CA Permit Practice Test 13

All 20 questions in test 13

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. A yellow sign showing a small STOP sign ahead tells you to do what?

   
   1. Start slowing and prepare to make a full stop soon
   2. Maintain speed because it only marks a future parking rule
   3. Turn right at the next intersection without stopping
   4. Stop immediately at the warning sign itself
   Show answer

   Start slowing and prepare to make a full stop soon. A stop-ahead warning means the actual stop sign is coming soon, so start reducing speed and get ready for a complete stop at the proper line or crosswalk. Stopping immediately at the warning sign is the likely trap; the warning sign is advance notice, not the legal stop location. The cue is the miniature stop symbol on a yellow background, which gives you time to react before the red octagon appears.

2. 2. What scanning habit helps you avoid last-minute moves and road hazards?

   1. Check mirrors only after you begin braking.
   2. Watch only the vehicle directly in front of you.
   3. Keep your eyes moving and scan at least 10 seconds ahead.
   4. Focus on the center line until reaching an intersection.
   Show answer

   Keep your eyes moving and scan at least 10 seconds ahead.. California advises drivers to keep their eyes moving and scan the road at least 10 seconds ahead. Watching only the vehicle directly in front leaves too little time to notice traffic signals, pedestrians, stopped vehicles, or changing lanes. The cue is any open stretch before an intersection or hazard area: look far enough ahead to plan early, while still checking mirrors and side areas so your movements are not sudden.

3. 3. Cargo on a California passenger vehicle sticks out past the right side fenders. What is the most it may extend?

   1. 6 inches
   2. 12 inches
   3. 4 feet
   4. It may not extend at all
   Show answer

   6 inches. On a passenger vehicle, cargo may not extend beyond the fenders on the left side at all, and no more than 6 inches beyond the fenders on the right side. Twelve inches doubles the right side limit. Four feet is the rear overhang that triggers a 12 inch red or orange flag, not a side limit. The no extension rule is for the left side so it is the wrong answer for the right side.

4. 4. A car is left standing on a California freeway. After how long may it be removed?

   1. After one hour
   2. After more than four hours
   3. After 24 hours
   4. After 72 hours
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   After more than four hours. A vehicle stopped, parked, or left standing on a freeway for more than four hours may be removed. One hour is too short. The 24 and 72 hour figures are not the freeway rule in the handbook. If you must stop on a freeway, park completely off the pavement and stay in the vehicle with the doors locked until help arrives. Stopping on a freeway is allowed only in an emergency, when an officer requires it, or where a stop is specifically permitted.

5. 5. You face a steady red right arrow. When may you turn right?

   1. After a complete stop if no pedestrians are present
   2. When cross traffic has a yellow signal
   3. After yielding, unless a sign says no turn on red
   4. Only after the signal changes to green or a green arrow
   Show answer

   Only after the signal changes to green or a green arrow. A steady red arrow does not allow the same turn as a circular red signal. Stay stopped until a green light or green arrow appears for your movement. The choice about stopping and yielding sounds like the right-turn-on-red rule, but that rule applies to a red light, not a red arrow. Use the arrow shape as the cue: it controls the direction shown and keeps that turn stopped.

6. 6. Where must most children under 8 years old ride when using a child passenger restraint system?

   1. In the front seat if an adult is driving.
   2. In the front passenger seat with the air bag on.
   3. In any seat if the trip is under 10 miles.
   4. In a rear seat.
   Show answer

   In a rear seat.. California requires children under 8, or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches, to be secured in a child passenger restraint system in a rear seat unless a listed exception applies. The front-seat option is too broad; the handbook allows front-seat placement only in limited cases such as no rear seat or medical reasons. The cue is the child's age or height: under 8 or below 4 feet 9 inches points you first to a proper restraint in the back.

7. 7. Which medication-related situation can make driving illegal?

   1. Only taking medication bought without a prescription
   2. Taking medicine only after sunset
   3. Taking any drug that affects your ability to drive safely
   4. Carrying prescription medicine in the vehicle
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   Taking any drug that affects your ability to drive safely. California treats impairment from drugs seriously, whether the drug is illegal, prescribed, or bought over the counter. If it affects your ability to drive safely, driving can be illegal. The prescription-medicine choice misses the point because possession is not the issue; impairment is. A cue is the warning label or side effect, such as drowsiness, slowed reaction, or poor attention. Read labels before deciding to drive.

8. 8. What does a five-sided school sign mean?

   1. You are near a school and should drive slowly and stop for children in the crosswalk
   2. A work zone speed limit begins
   3. A railroad crossing is immediately ahead
   4. Parking is reserved for disabled drivers
   Show answer

   You are near a school and should drive slowly and stop for children in the crosswalk. A five-sided sign means you are near a school. California tells drivers to go slowly and stop for children in the crosswalk. The work-zone choice points to construction signs, while railroad crossings use yellow circular or X-shaped signs. The cue is the school-area shape, usually pentagon style. Watch for children, crosswalks, crossing guards, and school buses before deciding that the road is clear.

9. 9. When may you pass another vehicle on a broken yellow line?

   1. Only within 100 feet of a railroad crossing
   2. Whenever the vehicle ahead is below the posted limit
   3. Only when the broken line is next to your lane and passing is safe
   4. Across any yellow line if you signal first
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   Only when the broken line is next to your lane and passing is safe. A broken yellow line allows passing only when that broken line is beside your lane and the maneuver can be made safely. Signaling first does not permit crossing any yellow marking, and passing within 100 feet of a railroad crossing is prohibited. The cue is both the line pattern and the traffic view ahead. Confirm adequate space, oncoming traffic, hills, curves, and a safe return path before moving out.

10. 10. At night, what does it mean to avoid overdriving your headlights?

    1. Use only parking lights when streetlights are present
    2. Drive slowly enough to stop within the distance your headlights illuminate
    3. Keep high beams on whenever another vehicle follows you
    4. Look away from the roadway whenever headlights reflect
    Show answer

    Drive slowly enough to stop within the distance your headlights illuminate. At night, your speed must let you stop within the distance lit by your headlights, because hazards outside that light are not visible soon enough. The parking-lights choice is illegal and reduces what you can see. The cue is your stopping distance: if your headlights reveal only a short stretch, reduce speed until you could stop before reaching the end of that visible area.

11. 11. How close may you follow an emergency vehicle with its siren or flashing lights on?

    1. No closer than 100 feet
    2. No closer than 300 feet
    3. No closer than 500 feet
    4. Any distance if you are not using the same lane
    Show answer

    No closer than 300 feet. Do not follow within 300 feet of an emergency vehicle when its siren or flashing lights are operating. The 500-foot choice may sound safer, but the handbook's legal minimum for following is 300 feet. The cue is an active fire engine, ambulance, law enforcement vehicle, or other emergency vehicle ahead; drop back instead of using its path through traffic. Keeping that distance also leaves the responders room to stop, turn, or back up without a car crowding their bumper, and it keeps you out of the path of any second emergency vehicle following the first.

12. 12. A 17-year-old in California fails the knowledge test on a Monday. How long must they wait before retaking it?

    1. They may retest the same day
    2. 24 hours
    3. 30 days
    4. Seven days, not counting the day of the failure
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    Seven days, not counting the day of the failure. California makes a minor who fails the knowledge test wait seven days before trying again, and the day of the failure does not count toward that week. A same day retest and a 24 hour wait are both too short for an applicant under 18. Thirty days is not a California knowledge test waiting period at all. Keep this separate from the drive test: a minor who fails the behind the wheel test waits 14 days instead. Applicants get three attempts at the knowledge test before they must reapply.

13. 13. You drive past a California school bus that is flashing its red lights. What penalty can follow?

    1. A fine of up to $1,000 and a possible one year suspension
    2. A $35 fine with no effect on the license
    3. A warning for a first offense
    4. A fine of up to $100
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    A fine of up to $1,000 and a possible one year suspension. Failing to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights can bring a fine of up to $1,000, and the driving privilege could be suspended for one year. A $35 or $100 fine understates the penalty, and the handbook offers no warning for a first offense. Drivers must stop from either direction and stay stopped until the children are across and the red lights stop flashing. The only exception is a bus on the other side of a divided or multilane highway.

14. 14. From which California roads are neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) and low-speed vehicles restricted?

    1. Roads where the speed limit is greater than 25 mph
    2. Any road with more than two lanes
    3. All roads outside a residential area
    4. Roads where the speed limit is greater than 35 mph
    Show answer

    Roads where the speed limit is greater than 35 mph. Neighborhood electric vehicles and low-speed vehicles reach a maximum speed of only 25 mph, so the handbook restricts them from roads where the speed limit is greater than 35 mph. The 25 mph choice confuses the vehicle's top speed with the road limit that bars it. Lane count and residential zoning are not the test. When you see NEV USE ONLY or NEV ROUTE signs, expect these slow vehicles nearby, adjust your speed, and leave room, because the gap between their pace and normal traffic is what makes them a hazard.

15. 15. For a California driver age 21 or older operating a noncommercial vehicle, what is the lowest general per-se DUI BAC threshold?

    1. 0.04% or higher only when not towing
    2. 0.08% or higher
    3. 0.10% or higher after midnight
    4. Any reading only if a crash occurs
    Show answer

    0.08% or higher. For a noncommercial driver over 21, California sets the illegal BAC threshold at 0.08% or higher. The 0.04% figure belongs to commercial driver license vehicles and passenger for hire driving, so using it for every over-21 driver changes who the rule covers. A useful cue is the ordinary adult limit: eight hundredths is the number tied to drivers over 21, while lower numbers apply to probation, underage, or commercial situations.

16. 16. How can you identify vehicles that are part of a funeral procession?

    1. They drive only in the far-left lane
    2. They all flash red emergency lights
    3. They have windshield markers and headlights on
    4. They are marked by orange slow vehicle triangles
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    They have windshield markers and headlights on. California describes a funeral procession as led by a traffic officer, with participating vehicles identified by windshield markers and headlights. The red emergency lights choice confuses processions with emergency vehicles; funeral traffic has the right-of-way but is not using ambulance or fire signals. The cue is a continuous line of vehicles with lights on and visible markers, especially behind an escort, which you should not interrupt.

17. 17. A driver uses their car to run from officers who are performing their duties. How does California classify that?

    1. A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail
    2. An infraction carrying a fine only
    3. A civil penalty assessed by DMV
    4. No offence unless a collision results
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    A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail. Using a motor vehicle to flee or to try to evade law enforcement on duty is a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a year or less. It is a criminal matter, not a fine or an administrative penalty handled by DMV, and no collision is needed for the offence to be complete. The exposure grows sharply from there if the pursuit hurts someone. If you notice a patrol vehicle signalling you, acknowledge it by signalling, slow down, and stop somewhere safe rather than continuing on.

18. 18. An ambulance is approaching with siren and red lights while you are driving. What is expected of you?

    
    1. Stop immediately in your lane wherever you are
    2. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes
    3. Speed up to stay ahead of the ambulance
    4. Keep your speed and simply move one lane left
    Show answer

    Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes. Emergency vehicles running lights and a siren have the right of way, and the manoeuvre expected of you is to move to the right edge and stop there until they have gone by, which leaves the inside of the road open. Stopping dead in a travel lane blocks the very path the crew needs. Trying to outrun the vehicle keeps you in its way and raises your speed for no reason. If you are inside an intersection when you hear the siren, continue through it first, then pull right and stop clear of the junction.

19. 19. What do large broken lines usually mean on a freeway or street lane?

    1. Traffic in the lane must stop immediately
    2. The lane is only for bicycles
    3. Drivers may ignore all merge signs
    4. The lane is ending or becoming an exit lane
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    The lane is ending or becoming an exit lane. Large broken lines tell drivers that a freeway or street lane is usually ending or marked for an exit. The bicycle lane choice confuses this marking with a bike lane, which is typically marked by a solid white line and signs. The cue is seeing noticeably longer broken lane lines ahead; begin checking signs, mirrors, and gaps so you can exit or merge without a last second movement.

20. 20. A school bus is stopped on the other side of a divided or multilane highway. Must you stop?

    
    1. Yes, but only until your lane clears
    2. Yes, unless you are more than 100 feet away
    3. No, you do not need to stop
    4. No, but you must honk before passing
    Show answer

    No, you do not need to stop. California says you do not need to stop for a school bus on the other side of a divided or multilane highway with two or more lanes in each direction. The 100 foot choice invents a distance rule that is not used for this school bus exception. The cue is a median or multiple lanes each way separating you from the bus; continue carefully while watching for unexpected pedestrians.