CA Permit Practice Test 9

All 20 questions in test 9

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. Which road surfaces tend to freeze before the rest of the road?

   1. Bridges and overpasses
   2. Freshly painted lane markings only
   3. Flat city blocks with heavy traffic
   4. Downhill shoulders after sunrise only
   Show answer

   Bridges and overpasses. Bridges and overpasses can freeze before other pavement, so slow before reaching them on cold wet days and expect hidden icy spots. The city-block choice overlooks the exposure of bridges and overpasses to cold air. The cue is elevated pavement, shade, or a structure crossing water or another road; ease off early and avoid abrupt steering or braking on the span.

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

2. 2. What is a bike route, and how is it marked?

   1. A freeway lane closed to bicycles
   2. A sidewalk shared with pedestrians
   3. A signed preferred route for bikes on streets shared with cars
   4. A racing course closed to traffic
   Show answer

   A signed preferred route for bikes on streets shared with cars. Bike routes steer cyclists onto calmer streets using route signs and shared-lane markings, but cars still use the same lanes, so drivers must expect bicycles and pass with care. The shared markings remind everyone that bikes may take the lane where needed. Never treat the bicycle symbols as decoration: they mark a corridor the city wants cyclists to use. Drivers who crowd route corridors force cyclists into the gutter or into parked-car doors.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane markings and special lanes

3. 3. After a blowout, when should you pull off the road?

   1. Immediately yank the wheel toward the shoulder
   2. After the vehicle has stabilized, when and where it is safe
   3. Only after driving to the next town
   4. Before regaining steering control
   Show answer

   After the vehicle has stabilized, when and where it is safe. Stabilize the vehicle before completing the move off the road after a blowout. A sudden lunge toward the shoulder while the vehicle is still unstable can make control harder. Once the vehicle is responding predictably, continue slowing and find a safe place to leave traffic. The cue is regained control and available space, rather than a fixed destination or the urge to reach the edge immediately.

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

4. 4. May you drive across a sidewalk to enter or exit a driveway or alley?

   1. No, sidewalks may not be crossed by any vehicle
   2. Yes, you may drive on or cross a sidewalk to enter or exit
   3. Only with a police escort
   4. Yes, but a permit from the city is required
   Show answer

   Yes, you may drive on or cross a sidewalk to enter or exit. Driveways and alleys connect to the road across the sidewalk, so crossing it at the curb cut is the normal and legal way in and out. The permission is narrow: cross directly, yield to every pedestrian on the sidewalk, and never drive along the sidewalk to reach a distant entrance. Blocking the sidewalk while waiting for a gap in traffic is a separate violation.

   Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

5. 5. How soon must you dim high-beam headlights for an oncoming vehicle?

   1. Only after the other driver flashes lights
   2. Within 100 feet of the oncoming vehicle
   3. Within 500 feet of the oncoming vehicle
   4. Within 300 feet when vehicles approach each other
   Show answer

   Within 500 feet of the oncoming vehicle. For an oncoming vehicle, dim high beams to low beams within 500 feet. The 300-foot number applies when you are following another vehicle, so it is not the oncoming-traffic distance. Waiting for the other driver to flash lights risks blinding them first. The cue is headlights approaching in the opposite lane. Switch down early enough that the other driver can keep their view of the road.

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

6. 6. What does a yellow sign with two opposing arrows warn about?

   
   1. A one-way street is beginning
   2. Only buses may use the next lane
   3. A divided highway starts at the sign
   4. Traffic will be moving in both directions
   Show answer

   Traffic will be moving in both directions. Two opposing arrows warn that traffic is or will be traveling both ways, so keep right and expect oncoming vehicles. The one-way choice reverses the message and could put you mentally in the wrong lane pattern. The cue is that the arrows point against each other; treat it as a warning to watch center lines, passing restrictions, and vehicles approaching from the opposite direction.

7. 7. What does California's Basic Speed Law require?

   1. Drive faster than traffic when passing is legal
   2. Always drive exactly at the posted speed limit
   3. Use the same speed in clear weather and fog
   4. Never drive faster than is safe for current road conditions
   Show answer

   Never drive faster than is safe for current road conditions. The Basic Speed Law means the posted limit is not permission to drive too fast for conditions. You may need to slow for weather, road surface, congestion, pedestrians, or bicyclists. Driving exactly at the sign speed can still be unlawful if fog, rain, or crowding makes that speed unsafe. The cue is changing conditions around you. Match speed to what you can see, stop for, and control.

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

8. 8. What does a diamond-shaped warning sign tell you?

   1. Only public transit buses may use the lane
   2. Specific road conditions or dangers are ahead
   3. You have reached a rest area
   4. Traffic may pass a stopped school bus
   Show answer

   Specific road conditions or dangers are ahead. A diamond-shaped sign warns of specific road conditions and dangers ahead. Bus-only rules are shown by posted lane signs, and guide signs provide destination or service information instead of hazard warnings. The cue is the diamond shape on the roadside before a condition changes. Prepare for the particular hazard shown nearby, such as curves, merging traffic, divided highways, or pedestrians.

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

9. 9. When a pedestrian is crossing the roadway outside a marked crosswalk, what should you do?

   1. Use caution, reduce speed, or stop so the pedestrian can finish crossing
   2. Continue at speed because only marked crosswalks count
   3. Pass in front of the pedestrian if your lane is open
   4. Stop only if the pedestrian makes eye contact
   Show answer

   Use caution, reduce speed, or stop so the pedestrian can finish crossing. California requires caution for a pedestrian crossing with or without a crosswalk, including reducing speed or stopping so the person can finish safely. The marked crosswalks only choice is wrong because unmarked crossings and pedestrians outside marked lines still require care. The cue is any person already in the roadway ahead; cover the brake, watch both sides, and leave enough time for a safe crossing.

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

10. 10. What is a limit line?

    1. A decorative border around crosswalks
    2. The line where parking must begin
    3. A wide white line showing where to stop before an intersection or crosswalk
    4. A lane divider for turning traffic
    Show answer

    A wide white line showing where to stop before an intersection or crosswalk. The limit line sets the legal stop position so waiting cars leave the crosswalk clear for pedestrians and keep the intersection approach open. Stop behind it; only when no limit line exists do you fall back to stopping before the crosswalk, or before the intersection itself. Creeping past the line blocks pedestrians and can draw a citation even if you stopped.

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

11. 11. Within what distance of an intersection, bridge, tunnel, or railroad crossing does California say you must not pass?

    1. 50 feet
    2. 300 feet
    3. 100 feet
    4. 1,000 feet
    Show answer

    100 feet. California says not to pass within 100 feet of an intersection, bridge, tunnel, railroad crossing, or other hazardous area. Fifty feet is too short a buffer. Three hundred feet is the distance for following a vehicle with high beams and for staying behind emergency vehicles, not a passing rule. One thousand feet is the headlight visibility test. Passing is also barred at crossroads and driveways and whenever there is not enough room to return to your lane.

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

12. 12. In the morning, until what time relative to sunrise does the handbook require headlights?

    1. Until 30 minutes before sunrise
    2. Until 60 minutes before sunrise
    3. Until the moment of sunrise
    4. Until 30 minutes after sunrise
    Show answer

    Until 30 minutes before sunrise. The handbook says to use headlights until 30 minutes before sunrise. This is the morning time rule; the evening rule begins 30 minutes after sunset. Keep the before-sunrise wording distinct from the after-sunset wording. The time rule does not replace the other headlight requirements. Adverse weather, poor visibility, mountain roads, tunnels, and signs requiring headlights can still call for their use outside the nighttime period.

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

13. 13. California's minimum liability insurance must cover how much for death or injury to more than one person?

    1. $15,000
    2. $30,000
    3. $100,000
    4. $60,000
    Show answer

    $60,000. California's minimum liability coverage is $30,000 for a single death or injury, $60,000 for death or injury to more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage. So the figure for more than one person is $60,000. The $30,000 amount is the single person limit, and $15,000 is property damage. One hundred thousand dollars is not a California minimum. Parents or guardians take on financial responsibility for drivers under 18, while drivers 18 and older are responsible for themselves.

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

14. 14. Where should your rear bumper be before you begin backing into a parallel parking space?

    1. Touching the vehicle behind the space
    2. Aligned with the rear of the parking space
    3. Past the entire parking space
    4. Aligned with the front of the parking space
    Show answer

    Aligned with the front of the parking space. Stop alongside the vehicle ahead when your rear bumper lines up with the front of the empty space. This is the setup point before backing into the opening. Lining up with the back of the space places you too far behind for the described maneuver. Identify both ends of the opening before starting so you use the front boundary as your reference without touching either parked vehicle.

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

15. 15. An officer signals you to pull over. How should you first acknowledge?

    1. Turn on your right turn signal to show you see the officer
    2. Speed up to the next exit
    3. Flash your high beams
    4. Stop in the travel lane immediately
    Show answer

    Turn on your right turn signal to show you see the officer. The right signal tells the officer you have seen the lights and are complying, which keeps the stop calm from the first second. After acknowledging, move completely onto the right shoulder even from the carpool lane, choose a well-lit spot, turn off the radio, and stay inside unless told to get out. Fleeing, dazzling, or blocking the lane turns a routine stop dangerous.

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

16. 16. About how much space do you need to merge, enter, or exit traffic on a highway?

    1. Only enough room for your front bumper
    2. A quarter block, about 75 feet
    3. One vehicle length
    4. A full block, about 300 feet
    Show answer

    A full block, about 300 feet. The handbook describes a highway traffic gap of a full block, about 300 feet, for merging, entering, or exiting traffic. A single vehicle length does not provide the same room to complete the movement. Use this as a planning reference while judging speed and conditions, rather than squeezing into the first opening that physically fits the car. Highway traffic needs room for your maneuver to develop safely.

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

17. 17. You agreed to a PAS or breath test. Can officers still demand blood or urine?

    1. No, once you pass the PAS the testing is complete
    2. Yes, blood or urine can still be required to detect drugs
    3. Yes, but they must first get a court order
    4. Only on weekends
    Show answer

    Yes, blood or urine can still be required to detect drugs. Alcohol screening and drug detection are separate jobs: PAS and breath tests measure alcohol, while blood or urine reveal drugs the breath tests cannot see. Agreeing to the first never waives the second, and refusing the drug test triggers the same DMV suspension or revocation as refusing alcohol testing. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs count fully under this rule. A refusal counts the same whether the suspected substance is alcohol or drugs.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and DUI

18. 18. What is the minimum legal distance for parking near a fire hydrant?

    1. 20 feet from the hydrant
    2. 3 feet from the hydrant
    3. 15 feet from the hydrant
    4. 30 feet from the hydrant
    Show answer

    15 feet from the hydrant. A vehicle may not be parked within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. The 20-foot distance is a tempting number because California uses it near crosswalks, but hydrants and crosswalks have different spacing rules. When scanning for a place to leave the car, look ahead for hydrants and fire station driveways before you pull in. If the hydrant is close enough that firefighters would lose access, keep moving.

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

19. 19. Cargo extends far past your rear bumper at night. How must you mark it?

    1. A white flag in daylight
    2. Two red lights at night
    3. Nothing at night
    4. A single blinking amber light
    Show answer

    Two red lights at night. Long loads turn deadly after dark when following drivers cannot judge where the cargo ends. Two red lights bracket the overhang's edges so others can see its full width and length. By day, the same load needs a 12-inch red or fluorescent orange flag instead. Daytime overhangs instead need a large red or fluorescent orange warning flag. Red lights bracket the overhang so followers can judge its full width.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

20. 20. Does reporting a new address to DMV automatically produce a new driver license card?

    1. No, a replacement may be requested for a fee
    2. Yes, a new card is mailed within thirty days
    3. Yes, but only for a move within the same city
    4. No, a replacement requires retaking the written test
    Show answer

    No, a replacement may be requested for a fee. Updating the address on DMV’s record does not automatically issue a new license card. If you want a replacement card, the handbook says you may request one for a fee. Do not assume the address update failed just because a new card never arrives. Treat keeping the record accurate and obtaining a replacement card as separate actions when organizing your paperwork after a move.

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