Montana MVD Permit Practice Test 38

  • 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. In a work zone the temporary lane lines conflict with the old lines still visible on the pavement. Which do you follow?

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    Answer C: The temporary markings, which show the current traffic pattern

    Temporary markings define the traffic pattern in force, and the old lines are simply the layout that no longer applies.

  2. 2. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to use?

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    Answer D: The full width of the lane

    A motorcycle is entitled to the full lane, and riders move within it to stay visible and to avoid surface hazards, so drivers should never try to share a lane with one.

  3. 3. What will the driver have to do at the point this sign refers to?

    A yellow diamond showing a small downward pointing triangle above a black arrow pointing at it
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    Answer C: Slow down and let conflicting traffic go first, stopping if that is what it takes

    Further along, the driver has to let conflicting traffic and pedestrians go first, reducing speed and stopping whenever that is necessary to avoid interfering with them.

  4. 4. The center line beside your lane is solid yellow while the opposite side has a broken yellow line. What does this mean?

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    Answer D: You may not pass, but traffic in the other direction may

    A solid yellow line on your side of the center marks a no-passing zone for your direction only, while the broken line grants the opposing direction a passing zone.

  5. 5. The route marker used for an Interstate highway is a shield with

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    Answer A: white numerals on a blue field under a red band carrying the word INTERSTATE

    The Interstate route marker is a cutout shield with a white border, the word INTERSTATE in white on red across the top and the route number in white on blue.

  6. 6. A white regulatory sign near a state line reads BUCKLE UP IT IS THE LAW. What is it doing?

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    Answer A: Reminding occupants that belt use is required

    The safety belt sign restates a law that already applies, and it is usually placed where drivers enter a state or a long rural stretch.

  7. 7. If you must abandon a vehicle stuck on the tracks with a train coming, why do you move toward the train and away at an angle?

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    Answer D: Because debris from the impact is thrown forward, away from the train

    A train pushes wreckage down the track ahead of it, so walking toward the train and off to the side keeps you out of the debris path.

  8. 8. You are already inside an intersection when you realize you should be in the lane beside you. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stay in your lane through the intersection and change lanes afterwards

    Drivers in an intersection are watching for cross traffic and turning vehicles, so an unexpected sideways move there is easily missed.

  9. 9. You drive away and the car feels sluggish while a warning light glows on the dash. What is a likely cause?

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    Answer B: The parking brake was left partly applied

    Driving with the parking brake partly on overheats the rear brakes and can ruin them, so release it fully and check that the warning light goes out.

  10. 10. Which surfaces usually offer less grip than the pavement around them when wet?

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    Answer B: Painted markings, metal plates and bridge decks

    Paint, steel and bridge decks all shed grip when wet or cold, so brake before you reach them rather than on top of them.

  11. 11. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?

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    Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road

    The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.

  12. 12. You are approaching the entry of a roundabout and a pedestrian is crossing the marked crosswalk on your approach lane. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Stop before the crosswalk and let the pedestrian cross

    Roundabout crosswalks sit a short distance back from the yield line, and drivers must yield there before they ever reach the circulating lanes.

  13. 13. Compared with dry pavement, how much room does a vehicle need to stop on packed snow?

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    Answer D: Several times as much

    Grip on packed snow is a fraction of that on dry pavement, so stopping distance grows several times over. Antilock brakes help you steer, not stop shorter.

  14. 14. After completing a turn you notice your signal is still flashing. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Switch it off at once, before other drivers act on it

    A signal left on after a turn is a false message, and drivers waiting to pull out may move into your path because of it.

  15. 15. What does Montana impose for a first conviction of failing to yield to an emergency vehicle?

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    Answer D: A fine of $500 to $1,000, community service, or both

    A first Montana conviction brings a fine of $500 to $1,000, community service of 50 to 100 hours, or both; a third conviction adds at least 30 days of imprisonment.

  16. 16. How much should you normally reduce your speed on a road covered with packed snow compared with dry conditions?

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    Answer C: By about half

    Packed snow roughly doubles the distance needed to stop, so a common guideline is to cut speed by about half. On ice, slow to a crawl.

  17. 17. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?

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    Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you

    A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.

  18. 18. May you stop in a marked bicycle lane to let a passenger out?

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    Answer B: No, stopping there forces riders into the traffic lane

    A vehicle stopped in a bike lane pushes riders out into moving traffic, which is exactly what the lane exists to prevent.

  19. 19. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing

    Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.

  20. 20. You park on level ground in a lot. Where should the front wheels be pointing?

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    Answer C: Straight ahead, so the car would not veer if it moved

    On the level the wheels go straight so that the car stays in its own space, and so that a shunt from behind does not send it across a lane.

  21. 21. How long must a Montana driver under 18 hold a learner license before applying for a first-year restricted license?

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    Answer C: Six consecutive months

    A Montana driver under 18 must hold the learner license for a minimum of six consecutive months before moving on to the first-year restricted license.

  22. 22. A bicyclist is riding around a single-lane roundabout in the middle of the lane as you wait to enter. What is your duty?

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    Answer C: Yield to the bicyclist just as you would to a car

    A bicyclist using the roundabout is traffic like any other vehicle and has the same claim to the circulating lane.

  23. 23. Snow has covered the pavement markings on a two-lane road. How should a driver judge lane position?

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    Answer B: By the tracks of other traffic and the roadside features

    With the markings hidden, ruts left by earlier traffic, signs, poles and the line of the shoulder are the best clues to where the lane runs.

  24. 24. On a rural two-lane road you pass small blue signs, each naming one business with an arrow and a distance. What are they?

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    Answer D: Tourist-oriented directional signs for traveler businesses

    Tourist-oriented directional signs carry a white legend on blue and are used on rural conventional roads to guide travelers to eligible businesses.

  25. 25. An exit ramp is separated from the highway by a triangle of pavement painted with white stripes. What may you do there?

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    Answer C: Nothing; keep off it and choose either the lane or the ramp

    The striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is not for driving, stopping or last-second changes of direction.

  26. 26. You want to move into the right lane just as an entrance ramp joins the highway at that point. What is the better choice?

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    Answer B: Wait until you are past the merge area so you do not squeeze the entering traffic

    The merge area is where ramp traffic has to find a gap, so adding a lane change of your own into the same space creates a conflict.

  27. 27. A regulatory sign reads TURN ON HEADLIGHTS NEXT 15 MILES. What does it require?

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    Answer C: Low beam headlights on for that stretch, day or night

    Such a section is signed where a road is hard to see along, and the requirement is to run headlights, not just daytime running lamps, through the whole stretch even in bright daylight.

  28. 28. You enter a corner faster than the turn can be taken. What is the most likely result?

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    Answer A: The vehicle runs wide and may cross into another lane

    Excess speed uses up the available grip, so the vehicle follows a wider arc than intended and drifts out of its lane.

  29. 29. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?

    A white square showing an arrow turning left inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods

    A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.

  30. 30. You are approaching an uncontrolled intersection on a residential street where parked cars hide the cross street. What is the correct approach?

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    Answer B: Slow enough to stop and creep out until you can see

    Without a sign or signal you still have to be able to yield, and you cannot yield to traffic you have not seen.

  31. 31. An oncoming driver flashes their headlights while you are waiting to turn left. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Judge the situation yourself, since the flash may mean something else

    A flash is not a legal signal and may mean many things, so the decision to turn stays yours and must be based on what you can see.

  32. 32. How does Montana calculate the basic fee for a driver license?

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    Answer C: $5 for each year or fraction of a year the license will run

    Montana charges the driver license fee at a rate of $5 for each year or fraction of a year of the license term.

  33. 33. A pedestrian signal changes to a flashing upraised hand. What does that indication mean?

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    Answer C: Do not start crossing, but finish a crossing already begun

    The flashing upraised hand is the pedestrian change interval: nobody may start to cross, but a pedestrian already in the crosswalk may continue to the far side or to a median.