Texas DPS Permit Practice Test 19
- Questions30
- Correct to pass21
- Passing score70%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. The hood of your vehicle flies open while you are driving and blocks your view. What should you do?
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Answer A: Look through the gap beneath the hood or out the side window, slow down and pull off the road
You usually still have a narrow view under the raised hood or through the side window. Use it to steer, slow gradually and get clear of traffic before securing the hood.
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2. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?
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Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system
As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.
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3. You have just passed a vehicle on a two-lane road. When may you return to your lane?
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Answer B: When you can see the whole vehicle in your inside mirror
Seeing the entire vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror shows there is room to pull back in without cutting it off.
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4. You are turning right from a one-way street onto a two-way street. Where should the turn end?
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Answer A: In the lane nearest the right curb of the street you are entering
A right turn starts and finishes as close to the right as practical, so you leave the one-way street from the right lane and arrive in the lane nearest the right curb.
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5. Yellow signs each showing one large black arrowhead, installed in a row along the outside of a curve, are
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Answer D: chevron alignment signs marking the change of direction of the curve
Chevron alignment signs are placed on the outside of a curve so that several are in view at once, letting the driver judge how sharply the road turns.
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6. What speed authority does a Texas county commissioners court have over a segment of county road?
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Answer D: It may determine and set a maximum reasonable and prudent speed for that segment
Transportation Code Section 251.154 lets a county commissioners court set a maximum reasonable and prudent speed for a county road segment, which may run lower than the standard state highway maximum.
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7. 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.
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8. 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.
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9. In plain words, what is oversteer?
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Answer C: The rear of the vehicle slides out and the car turns too sharply
Oversteer means the rear tires have lost grip first, so the tail swings out and the vehicle turns more than you asked it to.
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10. You have parked but your car sits across the line into the next space. What should you do?
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Answer B: Pull out and park again fully inside one space
A car over the line takes a space away from someone else and leaves too little room for the doors of the vehicles beside it.
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11. Halfway through a curve you realize you are going too fast. What is the best response?
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Answer C: Ease off the gas gently and look where you want to go
Easing off transfers a little weight to the front tires without upsetting the balance, and looking through the curve keeps your steering smooth.
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12. You are turning left from a one-way street onto a two-way street. How should the turn be made?
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Answer B: Start in the far left lane and finish just to the right of the center line
Left turns begin from the lane nearest the left edge of the street you are leaving and must finish on the right-hand side of the center line of a two-way street.
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13. Why would a restriction like this one be applied to a stretch of road?
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Answer A: Because there is not enough visible road ahead to complete a pass safely
Limits on overtaking are set where a hill, a curve or an obstruction leaves too little sight distance for a driver to pull out, pass and return before meeting oncoming traffic.
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14. On an undivided two-lane road you meet a school bus coming toward you with its red lights flashing and its stop arm out. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing
On an undivided road drivers in both directions must stop for a school bus loading or unloading, because children may cross in front of it.
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15. A yellow sign reading DEAD END is posted at the entrance to a street. What does it mean?
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Answer D: The street ends and there is no way through
A dead end street stops at its far end, so a driver who enters must come back out the same way.
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16. What is the highest posted speed limit anywhere in Texas?
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Answer D: 85 mph
Texas posts 85 mph on a segment of State Highway 130, the highest posted limit in the state.
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17. You are approaching a sharp curve. When should you reduce your speed?
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Answer D: Before you enter the curve, so you can accelerate gently through it
Braking hard inside a curve uses up the traction that is already being demanded for cornering, so the slowing must be finished before you enter.
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18. 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.
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19. What general authority does a Texas county commissioners court have over traffic on a county road?
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Answer B: The authority to regulate traffic on a county road
Section 251.151 grants a county commissioners court authority to regulate traffic on a county road.
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20. For a U.S. citizen aged 18 to 84, when does an original Texas driver license expire?
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Answer D: On the first birthday after the eighth anniversary of the application
An original license for a citizen, national, permanent resident, refugee or asylee expires on the first birthday after the eighth anniversary of the application date.
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21. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
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Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.
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22. Where does Texas law flatly prohibit backing a vehicle?
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Answer B: On the shoulder or roadway of a controlled-access highway
Texas forbids backing on a shoulder or roadway of a limited-access or controlled-access highway, and elsewhere allows backing only when it can be done safely.
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23. A truck ahead of you is spreading salt or grit on the road. What should you do?
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Answer B: Drop back so the material does not reach your car
Spreaders throw material backward and sideways, and following close means stone chips and a screen full of spray, so leave extra distance.
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24. The road is icy and visibility is poor, but you are driving at the posted speed limit. Is this acceptable?
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Answer A: No, because you may never drive faster than is safe for the conditions
Under the basic speed rule a driver must travel at a speed that is reasonable for the actual conditions, so a legal posted speed can still be an unlawful and unsafe speed.
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25. How does Texas generally classify intoxication manslaughter?
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Answer B: A felony of the second degree
Causing the death of another by accident or mistake because of intoxication while driving in a public place is generally a second degree felony.
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26. 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.
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27. The trapezoid sign shape is associated with
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Answer C: recreational and cultural interest area signing
The trapezoid is used for recreational and cultural interest area guide signs and for national forest route markers.
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28. You come back to find that your parked car has rolled out into the street. What most likely went wrong?
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Answer C: The parking brake was not set and the wheels were not turned
The parking brake, a gear or park, and turned front wheels are three separate safeguards, and a runaway means at least the first two were missing.
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29. What does Texas law require when an agency sets or changes a speed limit?
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Answer D: The same limit must apply in daytime and at night
An entity that establishes or alters a speed limit must set the same limit for daytime and nighttime, and light trucks use the passenger car limit.
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30. How long may a new Texas resident aged 16 or older drive using a valid license from the previous state or country?
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Answer B: Up to 90 days after entering Texas
A new resident at least 16 years old who has a license from the previous state or country may drive in Texas for no more than 90 days after entering the state.