Montana MVD Permit Practice Test 28

  • 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. At which conviction does a Montana court order a driver to surrender the driver license for lack of insurance?

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    Answer D: The fourth or a later one

    Montana reaches the driver license only on a fourth or subsequent conviction, when the court orders it surrendered if the vehicle was registered to the driver or an immediate family member.

  2. 2. Where must an open alcoholic beverage container be kept in a Montana vehicle that has a trunk?

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    Answer A: In the trunk or a locked glove or storage compartment

    Montana prohibits open containers in the passenger area and requires them to be kept in a locked glove or storage compartment, a trunk or cargo area, or behind the last upright seat.

  3. 3. What do two solid yellow lines down the middle of a two-way road mean?

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    Answer D: Passing is prohibited for traffic in both directions

    A double solid yellow line marks a two-direction no-passing zone, so neither direction may cross it to overtake another vehicle.

  4. 4. Why is a shoulder check especially important on a road with motorcycles and bicycles?

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    Answer D: A narrow vehicle can disappear completely in the blind spot

    A motorcycle or a bicycle is small enough to be hidden entirely by a door pillar or by the blind spot the mirrors do not cover.

  5. 5. An orange background with a black legend on a sign indicates

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    Answer B: a temporary traffic control or work zone situation

    Orange is reserved for temporary traffic control signing, so an orange sign means conditions have been altered for work or another temporary operation.

  6. 6. In a vehicle with automatic transmission, which foot should operate the brake and accelerator?

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    Answer D: The right foot for both pedals

    Using only the right foot prevents pressing both pedals at once and keeps the response the same in every vehicle you drive. The left foot rests on the floor or the footrest.

  7. 7. A driver stopped at a red signal wants to turn right and this sign is posted at the corner. What is permitted?

    A white square showing an arrow turning right inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer A: Nothing: the turn is barred whether the signal is red or green

    The restriction works independently of the signal, so the usual permission to turn right after stopping at a red light does not exist where this sign is posted.

  8. 8. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?

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    Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed

    A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.

  9. 9. A large truck is passing you on a two-lane road. What is the safest thing to do?

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    Answer C: Keep right in your lane and ease off the gas a little

    Staying in your own lane and easing off shortens the pass without forcing you onto a soft shoulder or into the truck's path.

  10. 10. A sign at the signal reads LEFT TURN ON GREEN ARROW ONLY. The ball turns green but no arrow appears. What may you do?

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    Answer C: Wait, because your turn is allowed only while the arrow is showing

    The sign removes the permissive turn, so the left is legal only during the green arrow and you must wait behind the line until it appears.

  11. 11. When should you enter a destination into a navigation device?

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    Answer B: Before you start driving, or after parking in a safe place

    Programming a route is a visual, manual and mental task at the same time, so it belongs to the moments before the vehicle moves rather than to any point in traffic.

  12. 12. The red brake warning light stays on after you release the parking brake. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Stop safely and have the brakes checked before driving on

    With the parking brake released, that light points to low fluid or a fault in one half of the braking system, which can leave you with very little braking.

  13. 13. The engine dies at speed and the dashboard lights go out on a dark road. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Hold the wheel firmly, steer over to the shoulder and use the hazard lights

    Never switch the ignition to lock, because the steering can lock; steer to the shoulder and warn traffic with the hazard lights.

  14. 14. Your right wheels have dropped onto a soft shoulder. Why should you not steer straight back onto the pavement?

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    Answer A: The tires can catch the pavement edge and throw you across the road

    A tire pressed against the edge of the pavement climbs it suddenly, and at speed that jolt can send the vehicle across the center line.

  15. 15. Besides its height, what else matters about a head restraint?

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    Answer C: That it is close to the back of the head, and not far behind it

    A restraint that sits far behind the head lets the head snap back before it is caught, so a small gap is important.

  16. 16. What is the correct order of a pass on a two-lane road?

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    Answer A: Check ahead and behind, signal left, move out, accelerate past, signal right and return

    A pass begins with the decision that the road is clear and ends with a signaled return, and each step warns other drivers before the vehicle moves.

  17. 17. You have begun to move into the next lane when the gap you were aiming for closes. What is the safest action?

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    Answer C: Return to your own lane, cancel the signal and wait for a better gap

    An unfinished lane change leaves you in a space that no longer exists, and the lane you came from is still yours.

  18. 18. As a center two-way left-turn lane reaches an intersection, the markings change into a single left-turn lane. What does that mean for you?

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    Answer D: From that point it serves one direction only, so use it just to turn left

    Where the shared lane becomes a marked turn bay it belongs to one direction of travel, and only vehicles making that left turn may occupy it.

  19. 19. On a rural road, the driver of a slow farm tractor ahead of you signals a left turn even though there is no road or driveway in sight. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Stay behind the tractor, because it may be turning into a field entrance

    Farm equipment often turns into fields through gaps you cannot see, and it may swing wide to do so. Passing a vehicle that is signaling a left turn is a common cause of crashes.

  20. 20. Within how many days must a Montana driver file a written accident report when one is required?

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    Answer D: 10 days

    Montana requires the written report within 10 days of the accident, unless a law enforcement officer investigated it and files the report instead.

  21. 21. What is true about driving away from a crash you were involved in?

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    Answer B: It is a serious offense, even if the other driver has driven away too

    Leaving the scene is a criminal offense in every state, and the behavior of the other driver does not excuse it.

  22. 22. Between which dates does Montana allow studded tires on an ordinary passenger vehicle?

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    Answer C: October 1 and May 31

    Montana permits studded tires only between October 1 and May 31, while school buses may use them from August 15 through the following June 15.

  23. 23. Why should you avoid swinging wide to the left before making a right turn in a car?

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    Answer A: Another driver may think you are turning left and try to pass on your right

    Swinging left first misleads other road users about your intention and invites someone to move up on your right, exactly where you are about to go.

  24. 24. How does alcohol typically affect a driver's vision?

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    Answer D: It blurs vision, weakens night vision and narrows attention to the sides

    Alcohol slows the eye muscles and the brain's processing of what is seen, degrading focus, night vision, depth perception and awareness of movement at the edges of the field of view.

  25. 25. When may a driver of a motor vehicle use a marked bicycle lane?

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    Answer C: Only to cross it when turning or entering the road where the markings allow

    A bike lane is a lane for cyclists. Motor vehicles may only cross it to enter or leave the road or to make a turn where the markings permit.

  26. 26. The sun is low behind you and shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Turn on your headlights and expect oncoming drivers not to see you

    Drivers facing the low sun may not see you at all, so make yourself as visible as possible and give way rather than insisting on your right of way.

  27. 27. You are turning left at an intersection just beyond the crest of a hill. What is the added risk?

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    Answer B: Oncoming vehicles appear with very little warning and close quickly

    A crest hides approaching traffic until it is close, so the gap you thought was empty can fill in the time the turn takes.

  28. 28. A sign at the start of an exit ramp shows a speed much lower than the highway limit. What does it apply to?

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    Answer C: The curve of the ramp itself, once you have left the highway

    The ramp speed is set by the sharpness of the ramp curve, so you slow to it inside the deceleration lane rather than out on the highway.

  29. 29. Which part of the space around your vehicle can you control best?

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    Answer A: The space ahead of you

    You choose your own following distance, so the gap in front is the space you truly control and the one that gives you time to react.

  30. 30. Besides a chemical test, what else supports an impaired driving charge?

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    Answer B: The officer's observations of the driving and the driver

    Weaving, slow responses, speech and balance observed by the officer are evidence in their own right, which is why a driver can be charged on behavior alone.

  31. 31. In a work zone a flagger is directing traffic in a way that conflicts with the posted signs. Whom do you follow?

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    Answer B: The flagger's directions

    A flagger controls traffic through a work area that changes from day to day, and those instructions take precedence over the fixed signs and markings in that zone.

  32. 32. You reach a T intersection where the cross street has a ONE WAY sign pointing to the right. What may you do?

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    Answer B: Turn right only, because the street carries traffic in that direction

    The arrow shows the only direction traffic may travel, so the only legal movement from the terminating road is a right turn.

  33. 33. When may a Montana driver apply to renew a driver license?

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    Answer B: Within 6 months before the expiration date or up to 1 year after it

    Montana accepts a renewal application filed within 6 months before expiration or within 1 year after it.