Montana MVD Permit Practice Test 27

  • 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. You are in the right-hand lane of a multilane street and that lane becomes a right-turn-only lane ahead, but you want to go straight. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Change into a through lane before you reach the markings for the turn lane

    A lane-use arrow is a regulatory marking, so a driver who wants to continue straight has to leave that lane before it becomes a mandatory turn lane.

  2. 2. Enhanced reference location markers differ from ordinary mileposts in that they

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    Answer B: carry the route number and a mileage figure to the tenth of a mile

    An enhanced reference location marker adds the route designation and carries the mileage to a tenth, so the point named is far more precise than a plain milepost.

  3. 3. You drive onto a section where the top layer has been milled off and the surface is grooved. How will it feel?

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    Answer C: The steering may wander, so hold the wheel firmly and slow down

    Grooves cut into the pavement tug at the tires and make the steering feel restless. A firm grip and a lower speed keep the vehicle tracking straight.

  4. 4. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?

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    Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly

    Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.

  5. 5. You park a manual transmission car facing uphill at a curb. What is the correct combination?

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    Answer A: First gear, wheels turned away from the curb, parking brake set

    Facing uphill the car would roll back, so first gear resists that, the wheels turned out let a tire catch the curb, and the parking brake holds it.

  6. 6. It is cold and the road looks wet, but you notice the tires of vehicles ahead are throwing up no spray. What does this suggest?

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    Answer B: The surface has frozen and is probably icy

    Water throws spray, but ice does not. A shiny road with no spray in freezing temperatures is a strong sign of black ice, so slow down and avoid sudden inputs.

  7. 7. A driver in the left lane of a freeway realizes only when level with this sign that the ramp beside it is the one they need. What is the correct action?

    A green rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer A: Carry on to the next interchange and turn back from there

    There is no safe way back to a ramp once it has been reached from the wrong lane, so the driver keeps going to the next interchange, where the ramps are built for that movement.

  8. 8. An orange sign reading END ROAD WORK is posted beside the highway. What does it mark?

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    Answer C: The point where the work zone restrictions stop

    The sign is installed at the downstream end of the temporary traffic control zone to tell drivers that normal conditions apply again.

  9. 9. Why should your thumbs rest along the rim rather than hook inside the spokes?

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    Answer D: A jolt can spin the wheel and injure hooked thumbs

    A pothole or a dropped wheel can snap the wheel round violently, and thumbs hooked through the spokes are trapped when it happens.

  10. 10. What is the correct technique for backing a vehicle straight?

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    Answer B: Check behind the vehicle before getting in, then turn and look through the rear window while backing slowly

    Mirrors and cameras leave gaps close to the vehicle, so walk behind it first, then turn in your seat for a direct view and keep the speed low enough to stop instantly.

  11. 11. You stop at a rest area because you are sleepy. How long a nap is usually recommended?

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    Answer D: About fifteen to twenty minutes

    A short nap of fifteen to twenty minutes restores useful alertness without leaving the grogginess a longer sleep can bring, and you should wait a few minutes before driving on.

  12. 12. You are stopped in traffic at a red light when an ambulance comes up behind you with its siren on. What is the correct action?

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    Answer D: Stay put until you can move aside legally and safely

    You must not run a red light or make an unsafe move to yield; wait, then pull to the side once the way ahead lets you do it safely.

  13. 13. A bicyclist ahead of you extends the left arm out with the forearm bent upward. What does that signal mean?

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    Answer A: The bicyclist intends to turn right

    Bicyclists use the same hand signals as drivers: left arm straight out means left, left arm bent up means right, and left arm bent down means stop or slow.

  14. 14. The gates at a railroad crossing are down, and you can see that the road beyond them is clear. What is the correct action?

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    Answer A: Wait until the gates rise completely and the lights go out

    Lowered gates mean rail traffic is expected, and driving around them removes the only protection the crossing provides.

  15. 15. You are backing out of a driveway that crosses a public sidewalk. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stop before the sidewalk and check both ways

    Walkers, runners and riders use the sidewalk at speeds that can bring them into your path in a second, so the stop and the look belong before the sidewalk, not after it.

  16. 16. At night you are waiting to turn left and can see only the headlights of an approaching vehicle. Why should you allow a bigger margin?

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    Answer D: Because lights alone make speed and distance hard to judge

    With no other visual cues, two points of light give you very little information about how fast the vehicle is closing, so leave extra margin.

  17. 17. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb

    All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.

  18. 18. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?

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    Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind

    A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.

  19. 19. You want to turn right from a lane marked for through traffic and right turns, and the driver behind you wants to go straight. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Signal, stay in the lane and make the turn when it is safe

    A shared lane is the correct place to turn right from, so signal early and turn from the lane; the driver behind must wait or use another lane.

  20. 20. What must you be sure of before you pull out to pass on a two-lane road?

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    Answer A: That the road ahead is clear far enough for the whole pass

    You need enough clear road to pull out, pass and return before any oncoming vehicle arrives, and you must judge that distance before you start.

  21. 21. You enter a work zone at night where one lane is closed and a flagger is on duty. What is the safest approach?

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    Answer A: Slow early, merge before the closure and be ready to stop

    Merging early at a reduced speed keeps the queue orderly and leaves you room to stop for equipment, workers or traffic that has halted ahead.

  22. 22. 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.

  23. 23. While you are still on an entrance ramp, where should your attention be?

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    Answer D: Along the ramp ahead and back at the highway traffic in the mirrors and over your shoulder

    A merge needs both halves of the picture at once: the ramp curving ahead of you and the traffic you are about to join behind and to your left.

  24. 24. 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.

  25. 25. How should speed and following distance be adjusted beyond this sign?

    An orange diamond with black lettering
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    Answer D: Cut speed and leave a longer gap, because traffic can stop without warning

    Traffic in these areas stops and starts unexpectedly and there is little room to steer around a problem, so extra space is what prevents a rear-end collision.

  26. 26. A barricade carries a sign reading ROAD CLOSED TO THROUGH TRAFFIC. What does it permit?

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    Answer B: Local access for people whose destination is on that road

    This closure keeps out drivers who are only passing through while still allowing residents and deliveries to reach addresses within the closed section.

  27. 27. You are approaching the entry of a modern roundabout. Who must you yield to?

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    Answer C: Traffic already circulating in the roundabout, which approaches from your left

    Traffic in a United States roundabout circulates counterclockwise, so drivers entering must look left and yield to vehicles already in the circulating roadway.

  28. 28. You come upon a person riding a horse on the roadway ahead of you. What is the correct way to pass?

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    Answer A: Slow down, give plenty of room and do not use the horn

    Horses startle easily, and a frightened horse can throw its rider into your path. Pass slowly and wide, and avoid any sudden noise.

  29. 29. A yellow diamond shows the two edges of the road pinching toward each other. What does it mean?

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    Answer B: The pavement gets narrower but the lanes continue

    The road narrows sign warns that the traveled way becomes tighter, leaving less room beside passing vehicles even though no lane is dropped.

  30. 30. A driver leaves the vehicle at the curb where this sign is posted and walks away for two minutes. Is that allowed?

    A white square showing the letter P inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer B: No, leaving the vehicle unattended there is prohibited whatever the length of the absence

    Walking away leaves the vehicle parked, and the prohibition holds regardless of how long the driver is gone or whether the engine is left running.

  31. 31. You are waiting to turn left and an oncoming vehicle stopped in the near lane to turn left blocks your view of the far lane. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Wait where you are until you can see that the far lane is completely clear

    The lane you cannot see is where the crash comes from, so you hold your position until the view opens up.

  32. 32. You are waiting to turn left at a solid green light with no green arrow. Oncoming traffic is approaching. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when there is a safe gap

    A solid green light permits the left turn but does not protect it, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians before turning.

  33. 33. Your steering suddenly feels light and unresponsive as you drive through standing water. What should you do first?

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    Answer A: Ease off the accelerator and keep the steering wheel pointed straight

    Those symptoms mean the tires are riding on a film of water, and gently lifting off the accelerator lets them settle back onto the pavement. Hard braking or sudden steering while hydroplaning can start a skid.