AR Permit Practice Test 22

All 20 questions in test 22

Every question below comes from the Arkansas 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. You feel tired on the morning of a planned long drive. What plan fits the Arkansas guide?

   1. Leave on time and plan to stop later
   2. Leave on time and drink coffee on the way
   3. Leave now and drive faster to finish sooner
   4. Delay leaving until you are rested
   Show answer

   Delay leaving until you are rested. The guide says you cannot drive safely when tired, and that being rested can keep you from falling asleep at the wheel and crashing. Among its suggestions are not leaving on a trip if you are tired and planning your trips so you can leave when you are rested. Coffee or hurrying to finish sooner does not remove fatigue, and waiting to stop later puts you on the road while impaired.

2. 2. You feel a tire blow out and you have slowed the vehicle under control. Where should you bring it to a stop?

   1. Off the road in a safe place
   2. Right where you slowed, in the lane
   3. In the center of the road for visibility
   4. On the road with the hazard lights on
   Show answer

   Off the road in a safe place. The guide's advice for a sudden tire blowout is to hold the wheel tightly and keep the vehicle going straight, to slow gradually by taking your foot off the gas and using the brakes lightly, and not to stop on the road if possible. Pull off the road in a safe place. A car stopped in a lane, even with its hazard lights on, can be struck by traffic that comes up from behind.

   Study this in the handbook: Vehicle Emergencies and Crashes

3. 3. You take a cold or allergy medicine before a drive and the product may cause drowsiness. Why does that matter for driving?

   1. It only matters if you also drink alcohol before driving
   2. It only matters when it is a prescription drug
   3. It can make you drowsy and weaken your driving skills
   4. It makes you more alert for a short time
   Show answer

   It can make you drowsy and weaken your driving skills. The guide says many prescription or over-the-counter drugs, such as drugs for headaches, colds, hay fever, or other allergies, or drugs to calm the nerves, can make a person drowsy and affect their driving skills. It tells you to check the label for warnings or ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects before driving. A medicine does not have to be a prescription or be mixed with alcohol to cause drowsiness.

   Study this in the handbook: Drivers Under 21 and Alcohol

4. 4. Both headlights quit without warning on a dark road. What should you try first?

   1. Try the headlight switch a few times
   2. Stop in the lane and wait for help
   3. Switch to your parking lights and drive on
   4. Turn off the engine and coast to a stop
   Show answer

   Try the headlight switch a few times. The guide lists what to do if your headlights suddenly go out. First try the headlight switch a few times. If that does not work, put on the emergency flashers, turn signals, or fog lights if you have them, and pull off the road as soon as possible. Stopping in a lane or shutting off the engine puts you in the dark with traffic behind you, and parking lights alone are not legal for driving.

   Study this in the handbook: Vehicle Emergencies and Crashes

5. 5. Your light turns green but cars still fill the intersection ahead. What should you do?

   1. Move up behind the last car and wait there
   2. Enter and stop in the middle of the intersection
   3. Wait until traffic clears before you start across
   4. Honk so the cars ahead clear out of the way faster
   Show answer

   Wait until traffic clears before you start across. The guide says that even with a green light you should not start across the intersection until traffic is clear, because you could get caught in the intersection when the light changes to red and block traffic. It also says drivers may not enter an intersection unless they can get through it without stopping, and that drivers can be ticketed for blocking an intersection. Waiting before the intersection keeps it open.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping Distance and Following

6. 6. Tires with worn tread in Arkansas can be especially dangerous under what road conditions?

   1. Dry and clean pavement at noon
   2. A newly paved parking lot
   3. Gravel roads after street sweeping
   4. Wet or icy road conditions
   Show answer

   Wet or icy road conditions. Your tires are the only contact between your vehicle and the road, so their grip matters. Tread that is worn down cannot channel water or bite into slick surfaces as well. On wet or icy pavement that lost grip means longer stops and easier skids. Checking tread and slowing down on slick roads helps make up for reduced traction. Good tires matter most when weather makes the surface hardest to hold.

   Study this in the handbook: Slippery Roads and Hydroplaning

7. 7. You drive past a long row of parked cars where people may be getting in or out. How should you position your car?

   1. Drive close to the parked cars to save room in the lane
   2. Stay as close as you can to the parked cars
   3. Drive at the same speed but honk at each car
   4. Keep extra space between your car and parked cars
   Show answer

   Keep extra space between your car and parked cars. The guide says to keep extra space between your vehicle and parked cars, because a pedestrian could step out from a parked vehicle or between vehicles, or a vehicle could be pulling out of a parking space. Extra room gives you space to steer around a person or a car that appears suddenly. Driving close, or honking while keeping your speed, leaves you with little room or time to react.

8. 8. You are driving toward a steady yellow light in Arkansas and can stop safely. What should you do?

   1. Speed up to get through before the light changes
   2. Stop, since you must stop if it is safe to do so
   3. Keep your speed and enter, because yellow means go
   4. Stop only if a vehicle is directly in front of you
   Show answer

   Stop, since you must stop if it is safe to do so. When a steady yellow light appears and stopping can be done safely, the driver must stop. Yellow warns that red is coming, so it is not permission to speed up or to treat the intersection as still green. Entering at the same speed can put the vehicle in the intersection as cross traffic starts moving. Traffic directly ahead is not the deciding factor; the safe stop at the yellow signal is. Brake smoothly, stop before the intersection, and wait for the next green.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic Lights and Arrows

9. 9. Which road surface does the Arkansas guide say can make a motorcycle more likely to fall?

   1. Dry asphalt with newly painted lane lines along the edge
   2. Smooth concrete on a straight stretch of highway
   3. Wet roads, gravel, or metal surfaces like bridge gratings
   4. A level shoulder that has been swept clear of loose material
   Show answer

   Wet roads, gravel, or metal surfaces like bridge gratings. The guide tells drivers to allow an extra cushion of space when following a motorcycle. Roads that are wet, icy, or covered with gravel, and metal surfaces such as bridges, gratings, and streetcar and railroad tracks, can increase the chance of the motorcycle falling. The rider may slow or shift position on these surfaces, so more room behind the motorcycle gives you time to react.

   Study this in the handbook: Emergency Vehicles and the Move Over Law

10. 10. You ride beside a tractor-trailer and assume its high cab gives the driver a full view of your car. What should you remember?

    1. The driver sees the whole road because of the big mirrors
    2. The driver still has serious blind spots beside the truck
    3. The driver sees you whenever your lights are on
    4. The driver sees the sides better than the front
    Show answer

    The driver still has serious blind spots beside the truck. The guide says many motorists assume truckers can see the road better because they sit higher, but while truck drivers have a better forward view and bigger mirrors, they still have serious blind spots. A car can disappear up to 20 feet in front of the cab, on either side of the truck, and up to 200 feet behind it. Do not linger in those areas.

    Study this in the handbook: Trucks, Motorcycles and Bicycles

11. 11. A flagger directs traffic through a work area where workers and equipment are close to the open lane. How should you position your vehicle?

    1. Pass as close to the workers as the lane allows
    2. Keep a safe distance from the flagger and crew
    3. Stay right behind the car ahead at any cost
    4. Drive along the cones to save space
    Show answer

    Keep a safe distance from the flagger and crew. The guide's advice on flaggers includes maintaining distance, which means keeping a safe distance between your vehicle and the flagger, workers, and equipment. It also says to slow down, stay alert, avoid distractions, and obey the flagger's signals. A close pass puts workers at risk, and a tight following distance leaves you no room to stop when the car ahead halts.

    Study this in the handbook: Work Zones

12. 12. Which steering technique should an Arkansas driver use for a sharp turn at an intersection corner?

    1. Use the hand-over-hand technique
    2. Turn the wheel with one palm
    3. Let the wheel spin freely back
    4. Cross both arms and hold still
    Show answer

    Use the hand-over-hand technique. Sharp turns at intersection corners call for hand-over-hand steering, where one hand passes over the other to keep feeding the wheel around. That method maintains control through a large steering movement. Rolling the wheel in a palm, letting it spin back early, or locking crossed arms in place can all lose the intended path. After the turn, bring the wheel back toward straight travel once the corner clears.

13. 13. Young children are riding bicycles on a neighborhood street where you are driving. Why do they need extra caution from you?

    1. They are required to ride in the middle of the road
    2. They cannot judge traffic conditions well
    3. They always ride faster than adults
    4. They are allowed to ignore stop signs
    Show answer

    They cannot judge traffic conditions well. The guide says that children riding bicycles create special problems for drivers because children are not capable of proper judgment in determining traffic conditions. Drivers should be alert to the possibility of sudden movement and sudden changes in direction when children or bicycles are present. Slowing down and leaving extra room gives you time to react, because a young rider may turn in front of you without looking or signaling.

    Study this in the handbook: Trucks, Motorcycles and Bicycles

14. 14. In Arkansas, pavement markings with an X and RR mean the same as which sign?

    1. The Advance Warning sign for a railroad crossing
    2. The NO PARKING sign at the curb
    3. The SPEED LIMIT sign on the shoulder
    4. The DO NOT ENTER sign at an exit ramp
    Show answer

    The Advance Warning sign for a railroad crossing. Painted railroad markings on the pavement carry the same message as the Advance Warning sign placed ahead of the crossing. Both give notice before you reach the tracks, giving time to slow and search for a train. Curb parking signs, speed limit signs, and do not enter signs control unrelated actions and use different placements. When paint on the road shows the rail symbol, treat it with the same seriousness as the round yellow sign beside the road.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning and Railroad Crossing Signs

15. 15. When you back up in Arkansas, how should you position yourself to see behind the vehicle?

    1. Look only in the rearview mirror
    2. Turn your body with your right arm over the seat back
    3. Lean out of the driver's window and look back along the car
    4. Watch the side mirrors while turning the wheel
    Show answer

    Turn your body with your right arm over the seat back. The guide says that when backing you should place your right arm over the back of the seat and turn your body so that you can look directly through the rear and side windows. It adds that you should not depend on your rearview or side mirrors, because you cannot see directly behind your vehicle in them. Back slowly, because the vehicle is much harder to steer while backing.

16. 16. Which habit does the Arkansas guide say could block part of your view while you drive?

    1. Adjusting the inside and side mirrors before you start driving
    2. Keeping the windshield clean and free of chips and cracks
    3. Wearing your prescribed corrective lenses every time you drive
    4. Hanging items from the mirror or putting decals on the glass
    Show answer

    Hanging items from the mirror or putting decals on the glass. The guide tells drivers not to hang items from the mirror or clutter the view through the windshield with decals, because these items could block a portion of the view. Clear sight lines matter for every check a driver makes. By contrast, the guide recommends adjusting your mirrors before you start driving, keeping the windshield clean, and wearing prescribed lenses, since all of those help you see what is around the vehicle.

17. 17. You raise your speed on a clear rural road, then traffic ahead begins slowing. How does your faster speed affect stopping?

    1. It takes more distance to slow or stop
    2. It takes the same distance with good brakes
    3. It takes less distance because the car is lighter
    4. It takes more time but not more distance
    Show answer

    It takes more distance to slow or stop. The guide says that the faster your vehicle is going, the more distance it takes to slow or stop. At 40 mph it can take about 124 feet to stop, and at 55 mph about 225 feet, even with good tires, brakes, and dry pavement. A higher speed therefore requires more room, and the way to reduce the time it takes to stop is to adjust your speed to road and traffic conditions.

    Study this in the handbook: Slippery Roads and Hydroplaning

18. 18. Which of these is a warning sign of a possible brake problem according to the Arkansas guide?

    1. The engine idling a little rough when stopped at lights
    2. A steering wheel that feels slightly stiff
    3. Little braking action when you press the pedal
    4. Headlights that dim when you brake lightly
    Show answer

    Little braking action when you press the pedal. The guide lists indicators that can alert you to a potential brake issue: a noise from underneath the vehicle when the brake pedal is pressed, a foul smell during heavy braking, and pressing the pedal with little or no braking action. If you suspect brake problems, the guide says to take the vehicle to a licensed mechanic for inspection. A rough idle, a stiff wheel, or dimming lights point to other systems.

19. 19. You must cross several sets of tracks in Arkansas after a train passes. When should you go?

    1. As soon as the rear of the train clears your lane
    2. When the driver behind you honks to move
    3. Only when the train is well down the tracks
    4. While the train is still beside your car
    Show answer

    Only when the train is well down the tracks. Several tracks need a wider margin than a single line of rails. Wait until the passing train has moved well away, so you can see other tracks and spot another train that the passing one may have hidden. A honk from behind changes nothing about rail safety. Moving while a train sits beside you blocks sight lines and traps you between dangers. Once distance opens up, look both ways again, confirm room beyond the far rails, then cross without stopping.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning and Railroad Crossing Signs

20. 20. You approach an Arkansas railroad crossing with no safety barrier. When may you cross?

    1. Roll across slowly while looking only toward the left side
    2. Cross slowly as soon as the vehicle ahead of you starts moving
    3. Sound the horn once and then hurry across the rails
    4. Cross only after checking both directions along the tracks
    Show answer

    Cross only after checking both directions along the tracks. Where no gates or lights guard a crossing, your own eyes and ears do the work that devices do elsewhere. Slow down early, look left, look right, and look again before the front tires reach the rails. A quiet road can still carry a fast train with little warning sound. Enter only when both directions are clear and the space beyond the tracks can hold your whole car. That pause costs seconds and protects against a hidden approach.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning and Railroad Crossing Signs