CA Permit Practice Test 10

All 20 questions in test 10

Every question below comes from the California 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. What can happen to your vehicle after a DUI?

   1. The car is returned free the next day
   2. Only the driver pays a fine
   3. The car may be impounded with storage fees you must pay
   4. Impound applies only to repeat offenders
   Show answer

   The car may be impounded with storage fees you must pay. Impound punishes through the wallet daily: every day the car sits in the tow yard adds storage fees on top of the tow bill itself. This penalty can follow even a first DUI arrest, separate from fines, jail, and license action. Repeat offenders face longer holds, but no rule reserves impound for them alone. Daily storage fees keep growing until the car is released to its owner.

2. 2. What does a diamond-shaped warning sign tell you?

   1. Only public transit buses may use the lane
   2. Specific road conditions or dangers are ahead
   3. You have reached a rest area
   4. Traffic may pass a stopped school bus
   Show answer

   Specific road conditions or dangers are ahead. A diamond-shaped sign warns of specific road conditions and dangers ahead. Bus-only rules are shown by posted lane signs, and guide signs provide destination or service information instead of hazard warnings. The cue is the diamond shape on the roadside before a condition changes. Prepare for the particular hazard shown nearby, such as curves, merging traffic, divided highways, or pedestrians.

3. 3. How can poor road conditions affect motorcyclists?

   1. They can make motorcyclists suddenly change speed or direction
   2. They never affect motorcycles
   3. They only affect cars
   4. They make motorcycles stop instantly
   Show answer

   They can make motorcyclists suddenly change speed or direction. Potholes, wet leaves, gravel, and grooved pavement that cars barely notice can throw a two-wheeled vehicle offline without warning. That is why drivers should give motorcyclists a full lane and extra following room, move aside within the lane to offer passing space, and never share a lane beside them. Expect the unexpected move and leave room for it. Check mirrors and blind spots twice, since bikes hide easily behind pillars and traffic.

4. 4. A driver under 21 carries alcohol with someone 21 or older in the vehicle. What must be true of the container?

   1. The container must be empty
   2. The adult must be the vehicle's owner
   3. The container must be full, sealed, and unopened
   4. The alcohol must be locked in a safe
   Show answer

   The container must be full, sealed, and unopened. California lets an under-21 driver transport alcohol only under double protection: a companion aged 21 or older must be present, plus a container that plainly proves nobody has been drinking from it. Full, sealed, and unopened shows the alcohol has not been touched on this trip. If the seal is already broken, the alcohol must instead ride in the trunk or another place where passengers do not sit.

5. 5. What rear equipment must a bicycle have at night?

   1. A rear red reflector, solid red, or flashing red light visible from 500 feet
   2. Nothing on the rear
   3. A white light facing backward
   4. A blue strobe light
   Show answer

   A rear red reflector, solid red, or flashing red light visible from 500 feet. Rear lighting makes the cyclist visible to overtaking traffic from far enough back to pass safely. Reflectors, steady red lamps, and flashing red lamps all qualify as long as they show 500 feet behind. Pair them with the white front lamp and wheel reflectors for full legal night equipment. The white front lamp and wheel reflectors complete the legal night setup.

6. 6. Which use of your horn matches the California handbook?

   1. Honking to make a slow driver move when the light turns green
   2. Honking whenever you enter a marked crosswalk area
   3. Honking to warn others of a hazard or help avoid a collision
   4. Honking at a blind pedestrian who has the right-of-way
   Show answer

   Honking to warn others of a hazard or help avoid a collision. Use the horn as a warning device when your presence or a hazard needs immediate attention, especially to avoid a crash. The slow-driver choice is not a safety warning and can escalate tension without reducing risk. The cue is urgency: if a driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist needs an alert to prevent danger, a brief horn use fits; annoyance or greeting does not.

7. 7. Which way does traffic move inside a roundabout?

   1. In both directions at once
   2. To the left, counterclockwise only
   3. In one direction around a central island
   4. In alternating directions by lane
   Show answer

   In one direction around a central island. One-way circulation is the roundabout's core safety feature: with everyone orbiting the same way, the crossing conflicts of a normal intersection disappear. That is why entry always heads right and why stopping or reversing inside the circle is so dangerous. Trucks may straddle lanes while circling, so give them the full width of the roundabout. Never change lanes inside the circle, and exit from the lane your destination requires.

8. 8. A row of solid white triangles stretches across your lane, pointing toward you. What is it?

   1. A finish line for a race route
   2. A yield line showing where to yield or stop, with triangles pointing at you
   3. A stop line that requires a full stop always
   4. A crosswalk for school children
   Show answer

   A yield line showing where to yield or stop, with triangles pointing at you. Yield lines, sometimes called shark's teeth, appear before roundabouts, crosswalks, and merge points to show exactly where to slow and give way. The triangles aim at approaching drivers as a visual arrow of responsibility. Unlike a limit line at a stop sign, a yield line does not always demand a full stop, only that you yield the right-of-way before proceeding.

9. 9. Many railroad crossings have a blue and white sign. What is it for?

   1. It marks a crossing where trains never stop
   2. It shows the speed limit for crossing the tracks
   3. It warns that the crossing has no warning lights
   4. It tells you what to do in a track emergency or if your vehicle stalls on the tracks
   Show answer

   It tells you what to do in a track emergency or if your vehicle stalls on the tracks. The blue and white sign posted at many crossings is an emergency information sign, not a speed or warning sign. It tells drivers what to do when there is an emergency on or near the tracks, including the critical case of a vehicle stalled on the rails. Knowing to look for it before crossing can save the seconds needed to call for help.

10. 10. On a freeway in heavy traffic, what can happen if you drive much slower than normal traffic flow?

    1. You are protected from citation if hazard lights are on
    2. You gain legal priority over faster vehicles
    3. You must move to the far-left lane
    4. You may be cited for blocking reasonable traffic movement
    Show answer

    You may be cited for blocking reasonable traffic movement. Driving too slowly can be unlawful when it blocks normal and reasonable traffic flow. Heavy traffic and weather may require slower speeds, but a driver should not create a moving obstruction. The far-left-lane choice reverses the handbook guidance because slower drivers should move right when another driver wants to go faster. Watch your mirrors: if traffic stacks up behind you and conditions allow, use the right lane.

11. 11. How do fatigue and drowsiness affect a driver?

    1. They can affect your vision and increase reaction time to hazards
    2. They improve focus on long empty roads
    3. They only matter after midnight
    4. They affect hearing but not vision
    Show answer

    They can affect your vision and increase reaction time to hazards. Tiredness narrows what your eyes take in and slows every step from seeing a hazard to hitting the brake, which is why drowsy driving mimics drunk driving in crash data. No time of day is exempt: afternoon lulls and long monotonous stretches impair drivers as surely as midnight. Focus never improves with fatigue, and hearing is not the channel at stake. The handbook groups this under driver fitness for a reason: rest before long trips, take breaks every couple of hours, and hand over the wheel or stop for the night when alertness fades.

12. 12. What does a green curb permit?

    1. Stopping only for passenger loading
    2. Parking for a limited time
    3. Parking only with a disabled placard
    4. No stopping, standing, or parking
    Show answer

    Parking for a limited time. A green curb allows parking, but only for the limited time shown by a sign or curb marking. It is not the same as a white curb, which is for brief passenger loading, or a blue curb, which is reserved for disabled parking privileges. The cue is the color plus a posted or painted time limit. Before leaving the vehicle, read the nearby sign so you know how long the space may be used.

13. 13. May a California bicyclist ride on the sidewalk?

    1. Not unless the city allows it
    2. Yes, anywhere
    3. Only at night
    4. Only when the road has no bike lane
    Show answer

    Not unless the city allows it. Among the rules for bicyclists, the handbook says a bicyclist must not ride on the sidewalk unless allowed by the city. Bicyclists make left and right turns the same way drivers do, using hand signals and turn lanes, and should use a bike lane whenever possible or a through traffic lane. Drivers turning across a sidewalk or driveway should still watch for riders, especially children, who may be on the sidewalk where a city permits it.

14. 14. May you stop between a safety zone and the curb?

    1. Yes, to load passengers quickly
    2. Yes, when no streetcar is present
    3. No, never stop between a safety zone and the curb
    4. Yes, for emergency repairs only
    Show answer

    No, never stop between a safety zone and the curb. Safety zones shelter transit passengers while they board and leave streetcars, so a car wedged between the zone and the curb drives through the exact space where people are standing. The handbook lists the maneuver flatly under Illegal Parking alongside double parking. Passenger loading, quick repairs, and waiting must all happen elsewhere, and the ban does not depend on whether a streetcar happens to be present at the moment.

15. 15. A lane-ends warning sign means which action is needed?

    
    1. Stay beside another vehicle until the lane disappears
    2. Use the ending lane as a passing lane through the merge
    3. Stop at the sign and wait for a driver to wave you over
    4. Merge into the continuing lane when a safe gap is available
    Show answer

    Merge into the continuing lane when a safe gap is available. A lane-ends sign means the lane you are using will run out, so signal, check beside you, and merge into a lane that continues. Using the ending lane to pass turns the warning into a last-second squeeze and increases conflict at the taper. The visual cue is the narrowing lane line on yellow; respond early enough that your speed and position do not surprise traffic already in the through lane.

16. 16. You move to a new home. What must you tell DMV, and when?

    1. Notify DMV of the new address within ten days
    2. Wait until license renewal
    3. Tell only the post office
    4. New addresses need no notice
    Show answer

    Notify DMV of the new address within ten days. DMV mails renewals, suspensions, and legal notices to the address on file, so stale addresses mean missed deadlines with real consequences. The ten-day rule applies to every move, and updates can be filed online or by mail. Forwarding mail through the post office alone never satisfies the DMV notice duty. Courts and insurers also rely on the address DMV keeps on file.

17. 17. You fail the DMV vision test. What happens next?

    1. Buy glasses without an exam
    2. Retake the test immediately
    3. Give up driving forever
    4. Have an eye doctor complete a Report of Vision Examination (DL 62)
    Show answer

    Have an eye doctor complete a Report of Vision Examination (DL 62). Failing the DMV vision screening routes drivers to professional eye care: the DL 62 form lets an optometrist or ophthalmologist document correctable vision and any lens restriction. Passing with glasses earns a corrective-lenses restriction on the license. Uncorrectable failures can limit or end driving privileges for everyone's safety. Corrective-lens restrictions then print on the license for all future driving. Uncorrectable vision loss can limit or end driving privileges entirely.

18. 18. When may you cross a single set of double yellow lines?

    1. To pass a slow vehicle on a hill.
    2. To use the shoulder as a temporary lane.
    3. To drive in a bicycle lane for more than 200 feet.
    4. To enter or exit a driveway or private road when turning left.
    Show answer

    To enter or exit a driveway or private road when turning left.. Double solid yellow lines normally mean do not pass over them, but California allows crossing a single set to turn left into or out of a driveway or private road, or to make a U-turn where legal. The passing-on-a-hill option is wrong because the line still prohibits passing. Your cue is purpose: crossing for a left-turn movement to access a driveway is different from crossing to overtake traffic.

19. 19. What penalty faces reckless driving or a speed contest that injures someone?

    1. A warning letter only
    2. Imprisonment, a fine, or both
    3. Community service only
    4. A 30-day license restriction
    Show answer

    Imprisonment, a fine, or both. Street racing and reckless driving stop being traffic tickets the moment someone gets hurt: the law treats the injured victim as proof the driver accepted deadly risk. Jail time, criminal fines, or both follow conviction, on top of license actions and civil liability. Even without injury, speed contests draw impounds, heavy fines, and license suspension in California. A second offense or a hit-and-run after racing multiplies every penalty further.

20. 20. Your vehicle breaks down on a California freeway. How should you call for help?

    1. Wave down passing cars from the travel lane
    2. Dial 511 from your cell phone or locate a call box
    3. Walk along the freeway to find help
    4. Leave the vehicle unlocked and hitchhike
    Show answer

    Dial 511 from your cell phone or locate a call box. California's 511 system and roadside call boxes connect stranded drivers directly to assistance without anyone walking in traffic. The handbook's freeway-breakdown sequence pairs the call with staying safe: pull fully onto the right shoulder, exit and re-enter from the right side away from traffic, then wait belted inside with flashers on. Walking the freeway or flagging cars from a lane risks a pedestrian fatality.