CA Permit Practice Test 19

All 20 questions in test 19

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 preliminary alcohol screening shows a 20-year-old California driver at 0.05% BAC. What may the officer do?

   1. Nothing, because 0.05% is under the adult limit
   2. Require a breath or blood test
   3. Issue a parking citation
   4. Only call the driver's parents
   Show answer

   Require a breath or blood test. If a preliminary alcohol screening shows 0.05% or higher for a driver under 21, the officer may require a breath or blood test. If that later test also shows 0.05% or more, the young driver may be arrested for DUI and the privilege may be suspended. Being under the adult 0.08% limit protects no one under 21, whose legal limit is 0.01%. A parking citation is unrelated, and calling parents is not the listed step.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

2. 2. Where can veterans learn about the Veteran license designation?

   1. At any car dealership
   2. By asking a police officer
   3. On social media
   4. At the DMV veterans page for requirements and benefits
   Show answer

   At the DMV veterans page for requirements and benefits. The Veteran designation prints on the license or ID for those who prove qualifying service, unlocking benefits and recognition. The DMV veterans page collects the exact documents and steps so applicants arrive prepared. County veteran service offices offer free help assembling the paperwork. County veteran offices help assemble the qualifying paperwork free of charge. Qualifying service proof is required before the designation will print.

3. 3. Which lane should you use to begin a U-turn?

   1. Any lane with the shortest queue
   2. The far-right lane
   3. The left-turn lane or far-left lane
   4. The shoulder beside the right lane
   Show answer

   The left-turn lane or far-left lane. Prepare for a permitted U-turn from the left-turn lane or the far-left lane. Starting on the right would carry your vehicle across lanes that other drivers may be using. An empty lane does not make it the proper starting position. Look for the lane intended for the maneuver before reaching the turning point, signal, and confirm that the location and traffic conditions allow the turn.

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

4. 4. When stopping behind another vehicle, how much space should you leave?

   1. Only enough to see its rear window
   2. Enough to see its rear wheels
   3. As little as possible without touching
   4. A gap determined only by your hood length
   Show answer

   Enough to see its rear wheels. Leave enough room to see the rear wheels of the vehicle ahead when you stop behind it. This gives you a practical visual reference instead of relying on a tiny bumper gap. Seeing only the rear window can happen while you are much too close. As traffic slows to a queue, judge the space from your normal seated position and finish the stop with the wheels ahead still visible.

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

5. 5. 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
   Show answer

   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.

   Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions

6. 6. 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
   Show answer

   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.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

7. 7. How long do DUI convictions remain on a California driver record?

   1. 10 years
   2. 18 months
   3. 3 years
   4. Only until all fines are paid
   Show answer

   10 years. California keeps every DUI conviction on a driver record for 10 years. The three year choice may sound familiar because some traffic convictions and collisions remain for 36 months or longer, but DUI has a specific 10 year record period. The cue is any conviction for driving under the influence, since later DUI penalties can depend on whether another DUI occurred within that decade.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

8. 8. What must you do at lowering or lowered crossing gates?

   1. Drive around them if no train is visible
   2. Never go under or around them
   3. Lift them manually to pass
   4. Honk and proceed slowly
   Show answer

   Never go under or around them. Gates descend for trains the driver cannot yet see or hear, including second trains on parallel tracks and quiet-zone movements. Ducking under or weaving around them gambles against hundreds of tons at full speed. Lowered gates mean stop and wait no matter how long the delay or how clear the tracks look. Second trains on parallel tracks kill drivers who dodge around lowered gates.

   Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

9. 9. Why are some bicycle lanes painted bright green?

   1. To show that bicycles must yield to all cars
   2. To mark free parking for cars
   3. To permit motorcycles to pass there
   4. To make them easier to see
   Show answer

   To make them easier to see. Bright green pavement makes a bicycle lane more visible to road users. The color does not convert the lane into car parking or a motorcycle passing lane. Recognize the green area as a visibility treatment associated with bicycle space, then follow the lane’s signs and markings. When approaching an intersection, noticing the colored lane early can help you anticipate where bicyclists may be traveling alongside your vehicle.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes

10. 10. This ONE WAY sign means traffic on that road moves:

    
    1. Only in the direction shown by the arrow
    2. Both directions, but right turns have priority
    3. One direction for trucks and both directions for cars
    4. The arrow direction only during commute hours
    Show answer

    Only in the direction shown by the arrow. A ONE WAY sign is a white regulatory sign that controls the direction of travel. Drivers must travel only in the direction shown by the arrow on that roadway. The commute-hours choice invents a time limit; if a time restriction applies, another sign would say so. A cue is the black arrow and words: before turning onto the street, match your turn with the arrow direction and avoid entering against traffic.

11. 11. At a blind intersection, how should you proceed when an obstruction blocks your view?

    1. Rely only on another driver waving
    2. Accelerate through before cross traffic arrives
    3. Move slowly forward until you can see
    4. Move quickly to the center before looking
    Show answer

    Move slowly forward until you can see. Move forward slowly to gain a view when an obstruction prevents you from seeing at a blind intersection. Accelerating into the center puts the vehicle into a conflict before you can judge it. A wave from someone else cannot reveal every approaching road user. Use a controlled approach so you can stop as the view opens, then make your decision from what you can actually see.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

12. 12. If your vehicle stops working on the freeway, what should you do after pulling onto the right shoulder?

    1. Stand behind the vehicle to warn traffic
    2. Walk along the freeway shoulder to find help
    3. Turn off all lights so traffic will not follow you
    4. Return to the vehicle and stay belted inside until help arrives
    Show answer

    Return to the vehicle and stay belted inside until help arrives. After a freeway breakdown, pull to the right shoulder if possible, call for help, and stay inside with your seat belt on until help arrives. Standing behind the vehicle puts you near fast traffic and gives little protection. The cue is a disabled vehicle on a freeway shoulder; use emergency flashers when helpful, enter from the right side if you got out, and avoid walking beside traffic.

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

13. 13. If you choose to drive slower than other traffic, which lane should you use?

    1. Any lane as long as hazard lights are on
    2. The far-left passing lane
    3. The right lane
    4. The lane beside the center divider
    Show answer

    The right lane. Slower traffic should use the right lane so faster traffic can pass without weaving or tailgating. The far-left lane choice conflicts with the handbook's lane guidance because that lane is generally for passing or left turns. The cue is a line of vehicles closing from behind while you are traveling below the flow; move right when safe and let them pass.

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

14. 14. What should you do when a traffic light is not working?

    1. Proceed because the larger road has priority
    2. Treat the intersection as if all directions have STOP signs
    3. Stop only if another vehicle reaches the intersection first
    4. Use the pedestrian signal as the only control
    Show answer

    Treat the intersection as if all directions have STOP signs. A nonworking traffic light is handled like an all-way stop: stop first, then proceed cautiously when it is safe. The larger-road choice is unsafe because the handbook does not give automatic priority to the wider or busier road in this situation. The cue is a dark or failed signal head; make a complete stop, communicate with other road users, and apply normal stop-sign right-of-way order.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and pedestrian signals

15. 15. You receive a one-point traffic citation. What may a judge offer that keeps the citation from reaching your insurer?

    1. The option of attending a traffic violator school
    2. An automatic dismissal once the fine is paid
    3. Removal of the citation from your driver record
    4. A reduction of the fine in exchange for a warning
    Show answer

    The option of attending a traffic violator school. For a one-point violation a judge may offer the choice of attending a traffic violator school, which keeps the citation from being reported to your insurance company. Note what it does not do: the citation still remains on your driver record, so this is not an erasure. Paying the fine by itself brings no such protection, and the offer concerns insurance reporting rather than the size of the penalty. You can use this option once in any 18-month period, and the school reports your course completion to the court.

    Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions

16. 16. When may you put boards or branches under tires to help a vehicle stuck in deep mud or snow?

    1. Only while the vehicle is stopped
    2. While someone keeps the wheels spinning
    3. While the vehicle rocks backward
    4. Only while the accelerator is pressed firmly
    Show answer

    Only while the vehicle is stopped. Boards or branches may help a vehicle stuck in deep mud or snow, but put them under the tires only while the vehicle is stopped. This instruction does not call for placing material while the wheels spin or the vehicle rocks backward. Separate placing the boards or branches from trying to move the vehicle. Stop the vehicle before taking this action, as the handbook explicitly directs.

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

17. 17. A driver flees law enforcement and causes serious bodily injury during the pursuit. What sentence can that driver face?

    1. A county jail term capped at thirty days
    2. State prison for up to seven years
    3. License suspension without any custodial term
    4. A fine and mandatory traffic school
    Show answer

    State prison for up to seven years. Fleeing on its own is a misdemeanor, but a conviction for causing serious bodily injury during a pursuit exposes the driver to imprisonment in a state prison for up to seven years, or to a county jail term of a year or less. That is a different order of consequence from a short jail stay, a suspension, or a fine with traffic school. Manslaughter resulting from evading law enforcement during a pursuit carries a state prison term with a minimum of 4 to 10 years.

    Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions

18. 18. A dedicated right-turn lane has its own signal at the right curb. What must you do?

    1. Proceed without stopping in every case
    2. Ignore it because through traffic has a different light
    3. Treat it as applying only to bicycles
    4. Obey that signal
    Show answer

    Obey that signal. A dedicated right-turn lane can have a signal or sign on its own right curb, and drivers using that lane must obey it. The general description of a lane that permits a turn without stopping does not cancel a control installed for that lane. Look for the control beside your path before entering the turn, instead of relying only on the signal that faces through traffic.

19. 19. Who may park in a space designated for zero-emission vehicles?

    1. Anyone for up to 20 minutes
    2. Any hybrid vehicle
    3. Any vehicle while the driver stays inside
    4. Only someone driving a zero-emission vehicle
    Show answer

    Only someone driving a zero-emission vehicle. Zero-emission spaces exist so electric and hydrogen vehicles can reach their chargers and fueling points, which are useless if blocked by conventional cars. California reserves these stalls strictly for drivers of qualifying vehicles, with no grace period, hybrid exception, or stay-in-the-car loophole. A plug-in hybrid that also burns gasoline does not qualify unless the signage says otherwise. Treat these markings with the same respect as disabled placard spaces: if your vehicle does not qualify, find another stall.

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

20. 20. A strong gust of wind hits your vehicle on an exposed road. What hand position does the handbook advise?

    1. Maintain a firm hand position on the steering wheel
    2. Grip the wheel loosely so it can self-correct
    3. Steer with one hand and brace the other on the door
    4. Let go briefly so the gust passes without resistance
    Show answer

    Maintain a firm hand position on the steering wheel. Gusts are unpredictable and can shove a tall vehicle sideways with little warning, especially on bridges and open stretches. A firm two-handed grip lets you correct instantly instead of being surprised by the wheel jerking in your hands. A loose grip or one-handed steering slows your correction and invites overcorrection, which can send the vehicle into the next lane. Letting go surrenders all control. Slow down as well, since lower speed gives gusts less leverage and gives you more time to react.

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