CA Permit Practice Test 17

All 20 questions in test 17

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 minimum liability insurance must California drivers carry for property damage?

   1. $5,000 for property damage
   2. $15,000 for property damage
   3. $10,000 for property damage
   4. $30,000 for property damage
   Show answer

   $15,000 for property damage. California minimum liability coverage includes at least $15,000 for property damage. The $30,000 figure is used for a single death or injury, so it is the wrong number for property damage. Keep the categories separate: bodily injury limits are listed by people injured, while property damage covers damage to vehicles or other property. A cue is the smallest dollar amount in the handbook's three insurance bullets.

   Study this in the handbook: Insurance, collisions and paperwork deadlines

2. 2. 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.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and pedestrian signals

3. 3. When making an ordinary right turn, which receiving lane should you use?

   1. Any lane without checking
   2. The far-left lane automatically
   3. The right lane without swinging wide
   4. The opposing lane if the corner is tight
   Show answer

   The right lane without swinging wide. For an ordinary right turn, finish in the right lane instead of swinging across another lane. A wide turn can conflict with vehicles traveling beside you or entering the same roadway. Set up near the right edge and keep the turn controlled. This question concerns the ordinary turn described in the handbook, rather than a separately marked arrangement or the special one-way-to-one-way example.

   Study this in the handbook: Turns, U-turns, merging and passing

4. 4. If your vehicle becomes disabled on a freeway and you can pull over safely, where should you go first?

   1. Into the left lane nearest the divider
   2. Safely onto the right shoulder
   3. To a stop in the current travel lane
   4. Across all lanes to the nearest median opening
   Show answer

   Safely onto the right shoulder. For a disabled vehicle on the freeway, California's first listed step is to safely pull over to the right shoulder. Stopping in the current travel lane leaves you exposed to fast traffic unless there is no workable alternative. The cue is losing power, a flat tire, or warning lights while on a freeway; signal, steer smoothly right when there is a gap, and get as far from moving traffic as practical.

   Study this in the handbook: Blowouts, breakdowns and brake failure

5. 5. Where must an open alcohol container be kept in an ordinary passenger vehicle?

   1. On the rear floor as long as the cap is attached
   2. In the glove box if the driver is sober
   3. In the trunk or another area where passengers do not sit
   4. Anywhere outside the driver's reach
   Show answer

   In the trunk or another area where passengers do not sit. An opened alcohol container cannot be kept in the passenger area of an ordinary vehicle. It must go in the trunk or another place where passengers do not sit. The glove-box choice is specifically wrong because the handbook says an open alcohol container may not be kept there. A clear cue is the broken seal: once the container is open, move it out of the seating area before driving.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

6. 6. Before changing lanes on a freeway, how long should you signal?

   1. At least two seconds.
   2. At least 100 feet, the same as every turn.
   3. Only while the vehicle is crossing the lane line.
   4. At least five seconds.
   Show answer

   At least five seconds.. For freeway lane changes, California says to signal at least five seconds before moving over. The 100-foot figure is used for turns, but freeway speeds make time a better cue than distance for lane changes. Signaling only while crossing the lane line gives nearby drivers too little warning. Watch for the freeway setting: before moving laterally at highway speed, start the signal early enough for others to see your plan and react.

   Study this in the handbook: Turn signals, horn and headlights

7. 7. Where may a bicyclist ride on a one-way street?

   1. Near the left curb or edge of the street
   2. In the exact center of the road
   3. Against traffic on the right side
   4. On the sidewalk only
   Show answer

   Near the left curb or edge of the street. One-way streets free cyclists from the keep-right default since no oncoming traffic threatens the left side. Riding the left edge keeps clear of right-side parking maneuvers and turning cars. The choice belongs to the cyclist based on safety: either edge is legal, but the center of a shared lane invites dangerous same-lane passing. Either edge is legal, so cyclists should pick whichever side looks safest.

8. 8. How often may a California driver use traffic violator school to keep a one-point citation from being reported to the insurance company?

   1. Once in any 18-month period
   2. Once every 6 months
   3. Once per year
   4. Once in a lifetime
   Show answer

   Once in any 18-month period. When you are given a one-point traffic violation, the judge may offer the choice to attend a traffic violator school so the citation is not reported to your insurance company, although it stays on your driver record. You can do this once in any 18-month period. The school reports completion to the court and you receive a completion receipt. Six months and one year are shorter than the window, and it is not a one-time option.

   Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions

9. 9. Which list contains all three exceptions to the ban on driving in a bicycle lane?

   1. Permitted parking, passing slow traffic, and turning within 200 feet of an intersection
   2. Entering or leaving the road, passing a stopped bus, and permitted parking
   3. Permitted parking, entering or leaving the road, and turning within 200 feet of an intersection
   4. Turning within 200 feet of an intersection, entering or leaving the road, and waiting for traffic to move
   Show answer

   Permitted parking, entering or leaving the road, and turning within 200 feet of an intersection. Driving in a bicycle lane is generally illegal. The handbook gives three exceptions: parking where permitted, entering or leaving the road, and turning within 200 feet of an intersection. Each part of that list matters. The turning exception is limited by distance, and the parking exception applies only where parking is permitted. Passing slow traffic, passing a stopped bus, and waiting for a traffic queue to move are not listed exceptions.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes

10. 10. A later test after your PAS shows 0.05% BAC or higher. What can happen?

    1. You may be arrested for DUI and your privilege may be suspended
    2. Nothing further can happen
    3. You only pay a small fine
    4. You must retake the drive test
    Show answer

    You may be arrested for DUI and your privilege may be suspended. The follow-up test confirms what the screen suggested, and 0.05% or higher gives the officer probable cause to arrest and DMV grounds to suspend. Each step of the sequence raises the stakes: screen, evidentiary test, arrest, and administrative action. The same ladder applies to drug impairment discovered through the blood or urine testing the handbook describes. Separate DMV and court cases mean two fights from the same arrest.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

11. 11. The driver ahead signals a left turn. On which side must you not attempt to pass?

    1. The right side in every situation
    2. The left side
    3. Either side even after that driver leaves the road
    4. Only the side nearest a sidewalk
    Show answer

    The left side. A left signal warns that the vehicle ahead may move across the space you would use for a left-side pass. Do not attempt to overtake on that side. Waiting is safer than assuming the driver will delay the turn for you. The rule does not create permission for an unsafe right-side maneuver either; any alternative pass must meet the separate conditions for lawful, safe passing.

    Study this in the handbook: Turns, U-turns, merging and passing

12. 12. What does the handbook say about parking on a sidewalk?

    1. Allowed if you leave room for pedestrians
    2. Never; not on a sidewalk, partially blocking one, or in front of a driveway
    3. Allowed for motorcycles only
    4. Allowed for up to 15 minutes
    Show answer

    Never; not on a sidewalk, partially blocking one, or in front of a driveway. Sidewalks are pedestrian space, and even partial blockage forces walkers, wheelchair users, and parents with strollers out into the street with moving traffic. The same handbook bullet also bans parking in front of a driveway, which traps residents' cars and blocks emergency access to the property. Leaving a narrow gap, riding a motorcycle, or promising to return in a few minutes creates no exception to either ban.

    Study this in the handbook: Parallel parking, hills and colored curbs

13. 13. At dusk you switch on your parking lights instead of the headlights. Is that acceptable?

    1. Yes, as long as the street is lit
    2. Yes, until it becomes fully dark
    3. No, driving on parking lights alone is illegal
    4. Yes, on roads posted below 35 mph
    Show answer

    No, driving on parking lights alone is illegal. California makes driving on parking lights alone illegal, so switching them on in place of headlights is not a lawful halfway step at dusk. Street lighting and a lower speed limit change nothing, and dusk is precisely when the rule bites. Headlights are required once it is too dark to see 1,000 feet ahead, from thirty minutes after sunset until thirty minutes before sunrise, and in bad weather. A useful habit: if the wipers are running because of fog, rain, or snow, the low beams belong on too, since the same conditions that obscure the road also hide your vehicle from everyone else.

    Study this in the handbook: Turn signals, horn and headlights

14. 14. Your vehicle is stuck in snow. What are the handbook's first two steps?

    1. Rock the steering wheel side to side while flooring the accelerator
    2. Shift into a low gear with the front wheels straight, then gently step on the accelerator
    3. Deflate the tires halfway and push the vehicle
    4. Pour water under the tires and reverse hard
    Show answer

    Shift into a low gear with the front wheels straight, then gently step on the accelerator. Escaping snow takes controlled traction, not power: a low gear multiplies torque smoothly while straight front wheels aim every bit of grip forward. Gentle accelerator pressure moves the vehicle without spinning the tires, because spinning digs the car deeper and polishes the snow into ice. Flooring it, sawing the wheel, pouring water, or deflating tires all trade grip for theater. From there the handbook continues the sequence by driving slowly forward as far as possible, then shifting to reverse and backing up slowly to rock out.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and the Basic Speed Law

15. 15. You believe an officer treated you improperly during a stop. What is the course the handbook points to?

    1. Comply at the roadside, then file a complaint with the agency
    2. Refuse to cooperate until a supervisor arrives
    3. Withhold your license until the officer justifies the stop
    4. Drive away and report the matter later
    Show answer

    Comply at the roadside, then file a complaint with the agency. Anyone may file a complaint against a law enforcement agency, and retaliation by a government employee for filing one is itself against the law. The handbook says that even if you believe your rights were violated, you should not physically resist; you can voice your objection at the scene, and your safety and the officer's safety could be jeopardized if the situation escalates. The driver must still produce a license, proof of insurance, and registration. File the complaint with the agency that employs the officer, which must investigate it.

16. 16. When you see a yellow traffic-signal-ahead sign, what should you expect?

    
    1. A traffic signal is ahead, so prepare to slow or stop
    2. A stop sign replaces the next signal at all times
    3. A railroad signal controls the next crossing
    4. A lane-use control signal begins immediately above you
    Show answer

    A traffic signal is ahead, so prepare to slow or stop. The handbook lists Traffic Signal Ahead among its yellow warning signs. It warns that a signalized intersection is coming, so check your speed and prepare for slowing or stopped traffic and for the light to change. The stop-sign choice describes a different control and can make you react to the wrong one. A railroad crossing and an overhead lane-use signal are also different devices. The cue is the signal-head symbol on a yellow background, which gives you time to react before you reach the light itself.

17. 17. A pedestrian using a white cane is at a crossing. What right-of-way rule applies?

    1. They have the right-of-way only inside a marked crosswalk
    2. They may be warned forward with a horn tap
    3. They must wait for all vehicles to clear first
    4. They have the right-of-way at all times
    Show answer

    They have the right-of-way at all times. Pedestrians using white canes or guide dogs have the right-of-way at all times. Be especially careful when turning or backing because they may rely on sound to judge nearby vehicles. The marked-crosswalk choice is too narrow; the handbook gives this rule broadly. A cue is the white cane or guide dog. Do not honk, and do not stop in the middle of the crosswalk where you could force the person into traffic.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way: who goes first

18. 18. When you cannot change lanes to pass a bicyclist, how much clearance must you allow?

    
    1. At least two feet if traffic is light
    2. As much room as your lane allows, with no minimum
    3. One full car length
    4. At least three feet
    Show answer

    At least three feet. If you cannot move into another lane to pass a bicyclist, leave at least three feet between your vehicle and the bicycle. If three feet is not available, wait until it is. The no-minimum choice is wrong because the handbook gives a specific clearance requirement. A cue is a narrow lane with a bicyclist ahead: slow, hold position, and pass only when the three-foot space can be maintained.

    Study this in the handbook: Trucks, emergency vehicles, bicycles and work zones

19. 19. When rain or snow makes you use windshield wipers, what else must you do?

    1. Drive with parking lights only
    2. Switch to high beams
    3. Turn on low-beam headlights
    4. Turn off all exterior lights
    Show answer

    Turn on low-beam headlights. California requires low-beam headlights when wipers are needed because of fog, rain, or snow. High beams can reflect glare in bad weather, and parking lights alone are illegal for driving. The cue is simple: if the windshield needs wipers to keep visibility, the car needs low beams so others can see it. Do this even in daytime storms or light snow.

    Study this in the handbook: Turn signals, horn and headlights

20. 20. What do broken white lane lines mean on a road with traffic moving in the same direction?

    1. Traffic on your side is about to become two-way
    2. Lane changes are prohibited until the next intersection
    3. The lane is reserved for emergency vehicles
    4. Changing lanes is allowed when it is safe
    Show answer

    Changing lanes is allowed when it is safe. Broken white lines separate lanes traveling in the same direction and allow lane changes when safe. You still need mirrors, a shoulder check, a signal, and enough space. The prohibited-lane-change choice describes a solid line or signed restriction, not the broken white marking. A cue is the color and pattern together: white means same direction, and the breaks show a permitted crossing when conditions allow.

    Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes