Connecticut DMV Permit Practice Test 48

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. What must a Connecticut driver do when approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing lights on the shoulder of a multi-lane highway?

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    Answer A: Slow to a reasonable speed below the limit and, if in the adjacent lane, move over one lane

    On a highway with lanes in the same direction the driver must reduce speed below the limit and also move over one lane when traveling in the adjacent lane.

  2. 2. You are at a red light where right turns on red are allowed, you cannot see clearly, and the driver behind sounds the horn. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stay stopped until you can see that the turn is safe

    Turning right on red is permitted, never required, so you wait until you can see that the way is clear no matter what the driver behind does.

  3. 3. A driver behind you on a two-lane road clearly wants to pass. Why should you not wave that driver past?

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    Answer B: You cannot see the whole road ahead for them and they may rely on your signal

    Waving another driver out invites them to trust your judgment of a road you cannot see well enough, and the decision to pass belongs to the driver making it.

  4. 4. The brake warning light stays on even though the parking brake is fully released. What does it indicate?

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    Answer B: A possible brake system problem, so have the brakes checked promptly

    The brake warning light also signals low brake fluid or a failure in one part of the hydraulic system. Do not ignore it, because braking may be reduced.

  5. 5. A small plaque mounted under this sign shows a numeral such as 2 or 3. What does that numeral report?

    Two white crossed boards forming an X, with black lettering along each board
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    Answer A: How many sets of tracks the crossing carries

    The plaque states the number of tracks at that location, which is a warning that a second train may be running on another track behind the first.

  6. 6. Traffic is heavy and crawling where a sign warns that your lane ends and two lanes must become one. What is the best practice?

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    Answer C: Use the lane to the end, then take turns merging one by one

    In stop-and-go traffic the zipper merge, using both lanes up to the merge point and then alternating, keeps the queue shorter and traffic moving; in free-flowing traffic move over as soon as it is safe.

  7. 7. Your vehicle does not have antilock brakes and you must stop quickly on a slippery road. What is the correct technique?

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    Answer B: Apply the brakes firmly without locking the wheels, releasing slightly if they lock

    Locked wheels slide and cannot steer. Squeezing the brakes to just short of lockup, and easing off if they lock, gives the shortest stop with control.

  8. 8. A tow truck with flashing amber lights is loading a car on the shoulder ahead. How should you treat it?

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    Answer B: Give it the same room as an emergency vehicle

    Tow operators, utility crews and highway workers face the same danger from passing traffic, so move over or slow down for their flashing amber lights too.

  9. 9. How long must a Connecticut driver under 21 keep an ignition interlock device after a first failed chemical test?

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    Answer B: One year

    The interlock schedule for drivers under 21 starts at one year for a first suspension and climbs from there.

  10. 10. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?

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    Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade

    A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.

  11. 11. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?

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    Answer A: Branches, dust and loose objects blown into your path

    High wind strips branches, litter and dust onto the roadway and can push other vehicles out of their lane, so scan much further ahead than usual.

  12. 12. A train has just cleared a crossing that carries two sets of tracks. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait and look both ways for a second train

    A passing train hides a second train on the other track, so wait until the signals stop and you can see that both tracks are clear.

  13. 13. Why is dusk one of the harder times of day to drive?

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    Answer B: The failing light blurs shapes into the background

    In fading light there is not enough contrast to pick objects out, yet it is not dark enough for headlights to do the work, so pedestrians and cyclists disappear.

  14. 14. Why does the speed of the right-hand lane of a freeway change so often?

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    Answer B: Vehicles entering and leaving the highway all use that lane

    Entrance and exit ramps feed into the right lane, so traffic there is constantly slowing to leave or speeding up to join.

  15. 15. You are approaching a sharp curve. When should you reduce your speed?

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    Answer D: Before you enter the curve, so you can accelerate gently through it

    Braking hard inside a curve uses up the traction that is already being demanded for cornering, so the slowing must be finished before you enter.

  16. 16. How does a NO OUTLET sign differ from a DEAD END sign?

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    Answer B: It warns that a whole group of streets has no way out

    No Outlet is posted where the road leads into a network of streets from which there is no through route, while Dead End refers to the single street itself.

  17. 17. 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.

  18. 18. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?

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    Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact

    Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.

  19. 19. A snow squall cuts visibility to almost nothing while you are on a highway. What must you not do?

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    Answer D: Stop in a travel lane and wait for the squall to blow through

    A vehicle stopped in a lane in a whiteout is invisible until someone hits it. Slow gradually and keep moving until you can leave the roadway completely.

  20. 20. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back

    Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.

  21. 21. A yellow sign shows a truck on a slope with the legend 7 PERCENT GRADE. What should a driver of a heavy vehicle do?

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    Answer A: Select a lower gear before starting down

    The percentage shows how steep the descent is, and choosing a low gear at the top lets the engine hold the vehicle back instead of the brakes overheating.

  22. 22. Where should your hands normally rest on the steering wheel?

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    Answer C: On opposite sides of the wheel, near the 9 and 3 positions

    Hands placed opposite each other near the middle of the wheel give smooth, balanced control and keep the arms clear of a deploying air bag.

  23. 23. You must cross a stretch of water lying across the road that you know is shallow. What is the right technique?

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    Answer A: Slow down before you reach it and cross steadily in a low gear

    Slow before the water, then keep a steady low speed so you do not throw water over the engine or lose steering. Test the brakes gently once you are through.

  24. 24. The circular sign shape is reserved for which warning?

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    Answer C: Advance warning of a highway-rail grade crossing

    A round yellow sign with a black X and the letters RR is the grade crossing advance warning sign, and the circular outline is used for no other message.

  25. 25. 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.