AK Permit Practice Test 13

All 20 questions in test 13

Every question below comes from the Alaska question bank on this page. Open a question to see the correct answer and the explanation. Nothing here is hidden behind a signup.

1. 1. Around a large truck in Alaska, what does the No Zone name describe?

   1. A legally marked passing zone painted along the side of a moving trailer
   2. Blind spots at its front, back, and sides where the truck driver vision is limited
   3. A surfaced parking area reserved exclusively for trucks at highway rest stops
   4. The travel lane that trucks must vacate whenever faster cars approach them
   Show answer

   Blind spots at its front, back, and sides where the truck driver vision is limited. A truck driver sits high and far from the pavement beside and behind a long trailer, leaving wedges at the front, rear, and both sides where a car can vanish completely from mirrors. Those wedges are the No Zone, and lingering there places you where an emergency lane change by the truck will find you without warning. Passing zones, rest areas, and lane courtesies describe other things entirely. Cross the blind areas briskly when passing, and otherwise position where the driver mirror can hold your vehicle in plain sight.

   Study this in the handbook: Following distance and large trucks

2. 2. Beside a large truck in Alaska, how can you tell whether its driver can see your car?

   1. If your headlights are on, the driver always sees you
   2. If you hear the truck engine, the driver sees you
   3. If you cannot see the driver in the side mirrors, the driver cannot see you
   4. If you ride beside the cab door, you are always visible
   Show answer

   If you cannot see the driver in the side mirrors, the driver cannot see you. Mirrors are a two way test: the glass that would show the driver face to you is the same glass that would show your vehicle to that driver. Losing sight of the driver in those mirrors means your vehicle has slipped into a blind wedge where no glance will find it. Headlights, engine noise, and cab proximity give no such proof. Adjust speed until the driver face appears in the mirror again, and treat every second outside that view as borrowed time beside the trailer.

   Study this in the handbook: Following distance and large trucks

3. 3. Your three year old weighs thirty pounds and rides across Alaska to visit family this weekend. How must the child ride by law?

   1. Using only the vehicle lap belt in the center rear position
   2. In a forward facing seat only when a parent holds the harness
   3. Properly secured in a child restraint device for the trip
   4. Either in a restraint or held by an adult in the back seat
   Show answer

   Either in a restraint or held by an adult in the back seat. Three year olds at thirty pounds belong in a child restraint device, properly installed and buckled, for every ride. Vehicle belts alone fit adult bodies, parent arms cannot hold a child against crash forces many times body weight, and held riding is the danger the device eliminates. Check harness snugness at the shoulders, keep the seat in the rear, and use the same setup for short neighborhood trips as for the long family drive.

   Study this in the handbook: Safety belts and child seats

4. 4. Your six year old stands forty eight inches and weighs forty five pounds for an Alaska drive. How must the child be secured?

   1. In the front seat with the factory belt pulled snug
   2. In a rear facing infant seat rated for smaller babies
   3. In a booster seat secured by a seat belt system
   4. On a cushion from home with the lap belt routed low
   Show answer

   In a booster seat secured by a seat belt system. A child of six at forty eight inches and forty five pounds has outgrown infant seats yet still needs belt geometry corrected by a booster. Alaska law places such a child in a booster seat secured by the vehicle belt system or another approved restraint. Front seats, infant carriers, and home cushions each misfit the body they claim to protect. Set the booster in back and route the belt as the seat instructions direct on every trip.

   Study this in the handbook: Safety belts and child seats

5. 5. A few drinks convince an Alaska driver that the evening trip home is well within personal skill. What is that conviction?

   1. Proof that low doses leave experienced drivers unaffected
   2. A false sense of confidence that driving is not affected
   3. A reliable sign that food has absorbed most of the alcohol
   4. Evidence that tolerance has removed the impairment entirely
   Show answer

   A false sense of confidence that driving is not affected. Alcohol manufactures confidence while removing the judgment needed to evaluate it, so the feeling of being unaffected is one of its most dangerous products. Experienced drivers, recent meals, and built tolerance can all mask sensations without restoring tracking, reaction, or risk judgment. Treat post drinking confidence as a symptom demanding a sober alternative. Decide transportation before drinking starts, because the person least able to judge fitness after drinks is the drinker.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, implied consent and under 21 rules

6. 6. In Alaska, which activities does the handbook tell drivers to refrain from while driving to stay focused?

   1. Smoking, eating, drinking, reading, watching videos, and similar activity
   2. Only the reading of printed paper books while the vehicle is moving forward
   3. Only the watching of videos shown on a screen mounted to the dashboard
   4. Those listed activities only when surrounding traffic is moving at high speed
   Show answer

   Smoking, eating, drinking, reading, watching videos, and similar activity. Focus fails by accumulation as much as by single large distractions, and ordinary habits like eating, drinking, smoking, reading, and watching video each tax the eyes, hands, or mind that driving needs whole. The warning is not limited to books, to mounted screens, or to fast traffic, because a child, animal, or drifting vehicle can appear at any speed. Finish food and media while parked, keep both hands and the full scan for the road, and treat boredom in slow traffic as a cue to widen attention rather than fill it.

7. 7. The left lane is blocked ahead and the right shoulder looks wide and empty in Alaska. May you pass traffic on that shoulder?

   1. Passing on the right shoulder of the highway is barred
   2. Yes, when the shoulder is paved and no signs forbid it
   3. Yes, at low speed while your hazard flashers are running
   4. Only when the blocked lane results from a crash scene
   Show answer

   Passing on the right shoulder of the highway is barred. Shoulders exist for emergencies, breakdowns, and recovery space, not as overflow passing lanes. Passing on the right shoulder is barred even when it looks wide, paved, and empty, because stopped vehicles, debris, and people may occupy it without warning. Hazard lights and a crash related blockage make the maneuver more dangerous, not more lawful. Wait for a legal lane opportunity, or follow directions from officials controlling the scene.

   Study this in the handbook: Turn signals and pavement markings

8. 8. A driver trusts deer whistles and extra reflectors to keep animals off Alaska roads. What does the handbook say protects best?

   1. The whistles, provided they are mounted at bumper height
   2. The reflectors, because animals fear steady bright light
   3. A loud horn sounded at every patch of roadside brush
   4. Responsible driving of your own, rather than trust in such devices
   Show answer

   Responsible driving of your own, rather than trust in such devices. Devices promise protection they cannot deliver, and a driver who trusts them may carry full speed into animal country with lowered guard. Responsible driving, meaning slower speeds at dawn and dusk, constant edge scanning, and readiness to brake in lane, is the protection the handbook credits. Whistles, reflectors, and indiscriminate horn use substitute gadgets for that attention. Keep the habits that work whether or not any device is mounted, and treat every dark roadside as occupied.

   Study this in the handbook: Night driving, lighting, weather and animals

9. 9. On an Alaska highway, why should you avoid following the same vehicle for a long distance?

   1. Long following breeds complacency and you stop treating that vehicle as a danger
   2. The lead vehicle will brake to test your attention
   3. Following one vehicle wears your front tires faster
   4. Other drivers will assume you are together and cut between you
   Show answer

   Long following breeds complacency and you stop treating that vehicle as a danger. Attention decays against an unchanging picture, and a vehicle watched without incident for many miles fades from threat to scenery in the driver mind. That complacency delays the response on the one occasion the lead vehicle truly brakes. The hazard lies in your fading alertness, not in testing brakes, tire wear patterns, or assumptions by passing drivers. Vary the picture lawfully: change lanes when a proper gap allows, adjust following distance with conditions, and consciously recheck what the lead vehicle is doing every few seconds.

10. 10. In Alaska, you make a turn under a flashing yellow arrow. What must you do during that turn?

    1. Proceed through the turn as if the flashing arrow fully protects you from every conflict
    2. Use caution and yield to oncoming traffic, pedestrians, and vehicles in the intersection
    3. Yield only to pedestrians in the crosswalk and ignore all oncoming through traffic
    4. Stop inside the intersection and wait there until every oncoming vehicle has passed
    Show answer

    Use caution and yield to oncoming traffic, pedestrians, and vehicles in the intersection. A flashing yellow arrow permits the turn only with caution and yielding. Oncoming traffic keeps its path, pedestrians keep their protection, and vehicles already in the intersection must clear. Treating the arrow as full protection invites the classic left turn collision. Stopping inside the intersection to wait can also block cross traffic, so the yielding belongs before you enter the conflict area whenever possible. Wait for a gap that lets you finish cleanly, then turn without rushing.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and lane control signals

11. 11. Your lane is about to disappear on an Alaska road and the warning sign shows the roadway narrowing. What must you be ready to do?

    
    1. Stop in the narrowing lane and wait for a flagger to wave you through
    2. Speed up so you clear the narrow part before anyone beside you
    3. Move onto the shoulder and continue there until the road widens again
    4. Make a safe move into the remaining lane before yours ends
    Show answer

    Make a safe move into the remaining lane before yours ends. A lane ending removes the space your vehicle occupies, so the move into the remaining lane has to happen early and smoothly. Waiting for direction that may never come leaves you trapped at the taper, racing a neighbor turns a merge into a contest, and the shoulder offers loose gravel and hidden obstacles. Check mirrors, signal, and take the first generous gap. Finishing the move before the lane vanishes keeps braking gentle for everyone behind you.

    Study this in the handbook: Road signs by color and shape

12. 12. In Alaska, before turning, parking, opening a door, or leaving a curb, what must a driver check for bicyclists?

    1. Check blind spots and turn the head to look, not mirrors alone
    2. Check only the inside mirror for riders behind
    3. Check blind spots only when a bike lane is marked
    4. Open the door slowly without checking behind
    Show answer

    Check blind spots and turn the head to look, not mirrors alone. Bicyclists ride where mirrors often fail to show them, beside rear panels and just outside the reflected view. Turning your head into the blind spot before a turn, a parking move, a door opening, or a curb departure reveals a rider that glass alone missed. A marked bike lane is not the trigger for looking, and easing a door open without looking still places steel in a rider path. Make the head turn a fixed step, then move only after the side space is truly empty.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists

13. 13. In Alaska, your vehicle becomes disabled on a highway. What placement must you achieve if possible?

    1. Leave it centered in the nearest travel lane
    2. Stop it half on the shoulder and half in the lane
    3. Move it so all wheels are off the traveled portion of the road
    4. Roll it to the center median facing traffic
    Show answer

    Move it so all wheels are off the traveled portion of the road. A disabled vehicle in a travel lane becomes a stationary crash waiting for its second participant, so clearing every wheel from the traveled portion is the first mechanical goal whenever the vehicle can still roll or steer. Half shoulder placement keeps steel in the path, centered abandonment maximizes exposure, and facing traffic compounds the danger. Coast or steer fully clear, set warnings and hood signals, and remove the vehicle without delay so the lane returns to the traffic it was built to carry.

    Study this in the handbook: Turn signals and pavement markings

14. 14. You wonder how little floodwater it takes to endanger an ordinary passenger car in Alaska. How much reaches the bottom of most cars?

    1. Two inches, which only wets the tires without other effect
    2. Twelve inches before any risk to control or the engine begins
    3. Water cannot stall a car until it reaches the door windows
    4. Six inches of water reaching the bottom of most passenger cars
    Show answer

    Six inches of water reaching the bottom of most passenger cars. Half a foot of moving water reaches the underside of most passenger cars, where it can stall the engine, short electrics, and begin lifting weight off the tires. Control fades earlier than drivers expect because water hides depth and pushes sideways with real force. Waiting for a foot of water or window depth ignores how quickly a crossing becomes a trap. Treat any flooded stretch as deeper than it looks and turn around rather than testing it.

    Study this in the handbook: Vehicle emergencies, skids and stalls on the tracks

15. 15. After the first drink at an Alaska gathering, a driver notices feeling bolder about passing and speed. Which ability is failing first?

    1. Judgment, before other driving abilities show the loss
    2. eyesight, because alcohol blurs distance vision first of all
    3. Hearing, because engine and traffic sounds fade before judgment
    4. Muscle strength, because arms tire on the wheel before thinking slows
    Show answer

    Judgment, before other driving abilities show the loss. Judgment and inhibitions are the earliest casualties of alcohol, which is why the first drink can make a driver bolder about speed, gaps, and passing before any obvious physical sign appears. Vision, hearing, and strength deteriorate later along the curve. Feeling more capable after drinking is therefore the warning itself, not evidence of safety. Stop at the earliest boldness, hand over the keys, and never use confidence as a measure of fitness to drive.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, implied consent and under 21 rules

16. 16. Alaska law sets a floor under following distance even though the manual urges a longer gap for ordinary driving. What is that legal minimum?

    1. One second behind the vehicle ahead at any speed
    2. At least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead
    3. Five seconds, which the law requires on every roadway
    4. Whatever distance the driver ahead requests by flashing brakes
    Show answer

    At least two seconds behind the vehicle ahead. Law and advice work at different levels: the statute forbids following closer than a two second interval, while the manual recommends a longer gap for ordinary driving because the legal floor leaves little margin. One second disappears before your foot reaches the brake, and five seconds, though wise in bad weather, exceeds the stated minimum. Treat two seconds as the closest lawful following, then add time whenever speed, load, or surface argues for more.

    Study this in the handbook: Following distance and large trucks

17. 17. In Alaska, your vehicle has a manual transmission and you approach a railroad crossing. How should you handle the gears?

    1. Shift into neutral and coast across the tracks
    2. Shift gears midway across the tracks to build up speed as quickly as possible
    3. Stop on the tracks and shift into first gear there
    4. Shift down before the crossing and do not change gears while crossing
    Show answer

    Shift down before the crossing and do not change gears while crossing. A stall on the tracks leaves no escape from a train, and gear changes are the moment a manual vehicle is likeliest to stall. The crossing routine therefore puts the shift before the rails: select the lower gear on the approach, then cross in that gear without another change until the far side is reached. Coasting in neutral, shifting midway, or stopping to find first gear each spend your crossing time on the danger spot itself. Choose the gear early and let steady momentum carry you fully across.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses, passing and railroad crossings

18. 18. You slow for an Alaska work zone where a flag person controls your lane with equipment in hand. What may that person use?

    1. A whistle only, because flags are reserved for railroad work
    2. A red flag or a stop and slow paddle to direct traffic
    3. A blue service sign turned toward drivers who must stop
    4. A handheld radio that replaces every visual signal given
    Show answer

    A red flag or a stop and slow paddle to direct traffic. Drivers approaching at speed need an instruction they can read from distance, so flag persons direct traffic with a red flag or a stop and slow paddle. Whistles, service signs, and radios cannot carry that visual order into a line of vehicles. Watch for the paddle early, obey its face exactly, and proceed only when directed, at the pace the flag person sets through the open lane.

19. 19. In Alaska, a roundabout has two lanes going your direction. What must you settle before entering?

    1. Choose your lane after you are inside the circle
    2. Weave between lanes inside until your exit appears
    3. Know where you want to go and be in the proper lane before entering
    4. Stop in the circle to read exit signs closely
    Show answer

    Know where you want to go and be in the proper lane before entering. With more than one lane traveling your way, the exit you want decides the lane you need, and that decision belongs before the entry point. Picking a lane after you are inside invites weaving across vehicles that entered with a plan. Stopping to study signs traps following traffic behind you inside the circle. Read approach signs early, picture your exit, signal as required, and enter in the lane that serves that exit so the trip through stays smooth.

    Study this in the handbook: Intersections, right of way and roundabouts

20. 20. The lane signals above a reversible lane are completely dark as you approach in Alaska. How must you treat that lane?

    1. Enter it slowly because dark signals mean the lane is unused
    2. Use it only until an opposing driver flashes headlights at you
    3. Do not enter that lane while its signals remain dark
    4. Treat the darkness as a green arrow for the first driver there
    Show answer

    Do not enter that lane while its signals remain dark. Lane signals assign direction, and darkness assigns nothing at all. A lane whose signals are dark might be closed, broken, or about to serve opposing traffic, so entering on hope risks a head on crash at combined speed. Slow guesses and first driver claims offer no protection. Remain in lanes with a clear green arrow for your direction, and treat every dark overhead lane as closed until a working signal says otherwise.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and lane control signals