Washington DOL Permit Practice Test 31
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A rectangular red sign with the white words WRONG WAY means that
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Answer C: the driver is already traveling against the legal flow and must not continue
The wrong way sign uses a white legend and border on red and addresses a driver who has entered a ramp or one-way roadway in the wrong direction, who should stop and turn around safely.
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2. On loose gravel or deep fresh snow, how does an antilock system affect the stopping distance?
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Answer D: It can lengthen it, although you keep the ability to steer
On loose surfaces a locked wheel piles up a wedge of gravel or snow that helps it stop, so the antilock stop can be longer even though steering still works.
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3. Which effect appears as a drinker's blood alcohol level climbs well past the first drinks?
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Answer D: Loss of muscle control and steady steering
Higher levels of alcohol reach the parts of the brain that control movement, which shows up as clumsy steering, late braking and poor lane control.
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4. When should you adjust your seat, mirrors and steering wheel?
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Answer B: Before you start moving
Adjusting the driving position while moving takes your attention and often your hands away from driving. Make every adjustment while parked, every time.
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5. On a narrow residential street, why does parking tight against the curb matter so much?
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Answer C: Because fire trucks and ambulances need the width to get through
Cars parked even a foot out from the curb on both sides can narrow a street until a fire truck or ambulance cannot pass.
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6. Where is this sign installed in relation to the hazard it announces?
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Answer A: Far enough before the hazard that a driver can slow down and stop short of it
This is an advance warning sign, placed on the approach so a driver has time to react before reaching a crossing that a curve or a crest may be hiding.
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7. A sign on a divided highway reads Keep Right Except to Pass. What does it require of you?
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Answer A: Use the left lane only to overtake, then return to a lane on the right
The left lane on such a highway is reserved for overtaking, so a driver who has finished a pass must move back to the right.
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8. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?
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Answer C: A left turn
The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.
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9. You are approaching an uncontrolled intersection on a residential street where parked cars hide the cross street. What is the correct approach?
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Answer B: Slow enough to stop and creep out until you can see
Without a sign or signal you still have to be able to yield, and you cannot yield to traffic you have not seen.
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10. How does a wet road change the distance you need to stop?
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Answer C: It lengthens it, so you need a much bigger gap ahead
Water between the tire and the road cuts grip, so braking distance grows and the gap that works on dry pavement is no longer enough.
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11. You are approaching the crest of a hill and cannot see the road beyond it. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow down and keep well to the right
Beyond a blind crest there may be a stopped vehicle, a cyclist or an oncoming driver crossing the center line, so reduce speed and hold your own side.
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12. What is worth carrying in the vehicle during a winter trip?
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Answer A: A blanket, a flashlight, a scraper and a small shovel
A winter kit keeps you warm and visible if you are stopped for hours, and lets you clear glass and dig the wheels out. Hot water can crack cold glass.
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13. A bicycle symbol topped by two chevrons is painted in the middle of a travel lane. What does that marking indicate?
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Answer D: Bicyclists share the lane with motor vehicles and may ride away from the curb
A shared lane marking shows drivers where bicyclists are likely to ride in a lane used by both bicycles and motor vehicles.
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14. Your power steering fails while you are driving. What happens and what should you do?
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Answer B: Steering becomes much harder but still works, so slow down and pull off the road
Without power assistance the steering still works, but it takes much more effort, especially at low speed. Keep both hands on the wheel and get off the road.
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15. Where are children in the greatest danger around a school bus?
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Answer B: In the roadway right around the bus, especially in front
The danger zone is the band of roadway around the bus where the driver's view is poorest, and children crossing in front of the bus are hardest to see.
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16. How often should the spare tire be checked?
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Answer C: Regularly, because a spare loses pressure while it sits unused
Spares lose air slowly over months, and a flat spare is useless at the moment you need it.
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17. A diamond-shaped sign is used to
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Answer A: warn of a condition on or next to the road that may call for caution
The diamond is the standard shape of the warning series, which alerts drivers to conditions that would otherwise not be obvious in time to react.
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18. A mixed drink is made with two shots of spirits. How much alcohol is that?
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Answer C: About two standard drinks
A standard drink is a fixed amount of pure alcohol, so a glass poured with two measures counts as two drinks however it is served.
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19. Your phone is in a mount on the dashboard rather than in your hand. What is true?
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Answer B: It still takes your eyes and mind off the road
A mount solves the hand problem but not the eye or the mind problem, and reading or tapping a mounted screen costs the same seconds of attention.
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20. How does Washington's Enhanced Driver License (EDL) mark itself as REAL ID compliant, compared to the star used by many other states?
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Answer C: It bears a U.S. flag marking instead of a star
Washington's Enhanced Driver License bears a U.S. flag marking instead of the star symbol many other states use for REAL ID compliance.
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21. You are driving on the through road of a T-intersection and want to turn left into the side road. Oncoming traffic is approaching on the through road. What must you do?
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Answer C: Yield to the oncoming traffic before you turn
The vehicle waiting in the stem of the T yields to both of you, but you still owe the right of way to oncoming through traffic before turning across it.
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22. You are very angry after an argument and about to drive. What should you know?
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Answer A: Strong emotions can impair judgment and attention much like alcohol
Anger, grief and stress pull attention inward and encourage risk taking. Give yourself time to settle down before getting behind the wheel.
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23. You are parking facing downhill on a street with a curb. Which way should the front wheels point?
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Answer A: Toward the curb, so the vehicle would roll into it if it moved
Turning the wheels toward the curb when facing downhill means a vehicle that starts to roll is stopped by the curb instead of entering the traffic lane.
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24. This sign comes into view ahead of a driver who has already started along a ramp. What should the driver do?
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Answer B: Pull clear where it is safe, then turn around and leave the ramp traveling properly
The driver is traveling against the legal flow, so the safest response is to stop clear of the lanes, turn the vehicle around and get off the ramp before meeting traffic head on.
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25. You turn left onto a road that has a center two-way left-turn lane. In which lane should you be traveling once the turn is finished?
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Answer D: The first through lane to the right of the center turn lane
The shared center lane is only for turning movements, so even where a state lets you pause in it to merge you must end up in the first ordinary travel lane beside it.
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26. You and the driver facing you both have stop signs at a two-way stop. You are going straight and that driver is turning left. Who has the right of way?
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Answer B: You do, and the turning driver must wait
Between two opposing drivers who both stopped, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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27. On a regulatory sign, what does a red circle with a diagonal slash drawn over a symbol mean?
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Answer D: The movement or action shown by the symbol is prohibited
A red circle with a diagonal slash is the standard way of showing that the movement pictured inside it, such as a U-turn or a right turn, is not allowed.
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28. What happens to your field of vision as your speed increases?
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Answer C: It narrows, so you notice less at the sides of the road
The faster you travel, the more your useful field of view narrows toward the center, so a hazard coming from the side is seen late or missed altogether.
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29. 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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30. A steady red arrow is displayed for your left-turn lane at a two-way intersection. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop and remain stopped until an indication permits the turn
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to, so the driver stops and waits for a green arrow, a flashing yellow arrow or another indication that permits the turn.
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31. School warning signs use which background and legend colors?
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Answer A: A black legend and border on a fluorescent yellow-green background
School warning signs carry a black legend and border on a fluorescent yellow-green background, a shade chosen so they stand out from ordinary yellow warning signs.
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32. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?
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Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you
A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.
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33. Which combination best reduces the chance of hydroplaning?
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Answer D: Good tread depth, correct tire pressure and lower speed in the rain
Tread channels water away, correct pressure keeps the tire's shape, and lower speed gives the tire time to push water aside. Hydroplaning can begin at surprisingly modest speeds.
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34. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?
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Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside
High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.
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35. A pedestrian near the curb is staring at a phone and not looking at traffic. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, because the pedestrian may step out without looking
Distracted pedestrians step into the street without checking. Assume they have not seen you and give yourself time and space to stop.
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36. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?
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Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane
A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.
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37. An exit ramp is separated from the highway by a triangle of pavement painted with white stripes. What may you do there?
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Answer C: Nothing; keep off it and choose either the lane or the ramp
The striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is not for driving, stopping or last-second changes of direction.
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38. Why should heavy objects in the passenger compartment be secured?
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Answer A: Because loose objects fly forward in a crash and can injure the people
Anything loose keeps traveling at the speed of the vehicle when the vehicle stops, so it strikes the occupants with great force.
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39. A bicyclist in the bike lane ahead of you signals and starts to move left toward the turn lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and let the rider move across
A bicyclist who needs to leave the bike lane to turn left is changing lanes like any driver, and following traffic should make room.
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40. The green arrow protecting your turn changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is it telling you?
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Answer A: The protected turn is ending and you should prepare to stop
A steady yellow arrow warns that the arrow movement is being terminated and that a red indication will follow.