement runs out.
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37. What change in the road does this sign announce?
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Answer B: The two directions of travel are about to be separated, and the driver must keep to the right of the separation
Ahead the roadway splits into separate one-way roadways on either side of a median, so the driver stays to the right of the divider and no longer meets oncoming vehicles.
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38. You find that your shoulder belt has some slack in it. Why does that matter?
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Answer D: You travel further before the belt restrains you, so injuries are worse
Slack lets your body build up speed before the belt takes hold, which increases the forces on you and the risk of hitting the interior.
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39. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?
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Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.
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40. For what kind of travel is Washington's Enhanced Driver License (EDL) valid as a border document?
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Answer D: Land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean only
Washington's Enhanced Driver License is valid for land and sea entry to the United States from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, but not for other international travel.