Texas DPS Permit Practice Test 9
Test 9 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 21 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Texas test.
- Questions30
- Correct to pass21
- Passing score70%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. During which hours may a Texas driver under 18 not operate a motor vehicle?
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Answer C: Between midnight and 5 a.m.
Texas law bars drivers under 18 from the road after midnight and before 5 a.m., unless the trip is for employment, a school related activity or a medical emergency.
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2. Does Texas law require a school bus to stop before crossing railroad tracks?
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Answer C: Yes, school buses must stop before crossing the tracks
Section 545.2535 requires a school bus to stop before crossing railroad tracks.
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3. Can a Texas county commissioners court's traffic authority reach roads belonging to a special district?
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Answer C: Yes, through a legal arrangement that extends that authority to the district's roads
Section 251.151 allows a commissioners court's traffic regulation to extend to special district roads through an interlocal contract.
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4. How does Texas reclassify the offense of illegally passing a school bus if the violation causes serious bodily injury?
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Answer A: A Class A misdemeanor
Section 545.066 elevates the offense's classification when passing a stopped school bus causes serious bodily injury, with a further increase on a repeat conviction involving injury.
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5. You are on a one-way street with two marked lanes. May you pass a slower vehicle on the right?
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Answer A: Yes, using the right lane, provided that the move is safe and signaled
On a roadway with two or more marked lanes in your direction, moving into the free lane and going by is a normal lane change rather than an unlawful pass.
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6. What does it mean to cover the brake, and when should you do it?
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Answer B: Hold your foot over the brake pedal without pressing it when a hazard seems likely
Covering the brake cuts reaction time when you expect trouble, such as near children, parked cars or a vehicle that may pull out. Riding the brake wears it out and confuses drivers behind you.
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7. What is the fine range for a repeat conviction of driving a Texas vehicle without the required insurance?
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Answer D: $350 to $1,000
Section 601.191(c) raises the fine range for a repeat no-insurance conviction well above the first-offense range.
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8. May you park at the curb immediately next to a railroad crossing?
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Answer A: No, you must leave the crossing and its approach clear
Parking beside a crossing hides the tracks and the signals from approaching drivers and leaves no room for a vehicle that has to clear the rails.
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9. From what distance must a Texas vehicle's horn be audible under normal conditions?
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Answer D: At least 200 feet
Section 547.501(a) requires a horn in good working condition that is audible under normal conditions from at least 200 feet away.
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10. During the reversing part of a three-point turn, where should you be looking?
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Answer C: Over your shoulder through the rear window, glancing both ways
You look through the rear window in the direction the car is moving, checking both ways for traffic and people, because mirrors and cameras leave blind areas.
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11. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead
A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.
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12. What is the correct relationship between air bags and seat belts?
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Answer B: Air bags are designed to work together with seat belts, not instead of them
An air bag is a supplemental restraint that cushions one impact, while the belt keeps you in position so the bag can work and protects you in rollovers and secondary impacts.
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13. At what blood alcohol concentration is a Texas driver legally intoxicated?
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Answer C: 0.08 percent
Texas sets legal intoxication at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, although a driver impaired at a lower level can still be charged.
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14. Your vehicle has antilock brakes. What should you never do in an emergency stop?
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Answer A: Pump the pedal up and down
The system already releases and reapplies the brakes many times a second. Pumping the pedal interrupts it and makes the stop longer.
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15. You are turning right onto a one-way street. Which lane of that street should you enter?
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Answer C: The lane closest to the right curb
Even though every lane on a one-way street runs your way, a right turn must end in the lane nearest the right curb; you may change lanes afterwards when it is safe.
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16. After a Texas driver receives notice of an administrative license suspension following a failed or refused alcohol test, how many days does the driver have to request a hearing to contest it?
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Answer B: 15 days from the date the notice of suspension is received
Transportation Code Section 524.031 gives a driver 15 days from receiving the notice of suspension to request an administrative hearing.
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17. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?
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Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back
Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.
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18. Does a Texas county commissioners court have authority to close or abandon a public road?
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Answer A: Yes, it may order that public roads be laid out, opened, discontinued, closed, abandoned, or altered
Section 251.051 grants the commissioners court authority to order public roads laid out, opened, discontinued, closed, abandoned, vacated, or altered.
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19. Once the Texas Department of Public Safety receives notice that a certified liability policy is being terminated, how soon can that termination take effect?
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Answer D: Not before a set number of days after the department receives the notice
Transportation Code Section 601.085 bars a certified policy from being terminated before the sixth day after the department receives notice of the termination.
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20. A small plaque mounted under this sign shows a numeral such as 2 or 3. What does that numeral report?
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Answer A: How many sets of tracks the crossing carries
The plaque states the number of tracks at that location, which is a warning that a second train may be running on another track behind the first.
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21. You are waiting to turn left across two oncoming lanes when a driver in the near lane stops and waves you through. What should you do?
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Answer D: Turn only after checking the far lane yourself
The waving driver cannot give away the right of way of the traffic in the second lane, which may not be stopping at all.
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22. 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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23. Why is a wet road at night harder to read than the same road in daylight?
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Answer A: The wet surface reflects light away and swallows the lane markings
A film of water sends your headlight beam onward instead of back to you, so lines, edges and people in dark clothing almost disappear.
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24. The trailer you are towing begins to sway from side to side at highway speed. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel steady and let the speed drop
Sway grows with speed and with sudden inputs. Reducing speed gently while keeping the steering steady lets the trailer settle behind you.
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25. On an unlit road, about how far ahead do high beams normally let you see?
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Answer D: About 350 to 500 feet ahead of the vehicle
High beams light roughly 350 to 500 feet of road and low beams far less, which is why night speeds have to be chosen around the beam, not the limit.
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26. As a general rule, how far should you travel along a center two-way left-turn lane before you turn?
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Answer C: Only a short distance, just enough to slow down and wait for a gap
The center lane is for making or preparing a left turn, so you enter it only shortly before the turn and never travel along it as a through lane; several states set a specific limit such as 200 or 300 feet.
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27. 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.
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28. Which of these is part of preparing a vehicle for winter driving?
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Answer A: Fitting good tires and using washer fluid that will not freeze
Winter readiness means tread, battery, wipers, antifreeze and washer fluid rated for the cold, plus a reasonable amount of fuel in the tank.
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29. You have a small extinguisher and a fire has started under the hood. What is the safe way to use it?
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Answer B: Release the latch and spray through the gap without raising the hood at all
Opening the hood feeds the fire a rush of air, so spraying through the gap at the base of the flames is both safer and more effective.
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30. Does Texas law allow a vehicle to be operated on metal tires?
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Answer C: No, except for one narrow carve-out written into the statute
Section 547.612(b) prohibits metal tires on the roadway except for farm wagons or trailers weighing under 5,000 pounds.