Montana MVD Permit Practice Test 16

  • Questions33
  • Correct to pass27
  • Passing score82%
  • Minimum age14 years 6 months

Minimum age: 14 years 6 months while enrolled in an approved traffic education course; 15 years once that course is completed; 16 years without traffic education

33 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 27 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. The light ahead is green but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait behind the intersection until there is room to clear it completely

    You may not enter an intersection unless you can get completely through it, because stopping inside blocks cross traffic when the signal changes.

  2. 2. A set of reversible express lanes is closed off with gates and signs while it runs the other way. What must you never do?

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    Answer C: Enter past a closed gate or a sign showing the lanes are closed

    When reversible lanes are closed they may already be carrying traffic in the opposite direction, so entering past a gate can put you head-on into that traffic.

  3. 3. Approaching the point this sign refers to, which hazard is most likely?

    A yellow diamond showing a vertical black line with a shorter line joining it from the right
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    Answer A: A vehicle pulling out from the entering road into the driver's path

    The main risk is a driver on the entering road who misjudges the gap and pulls out, so covering the brake and being ready to slow is the sensible response.

  4. 4. A yellow pennant, an isosceles triangle with its long axis horizontal, is reserved for which message?

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    Answer D: No passing zone

    The pennant shape is used only for the no passing zone sign, which marks the point where overtaking is no longer allowed.

  5. 5. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead

    A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.

  6. 6. What does Montana law require the department to include in material prepared for new drivers?

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    Answer B: Information on distractions such as fatigue, food and grooming

    Montana requires the department to include, in material prepared for new drivers, information on mental inattentiveness from stress, fatigue, emotion, passengers, controls, food and drink, electronic devices and personal grooming.

  7. 7. How do stimulant drugs such as amphetamines or cocaine typically affect driving?

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    Answer D: They can make the driver overconfident and more willing to take risks

    Stimulants create a false sense of alertness and encourage aggressive, risky driving. When they wear off, sudden fatigue can follow.

  8. 8. A center lane is bordered by a solid yellow line on the outside and a broken yellow line on the inside, with turn arrows painted inside it. What is that lane for?

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    Answer C: Left turns made by traffic traveling in either direction

    That marking pattern identifies a two-way left-turn lane, which drivers approaching from both directions may use to prepare for a left turn.

  9. 9. A grade crossing is marked only with a crossbuck and has no lights or gates. What does the crossbuck require of you?

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    Answer C: Yield to rail traffic and cross only when no train is approaching

    The crossbuck requires road users to yield the right-of-way to rail traffic, so you must look and listen and be ready to stop.

  10. 10. Along a highway the reference markers count upward as you travel. Where does the numbering normally begin?

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    Answer C: At the southern or western edge of the state

    Mileage numbering starts where the route enters the state from the south or the west, so rising numbers tell a driver which way they are heading.

  11. 11. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?

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    Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it

    A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.

  12. 12. A trailer that sways badly at speed is often loaded the wrong way. What is the usual fault?

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    Answer A: Too much of the load sits behind the trailer axle

    Weight behind the axle lightens the hitch and lets the trailer wag the vehicle. Most of the load should sit ahead of the axle to keep weight on the hitch.

  13. 13. You are approaching a yield sign on a ramp that joins a busy street. What does the sign require?

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    Answer A: Slow down, be ready to stop, and let the other traffic go first

    A yield sign means you must slow, be prepared to stop and give way to traffic on the road you are entering; a full stop is required only when traffic makes it necessary.

  14. 14. The blue signs mounted before a freeway interchange that carry the logos of individual businesses are

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    Answer C: specific service signs, which show the brands available at that exit

    Specific service signs, often called logo signs, list eligible businesses for categories such as gas, food, lodging, camping, attractions and 24-hour pharmacies at the upcoming interchange.

  15. 15. 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.

  16. 16. A vehicle ahead of you displays a reflective orange triangle on its rear. What does that emblem tell you?

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    Answer B: The vehicle is built to travel at 25 mph or less

    The orange triangle is the slow moving vehicle emblem used on farm and construction equipment designed for 25 mph or less, warning you that you are closing on it much faster than it appears.

  17. 17. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?

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    Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over

    Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.

  18. 18. Apart from other vehicles, who else must a driver let go first at this sign?

    A downward pointing white triangle with a wide red border
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    Answer A: Pedestrians and cyclists already in or entering the crossing

    The duty to give way covers every road user who has the right of way at that point, including people walking or cycling across the driver's path.

  19. 19. A train has just passed a crossing that carries more than one set of tracks. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until the warning devices stop and you can see clearly along every track

    A passing train can hide a second one coming on another track, so wait for the signals to clear and check each track before moving.

  20. 20. 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.

  21. 21. You are driving through a neighborhood where several children are riding bicycles. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down and expect sudden, unpredictable moves

    Young riders lack the judgment and the mirror habits of adults and may swerve or cross without looking, so lower speed is your only reliable margin.

  22. 22. How does Montana change the fine for a traffic violation committed in a marked work zone?

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    Answer C: It at least doubles the penalty when a worker was within 1,000 feet

    Montana at least doubles the penalty for a traffic violation in a marked work zone when a highway worker was present within 1,000 feet of the violation.

  23. 23. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time

    Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.

  24. 24. A city transit bus at a stop ahead of you switches on its left signal. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Slow and let the bus pull back into traffic

    A bus needs a long gap to rejoin traffic, and yielding to a signaling transit bus keeps the whole line of traffic moving safely.

  25. 25. How long should a young child ride in a rear-facing child seat?

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    Answer D: Until the child outgrows the height or the weight limit of the seat

    Rear facing is the safest position and should be kept until the child reaches the top height or weight allowed by the seat.

  26. 26. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?

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    Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot

    Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.

  27. 27. Which warning sign keeps its yellow background even when it is used inside a work zone?

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    Answer D: The grade crossing advance warning sign

    The round grade crossing advance warning sign keeps its black legend on yellow inside temporary traffic control zones because the railroad hazard it describes is not temporary.

  28. 28. A sign at the curb reads Tow-Away Zone. What does it mean for you?

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    Answer C: That a vehicle left there can be removed at the owner's expense

    In a tow-away zone the vehicle can be removed immediately and the owner pays the towing and storage charges to get it back.

  29. 29. 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.

  30. 30. Why is a U-turn on a one-way street a problem?

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    Answer A: You would end up facing the wrong way against all the traffic

    Every lane of a one-way street runs the same way, so turning around leaves you driving head-on against all of the traffic.

  31. 31. A sign with a yellow background and a black legend generally conveys

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    Answer B: a general warning

    Yellow is the background color used for general warning signs, so a yellow sign tells the driver to expect something ahead rather than to obey a rule.

  32. 32. You are driving slower than the general flow on a multilane highway. Which lane should you use?

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    Answer D: The right lane, keeping the left lanes free for faster traffic and passing

    Slower traffic must keep right so that faster vehicles and overtaking traffic can use the left lanes without weaving between lanes.

  33. 33. You are towing a trailer and turning right at an intersection. What must you allow for?

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    Answer D: The trailer cuts the corner, so swing wider than usual

    A trailer follows a shorter path than the towing vehicle, so its wheels track inside your line and can mount the curb unless you take the turn wide.