CA Permit Practice Test 14

All 20 questions in test 14

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. You approach a stopped tow truck with flashing amber warning lights. What should you do?

   1. Move over and slow down when safe
   2. Stop behind it until the lights are off
   3. Keep your speed because amber lights are advisory only
   4. Pass on the shoulder to give more room
   Show answer

   Move over and slow down when safe. California drivers must move over and slow down for certain stopped emergency, tow, and road work vehicles displaying flashing lights. Stopping behind the tow truck is not the normal rule unless traffic conditions require it; the handbook calls for moving over and slowing down. A cue is a stationary roadside vehicle with flashing amber or emergency lights. Check adjacent lanes early, change lanes if safe, and reduce speed as you pass.

2. 2. How far ahead should you scan the road to give yourself time to react?

   1. One full mile ahead at all speeds
   2. Only as far as the car directly ahead
   3. About 2 seconds ahead in city traffic
   4. At least 10 seconds ahead of your vehicle
   Show answer

   At least 10 seconds ahead of your vehicle. California recommends keeping your eyes moving and scanning at least 10 seconds ahead. Looking only at the vehicle immediately in front can hide stopped traffic, lane changes, and hazards developing farther up the road. The cue is a moving visual search, not a fixed stare. Check the road ahead, sides, mirrors, and potential escape spaces early enough that your response can be smooth instead of sudden.

3. 3. Which convictions make California DMV revoke a driving privilege outright, regardless of point totals?

   1. Two parking tickets in one year
   2. Any speeding ticket over 10 mph
   3. Failing to signal a lane change
   4. Hit and run, or reckless driving that resulted in injury
   Show answer

   Hit and run, or reckless driving that resulted in injury. DMV revokes the driving privilege when a driver is convicted of a hit and run, or of reckless driving that caused an injury. These are singled out because of their severity, not because of a point count. Parking tickets, a single speeding ticket, and a missed signal are not on that list; ordinary moving violations add to a point record that DMV reviews against totals such as 4 points in 12 months, 6 in 24, or 8 in 36. After any suspension or revocation ends, proof of financial responsibility such as an SR 22 is required.

4. 4. At a red YIELD sign, who must you let pass before proceeding?

   1. Only cars with passengers
   2. Only emergency vehicles
   3. Any vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian
   4. Only vehicles on your left
   Show answer

   Any vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian. A yield sign makes you the one who waits for the whole road: cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and people on foot all proceed before you. Slow on approach, be ready to stop, and merge or cross only when the way is fully clear. Unlike a stop sign, it does not always force a full halt, but it never lets you claim priority over anyone already in the intersection.

5. 5. A 35-year-old California driver is on probation for a prior DUI. At what BAC is it illegal for this driver to drive?

   1. 0.08% or higher, like any adult
   2. 0.01% or higher
   3. 0.10% or higher
   4. 0.04% or higher
   Show answer

   0.01% or higher. A driver on DUI probation is held to a 0.01% BAC limit at any age, so a 35-year-old on probation cannot use the ordinary adult 0.08% limit. The 0.04% level belongs to commercial drivers and passenger for hire drivers, not to probation. The handbook lists no 0.10% threshold for any driver; its limits are 0.08%, 0.04%, and 0.01%. Every DUI conviction stays on the driver record for 10 years, where a later DUI can draw added penalties.

6. 6. What maximum speed can neighborhood electric and low-speed vehicles reach?

   1. 15 mph
   2. 25 mph
   3. 35 mph
   4. 45 mph
   Show answer

   25 mph. The 25 mph ceiling keeps NEVs and LSVs matched to the low-speed streets they are restricted to, since they lack the crash protection and power for faster roads. Watch for NEV USE ONLY and NEV ROUTE signs marking their corridors. Faster drivers must adjust speed and share patiently rather than pressuring these small vehicles beyond their limits. Fines and impounds punish drivers who force these small vehicles off their routes.

7. 7. If your vehicle starts hydroplaning, what is the safest response?

   1. Brake firmly to push the tires through the water
   2. Accelerate until the tires regain contact
   3. Turn sharply toward the shoulder
   4. Slow down gradually and avoid braking
   Show answer

   Slow down gradually and avoid braking. Hydroplaning means the tires are riding on water instead of gripping the road. Slow down gradually and avoid braking so the tires can regain contact without a sudden skid. The firm-braking choice is dangerous because sudden braking may make control worse. A cue is a light or floating feel in wet conditions, especially near standing water or tire sloshing sounds; ease off and keep steering smooth.

8. 8. When must you use your turn signals?

   1. Only when other cars are visible
   2. Before every lane change, and 100 feet before turns
   3. Only on freeways
   4. Only when turning left
   Show answer

   Before every lane change, and 100 feet before turns. Signals speak for your car before it moves, so the rule demands them for every lateral move and every turn regardless of apparent traffic. Motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians you have not seen still depend on your blinker to predict you. Keep the habit absolute: signal, then maneuver, then cancel once established. Cancel the signal once established so it never misleads drivers behind you.

9. 9. You drive a noncommercial vehicle and stop at a yellow curb to unload groceries. What rule applies?

   1. Load or unload promptly without exceeding the posted time, and usually stay with your vehicle
   2. Park for up to one hour while shopping
   3. Leave the vehicle locked and return within 30 minutes
   4. Yellow curbs are for commercial trucks only, so you must move immediately
   Show answer

   Load or unload promptly without exceeding the posted time, and usually stay with your vehicle. Yellow curbs mark active loading zones, not parking spaces: freight and passengers move in and out while the clock runs on the posted time limit. Noncommercial drivers may use them but must keep the stop short and usually stay with the vehicle so it can move the moment loading finishes. Treating the curb as an hour of free parking or walking away for half an hour blocks deliveries and earns a ticket. The color does not ban private cars outright; it bans lingering, so unload quickly and clear the zone.

10. 10. Your light turns green, but cars are still blocking the intersection. What should you do?

    1. Enter slowly because green gives you priority.
    2. Wait until there is enough space to get completely across.
    3. Move into the crosswalk and stop there.
    4. Sound your horn and proceed around the cars.
    Show answer

    Wait until there is enough space to get completely across.. A green light does not allow you to block an intersection. California says not to enter unless you can get completely across before the signal turns red and without creating danger. The priority option overstates what green means; you must still account for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians already in the intersection. The cue is blocked space beyond the crosswalk. If your vehicle cannot clear the intersection, stay behind the line and wait.

11. 11. Traffic is moving faster than the posted speed limit. What should you remember?

    1. The posted limit does not apply during rush hour.
    2. You must match the fastest traffic to avoid blocking lanes.
    3. You may be cited for driving faster or slower than the speed limit.
    4. You may exceed the limit when staying in the right lane.
    Show answer

    You may be cited for driving faster or slower than the speed limit.. California warns that driving faster or slower than the speed limit can lead to a citation, even when traffic pressure makes another speed tempting. The match-fastest-traffic option is wrong because surrounding drivers do not erase the posted limit or the Basic Speed Law. Conditions may require slowing, but speeding remains risky and illegal. The cue is the speedometer compared with the posted sign: keep a lawful, reasonable speed and move to the right when a driver close behind you wants to go faster.

12. 12. When may a child age 6 or younger be left unattended in a vehicle?

    1. When the windows are partly open.
    2. When the vehicle is parked in shade.
    3. When the driver will return within five minutes.
    4. When supervised by a person at least 12 years old.
    Show answer

    When supervised by a person at least 12 years old.. California makes it illegal to leave a child age 6 or younger unattended in a vehicle unless the child is supervised by someone who is at least 12. Shade, open windows, or a short errand do not replace that supervision. The window option is especially misleading because the handbook warns that heat can rise rapidly even with a window slightly open. Use the child's age as the cue: 6 or younger requires an older responsible person present.

13. 13. A large truck signals right but first moves left. What is the safest interpretation?

    1. The truck driver is inviting you to pass on the right.
    2. The truck is probably preparing a wide right turn.
    3. The truck must be changing to the left lane.
    4. The signal should be ignored until the truck slows.
    Show answer

    The truck is probably preparing a wide right turn.. Long vehicles often need extra room because their rear wheels track inside the front wheels during a turn. A truck that signals right and swings left may still be turning right, so passing on the right can place you beside the truck as it closes the turn. The left-lane option treats the swing as the whole maneuver, which misses the signal. Use the combination of size, signal, and wide movement as your cue to stay back.

14. 14. You buy a used car in California. How long do you have to transfer ownership into your name?

    1. 5 days
    2. 20 days
    3. 10 days
    4. 30 days
    Show answer

    10 days. A buyer in California has 10 days to transfer ownership of a vehicle into their own name. Five days is the seller's deadline to notify DMV through the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, so it belongs to the other side of the sale. Twenty days is the window to register an out of state vehicle after becoming a resident or getting a California job. Thirty days is not a deadline in this part of the handbook.

15. 15. Your wheels drift off the pavement onto the shoulder. As you steer back on, what must you avoid?

    1. Pulling or turning the steering wheel with too much force
    2. Gripping the steering wheel firmly
    3. Removing your foot from the accelerator
    4. Checking traffic behind you before returning
    Show answer

    Pulling or turning the steering wheel with too much force. When wheels drop off the pavement edge, the height difference grabs the tires, and the instinct to yank the car back onto the road is exactly what causes head-on crashes. The handbook's recovery sequence is grip the wheel firmly, ease off the gas, brake gently, check behind you, then steer back carefully at a slight angle. Forcing the wheel can sling the vehicle across the centerline into oncoming traffic before you have time to correct.

16. 16. A steady yellow arrow lights for your left turn. What is it telling you?

    1. The turn is now protected from all traffic
    2. You must stop immediately wherever you are
    3. Your protected turning time is ending and the signal will change soon
    4. The arrow is malfunctioning and should be ignored
    Show answer

    Your protected turning time is ending and the signal will change soon. A steady yellow arrow is the turn lane's warning phase, matching what a solid yellow ball means for through traffic. If you can stop safely, do so; if you are too close or already committed in the intersection, clear it by cautiously completing the turn. The next display may be a green or red ball or a red arrow, so watch the signal rather than assuming the turn stays protected.

17. 17. What is the safest response to a slippery-when-wet sign?

    
    1. Slow down and make steering and braking inputs gently
    2. Use high beams so pavement glare shows standing water
    3. Brake sharply at the sign to test traction
    4. Move close behind the vehicle ahead to follow its tire tracks
    Show answer

    Slow down and make steering and braking inputs gently. A slippery-when-wet sign warns that traction can drop when the pavement is wet, so reduce speed before the hazard and avoid sudden moves. Braking sharply at the sign is the trap because hard braking can start the skid the sign is warning about. The cue is the skidding car symbol; when you see it, add space and keep both steering and pedal pressure smooth.

18. 18. How must carried alcohol or cannabis containers be kept?

    1. The container must be empty
    2. The container must be open for inspection
    3. Anyone may hold the container
    4. The container must be sealed and unopened
    Show answer

    The container must be sealed and unopened. Factory seals prove nobody has been drinking on the trip, which is why the transport exception demands them for both alcohol and cannabis. A broken seal converts legal cargo into an open container that must ride in the trunk or where passengers do not sit. Drivers under 21 face an even stricter version requiring a 21-or-older companion as well. Broken seals trigger the trunk-or-no-passenger-area storage rule for opened containers.

19. 19. How must you treat horses and horse-drawn vehicles on the road?

    1. Share the road with them; scaring horses or livestock is illegal
    2. Pass them as fast as possible
    3. Honk to warn the rider
    4. Force them onto the shoulder
    Show answer

    Share the road with them; scaring horses or livestock is illegal. Horses are prey animals that spook at sudden noise and speed, so the handbook pairs road-sharing permission with a cruelty rule: deliberately frightening them is against the law. Slow down, give a wide berth, and follow any directions from the person handling the animals. Riders share the same lane rights as any slow-moving road user, including horse-drawn buggies. Follow any directions from the person handling the animals, and pass only when waved through.

20. 20. What is allowed at a white painted curb?

    1. Loading freight while the driver leaves
    2. Parking all day if no sign gives a time limit
    3. Stopping briefly to pick up or drop off passengers
    4. Parking only with a disabled placard
    Show answer

    Stopping briefly to pick up or drop off passengers. A white curb permits only a short stop for passenger pickup or dropoff. It is not an all-day parking area, and freight loading is tied to yellow curb rules. Use the curb color as the cue: white means passenger activity, not leaving the vehicle for a long errand. Finish the boarding or unloading task promptly, then clear the space for the next driver.