CT Permit Practice Test 16

All 20 questions in test 16

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. Traffic crawls through a Connecticut intersection ahead with no room beyond it. May you enter on green?

   1. Yes; a green light always allows entry
   2. Yes, during rush hour only
   3. Yes, if you hug the car ahead
   4. Only once you can clear it fully
   Show answer

   Only once you can clear it fully. An intersection may be entered only when the vehicle can pass completely through without stopping inside. Green paint on the signal does not override the blocking rule, and tailgating into the box or rush-hour custom simply builds gridlock when phases turn. Wait behind the line until space beyond the far crosswalk can hold your vehicle, then proceed in one motion.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

2. 2. A car sits on your bumper on a Connecticut highway and a right lane runs open beside you. What solves it?

   1. Brake-check the driver following you one time
   2. Move right and let the close driver pass
   3. Speed up quickly to rebuild a gap behind
   4. Block both lanes so nobody can pass
   Show answer

   Move right and let the close driver pass. A close follower shrinks your safety margin from behind. When a right lane is available, moving over and letting the tailgater pass removes the threat without confrontation. Brake-checking invites the rear-end hit, speeding raises the stakes for everyone, and blocking lanes manufactures a second conflict. Without a right lane, ease speed down once the road ahead clears so the driver chooses to go around.

   Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

3. 3. Inside a Connecticut roundabout a driver waits at the next entry and waves at you to stop. What should you do?

   1. Stop mid-circle and wave them in
   2. Honk until they enter
   3. Exit early to free the circle
   4. Keep circulating; do not stop
   Show answer

   Keep circulating; do not stop. Circulating drivers must not stop inside a roundabout to let waiting traffic enter. Stopping breaks the flow for every leg and can strand vehicles across crosswalks and exits. Keep moving through your exit, signal right as it nears, and let the waiting driver use the gap your departure creates. Early exits and honking merely shuffle the confusion elsewhere. Stopping inside a roundabout to let someone in is not allowed.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

4. 4. A five-sided sign stands near a Connecticut school at morning arrival time. What does its shape alone tell you?

   1. A railroad crossing is near
   2. Buses must stop at every red light here
   3. A school zone or crossing is here
   4. A detour starts at the corner
   Show answer

   A school zone or crossing is here. The pentagon, with five sides, is reserved for school zones and school crossings. Its fluorescent yellow-green coloring heightens visibility where children gather. Railroads use the circle, bus stops use their own devices, and detours use orange. Slow down, watch for children crossing or playing, be ready to stop, and obey any crossing guard directing traffic. A separate downward-pointing arrow plaque can show the actual location of the crosswalk.

   Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

5. 5. Which everyday drugs can make a driver drowsy and unsafe?

   1. Drugs for headaches, colds, hay fever, or calming nerves
   2. Only illegal street drugs affect driving
   3. Only drugs that require a written prescription
   4. Vitamins taken with a morning meal
   Show answer

   Drugs for headaches, colds, hay fever, or calming nerves. Many legal medicines carry alcohol-like effects on driving. Products for headaches, colds, hay fever, allergies, or calming nerves can cause drowsiness and blunt reflexes, judgment, vision, and alertness. Prescription status does not decide the danger, and illegal drugs are only part of the picture. Read labels before driving and ask a doctor or pharmacist when effects are unclear. Check the label of any medicine before you drive.

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

6. 6. Twin round reds burn steady at a HAWK while walkers cross in Connecticut. What must drivers do?

   1. Proceed slowly behind walkers
   2. Drive around on the shoulder
   3. Stop only at the flashing stage
   4. Stop while walkers are crossing
   Show answer

   Stop while walkers are crossing. Steady twin reds at a HAWK demand a full stop while any pedestrian remains in the crosswalk. Creeping behind walkers, waiting for the flashing stage to obey, or shouldering around all abandon people mid-crossing. Only the later flashing red stage allows proceeding after a stop once the crosswalk stands empty. A solid red HAWK signal means pedestrians are in the crosswalk and motorists must stop. Wait until the crosswalk is clear.

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

7. 7. You press the gas hard to pull away from a stop on a slick Connecticut road. What can happen?

   1. The drive wheels may spin and the vehicle may slide
   2. The tires grip harder because the wheels turn faster on ice
   3. The vehicle stops shorter because weight shifts forward quickly
   4. The steering locks until the vehicle reaches traffic speed
   Show answer

   The drive wheels may spin and the vehicle may slide. Starting gently keeps the tires gripping the road surface. Pressing the gas hard can spin the drive wheels, particularly on slippery pavement, and the vehicle may slide instead of moving forward in a controlled way. Spinning wheels do not add grip, shorten a stop, or lock anything. On wet or icy roads, ease onto the accelerator so the tires roll and pull the vehicle forward without breaking loose.

   Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

8. 8. The light turns yellow as you approach at a speed where stopping is safe in Connecticut. What must you do?

   1. Speed up so you enter while it is yellow
   2. Enter and stop inside the box
   3. Stop, since a safe stop is possible
   4. Treat yellow as extended green
   Show answer

   Stop, since a safe stop is possible. Yellow announces the coming red and orders a stop whenever stopping can be done safely. Racing to beat the change, parking inside the intersection, or treating yellow as extra green all court a red-light entry or a blocked box. Only drivers already inside when yellow appears continue through. Judge braking distance early so the safe stop stays available. A steady green light lets you go only when the way is clear, so yield first to traffic still in the intersection.

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

9. 9. Why give a distracted driver extra following room of three to four seconds?

   1. Distracted drivers always drive faster than the traffic around them
   2. The law sets a special fine zone behind them
   3. Their speed and lane position can change without warning
   4. They are required to pull over for followers
   Show answer

   Their speed and lane position can change without warning. A driver handling a phone, food, or an argument may drift within the lane and vary speed without noticing you nearby. Three to four seconds of room lets you react when that vehicle wanders or brakes late. Distraction does not always mean speed, no special fine zone applies, and no pull-over duty exists. Space is your protection against unpredictable movement.

   Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

10. 10. A bicyclist ahead rides near the center of a narrow lane in Connecticut. What does that usually mean?

    1. The lane is closed to motor vehicles at that point
    2. The rider is about to turn left at the next corner in every case
    3. Drivers may squeeze past within the same lane
    4. The lane is too narrow to share side by side, so the rider takes the lane
    Show answer

    The lane is too narrow to share side by side, so the rider takes the lane. When a lane cannot fit a car and a bicycle side by side with safe room, the rider may take the travel lane by riding in or near its center. That position is lawful and signals that passing needs the next lane, not a squeeze within this one. It does not always mean a left turn is coming, and the lane stays open to motor traffic behind.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Horses

11. 11. A flat tire forces a stop where changing it means standing in a traffic lane. What should you do?

    1. Change it fast while a passenger watches
    2. Do not change the tire from a traffic lane
    3. Use the lane at night when traffic thins out
    4. Change it with the door open as a shield
    Show answer

    Do not change the tire from a traffic lane. No tire is worth standing exposed in moving traffic. Never stand in the roadway, and never change a tire when the job puts you in a lane. Move the vehicle farther off the road if possible or summon help instead. Night traffic, a watching passenger, or an open door cannot protect a person kneeling beside the vehicle. Get the vehicle off the road and away from traffic if at all possible, and notify the authorities.

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

12. 12. You just passed a cyclist and your right turn is twenty feet ahead in Connecticut. What avoids the collision?

    1. Turn sharply before the cyclist recovers
    2. Honk and turn across the bike lane
    3. Slow and let the cyclist clear first
    4. Stop inside the bike lane to wait
    Show answer

    Slow and let the cyclist clear first. Turning right immediately after passing a bicyclist cuts directly across the rider's path. Slow down and let the cyclist clear the intersection before turning. Sharp turns, honking crossings, and waiting inside the lane all place your vehicle in the rider's line. Yield to bicycles when turning as you would to any other road vehicle. Bicyclists are considered vehicles on roadways and must follow the same rules of the road as motorists.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Horses

13. 13. Your speed doubles on a Connecticut road. How does the three-second rule change?

    1. It halves to save fuel
    2. It stays three seconds at any speed
    3. It applies only below forty
    4. It becomes a fixed distance measured in feet
    Show answer

    It stays three seconds at any speed. The three-second rule self-adjusts because faster travel covers more ground inside the same count. Drop back until three full seconds separate you from the vehicle ahead at whatever speed traffic runs. Halving the count, speed limits on the rule, and feet conversions all break its simplicity. Slippery roads, trailers, and poor visibility deserve four seconds instead. Follow no closer than three seconds, and allow more space in some situations.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

14. 14. A diamond-shaped sign flashes past on a Connecticut highway. Before reading it, what do you already know?

    1. A service plaza is opening
    2. Your exit is one mile away
    3. A hazard ahead
    4. School children are crossing
    Show answer

    A hazard ahead. The diamond shape itself carries the warning: it tells you of special conditions or hazards ahead and calls for caution and readiness to slow down or stop. Service plazas use blue signs, exits use green guide signs, and school crossings use the five-sided pentagon, so none of those would arrive on a diamond. Read the words after you have noted the shape.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

15. 15. Two route markers differ in shape and color on your Connecticut trip. What does that contrast tell you?

    1. Which driver class may use each one
    2. The type of roadway each one marks
    3. Which towns charge tolls ahead
    4. The age of the highway pavement
    Show answer

    The type of roadway each one marks. Route number signs encode the roadway family in their shape and color, distinguishing interstate, U.S., state, city, and county roads at a glance. That coding helps you confirm you are following the intended route long before place names appear. Driver classes, toll towns, and pavement age never enter the code. Green is used for guide signs, which tell you where you are, which way to go, and the distance.

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

16. 16. The pedal sinks to the floor at a Connecticut stop sign approach. What do you try first?

    1. The parking brake at full pull
    2. Turn the engine off to help the braking
    3. Shift to reverse for drag
    4. Pump the pedal to rebuild pressure
    Show answer

    Pump the pedal to rebuild pressure. A sinking pedal often means lost pressure that pumping can partly rebuild, enough sometimes for a controlled stop. That first attempt precedes the parking brake's slow pull and, failing both, lower gears plus a safe place to roll out. Reverse engagement and engine shutdown destroy control or assistance while moving. Pump the brake pedal several times. This will often build up enough brake pressure to allow you to stop.

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

17. 17. When is checking traffic behind you most important?

    1. Lane changes, slowing, backing, steep descents
    2. Only while you are parked beside the curb
    3. At the start of every green light you face
    4. While you are stopped in a parking garage
    Show answer

    Lane changes, slowing, backing, steep descents. Rear checks reveal tailgaters and fast closers before your next move surprises them. Lane changes, slowing, backing, and long or steep descents all change your speed or path relative to following traffic. Parked and garage checks miss the point, and green lights demand forward scans first. Look in your mirrors before you change lanes, slow down, or back up, and when you drive down a long or steep hill. Vehicles behind you may be closing faster than you expect.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

18. 18. Your vehicle will be struck from behind and you cannot escape. How do you brace?

    1. Lean forward and brace your hands on the dash
    2. Press your back to the seat, head to the restraint
    3. Turn sideways toward the door
    4. Stand on the brake with your legs held straight
    Show answer

    Press your back to the seat, head to the restraint. A rear impact throws your body backward, so contact with the seat back and head restraint limits whipping injury. Stay pressed there and remain ready to brake so the crash does not push you into another vehicle. Leaning forward, turning sideways, or bracing stiff legs all expose head and joints. Belts remain your first protection in every crash direction. Be ready to apply your brakes so that you will not be pushed into another vehicle.

    Study this in the handbook: Avoiding Collisions and After a Crash

19. 19. Parked cars line your right side as traffic comes toward you. How should you position your car?

    1. Steer a middle course between the oncoming and parked vehicles
    2. Hug the center line to clear the parked cars
    3. Stop and wait until all oncoming traffic has finished passing by
    4. Drive beside the parked cars at full speed
    Show answer

    Steer a middle course between the oncoming and parked vehicles. Between hazards on both sides, steering a middle course keeps usable space on each side. Give a bit more room to the side that threatens you most, such as a tractor-trailer coming the other way. Hugging either edge spends your margin where a door or nose may appear. People may step out from between parked vehicles, so give them as much room as you can.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

20. 20. Your speedometer matches the sign exactly on an icy Connecticut morning. Can you still be ticketed for speed?

    1. Yes; the signed speed can exceed safe speed
    2. No; matching the sign speed protects you
    3. Only trucks face that ticket
    4. Only during declared storms
    Show answer

    Yes; the signed speed can exceed safe speed. Posted limits assume ideal conditions. Wet or icy pavement, poor visibility, or heavy traffic can make the signed number itself unlawfully fast, since drivers must slow for the road they actually have. Trucks share the duty with cars, and no storm declaration is required. Conditions, not the dashboard, render the final verdict on a chosen speed. Posted speed limits are based on the design of the road and the types of vehicles that use them.

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