CA Permit Practice Test 8

All 20 questions in test 8

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. Where may a California driver attach a sticker no larger than a 7-inch square?

   1. In the center of the windshield behind the rearview mirror
   2. The lower corner of the passenger's side windshield
   3. Anywhere along the top edge of the windshield
   4. The lower corner of the driver's side of the windshield
   Show answer

   The lower corner of the passenger's side windshield. California limits what you may stick on your glass so that your view stays clear. A 7-inch square is allowed on the lower corner of the passenger's side windshield or the lower corner of the rear window. A 5-inch square may go on the lower corner of the driver's side window, and a 5-inch square in the top center is reserved for an electronic toll device. Objects behind the mirror or across the driver's line of sight are not on the list, and nothing may hang from the mirror.

   Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions

2. 2. DMV mails you notice of a proposed action against your California driving privilege. How long do you have to request a hearing?

   1. 30 days from the date of the notice
   2. 10 days after being served, or 14 days from the date the notice is mailed
   3. Until your license expires
   4. 48 hours
   Show answer

   10 days after being served, or 14 days from the date the notice is mailed. An administrative hearing must be requested within 10 days of being served, or within 14 days of the date the notice was mailed. Miss the deadline and the right to a hearing is lost. Thirty days is too long, and waiting until the license expires would forfeit the hearing entirely. Forty eight hours is not a deadline the handbook gives. The hearing lets you be heard before DMV acts, and it is separate from any court appearance on the same matter.

   Study this in the handbook: Tickets, points and suspensions

3. 3. At this railroad crossing, which vehicles should you expect to stop before crossing even when no train is visible?

   
   1. Passenger cars carrying more than four passengers
   2. Motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters of any engine size
   3. Cars and pickup trucks towing small utility trailers
   4. Buses, school buses, and vehicles with hazardous-materials placards
   Show answer

   Buses, school buses, and vehicles with hazardous-materials placards. Expect buses, school buses, and vehicles displaying hazardous-materials placards to stop before railroad tracks. An empty-looking crossing does not mean the vehicle ahead will roll straight through it. Leave space and anticipate the stop rather than reacting with surprise or trying to rush around. The railroad sign is your cue to consider both possible trains and the stopping duties of vehicles traveling ahead of you.

   Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

4. 4. An officer arrests a California driver for DUI and takes the license. What does the driver receive, and for how long?

   1. Nothing; driving must stop immediately
   2. A 90 day restricted license
   3. A permit to drive only to work for one year
   4. A temporary driver's license good for 30 days
   Show answer

   A temporary driver's license good for 30 days. Under California's Administrative Per Se law, the arresting officer may take the license and issue a temporary driver's license for 30 days. That window lets the driver request a DMV administrative hearing, which must be done within 10 days of the arrest. The handbook does not describe an immediate end to driving, a 90 day restricted license, or a one year work permit at the arrest stage. DMV is still required to suspend the privilege under the per se law.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

5. 5. What is the speed limit within 100 feet of an uncontrolled railroad crossing when you cannot see the tracks for 400 feet in both directions?

   1. 25 mph near schools, not this crossing
   2. 15 mph
   3. 35 mph
   4. 55 mph
   Show answer

   15 mph. California sets a 15 mph limit within 100 feet of a railroad crossing when you cannot see the tracks for 400 feet in both directions. The 25 mph figure is for many school zones, not this low-visibility rail setting. Your cue is poor sight distance near tracks. Slow early, scan both directions, and remember that gates, warning signals, or a flagman may permit a higher speed only when they control the crossing.

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

6. 6. Which requirement applies to every California driver convicted of DUI?

   1. Retaking only the vision test
   2. A 30 day suspension with no other conditions
   3. Completing a DUI program and filing an SR 22 or SR 1P insurance proof certificate
   4. Paying a fine only if the BAC was above 0.15%
   Show answer

   Completing a DUI program and filing an SR 22 or SR 1P insurance proof certificate. A California DUI conviction brings a one year suspension or revocation, and the driver must complete a DUI program, file a California Insurance Proof Certificate (SR 22 or SR 1P), and pay any reissue or restriction fees. An ignition interlock device may also be required. A vision retest is not the consequence, and a 30 day suspension with no conditions badly understates it. The handbook does not tie the fine to a 0.15% BAC; possible jail of up to six months, a fine, and vehicle impound can follow any DUI conviction.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

7. 7. 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.

   Study this in the handbook: Scanning, following distance and skids

8. 8. You park facing downhill against a curb. Which way should the front wheels point, and why?

   
   1. Straight ahead, so the steering stays centered
   2. Away from the curb, so the tires clear the gutter
   3. Toward the curb, so the car cannot roll into the street
   4. Toward the curb only if the parking brake fails
   Show answer

   Toward the curb, so the car cannot roll into the street. The point of turning the wheels on a slope is to give a rolling vehicle something to stop it if the brakes let go. Facing downhill, gravity pulls the car forward, so pointing the front wheels into the curb lets the tire catch instead of rolling toward traffic. Turning them away sends the car into the street, which is the outcome the rule exists to prevent. Centered wheels offer no protection at all. Set the parking brake and leave the transmission in park, or in gear with a manual, as a second line of defense.

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

9. 9. What do the chevron markings in a buffered bike lane provide?

   1. Greater separation from traffic and parked cars
   2. A lane where cars may park briefly
   3. A lane reserved for motorcycles
   4. A pedestrian walkway
   Show answer

   Greater separation from traffic and parked cars. Buffered bike lanes add a painted cushion, striped with chevrons or diagonals, between cyclists and the twin hazards of moving cars and opening doors. Drivers must respect both the bike lane and its buffer instead of treating the extra paint as spare road. Never drive, stop, or park in the buffer zone any more than in the bike lane itself.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes

10. 10. 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.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

11. 11. What does a red circle with a red line through it mean?

    1. The pictured action is recommended
    2. The circle marks a scenic route
    3. The sign is decorative only
    4. The picture shows something you cannot do
    Show answer

    The picture shows something you cannot do. The red ring-and-slash is the universal prohibition mark, turning any symbol inside into a ban: no U-turn, no trucks, no bicycles, and dozens more. Words may accompany the picture, but the slash alone carries the legal force. Memorizing every variant is unnecessary once you know the grammar: circle plus slash always means the depicted action is forbidden here. Treat every new ring-and-slash sign as a ban first and check the details only once stopped.

    Study this in the handbook: Road sign shapes, colors and meanings

12. 12. When should you give up your legal right-of-way?

    1. When the other driver honks or flashes headlights
    2. When a passenger tells you to let the other car go
    3. Only at four-way stops
    4. Whenever yielding will help prevent a collision
    Show answer

    Whenever yielding will help prevent a collision. Right-of-way is something you give, not something you take: the handbook warns never to assume another driver will yield, even when the rules say they must. Defensive drivers surrender a legal advantage the moment insisting on it risks a crash. Fault after a collision still follows the rules, but no rule is worth guarding with your bumper against a driver who missed it.

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

13. 13. Your vehicle is disabled and you cannot get completely off the road. Where must you NOT stop?

    1. On a straight stretch where others can pass
    2. As far onto the shoulder as possible
    3. Just over a hill or just around a curve
    4. Where your flashers are visible from behind
    Show answer

    Just over a hill or just around a curve. A stopped vehicle is only safe if approaching drivers can see it in time to react. Over a hill crest or around a curve, sight distance collapses and a driver topping the hill has no room to stop or swerve. If you cannot get completely off the road, the handbook says to stop where people can see you and your vehicle from behind.

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

14. 14. 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.

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

15. 15. To merge or enter traffic on a California city street, about how much space do you need?

    1. Half a block, about 150 feet
    2. One car length
    3. A full block, about 300 feet
    4. About 50 feet
    Show answer

    Half a block, about 150 feet. On city streets, merging, entering, or exiting traffic takes a gap of about half a block, roughly 150 feet. A full block, about 300 feet, is the space the handbook calls for on the highway, where speeds are higher. One car length or 50 feet is far too little room to reach traffic speed safely. When entering from a full stop, signal and leave a big enough space to get up to the speed of traffic.

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

16. 16. What front light must a bicycle have at night?

    1. No light is required
    2. A candle in a jar
    3. A red light facing forward
    4. A white front lamp visible from 300 feet
    Show answer

    A white front lamp visible from 300 feet. Night cycling without a headlamp makes the rider invisible to cross traffic and turning cars until the last instant. The white lamp must throw light 300 feet ahead so others can see and be seen by. Rear red reflectors or lights plus pedal and wheel reflectors complete the required night package. Rear red gear plus wheel and pedal reflectors complete the night package.

17. 17. When turning while backing up, where should the steering hand be placed?

    1. At the 12 o’clock position
    2. At the 6 o’clock position
    3. Across the center horn pad
    4. Off the wheel until the turn begins
    Show answer

    At the 12 o’clock position. When turning while backing and looking behind you, the handbook describes one-hand steering with the hand at the top of the wheel, at 12 o’clock. A grip at the bottom is not the position given for this method. Use the technique for the stated backing situation while keeping control of the vehicle. It is not an instruction to remove both hands or push on the horn pad to steer.

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

18. 18. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor. Which sequence does the handbook give for trying to slow and stop?

    1. Pump the brakes, try the emergency brake, then shift to a lower or neutral gear
    2. Pump the brakes, shift to a lower or neutral gear, then try the emergency brake
    3. Shift to a lower or neutral gear, pump the brakes, then try the emergency brake
    4. Try the emergency brake, pump the brakes, then shift to a lower or neutral gear
    Show answer

    Pump the brakes, shift to a lower or neutral gear, then try the emergency brake. If the brake pedal sinks to the floor, quickly pump the brakes by gently applying and releasing pedal pressure. The handbook then describes shifting into a lower or neutral gear to slow the vehicle, followed by trying the emergency brake to stop. Remember the sequence beyond the initial pumping step. The gear instruction is lower or neutral, and the emergency brake comes after that attempt to slow the vehicle.

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

19. 19. What is the left lane of a multilane road for?

    1. Cruise there permanently at any speed
    2. Enter and exit traffic from the curb
    3. Pass other vehicles or turn left
    4. Park during emergencies
    Show answer

    Pass other vehicles or turn left. The far-left lane sits closest to the center divider precisely so faster traffic can overtake without weaving through slower lanes. Camping there at cruising speed forces passes on the right and breeds road rage. The right lane handles entries, exits, and curb approaches, keeping each lane's purpose separate and predictable for everyone sharing the road. Trucks and towers must also keep right, leaving the left lane open for overtaking.

    Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes

20. 20. The pedestrian signal shows WALK or a walking person. What may you do?

    1. You may cross the street
    2. You may not cross the street
    3. You must run across quickly
    4. Only cyclists may cross
    Show answer

    You may cross the street. The WALK or walking-person display is the pedestrian's green light, but it still requires checking for turning cars whose drivers may not see you. Cross within the marked lines and keep watching while you walk. A steady raised hand or DON'T WALK means stay on the curb, and a flashing hand means do not start crossing. Keep small children by the hand and do not linger in the roadway once across.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and pedestrian signals