Hawaii HDOT MVSO Permit Practice Test 23

  • Questions30
  • Correct to pass24
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years 6 months

30 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 24 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. What must you do before changing lanes, in addition to signaling and checking your mirrors?

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    Answer D: Glance over your shoulder to check the blind spot the mirrors do not cover

    Mirrors leave an area beside and behind the vehicle that they cannot show, so a quick head check is needed before the vehicle moves sideways.

  2. 2. On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center while a broken yellow line runs on the other side. What does this mean?

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    Answer D: You may not pass, although oncoming drivers may

    Passing restrictions are read from the line closest to your own lane, so a solid yellow line on your side creates a no-passing zone for you alone.

  3. 3. Why can an oncoming vehicle that looks comfortably far away leave you far less room than you expect?

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    Answer D: You and that vehicle close the gap at the sum of both your speeds

    Two vehicles approaching at 55 mph each close the distance between them at about 110 mph, so the gap disappears in half the time you would expect.

  4. 4. At a railroad crossing with no gates and no flashing lights, the crossbuck is normally combined with which sign?

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    Answer C: A yield sign, or a stop sign where an engineering study calls for one

    At a passive crossing the crossbuck forms an assembly with a yield sign, or with a stop sign when an engineering study or engineering judgment supports it, so the driver knows who must give way to the train.

  5. 5. On loose gravel or deep fresh snow, how does an antilock system affect the stopping distance?

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    Answer D: It can lengthen it, although you keep the ability to steer

    On loose surfaces a locked wheel piles up a wedge of gravel or snow that helps it stop, so the antilock stop can be longer even though steering still works.

  6. 6. The low sun is directly ahead and glare makes it hard to see. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down, use the sun visor or sunglasses, and increase following distance

    Sun glare can hide pedestrians, brake lights and signals. Reducing speed and adding space gives you time to react to what you cannot yet see.

  7. 7. At a rural intersection a beacon flashes yellow toward the main road and red toward the side road. How is each approach treated?

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    Answer A: The main road slows and proceeds, the side road stops

    An intersection control beacon assigns flashing yellow to the road with priority and flashing red to the approach that must stop and yield.

  8. 8. You arrive at an intersection with no signs, no signals and no markings at the same time as a vehicle on the road to your right. What must you do?

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    Answer B: Yield to the vehicle on your right

    At an uncontrolled intersection you must yield to a vehicle already in the intersection or approaching from your right.

  9. 9. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?

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    Answer B: A right turn

    The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.

  10. 10. How should a pregnant driver or passenger wear a seat belt?

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    Answer A: Lap belt below the belly across the hips, shoulder belt across the chest

    A properly worn belt protects both mother and baby. The lap portion goes low under the belly, snug across the hip bones, and the shoulder belt crosses between the breasts.

  11. 11. A driver reaches this sign and the intersecting roadway is completely clear. What is required?

    A downward pointing white triangle with a wide red border
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    Answer D: Slowing to a speed that allows stopping, then going on without stopping if the way stays clear

    This control asks the driver to slow down and be ready to stop, and a full stop becomes necessary only when traffic or pedestrians would otherwise be interfered with.

  12. 12. You are entering a marked work zone. What should you expect?

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    Answer B: A reduced posted speed, narrowed or shifted lanes, and traffic that may stop suddenly

    Work zones change the geometry of the road and can bring traffic to a halt without warning, so the posted work zone speed and increased following distance both apply.

  13. 13. You must slow suddenly on a highway and a vehicle is following close behind you. What helps prevent a rear-end collision?

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    Answer D: Tapping the brake pedal early so your brake lights flash a warning

    Early brake light flashes give the driver behind more time to react, and slowing gradually instead of suddenly reduces the chance of being struck.

  14. 14. You signaled a lane change and the signal did not switch itself off afterwards. Why does that matter?

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    Answer B: Other drivers may act on a turn you do not intend to make

    A signal left on tells other drivers you are about to turn, and someone may pull out in front of you. Cancel it as soon as the maneuver is finished.

  15. 15. You are following closely behind a vehicle you intend to pass on a two-lane road. What should you do first?

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    Answer D: Drop back to give yourself room to build speed before you pull out

    From close behind you cannot see far enough ahead and you have no room to gather speed, so the pass takes longer and starts blind.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. Which of these does NOT affect how fast alcohol reaches the bloodstream?

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    Answer A: How confident the drinker feels

    Food, the strength of the drinks and the speed of drinking all change how fast alcohol is absorbed, but a drinker's confidence changes nothing at all.

  18. 18. Before making a right turn at an intersection, what should you check besides oncoming traffic?

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    Answer B: Your right blind spot and the crosswalk, for cyclists and pedestrians

    Right turns often catch a cyclist or a pedestrian coming up on the right, so check the blind spot and the crosswalk before you turn.

  19. 19. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop

    Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.

  20. 20. A dust storm is blowing across the highway ahead of you. What is the recommended response?

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    Answer B: Leave the road if you can, park well clear and take your foot off the brake

    Get well off the pavement, switch the lights off and keep your foot off the brake, so drivers still on the road do not follow your tail lights off the highway.

  21. 21. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?

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    Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance

    A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.

  22. 22. 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.

  23. 23. How does being tired change your total stopping distance?

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    Answer A: It lengthens it, because you take longer to notice and react

    Fatigue stretches perception and reaction time, and every extra fraction of a second is added distance before the brakes even begin to work.

  24. 24. A speed limit sign carries a second panel reading TRUCKS 55. What does that panel do?

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    Answer B: It sets a lower legal limit for trucks

    A truck speed limit panel is regulatory, so trucks are bound by the lower figure while other traffic keeps to the main limit.

  25. 25. 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.

  26. 26. A SHOULDER DROP OFF sign warns that

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    Answer B: there is a step down from the pavement to the shoulder

    The sign is used where the edge of the pavement stands several inches above the shoulder, which can grab a wheel and pull the vehicle sideways.

  27. 27. Another driver takes a right of way that was legally yours. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Give way to the other driver and avoid the crash, whatever the law says

    Right of way is something you give, not something you take, and being in the right is no protection in a collision.

  28. 28. You are driving on a two-lane road approaching the crest of a hill. Where should you position your vehicle?

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    Answer D: Toward the right side of your lane, in case an oncoming vehicle is over the center line

    You cannot see what is beyond a crest, and oncoming drivers sometimes drift across the center. Keeping right and slowing gives you a margin.

  29. 29. Why do young drivers carrying several friends face a higher crash risk?

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    Answer D: Because young passengers are a strong source of distraction and pressure

    Crash risk for new drivers rises with each extra young passenger, mainly through distraction and social pressure.

  30. 30. 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.