Texas DPS Permit Practice Test 16
- Questions30
- Correct to pass21
- Passing score70%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. 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.
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2. A school sign combined with an AHEAD plaque, or with a plaque giving a distance in feet, forms an assembly that
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Answer B: warns of a school crossing located further along the road
The school advance crossing assembly is placed before the crosswalk to give drivers notice, while a different assembly marks the crossing itself.
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3. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?
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Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations
Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.
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4. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning
A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.
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5. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signal is completely dark because of a power failure. How should you proceed?
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Answer C: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop
When a signal shows no indication at all, drivers on every approach must stop and then take turns, exactly as at an all-way stop.
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6. You are the first to arrive at a crash on a rural road. What should you do first?
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Answer C: Park well clear of the scene, put on your hazard lights and call for help
Getting trained help on the way and keeping the scene visible does more good than anything an untrained bystander can do.
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7. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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8. You and an opposing driver reach a four-way stop at the same time and both of you are turning right. What should happen?
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Answer C: Both may turn at the same time into their own lanes
Two opposing right turns take drivers into different lanes without crossing, so both can proceed together once pedestrians are clear.
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9. You are using the parking brake to slow a vehicle whose brakes have failed. How should you apply it?
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Answer D: Gradually, holding the release so you can let it off if the rear slides
The parking brake works on two wheels only, so applying it hard can lock them and spin the vehicle. Keep the release held so you can back it off instantly.
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10. May you exceed the posted speed limit in order to complete a pass?
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Answer C: No, the posted limit applies while you are passing too
The limit does not lift for passing; if you cannot complete the pass within it, there is not enough room and you should stay back.
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11. You are on a two-lane road where a broken yellow line runs on your side of the center. What does that pattern allow?
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Answer C: Passing when the way ahead is clear and it is otherwise legal
A broken yellow center line marks a stretch where passing is permitted for traffic on that side when it can be completed safely.
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12. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?
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Answer D: Familiar roads let attention slip into routine
When a route is automatic the mind wanders and hazards get missed, which is why a well known road deserves the same attention as a strange one.
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13. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?
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Answer C: At the opening before the solid line begins
The solid line marks where lane changes are no longer intended, so you move into the turn bay at its opening rather than cutting across the line later.
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14. A live power line is lying on your car and the car has caught fire, so you must get out. How should you leave it?
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Answer D: Jump clear without touching the car and ground at once, then shuffle away
Touching the vehicle and the ground together makes you the path to earth, and long strides can bridge the voltage spread through the ground.
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15. You have stopped after a crash. Why should the engines of the vehicles involved be switched off?
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Answer A: To reduce the risk of a fire starting around any fuel that has spilled
Crashes often break fuel lines, and a running engine is a source of ignition, so switching off lowers the risk of fire.
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16. What does a steady yellow traffic light tell the driver facing it?
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Answer A: The green movement is ending and a red indication is about to appear
A steady yellow warns that the related green movement is being terminated and that red will follow, so you should stop if you can do so safely.
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17. Traffic is heavy and a truck is stopped in the lane on your right. How do you keep an out?
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Answer B: Keep space open ahead of you and avoid being boxed in on both sides at once
Being hemmed in on both sides with no gap ahead removes every option, so keep at least one direction open.
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18. You are circulating in a roundabout and a vehicle is waiting to enter ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep going, because circulating traffic does not stop for entering vehicles
Stopping in the circle to be polite surprises the drivers behind you and defeats the design; entering traffic is the side that waits.
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19. How should a turn at an intersection be taken on a wet road?
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Answer C: Slow earlier than usual and steer smoothly through the corner
Wet pavement leaves less grip, so the speed must come off before the turn and the steering must be gentle enough not to break traction.
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20. You are waiting inside the intersection to turn left when your light turns red. What should you do?
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Answer A: Complete the turn as soon as the way is clear
Once you have legally entered the intersection you should clear it as soon as the oncoming traffic has stopped, rather than sit in the path of cross traffic.
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21. A law enforcement officer is directing traffic and waves you forward while the signal facing you shows red. What should you do?
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Answer A: Follow the officer's direction and proceed
Directions given by an officer controlling traffic take priority over signals, signs and pavement markings.
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22. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going and clear the intersection without speeding up
Once you are legally in the intersection the safest and correct action is to continue through and clear it, without accelerating.
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23. What is the maximum penalty for leaving the scene of a collision that causes an injury (not death) in Texas?
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Answer A: Up to 5 years in prison, or up to 1 year in jail plus a fine of up to $5,000
Section 550.021(c) allows imprisonment of up to 5 years, or up to a year in jail combined with a fine of as much as $5,000, for leaving the scene of an injury collision.
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24. 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.
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25. You are on a city street with two lanes in your direction, cars parked along the curb and driveways every few yards. Which lane is usually safer?
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Answer B: The lane farther from the curb, away from opening doors and vehicles pulling out
Most of the hazards on such a street come from the curb side, so the inside lane gives you more space and more time to react.
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26. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?
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Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane
The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.
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27. A regulatory message is normally carried on a sign whose shape is
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Answer A: a rectangle standing taller than it is wide
Regulatory signs that state a law, such as speed limits and turn restrictions, use a vertical rectangle with a black legend on a white background.
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28. You are backing out of a home driveway onto a street with a sidewalk. Who must you yield to?
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Answer D: All traffic on the street and everyone on the sidewalk
A driver entering the roadway from private property yields to everyone already using the sidewalk and the street.
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29. Which vehicle is most affected by a strong side wind?
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Answer D: A van or a car towing a tall trailer
Wind pushes against the side area of a vehicle, so tall boxy shapes and trailers are moved far more than low heavy ones.
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30. You are leaving a private driveway and entering a public street. What are you required to do?
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Answer B: Stop and yield to traffic on the street and to pedestrians on the sidewalk
A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley or private road must stop and yield to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk being crossed.