Hawaii HDOT MVSO Permit Practice Test 28

  • 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. Rain is falling and the outside temperature reads close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is that dangerous?

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    Answer A: The rain can freeze on contact and glaze the road with ice

    Near freezing, rain landing on cold pavement can turn to a glaze of ice almost at once, so a road that looks merely wet may have no grip at all.

  2. 2. Your vehicle does not have antilock brakes and you must stop quickly on a slippery road. What is the correct technique?

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    Answer B: Apply the brakes firmly without locking the wheels, releasing slightly if they lock

    Locked wheels slide and cannot steer. Squeezing the brakes to just short of lockup, and easing off if they lock, gives the shortest stop with control.

  3. 3. 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.

  4. 4. What should you do before leaving a parked vehicle unattended?

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    Answer C: Set the parking brake, place the transmission in park or in gear, switch off the engine and take the key

    Securing the vehicle with the parking brake, the transmission and the ignition prevents it from rolling away and from being moved by someone else.

  5. 5. What must a driver be ready for beyond this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lanes merging into one around a central island
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    Answer C: Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction in the next lane over

    The separation between the two directions runs out, so from that point oncoming vehicles share the same pavement and the driver has to keep right.

  6. 6. The signal ahead turns yellow while you are approaching it. What does the yellow light mean?

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    Answer C: The red is coming; stop if you can do so safely

    A steady yellow warns that the red is next. Stop if you can do so safely; enter the intersection only when stopping would be dangerous.

  7. 7. You want to turn left across the oncoming lane into a shopping center driveway. Who must you yield to?

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    Answer B: Oncoming traffic and anyone using the sidewalk

    A left turn into a driveway crosses both the oncoming lane and the sidewalk, so you give way to traffic and to pedestrians before completing it.

  8. 8. You know in advance that you will be drinking at an event. What is the most reliable plan?

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    Answer A: Arrange a driver who will not drink, or another way home, before the event begins

    A decision made before drinking is not affected by alcohol, while judging your own fitness afterward relies on the very ability alcohol impairs first.

  9. 9. Why do bridges and overpasses deserve extra caution when temperatures are near freezing?

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    Answer A: They lose heat from above and below, so they ice over before the surrounding road

    A bridge deck is exposed to cold air on both surfaces and has no ground beneath it to hold heat, so ice can form there while the connecting road is still only wet.

  10. 10. A person with a guide dog is standing at the corner facing the street you are about to cross. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Stop well back and wait quietly for them to decide

    Blind pedestrians rely on engine sound to judge traffic, so stop back from the crossing and avoid the horn, which only confuses them.

  11. 11. A white regulatory sign shows the silhouette of a truck inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What does it mean?

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    Answer A: Trucks are not allowed to use that road

    The circle and slash over a symbol always means the movement or vehicle shown is prohibited, so trucks must keep off that roadway.

  12. 12. A friend who has been drinking insists on driving home. What is the right thing to do?

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    Answer B: Take the keys and arrange a sober ride, even if the friend objects

    An impaired driver is dangerous on any street at any speed, and coffee does not lower blood alcohol. Keeping the keys and finding another way home is the only safe choice.

  13. 13. What speed limit does Hawaii law set for the Daniel K. Inouye Highway from mile marker twelve?

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    Answer C: Sixty miles per hour

    Hawaii Revised Statutes set the speed limit for the Daniel K. Inouye Highway at sixty miles per hour beginning at mile marker twelve.

  14. 14. A farm implement ahead of you on a two-lane road is wider than its own lane. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hang back until you can see past it and pass only with a clear road

    Wide equipment hides the road ahead and may extend farther across the center line than it appears, so the pass needs more room and a much better view.

  15. 15. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb

    All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.

  16. 16. You approach a one-lane bridge and there is a yield sign facing your side of it. What does that mean?

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    Answer B: Oncoming traffic crosses the bridge first and you wait at the approach

    At a one-lane bridge the yield sign tells one direction to give way, so you wait clear of the bridge until oncoming traffic has crossed.

  17. 17. A yellow diamond shows two lanes narrowing into one. What does it require of a driver?

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    Answer D: Adjusting speed and merging before the lane disappears

    The lane ends sign gives notice that one lane will be dropped, so drivers should adjust speed and blend into the continuing lane in good time.

  18. 18. 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.

  19. 19. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long

    Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.

  20. 20. Why is passing on a curve prohibited even when the traffic seems light?

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    Answer C: You cannot see far enough around it to know the lane is clear

    A pass is only as safe as the distance you can see, and a curve hides the very lane the maneuver uses.

  21. 21. You have loaded the trunk heavily. Why might oncoming drivers flash their lights at you at night?

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    Answer D: The rear sits lower, so your headlights point higher and dazzle them

    Weight in the back tips the vehicle nose up and lifts the beam pattern, so low beams shine into the eyes of drivers coming the other way.

  22. 22. Two solid white lines separate your lane from the lane beside it. What do they mean?

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    Answer B: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited

    A solid double white line marks a boundary that road users may not cross, such as the entrance to a preferential lane.

  23. 23. Many signs use a symbol instead of words. The main advantage is that a symbol

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    Answer C: can be read from farther away and by more people

    A symbol is recognized at greater distance than a line of text and does not depend on the reader knowing English.

  24. 24. You brake hard in a vehicle with antilock brakes and feel the pedal pulsing under your foot. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Keep firm, steady pressure on the pedal and steer where you need to go

    The pulsing is the system releasing and reapplying the brakes so the wheels keep rolling, which is what lets you steer while braking. Pumping the pedal defeats it.

  25. 25. What is the minimum age for a Hawaii instruction permit?

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    Answer D: 15 years and 6 months

    Hawaii allows an applicant to obtain an instruction permit at 15 and a half years of age after passing the vision screening and rules of the road test.

  26. 26. Hawaii allows a category 3 license to be renewed online or by mail. What limit applies to that?

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    Answer C: No more than two consecutive renewals may be handled that way

    Hawaii caps remote renewals at two consecutive renewals, and also requires an in person appearance if sixteen years have passed since the last one.

  27. 27. An angry driver is following you closely and gesturing at you. What is the safe response?

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    Answer B: Drive to a police station or to a busy public place and call for help

    Never stop to confront an aggressive driver and never lead one home; go somewhere public and get the police involved.

  28. 28. You are stopped at a red light waiting to turn right where the turn is allowed. Besides traffic from the left, what must you check?

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    Answer D: Both crosswalks, and anyone approaching along your right side

    A right turn on red crosses the crosswalk in front of you and enters the one on the cross street, and cyclists often approach along your right.

  29. 29. Is dictating a message by voice a safe alternative to typing one?

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    Answer C: No, it still takes attention from driving

    Composing and checking a spoken message loads the mind and usually pulls the eyes to the screen anyway, so research finds it no safer than other phone use.

  30. 30. As speed rises, which part of the total stopping distance grows the fastest?

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    Answer B: The braking distance, which grows far faster than speed itself

    Perception and reaction distances grow in step with speed, but braking distance grows roughly with the square of speed, so it dominates at higher speeds.