Montana MVD Permit Practice Test 24

  • 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. A sign shows a lane joining from the right with no merge required. What does that mean?

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    Answer B: The joining traffic gets its own new lane, so nobody has to merge

    An added lane means the roadway gains a lane at that point, so entering vehicles have somewhere to go without anyone changing lanes.

  2. 2. What do the numbers on a pedestrian countdown display show?

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    Answer A: The seconds remaining to finish a crossing already under way

    The countdown runs during the pedestrian change interval and shows how many seconds are left before the crossing time ends.

  3. 3. When should you move into the lane you need for a turn?

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    Answer D: Well before the intersection, as soon as you know your route

    Getting into the correct lane early lets other drivers read your intentions and keeps you from making a sudden lane change at the corner.

  4. 4. What are painted curb markings mainly used for?

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    Answer D: Conveying parking and stopping regulations

    Colored curbs tell drivers where waiting or parking is restricted, and because the exact color meanings are set locally a driver should also read the posted signs.

  5. 5. Why is parking too close to a street corner prohibited?

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    Answer D: Because it hides approaching traffic and pedestrians

    A vehicle parked at a corner blocks the view that both drivers and pedestrians need before entering the intersection.

  6. 6. During which hours may a Montana teenager with a first-year restricted license normally not drive?

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    Answer B: Between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

    Montana bars restricted license holders from driving between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., with limited exceptions such as emergencies, farm work and travel to school, church or work.

  7. 7. A driver stopped on suspicion of impaired driving refuses to take a chemical test. What happens?

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    Answer D: A license penalty follows for the refusal itself

    Under implied consent, holding a license means agreeing to testing, so a refusal brings its own suspension separately from anything the court decides.

  8. 8. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?

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    Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear

    A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.

  9. 9. You are on a four-lane divided highway and a vehicle in your lane is stopped waiting to turn left across the median. What is the normal way past?

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    Answer D: Slow down and go by in the lane to the right when it is clear

    On a multilane road the free lane beside you is the lawful place to go past a vehicle waiting to turn, and the median is not part of the roadway.

  10. 10. Is it safe to check your phone while stopped at a red light?

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    Answer B: No, you may miss the signal change and hazards around you

    Attention does not return instantly when the light changes, and emergency vehicles, pedestrians or a rear-end threat can appear while you are stopped. Stay focused on the road.

  11. 11. A yellow diamond in which one line joins another at an angle warns that

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    Answer B: traffic from another roadway will merge into the driver's lane ahead

    The merge sign warns that another traffic stream will join the same lane ahead, so drivers on both roadways must adjust speed and spacing.

  12. 12. On a busy multilane highway, where is the best place to travel?

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    Answer B: In a gap in the traffic, with space open on both sides

    Travelling in a gap keeps escape routes open on both sides, while riding alongside other vehicles removes the room you would need to swerve.

  13. 13. A preferential lane sign reads HOV 2+ and lists the hours it applies. During those hours, which vehicles may use the lane?

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    Answer A: Vehicles carrying at least two people, counting the driver

    The number on an HOV sign is the minimum number of occupants, driver included, that a vehicle must carry to use the lane while the restriction is in effect.

  14. 14. How should the outside mirrors be aimed to reduce your blind spots?

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    Answer A: Outward, so each one covers the lane beside you rather than repeating the inside mirror

    Mirrors aimed too far inward show you the same road three times and leave a large gap beside the vehicle, so aiming them outward shrinks the blind spot.

  15. 15. You cannot avoid a wide puddle that covers only the right half of your lane. What should you expect?

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    Answer D: The water can tug the vehicle toward that side, so slow before it and grip the wheel

    Water dragging on the tires of one side only pulls the vehicle that way. Reduce speed before you reach it and hold the wheel firmly.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?

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    Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right

    A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.

  18. 18. A driver extends the left arm out the window and points it downward toward the road surface. What is being signaled?

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    Answer A: Slowing down or stopping

    The left arm extended downward is the standard hand signal for slowing or stopping.

  19. 19. A shared-use path crosses the road ahead at a marked crossing and people are already crossing on it. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Yield and let them finish crossing the road

    People already crossing at a marked crossing have the right of way, and a path crossing is a crossing of the roadway like any other.

  20. 20. You wait in the aisle with your signal on for a space that is about to be vacated. What is the risk?

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    Answer D: You block the aisle and drivers behind may try to squeeze past

    A stopped vehicle turns a two-way aisle into a bottleneck, and drivers who try to get around it pass close to pedestrians and reversing cars.

  21. 21. A signal beside a fire station stays dark until apparatus is about to leave, when it shows yellow and then red. What must a driver do?

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    Answer B: Stop on the red and wait until the signal goes dark again

    An emergency vehicle signal is a real traffic signal, so its red indication must be obeyed while the apparatus pulls out into the street.

  22. 22. A driver is tailgating you. Why is it a bad idea to tap or stab the brakes to warn them?

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    Answer C: Because it cuts the little space they have and can cause a crash

    Brake checking removes the small margin the tailgater has left and can provoke a collision; add space in front of you instead and let them pass.

  23. 23. Is dictating a message by voice a safe alternative to typing one?

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    Answer C: No, it still takes attention from driving

    Composing and checking a spoken message loads the mind and usually pulls the eyes to the screen anyway, so research finds it no safer than other phone use.

  24. 24. A pedestrian signal displays a steady walking person symbol. What does it mean for a pedestrian at that corner?

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    Answer B: The pedestrian may start crossing in the direction of the signal

    The steady walking person permits a pedestrian to begin the crossing, while still yielding to vehicles already lawfully in the intersection.

  25. 25. Driving at night you notice that the raised markers along the line beside you are throwing back red light. What does that tell you?

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    Answer C: You are facing traffic and must get off that roadway

    Red retroreflection is shown only toward traffic that should not be there, so a red return means the vehicle is heading the wrong way.

  26. 26. How should a pregnant driver or passenger wear a seat belt?

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    Answer A: Lap belt below the belly across the hips, shoulder belt across the chest

    A properly worn belt protects both mother and baby. The lap portion goes low under the belly, snug across the hip bones, and the shoulder belt crosses between the breasts.

  27. 27. Why should you dim the instrument panel and keep interior lights off when driving at night?

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    Answer C: Bright light inside the vehicle reduces your ability to see the dark road ahead

    Your eyes adapt to the brightest light they see. A bright cabin keeps them from adjusting to the darkness outside and creates reflections on the windshield.

  28. 28. 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.

  29. 29. During the reversing part of a three-point turn, where should you be looking?

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    Answer C: Over your shoulder through the rear window, glancing both ways

    You look through the rear window in the direction the car is moving, checking both ways for traffic and people, because mirrors and cameras leave blind areas.

  30. 30. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?

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    Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears

    A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.

  31. 31. Why is wearing headphones over both ears a problem while driving?

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    Answer D: You may not hear horns, sirens or other warning sounds

    Hearing is part of your awareness of traffic. Covering both ears blocks emergency sirens, horns and the sound of an approaching vehicle you cannot yet see.

  32. 32. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?

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    Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch

    Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.

  33. 33. You are descending a long steep grade with a loaded truck close behind you. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Hold a steady speed and let it pass when it can

    Gravity pushes a loaded truck downhill and it cannot slow quickly, so give it a predictable speed and room to get by rather than braking in front of it.