CT Permit Practice Test 20

All 20 questions in test 20

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. The temperature hovers near freezing and the ice looks wet. How slippery is it?

   1. More slippery than ice at colder temperatures
   2. Less slippery than ice at temperatures well below freezing
   3. About the same as dry winter pavement
   4. Safe at normal posted speeds
   Show answer

   More slippery than ice at colder temperatures. Ice near the freezing point grows a wet film that lubricates the surface, making it slicker than ice at temperatures well below freezing. Drivers often misjudge this stage because the road looks merely wet. Colder ice grips slightly better, and dry pavement offers far more hold. Slow well below posted speeds and avoid sudden steering or braking. Ice that looks wet is not a sign of better grip.

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

2. 2. When is backing in a travel lane allowed in Connecticut?

   1. Whenever hazard lights are flashing
   2. Only to parallel park or perform a three-point or K turn
   3. Any time the traffic behind you has come to a full stop
   4. For short distances of under five car lengths in a lane
   Show answer

   Only to parallel park or perform a three-point or K turn. Drivers do not expect a vehicle moving backward toward them in a travel lane, and many realize it too late. Backing there stays illegal and unsafe apart from parallel parking or a three-point or K turn. Flashing hazards, stopped traffic, or a short distance do not change that expectation. If you miss a turn, continue to a safe turnaround instead.

3. 3. Your view of a cross street is blocked while you are stopped in Connecticut. How should you enter?

   1. Honk once, then enter the intersection at normal driving speed
   2. Edge forward slowly until you can see
   3. Enter quickly so cross traffic has time to react to your vehicle
   4. Follow the vehicle ahead through without stopping a second time
   Show answer

   Edge forward slowly until you can see. A blocked view means cross traffic may be close even though nothing is visible yet. Creeping forward slowly lets crossing drivers see the front of your vehicle first, which gives them a chance to slow down or warn you. Entering at normal speed, rushing across, or trailing another vehicle all gamble that the hidden space is empty. Move up only until sight lines open, then decide.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad Crossings and Work Zones

4. 4. You park on a Connecticut slope. Which wheel angle protects traffic if the car starts to roll?

   1. Straight wheels aimed downhill
   2. Angle makes no difference at all
   3. Wheels turned sharply into the roadway
   4. Wheels turned sharply toward the curb
   Show answer

   Wheels turned sharply toward the curb. Wheels cut sharply toward the side of the road or curb aim a rolling vehicle away from traffic, letting the curb or shoulder catch it. Straight wheels deliver it into the lane, roadway-pointed wheels steer it there deliberately, and angle is precisely the difference between a scare and a collision. Always set your parking brake when you park. Leave the vehicle in gear if it has a manual transmission, or in park if it is an automatic.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

5. 5. A red arrow points right while the through light shows green in Connecticut. May you turn right?

   1. Yes, after a full stop only
   2. Yes, if no police car is visible
   3. Yes, since arrows yield to round lights
   4. No; stay stopped for that direction
   Show answer

   No; stay stopped for that direction. A red arrow stops travel in its direction even when other phases show green. Remain stopped until the arrow goes out and a green arrow or light releases that movement. Stopping briefly then turning, ranking round lights over arrows, or scanning for police all misunderstand the control. Each arrow governs its own movement independently of neighboring indications. A red arrow means you must stop and cannot go in the direction of the arrow.

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

6. 6. Before starting the vehicle, what should be set and checked first?

   1. The radio station for traffic news
   2. The mirrors, after the first mile of driving
   3. The parking brake must be on before starting
   4. The headlights, only when rain is falling
   Show answer

   The parking brake must be on before starting. A set parking brake keeps the vehicle still while the engine starts and the driver settles. Automatic transmissions also belong in park, and manuals must stay out of gear, with the clutch handled as the owner manual directs. Radios, rolling mirror checks, and rain-only lights all come after that secure start. Make sure the parking brake is on before you start the vehicle, so it cannot move unexpectedly while you get ready to drive.

   Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

7. 7. When may a driver stop or drive in a marked bicycle lane in Connecticut?

   1. For a quick delivery stop whenever your hazard lights are switched on
   2. Any time no bicyclist happens to be visible anywhere in the bike lane
   3. Only to enter a driveway, on official duties, or in an emergency
   4. Whenever the general travel lane right beside the bike lane gets crowded
   Show answer

   Only to enter a driveway, on official duties, or in an emergency. A designated bicycle path or lane stays reserved for riders, and general traffic may stop, park, or drive there only for narrow reasons such as entering an alley or driveway, official duties, police direction, or a real emergency. An empty-looking lane, a quick delivery, or crowding next door does not qualify. You may turn across the lane, but yield to bicycles already in it.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Horses

8. 8. A walker steps into an unpainted crosswalk at a Connecticut corner as you approach. What is owed?

   1. Nothing until paint appears
   2. Priority to the faster vehicle
   3. A honk so the walker hurries
   4. Yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian
   Show answer

   Yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian. Crosswalks exist at intersections whether paint marks them or not, and drivers owe pedestrians inside them the right-of-way at all times. The unpainted corner where sidewalks would meet across the street counts fully. Honking hurry or claiming vehicle speed both invert the duty. Slow or stop early enough that the walker never needs to judge your intentions. This applies at all times, whether or not the crosswalk is marked.

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

9. 9. Painted lanes sweep two Connecticut traffic streams left together at a junction. How do you hold your path?

   1. Stay within the lane you started in
   2. Drift out toward the wider outside lane
   3. Cut inside for the shorter arc
   4. Change lanes mid-turn if clear
   Show answer

   Stay within the lane you started in. When signs or markings allow multiple turning lanes, each driver keeps the lane they started turning in until the turn completes. Drifting wide, cutting inside, or swapping lanes mid-arc places you in the neighboring stream's exit path. Lane changes belong after the turn, executed with signals and checks on the straight. Once the turn is finished and it is safe, you may change lanes if you need to.

10. 10. A nineteen-year-old at a Connecticut party has blood alcohol right at the youth limit. What number defines it?

    1. 0.08 percent or more
    2. 0.10 percent or more
    3. 0.02 percent or more
    4. 0.05 percent or more
    Show answer

    0.02 percent or more. Drivers under twenty-one face zero tolerance pegged at two hundredths of one percent, and the rule reaches private property as well as public roads. The familiar eight hundredths figure governs the usual adult threshold instead. Ten and five hundredths invent thresholds Connecticut never posts for youth. A single drink can carry a young driver across the youth line. People under 21 could be considered impaired after having only one drink of alcohol.

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

11. 11. When are high beams appropriate on a Connecticut road?

    1. In town, whenever traffic is light
    2. On unlit roads, dimmed for oncoming cars
    3. Whenever you are driving faster than thirty-five
    4. Whenever another driver flashes you
    Show answer

    On unlit roads, dimmed for oncoming cars. Keep your headlights on low beam, except where unlighted conditions require the use of high beams. Even then, dim your lights for oncoming traffic, and do not retaliate against oncoming high beams with your own. Do not approach a vehicle from the rear with high beams either. High beams on a lit town road or a crowded highway only throw glare at other drivers.

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

12. 12. At a stop sign with a marked stop line, where must the driver stop?

    1. At the nearest driveway instead of the line
    2. Past the crosswalk so the front bumper reaches the intersection
    3. Only before the sign if cross traffic is present
    4. At the stop line, then yield before moving
    Show answer

    At the stop line, then yield before moving. A stop sign requires a full stop at the sign or at the marked stop line when one is present. After stopping, the driver waits for crossing vehicles and pedestrians to clear before pulling forward. Stopping beyond the line can put the vehicle in the crossing path, and traffic presence does not determine whether the stop is required. Use the line as the first stopping point, then inch ahead only when visibility and right of way permit.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

13. 13. A yellow warning shows a traffic light symbol ahead on a road with a hidden intersection. What should you do?

    1. Slow down and prepare to stop
    2. Speed up to beat the light cycle
    3. Expect the signal to stay green
    4. Stop at the warning sign itself
    Show answer

    Slow down and prepare to stop. Signal Ahead warns that traffic lights wait beyond a crest, curve, or other concealment. Slowing early and preparing to stop prevents a late red-light discovery at full speed. The cycle may show any color when you arrive, and the warning sign itself is not a stopping point. Traffic signals are ahead, so slow down and prepare to stop. Being ready early keeps you from reaching the light too fast and having to brake hard.

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

14. 14. A crash is seconds away and stopping distance is too long. What often works faster?

    1. Turning the vehicle away
    2. Closing your eyes and braking harder
    3. Downshifting an automatic into park
    4. Sounding the horn until others move
    Show answer

    Turning the vehicle away. A vehicle can change direction faster than it can shed all its speed, so a well-aimed turn often avoids what braking cannot. Grip the wheel with both hands, steer where you want to go, and stay ready to recover, since some drivers escape one crash into another. Horns move nobody, and park while moving destroys control. In most cases you can turn a vehicle more quickly than you can stop it.

    Study this in the handbook: Vehicle Emergencies and Equipment Failure

15. 15. Your vehicle has no antilock brakes and you must stop quickly. How do you brake?

    1. Lock the wheels so the tires dig into the surface
    2. Press halfway and hold that pressure the whole way
    3. Pump the pedal twice, then coast
    4. Brake hard without locking; ease up if skidding starts
    Show answer

    Brake hard without locking; ease up if skidding starts. Without antilock control, locked wheels slide and steering disappears. Press as hard as you can while keeping the tires rolling, and if a skid starts, ease up until grip returns, then press again and repeat until stopped. Half pressure wastes distance, and coasting after two pumps abandons braking. Rolling tires both stop and steer the vehicle. Apply the brakes as hard as you can without locking them.

    Study this in the handbook: Vehicle Emergencies and Equipment Failure

16. 16. Why avoid cruising beside another vehicle on a multi-lane road?

    1. Passing is not allowed on a multi-lane road
    2. Drivers side by side must match the lower speed limit
    3. Someone may crowd your lane or pull into you
    4. The other vehicle blocks your view of every road sign
    Show answer

    Someone may crowd your lane or pull into you. Someone driving beside you may crowd your lane or try to change lanes and pull into you, often without seeing you in a blind spot. Move ahead of the other vehicle or drop back so both drivers keep a visible, separated position. Being beside another vehicle is the risk, not a ban on passing, and no rule makes side-by-side drivers match a lower limit.

    Study this in the handbook: Space Cushion and Following Distance

17. 17. You are driving at night and reach a red eight-sided sign at a quiet corner in Connecticut. No other traffic is visible. What must you do?

    1. Roll slowly through after looking both ways
    2. Stop only if headlights approach
    3. Stop fully, yield, then proceed when safe
    4. Yield and continue without stopping
    Show answer

    Stop fully, yield, then proceed when safe. An empty intersection never cancels a stop sign. The octagon always requires a complete stop at the sign or stop line, followed by yielding to approaching vehicles and pedestrians before proceeding. Rolling through, stopping only for visible headlights, or treating the sign as a yield all erase the stop that the shape commands in every condition, day or night. Stop at the line, then go when it is safe.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign Shapes and Regulatory Signs

18. 18. A lane sign reads Transit with a white diamond beside it. Who may use that lane?

    1. Any vehicle during off-peak hours
    2. Buses only, since Transit means bus use
    3. Taxis and delivery vans together
    4. Drivers traveling under one mile
    Show answer

    Buses only, since Transit means bus use. Reserved lanes serve the vehicles their signs name, often with a white diamond at the roadside or painted on the pavement. Transit or bus wording reserves the lane for bus use only. Off-peak hours, taxis, vans, and short trips do not open it. Other drivers should keep out of a lane marked this way and use the regular travel lanes.

    Study this in the handbook: Pavement Markings and Special Lanes

19. 19. On a wet road, up to about what speed do most tires keep good traction?

    1. About 55 miles per hour
    2. About 35 miles per hour
    3. About 45 miles per hour
    4. About 65 miles per hour
    Show answer

    About 35 miles per hour. Tire tread can clear water and grip the road only up to a point. In rain, most tires keep good traction until roughly thirty-five miles per hour, then begin riding up on the water as speed climbs. Bald or badly worn tires lose grip much earlier. The safe response to standing water and heavy rain is slowing down, not trusting tread at highway pace.

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

20. 20. What should you avoid when making a left turn at a corner?

    1. Cutting the corner sharply into left-side traffic
    2. Slowing your vehicle down well before the turn begins
    3. Leaving room for oncoming vehicles to turn left
    4. Waiting for a safe opening in oncoming traffic
    Show answer

    Cutting the corner sharply into left-side traffic. Cutting a left turn corner drives you into the path of vehicles approaching from the left on the street you are entering. Keep the turn wide enough to enter your proper lane while still leaving room for oncoming drivers turning left in front of you. Slowing, waiting for a gap, and sharing room are parts of a sound left turn.