CT Permit Practice Test 19

All 20 questions in test 19

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. You stopped for the ice cream truck, and its arms are still out in Connecticut. How may you pass it?

   1. At the normal street limit
   2. Up to 5 mph, yielding to crossing walkers
   3. At fifteen if the road is empty
   4. Without yielding once stopped once
   Show answer

   Up to 5 mph, yielding to crossing walkers. After the mandatory stop ten feet from the truck, you may proceed past at a reasonable speed no higher than five miles per hour, yielding to every pedestrian crossing to or from the truck. Street limits, empty-road fifteens, and one-stop logic all outrun children darting for ice cream. Drivers are not required to stop for an ice cream truck in another lane that is separated by a safety island or physical barrier.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

2. 2. A Connecticut 17 year old driver has a five seat car. Which restriction limits how many people can ride?

   1. No more passengers than there are seat belts
   2. No more than seven passengers
   3. No limit once the teen has had a license for 30 days
   4. Only passengers age 21 or older
   Show answer

   No more passengers than there are seat belts. Learner's permit holders and 16 and 17 year old licensed drivers may not carry more passengers than the number of seat belts in the vehicle. That rule sits on top of the passenger limits for the first year of licensing. Seven passengers is not a Connecticut limit, 30 days of licensing does not lift the restriction, and the rule is about belts, not passenger age. Violating it counts as a graduated license violation and can lead to suspension.

   Study this in the handbook: Teen Training, Passengers and Curfew

3. 3. On a long trip, how often should you plan breaks to fight fatigue?

   1. Only when your eyes begin to close
   2. About every 300 miles or 5 hours
   3. About every 100 miles or 2 hours
   4. Once at the halfway point of the trip
   Show answer

   About every 100 miles or 2 hours. Alertness fades steadily on long drives, so scheduled stops work better than willpower. Breaks about every hundred miles or two hours, plus seven to nine hours of sleep before departure, keep reaction time and judgment closer to normal. Waiting for closing eyes means impairment already arrived. A single halfway stop leaves long tired stretches unbroken on either side. Plan the stops before you leave.

   Study this in the handbook: Distractions, Fatigue and Aggressive Driving

4. 4. What does Connecticut right-of-way law actually give a driver?

   1. A legal right to proceed first
   2. Priority to whoever arrives with more speed
   3. Priority to whoever drives the larger vehicle
   4. It only says who must yield
   Show answer

   It only says who must yield. The rules assign the duty to yield rather than handing anyone an enforceable right to go. That framing means every driver still works to avoid a crash even when others should yield. Vehicle size and approach speed confer nothing. Drive as though the other person may err, and be ready to give way beyond what the rule demands. Right-of-way is not something the law hands to any driver.

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

5. 5. Why are new drivers hit harder by alcohol than experienced drivers?

   1. They are still learning to drive, so alcohol adds more harm
   2. New drivers always weigh less than adults
   3. Alcohol affects only drivers under age twenty-one
   4. Experience removes alcohol from the blood faster
   Show answer

   They are still learning to drive, so alcohol adds more harm. Driving skill is still forming for new drivers, and alcohol degrades judgment and vehicle control on top of that unfinished base. The same drinks therefore produce greater danger than for a practiced driver. Body weight, age limits, and faster alcohol removal do not explain the added risk. No amount of experience makes drinking and driving safe for anyone. Their skills are still developing, so any impairment shows up faster.

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

6. 6. You need the shared center lane for a left into a Connecticut driveway. How are its borders painted?

   1. All white dashes on both sides
   2. Blue paint where driveways sit
   3. Single white stripe in the middle
   4. Solid and dashed yellow on each side
   Show answer

   Solid and dashed yellow on each side. Shared center lanes sit inside pairs of solid yellow and dashed yellow lines on both borders. The yellow family announces opposing-flow territory shared for turns, while white dashes would mean ordinary same-direction lanes. No central white stripe or blue driveway paint exists in the pattern. Drivers traveling in both directions can use this lane to make left turns, so watch for others entering from the opposite direction.

   Study this in the handbook: Pavement Markings and Special Lanes

7. 7. A learner thinks doubling speed to sixty merely doubles stopping distance from thirty. What is true?

   1. It takes over three times the distance
   2. It exactly doubles, as the learner guessed
   3. It rises by only half again
   4. Brakes cancel the increase
   Show answer

   It takes over three times the distance. Stopping distance grows far faster than speed because both reaction travel and braking energy climb steeply. Sixty miles per hour therefore needs over three times the total distance of thirty, not twice. Half-again guesses and brake faith collapse against that math. Stopping at 60 mph does not take twice the distance it takes at 30 mph, as one might think, but over three times the distance. That is why you must leave far more room as your speed rises.

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

8. 8. A portable message board on your Connecticut highway orders a lane closure ahead. How binding is it?

   1. Advice you may weigh freely
   2. Binding only with a trooper present
   3. Obey the directions posted on the board
   4. Binding only during daylight hours
   Show answer

   Obey the directions posted on the board. Portable and permanent message boards carry real instructions about traffic, road, weather, and hazards, and drivers must obey the directions posted on them. No trooper or daylight is needed to activate their force. Weighing them as advice invites driving into the closure they announced. Expect delays, plan for them, and leave early to reach your destination on time. Check your route and the road conditions before you leave.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad Crossings and Work Zones

9. 9. A crossing malfunctions and gates trap traffic in Connecticut. Which sign helps you report it?

   1. The green destination sign at the crossing
   2. The blue ENS sign at that crossing
   3. The milepost on the shoulder
   4. The crossbuck carries the number
   Show answer

   The blue ENS sign at that crossing. Blue Emergency Notification System signs at highway-rail crossings post a round-the-clock phone number for reporting problems and emergencies at that exact location. Destination signs, mileposts, and the crossbuck guide or warn but carry no reporting line. Use the number when gates fail, vehicles stall on rails, or signals misbehave, then keep clear of the tracks themselves. The sign provides a telephone number that works at any hour.

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

10. 10. Your brakes failed and pumping built nothing. The parking brake is next. How do you apply it?

    1. Yank it fully in one pull
    2. Set it only after stopping fully
    3. Pull slowly; release if skidding starts
    4. Alternate it rapidly on and off
    Show answer

    Pull slowly; release if skidding starts. The parking brake squeezes only the rear wheels, and a violent pull locks them into a skid. Draw the handle slowly so you can release instantly if the rear steps out. Waiting for a full stop wastes the tool, and rapid alternation never builds steady force. If it still cannot stop you, shift to lower gears and hunt safe run-off space.

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

11. 11. High beams from an oncoming car flood your Connecticut windshield at night. What is your first move?

    1. Answer with your own brights
    2. Stop in the travel lane
    3. Close one eye and continue
    4. Flash yours quickly a couple of times
    Show answer

    Flash yours quickly a couple of times. A quick double flash asks the other driver to dim. If the beams stay high, shift your gaze to the right edge until the glare passes. Answering glare with glare blinds two drivers, closing an eye surrenders depth, and stopping in lane invites a rear impact. If a vehicle comes toward you with its high beams on, flash your headlights quickly a couple of times. If the driver still does not dim, look toward the right side of the road.

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

12. 12. Your light turns green while cross traffic still clears the intersection. What should you do?

    1. Let crossing traffic clear before going ahead
    2. Enter slowly and weave around them
    3. Honk until the intersection empties
    4. Proceed, since green light ends their right to be there
    Show answer

    Let crossing traffic clear before going ahead. Green grants permission to go only when the way is actually open. Traffic already inside keeps clearing, and you must let it finish before advancing. Weaving among clearing vehicles, honking them along, or treating green as eviction all invite a collision in the box. A short wait also keeps you from blocking cross traffic when lights change. Do not enter the intersection until crossing vehicles have cleared.

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

13. 13. On a green light you turn right across a crosswalk. Who must you yield to?

    1. Nobody, green removes crosswalk duties
    2. Pedestrians crossing the street you enter
    3. Only pedestrians walking against the light
    4. Drivers waiting at the red behind you
    Show answer

    Pedestrians crossing the street you enter. A green light for vehicles never erases crosswalk rights. Turning right means crossing the path of pedestrians legally crossing the street you enter, so yield and let them pass. Walking direction or signal phase does not shrink the duty, and waiting drivers behind you hold no claim. Check the crosswalk before and during the turn. A left turn on a steady green is allowed only when it is safe to do so.

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

14. 14. You overtake a bicyclist as an oncoming vehicle approaches. How should you handle the two hazards?

    1. Pass the bicycle quickly before the oncoming vehicle arrives
    2. Split the space evenly between the two at speed
    3. Honk so the bicyclist moves onto the shoulder
    4. Let the oncoming vehicle pass, then give the bicycle room
    Show answer

    Let the oncoming vehicle pass, then give the bicycle room. Taking hazards one at a time keeps you from squeezing between an oncoming vehicle and a rider who needs at least three feet. Let the oncoming vehicle go by, then pass the bicycle with full space. Rushing the pass, honking the rider aside, or splitting tight space at speed all force the close call you can simply wait out. Slow down early so the oncoming vehicle can pass first.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

15. 15. Where should you never pass another vehicle in Connecticut?

    1. On the shoulder, paved or unpaved
    2. On a dashed yellow center line stretch
    3. In the left lane of a divided highway
    4. On a straight rural two-lane road
    Show answer

    On the shoulder, paved or unpaved. Other drivers never expect traffic on the shoulder and may pull onto it without looking, placing them directly in your path. Passing stays in travel lanes where markings permit it, such as a dashed yellow stretch or a highway left lane. Even an unpaved shoulder tempts drivers who assume it holds only stopped vehicles. Stay off it for passing. Treat the shoulder as off limits for passing.

    Study this in the handbook: Changing Lanes and Passing

16. 16. What danger do gases from a leaky exhaust system create inside a vehicle?

    1. They only raise the temperature inside the cabin
    2. They wear out the brake pads faster over the years
    3. They are harmless unless the engine runs inside a garage
    4. They can kill the occupants in a very short time
    Show answer

    They can kill the occupants in a very short time. Gases from a leaky exhaust system can cause death inside a vehicle in a very short time, and many leaks cannot be heard, so the system should be checked periodically. Never run the motor in a closed garage. Warming the cabin, wearing out brake pads, or being harmful only in a garage all miss the lethal effect described. If you sit in a vehicle with the motor running for a long time, open a window.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat Belts, Child Seats and Phone Laws

17. 17. A yellow plus-shaped warning stands before a rural Connecticut junction. What does the plus identify?

    1. A hospital entrance ahead
    2. A railroad plus tracks ahead
    3. A crossroad intersection ahead
    4. A four-way stop just ahead of the junction
    Show answer

    A crossroad intersection ahead. The plus shape is the crossroad warning, one of several signs announcing intersections where crossing traffic may appear or a turn may be required. Side road, T, and Y junctions wear related shapes. Hospitals use service signs, railroads use the circle and crossbuck, and stop control uses its own advance sign. A sign naming the intersecting road may also be posted.

18. 18. A red slash crosses a right-pointing arrow over your lane. Which move may you not make?

    1. Going straight on through the junction ahead
    2. Turning right from the signed approach
    3. Parking beyond the intersection
    4. Turning left where otherwise legal
    Show answer

    Turning right from the signed approach. The slashed right arrow prohibits the right turn from that lane or approach, including turns that might otherwise be allowed on red. Going straight, parking lawfully beyond the junction, and left turns under their own rules remain untouched by this symbol. Read the arrow being slashed before deciding, since left, right, and U-turn bans wear nearly identical faces. In most areas, right-hand turns are allowed after a stop at a red light, unless a sign prohibits the turn.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

19. 19. When may any Connecticut driver use a hand-held phone while at the wheel?

    1. To check maps while waiting at red lights
    2. Only emergencies calling help or clinics
    3. Whenever traffic is fully stopped
    4. For calls shorter than one minute
    Show answer

    Only emergencies calling help or clinics. The hand-held ban lifts only for true emergencies, when contacting an emergency response operator, a hospital, a physician's office, a health clinic, or ambulance, fire, or police services. Map checks, stopped traffic, and brief calls all remain violations, since the ban covers temporary stops for traffic, conditions, signs, and signals. For any other call, find a safe place to pull off the road first, or use a hands-free accessory if you are an adult driver.

    Study this in the handbook: Teen Suspensions and Operator Retraining

20. 20. You follow a large truck on a Connecticut road. What following interval is too close?

    1. Anything under five seconds
    2. Under two seconds only in rain
    3. Less than three seconds behind the truck
    4. One car length for every ten miles per hour of speed
    Show answer

    Less than three seconds behind the truck. Following a truck closely blinds you: the trailer hides the road ahead while the driver cannot see you in the mirrors. Stay at least three seconds back, checking with a roadside landmark and your counting. Count to three before your vehicle reaches the mark the truck just passed. Never follow a truck at an interval of less than three seconds, because the truck blocks your view of the road ahead.

    Study this in the handbook: Motorcycles, Trucks and Slow Vehicles