CT Permit Practice Test 14

All 20 questions in test 14

Every question below comes from the Connecticut 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. When may you open a vehicle door toward the street in Connecticut?

   1. Whenever cross traffic is more than about a block away and moving slowly
   2. Only when the swing path is clear of people, bikes, and traffic
   3. After honking once so people nearby move out of the way
   4. Any time the vehicle is fully stopped at the curb line
   Show answer

   Only when the swing path is clear of people, bikes, and traffic. An opening door swings into space that a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or a passing vehicle may already be using. Check the sides and rear first, and open the door only when nothing will strike it or be forced aside. A block of distance, a honk, or a stopped vehicle does not make the swing path safe. When possible, exit on the curb side.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Horses

2. 2. After a lawful U-turn, which lane should you enter traveling the other way?

   1. The inside lane nearest the median
   2. The shoulder, then merge left later
   3. Whichever lane has the least traffic
   4. The outside or right-hand lane
   Show answer

   The outside or right-hand lane. Finishing a U-turn into the outside, right-hand lane keeps you clear of faster inside traffic while you rebuild speed and awareness. Signaling left, stopping, and checking for approaching traffic come first. The median lane, emptiest lane, or shoulder all place you where others do not expect a slow, freshly turned vehicle. Settle right, then change lanes normally. Before you start the turn, give a left turn signal, stop, and check for approaching traffic.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

3. 3. Fog thickens on a Connecticut road. Which beams should you use?

   1. High beams to cut through the fog
   2. Parking lights plus your hazard flashers on
   3. Use low beams, since highs reflect back as glare
   4. High beams aimed by flashing them
   Show answer

   Use low beams, since highs reflect back as glare. Fog, hard rain, and heavy snow bounce high beam light straight back at the driver, building a wall of glare that hides the road. Low beams, plus fog lights when fitted, keep light lower and preserve forward sight. Parking lights, hazards, and flashing highs all worsen visibility or confuse others. Low beams keep the light pointed at the road, where you need it, instead of bouncing back into your eyes.

   Study this in the handbook: Headlights, Horn and Turn Signals

4. 4. Which signals mark your vehicle as disabled and needing help?

   1. Raise the hood or tie white cloth outside
   2. Honk the horn every minute until help finally comes
   3. Turn all interior lights on at noon
   4. Leave the driver door open overnight
   Show answer

   Raise the hood or tie white cloth outside. A raised hood or a white cloth tied to the antenna, side mirror, or door handle tells passing drivers and patrols that the vehicle is in trouble. Honking, interior lights, and an open door either annoy, drain, or invite harm without sending that signal. Pair the signal with flashers and a position clear of traffic whenever possible. Turn on your emergency flashers as well, to show that you are having trouble.

   Study this in the handbook: Headlights, Horn and Turn Signals

5. 5. Pedal and parking brake both failed on a Connecticut downgrade. What remains?

   1. Lower gears; seek a safe off-road stop
   2. Open the door and drag a foot
   3. Aim for the car ahead as a buffer
   4. Jump out below ten per hour
   Show answer

   Lower gears; seek a safe off-road stop. Lower gears let engine resistance bleed speed while you search for a safe place to slow to a stop entirely off the roadway. Feet, other vehicles, and jumping convert a mechanical failure into certain injury. When both the pedal and the parking brake fail, start shifting to lower gears and look for a safe place to slow to a stop. Make sure the vehicle is off the roadway before you stop, so that it does not block other drivers or cause another crash.

   Study this in the handbook: Headlights, Horn and Turn Signals

6. 6. A gap in cross traffic tempts you onto tracks with no room beyond in Connecticut. What must you confirm first?

   1. That your horn works loudly
   2. That no officer is watching
   3. Room for your vehicle on the far side
   4. That the train schedule is clear
   Show answer

   Room for your vehicle on the far side. Never occupy rails you cannot leave. Before crossing, confirm space for your whole vehicle on the far side so a traffic stop cannot strand you over the tracks. Horns, enforcement, and schedules are irrelevant beside a train's inability to stop. The same discipline covers multi-track crossings, where a departing train can mask a second one approaching. Make sure there is room for your vehicle on the far side before you cross.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad Crossings and Work Zones

7. 7. A steady yellow X glows over the reversible lane you occupy in Connecticut. What is the lane doing and your duty?

   1. Closing to bikes only; hold your course
   2. Changing; move out when it is safe
   3. Opening fully; speed up into it
   4. Turning into a parking lane
   Show answer

   Changing; move out when it is safe. A steady yellow X warns that the lane's assigned direction is changing. Leave it as soon as a safe move is possible before the red X or opposing flow arrives. It does not merely close to bicycles, invite faster entry, or convert to parking. Overhead signals, roadside signs, and double-dashed yellow paint together govern these lanes, so confirm status before every entry.

   Study this in the handbook: Pavement Markings and Special Lanes

8. 8. Mid-pass on a Connecticut two-lane road, the car you are passing slows suddenly. Who yields now?

   1. That driver, for slowing down mid-pass
   2. You do; the overtaking driver yields
   3. Nobody at all; raw speed decides it
   4. Drivers in the oncoming lane decide
   Show answer

   You do; the overtaking driver yields. An overtaking driver yields to the vehicle being passed, even when that vehicle slows or stops during the maneuver. The passed driver may be reacting to a hazard you cannot see, so abandoning or adjusting the pass safely beats contesting the space. Speed and oncoming traffic decide nothing about this duty. Drop back and rebuild the pass only when a judged opening returns.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

9. 9. Where is it especially dangerous to pass another vehicle in Connecticut?

   1. On a long, straight road with no driveways
   2. Beside a wide, empty field at midday
   3. On a divided road where the median is wide
   4. At an intersection or railroad crossing
   Show answer

   At an intersection or railroad crossing. It is dangerous to pass where a vehicle is likely to enter or cross the road. Such places include intersections, railroad crossings, and shopping center entrances. While you are passing, your view of people, vehicles, or trains can be blocked, and drivers turning right into the approaching lane will not expect to find you coming toward them. Wait for a place with a clear road instead.

   Study this in the handbook: Changing Lanes and Passing

10. 10. Your protected left turn nears its end as the arrow turns yellow in Connecticut. What is ending?

    1. Your duty to yield to walkers
    2. The green arrow protection; prepare to stop
    3. The red light for the cross traffic ahead
    4. Your right to finish the turn
    Show answer

    The green arrow protection; prepare to stop. A yellow arrow warns that the protected phase is closing. Oncoming traffic will soon receive its go, so prepare to stop rather than starting a fresh turn. Vehicles already turning may finish with care, and pedestrian duties continue unchanged. Cross traffic keeps its red until your phase ends, which is exactly why beginning a new turn becomes unsafe. A yellow arrow means the protection of a green arrow is ending.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Lights, Arrows and HAWK Signals

11. 11. When is the best time to adjust mirrors, seats, and climate controls?

    1. While rolling slowly in an empty lot
    2. Before the trip begins, or at normal stops
    3. At the first long red light you meet
    4. Gradually during the first mile of driving
    Show answer

    Before the trip begins, or at normal stops. Reaching for dials and mirrors takes eyes and hands away from driving at the very start of a trip. Set controls before moving, use normal stops for changes, or ask a passenger to help. Adjusting while rolling, at a light, or over the first mile all divide attention when traffic may already surround you. Adjusting controls while driving is a distraction, so use a normal stop.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

12. 12. You are hungry before a drive in Connecticut. What is the safest way to handle it?

    1. Eat only when traffic is moving slowly
    2. Eat while driving, but use one hand
    3. Eat at red lights and stop signs
    4. Leave early so you can stop to eat
    Show answer

    Leave early so you can stop to eat. A distraction is anything that takes your attention away from driving, and eating is one of them. Instead of eating while driving, leave a little early so you have time to stop and eat. Eating at lights, in slow traffic, or with one hand all still divide your attention when something unexpected happens. Mental distractions are just as dangerous as taking your eyes off the road.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

13. 13. Crossing pedestrians fill the exit-leg crosswalk as you leave a Connecticut roundabout. What must happen?

    1. Exit slowly through the walkers
    2. Honk once and keep rolling
    3. Yield to the pedestrians
    4. Stop inside the circle instead
    Show answer

    Yield to the pedestrians. Leaving a roundabout crosses the exit-leg crosswalk, and pedestrians there hold the right-of-way. Yield outside or at the crosswalk edge rather than nosing through the group, honking them apart, or freezing inside the circle where circulation jams. A brief wait preserves both the walkers and the circle's flow behind you. You must yield to traffic already in the roundabout and to any pedestrians in the crosswalk. That duty applies on your way out too.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

14. 14. Your tires begin humming and steering feels light at forty-five in heavy rain in Connecticut. What is happening?

    1. Tread is gripping at its very best
    2. Alignment failed suddenly
    3. The road is drying under you
    4. Tires are hydroplaning; slow down
    Show answer

    Tires are hydroplaning; slow down. Good traction in rain lasts only to about thirty-five miles per hour for most tires; beyond that they climb the water film and steering lightens as contact fades. Bald tires surrender earlier still. The cure is easing speed until tread bites again, never braking hard or steering sharply mid-float. A drying road and sudden alignment failure do not explain rain-linked lightness.

    Study this in the handbook: Slippery Roads, Hydroplaning and Curves

15. 15. A yellow sign shows two lanes joining into one in Connecticut. Who must act?

    1. Only the driver in the ending lane
    2. Only the driver with the larger vehicle
    3. Both drivers share merging smoothly
    4. Neither driver until a flagger waves
    Show answer

    Both drivers share merging smoothly. When two lanes become one, drivers in both lanes share responsibility for a smooth merge. The continuing-lane driver adjusts speed and space while the ending-lane driver matches and blends. Size confers no priority, and no flagger is required for ordinary merges. Alternating fairly and avoiding last-second rushes keeps the squeeze from becoming a sideswipe. When traffic permits, drivers in the right-hand lane of a multi-lane highway should move over to let entering vehicles merge.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning, School and Guide Signs

16. 16. A regulatory sign governs your next Connecticut block. What subjects might it command?

    1. Direction, lanes, turns, speed, parking
    2. Only speed limits on highways
    3. Weather forecasts for the county
    4. Distances to the next three towns
    Show answer

    Direction, lanes, turns, speed, parking. Regulatory signs state the rules for traffic direction, lane use, turning, speed, parking, and other special situations, usually in square or rectangular forms with white, red, or black faces. Their red-circled slashed symbols ban pictured actions outright. Forecasts and town distances belong to information services and green guide signs. Vertical signs generally give instructions or tell you the law. Red circle and slash symbols ban the pictured action.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

17. 17. Which steering method suits sharp corners at low speed?

    1. Palms-only steering on the rim
    2. Letting the wheel spin back freely
    3. One-finger guidance through the turn
    4. Hand-over-hand turning of the wheel
    Show answer

    Hand-over-hand turning of the wheel. Sharp corners call for hand-over-hand steering, feeding the wheel from one hand to the other for large angles. When the turn ends, straighten the wheel by hand rather than letting it slip through your fingers, which can lose control. Palms, one finger, and free spin all surrender grip exactly when precision matters most. Hand-over-hand steering gives you full control through a sharp, low-speed turn.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

18. 18. A bus flashes red facing you across a grass median with curbs in Connecticut. Must you stop?

    1. No; the barrier releases your side
    2. Yes; medians never matter
    3. Yes, but only below twenty
    4. Only when police are present nearby
    Show answer

    No; the barrier releases your side. The school bus stop duty lifts when the bus travels toward you and a median or other physical barrier separates the roadways. Children cannot cross that barrier into your lanes, so your stream proceeds with care. The exception is narrow: it applies only to a bus traveling toward you with a barrier between the roadways, not to a bus on your own side of the road or at an intersection you are approaching, where you must always stop while its red lights flash.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

19. 19. You want to turn left, but a red slash crosses the left-turn arrow at your approach. What applies?

    1. Left turns are banned from that approach
    2. Left turns require a honk first
    3. Only trucks may turn left there
    4. You may turn left after midnight
    Show answer

    Left turns are banned from that approach. Movement prohibition signs ban the motion their slashed symbol shows, whether posted at the roadside or hung over the lane. A slashed left arrow removes the left turn from that approach for every driver and every hour. Honking, truck status, and midnight timing create no exceptions. Continue straight or right and find a lawful place to reverse your route. A red slash over a symbol bans that action.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

20. 20. A group plans an evening out with drinks. What plan keeps everyone safe?

    1. Whoever feels least drunk drives home
    2. Rotate drivers at each stop of the night
    3. Agree in advance who will not drink and will drive
    4. The newest driver rests in back while the others drink
    Show answer

    Agree in advance who will not drink and will drive. Deciding before drinking begins who stays sober removes impaired judgment from the choice later. Groups can rotate the designated driver role across outings, or use public transportation or a cab. Feeling least drunk is unreliable, mid-night rotation still involves drinkers, and resting a new driver does not create a sober one. Arrange to go out with two or more people and agree beforehand which one will not drink alcohol.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, Testing and DUI Suspensions