ME Permit Practice Test 2

All 20 questions in test 2

Every question below comes from the Maine 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. What maximum speed applies when passing a Maine school during recess or during school opening and closing hours?

   1. 20 miles per hour
   2. 15 mph
   3. 25 miles per hour
   4. 10 miles per hour
   Show answer

   15 mph. The maximum near a school is 15 miles per hour during recess or while children are going to or from school during the school's opening or closing hours. This special period is narrower than every trip through a residential district, where a different default applies. A driver should use extreme care when uncertain about the timing. Watch for school activity and signs, reduce speed early, and avoid treating the school rule as permission to maintain a higher neighborhood speed while children are present.

2. 2. When approaching an intersection, what must you do if another vehicle has already entered it?

   1. Enter first if your vehicle is traveling faster
   2. Yield the right-of-way to that vehicle
   3. Sound the horn and force the other vehicle to stop
   4. Turn across its path if you have a larger vehicle
   Show answer

   Yield the right-of-way to that vehicle. A vehicle already inside the intersection has begun its movement through the conflict area. The approaching driver must yield rather than enter and create a crossing problem. Speed, vehicle size, and a horn do not change that obligation. Scan before crossing, look for traffic controls and pedestrians, and wait until the path is open. This is also a useful reminder that an approaching green light does not make it safe to enter when traffic ahead has blocked the intersection.

3. 3. What color and markings do Maine warning signs usually have?

   1. Green with red lettering
   2. Blue with white lettering
   3. Yellow with black lettering or symbols
   4. White with black lettering only
   Show answer

   Yellow with black lettering or symbols. Maine describes warning signs as usually yellow with black lettering or symbols. That visual combination helps drivers recognize a warning before reading every detail of the sign. The blue, green, and white choices use colors associated with other sign purposes or omit the warning design described in the manual. Once the yellow and black pattern catches your attention, scan for the roadway condition, reduce speed when needed, and prepare to react. Color and markings are recognition cues, not permission to ignore the sign’s message.

4. 4. On an undivided Maine highway, what must a driver do when a school bus is stopped with red lights flashing?

   
   1. Stop only if approaching from behind
   2. Pass slowly after checking for children
   3. Stop completely and wait until the bus resumes or the driver signals
   4. Move onto the shoulder and continue
   Show answer

   Stop completely and wait until the bus resumes or the driver signals. On an undivided highway, a stopped school bus with flashing red lights requires traffic approaching from either direction to make a complete stop. The driver waits while children board or leave and does not proceed until the bus moves or the school bus driver gives a signal. Looking for visible children is not a substitute for stopping. The divided-highway exception depends on a solid divider, so do not apply it to an undivided road.

5. 5. Up to what age must a Maine license applicant present a birth certificate or passport to prove date of birth?

   1. Up to age 18
   2. Up to age 16
   3. At any age
   4. Up to and including age 22
   Show answer

   Up to and including age 22. Birth certificates or passports are required from applicants up to and including age 22 to determine date of birth. Photocopies of birth certificates must carry an embossed seal or stamp of the issuing agency. Older applicants may prove identity and date of birth with other listed documents, but every applicant must establish legal presence and Maine residency with original documents or certified copies.

6. 6. What is the average perception time for an alert driver, according to the Maine manual?

   1. Three quarters to one second
   2. Two to three seconds
   3. Four to five seconds
   4. One tenth of a second
   Show answer

   Three quarters to one second. The manual places an alert driver's average perception time at three quarters to one second. Perception time is the interval needed to recognize that a stop is necessary, before physical braking begins. The longer ranges overstate the stated average, while one tenth of a second understates the time available in real driving. This interval is one part of total stopping distance, which also includes reaction and braking distance. Keep extra space when speed, visibility, or attention is less favorable than the ideal conditions used for the estimate.

7. 7. What does a steady yellow traffic light warn the driver that the driver should do?

   1. Ignore the signal if no vehicle is nearby
   2. Accelerate because the light will stay yellow
   3. Stop only after crossing the intersection
   4. Begin slowing because the light is about to turn red
   Show answer

   Begin slowing because the light is about to turn red. A steady yellow light warns that the signal is about to change to red, so the driver should begin slowing. The aim is to clear the intersection safely without racing the signal. Accelerating treats a warning as permission to increase risk, and waiting until after the intersection is too late to respond. Check traffic behind you, brake smoothly when safe, and stop before the intersection if you can do so without causing a collision.

8. 8. When changing lanes is unsafe near a stopped emergency vehicle, what must the driver do?

   
   1. Slow down and use caution while passing
   2. Maintain normal speed to avoid delay
   3. Stop in the travel lane beside the vehicle
   4. Pass on the shoulder without reducing speed
   Show answer

   Slow down and use caution while passing. The move-over rule does not make an unsafe lane change acceptable. When the adjacent lane cannot be entered safely, the driver should slow down and use caution while passing the stopped emergency vehicle. Normal speed leaves less time to react, and the shoulder may contain responders or equipment. Look well ahead, reduce speed early, maintain control of the vehicle, and give the roadside activity as much clearance as the available lane permits.

9. 9. Maine's open container law bars drinking or open containers in the passenger area. Which situation is one of the listed exceptions?

   1. A passenger holding an open can in the back seat of a sedan
   2. The driver holding an open bottle while stopped at a red light
   3. A front seat passenger in a pickup holding an open can
   4. A passenger drinking in the living quarters of a motor home
   Show answer

   A passenger drinking in the living quarters of a motor home. The open container law makes the operator responsible if the operator or a passenger in the passenger area drinks alcohol or has an open container. One listed exception is a passenger who has an open container or drinks in the living quarters of a motor home, trailer, semi-trailer, or truck camper. The back seat of a sedan and the cab of a pickup are passenger areas, so those are violations. Stopping at a light does not change anything for the driver. Other exceptions cover containers behind the last upright seat of a vehicle without a trunk, paying passengers in for-hire vehicles other than taxicabs, and licensed off-premise caterers.

10. 10. How many hours of supervised practice driving must a Maine applicant under 21 complete before taking the road test?

    1. At least 40 hours
    2. At least 50 hours
    3. At least 70 hours
    4. At least 100 hours
    Show answer

    At least 70 hours. Before a Maine applicant under 21 can apply for a road test, the applicant must complete a minimum of 70 hours of driving with a licensed driver at least 20 years old who has held a license for 2 years. Forty and 50 hours are common requirements in other states, but they fall short of Maine's minimum. One hundred hours is more than the law requires. The applicant must also hold the learner's permit for 6 months, and the practice hours must begin after the permit is issued.

11. 11. What must a Maine driver do after hitting a dog, cat or livestock?

    1. Nothing, animal strikes are not reportable
    2. Move the animal off the road and leave
    3. Call 911 only if the car is damaged
    4. Take reasonable steps to notify the owner, or local law enforcement or animal control if the owner cannot be found
    Show answer

    Take reasonable steps to notify the owner, or local law enforcement or animal control if the owner cannot be found. Operators involved in non reportable accidents involving injury or death of a dog, a cat or livestock must take reasonable steps to notify the owner, or if the owner cannot be located, local law enforcement or animal control. The rule treats the animal as someone's property and gives it a chance at care. Crashes with people or heavy damage have separate reporting duties.

12. 12. What determines whether a pass is safe after signs and lane markings are checked?

    1. The driver’s assessment of traffic and road conditions
    2. The speed of the vehicle being passed alone
    3. The presence of a passenger in the car
    4. Whether the vehicle has automatic headlights
    Show answer

    The driver’s assessment of traffic and road conditions. Only the driver can determine whether a pass is safe. Pavement markings and signs provide restrictions, but the driver must also judge sight distance, oncoming traffic, road width, speed, and escape space. A broken line does not guarantee a safe opening, and a clear view can disappear quickly near a hill or curve. Before moving left, search ahead and behind, signal, and abandon the maneuver if any condition changes. Safety requires a complete traffic assessment, not reliance on one marking alone.

13. 13. The pictured winding-road warning sign should prompt which driving choice?

    
    1. Speed up to clear the warning area quickly
    2. Slow down before the danger and remain ready to react
    3. Stop in the travel lane and wait for an escort
    4. Pass traffic by using the shoulder
    Show answer

    Slow down before the danger and remain ready to react. Maine's warning-sign guidance is preventive. These signs identify danger ahead, and the driver should reduce speed to create time for a response. A winding road can require repeated steering adjustments, so rushing through it defeats the purpose of the warning. Stopping in a live lane is not the ordinary response to a warning sign and could create a new hazard. The shoulder is not a passing lane. The practical cue is to slow before reaching the first bend, look through the turns, and maintain a controlled path while watching for traffic, pedestrians, and changing pavement.

14. 14. The pictured yellow curved-arrow sign is a warning sign. What should you do when you see it?

    
    1. Stop immediately even when the roadway is clear
    2. Maintain speed because warning signs set the minimum speed
    3. Reduce speed so you have time to react to danger ahead
    4. Use the sign as permission to pass another vehicle
    Show answer

    Reduce speed so you have time to react to danger ahead. Maine describes warning signs as notices of danger ahead and tells drivers to reduce speed after seeing one. That gives you extra time to respond if the roadway changes or another hazard appears. Maintaining speed is risky because the sign is intended to prompt an adjustment, not confirm that current speed is safe. A full stop is not automatically required unless traffic, the hazard, or another control demands it. Passing is unrelated to the yellow warning symbol. Treat the curved arrow as an early cue to ease off the accelerator, scan beyond the bend, and be ready for conditions you cannot yet see.

15. 15. What does the pictured yellow pennant on the left side of the road tell a driver?

    
    1. Passing is prohibited in the no-passing zone
    2. Passing is required before the next hill
    3. The road is reserved for bicycles
    4. A work zone begins immediately
    Show answer

    Passing is prohibited in the no-passing zone. Maine identifies the yellow pennant on the left as a NO PASSING ZONE sign. A driver may not pass where that pennant appears, so the passing maneuver must be completed before reaching the beginning of the no-passing zone. The sign does not command a driver to pass, reserve the lane for bicycles, or by itself identify construction. The concrete cue is both shape and placement: a yellow pennant at the left edge marks a restriction on passing. Stay behind the vehicle ahead, maintain a safe gap, and wait for a legal passing area with adequate sight distance.

16. 16. When an aggravating circumstance applies to a first OUI conviction, what minimum jail sentence is listed?

    1. At least 48 hours
    2. At least 12 hours
    3. At least 24 hours
    4. No jail sentence
    Show answer

    At least 48 hours. Maine lists at least 48 hours in jail when a first OUI conviction includes an aggravating circumstance. The 12 hour and 24 hour choices understate the minimum, while no jail sentence ignores the listed penalty. The manual also notes a longer 96 hour minimum when the driver refuses a test, but the general aggravated minimum remains 48 hours. On the exam, look for the separate aggravated category rather than the ordinary first conviction fine and license suspension. The useful cue is that aggravating facts trigger a jail term.

17. 17. How many driver's license classes does Maine issue?

    1. Five
    2. Two
    3. Four
    4. Three
    Show answer

    Three. Maine issues three classes of driver's licenses: Class A, Class B, and Class C. Class A and B are commercial classifications distinguished by vehicle size and weight, while Class C is the standard classification for most motor vehicle operators. Two is a tempting count if commercial classes are grouped together, but the manual still treats them as separate classes. Motorcycle, bus, and school bus operation may require endorsements and examinations, yet those uses do not create additional license classes. Keep the structure in mind: three classes, with special endorsements layered onto them when needed.

18. 18. What minimum following distance does Maine's manual recommend between your car and the vehicle ahead?

    
    1. One second at every speed
    2. At least four seconds
    3. One car length regardless of speed
    4. Exactly ten seconds in normal conditions
    Show answer

    At least four seconds. The manual sets at least four seconds as the normal following cushion. Measure it by watching the vehicle ahead pass a fixed point, then counting until your car reaches that point. One second and one car length may disappear too quickly when speed or road conditions change. Ten seconds is not the normal minimum. Add more space on slick roads, behind motorcycles or bicycles, and when following large vehicles.

19. 19. What does the pictured red and white inverted triangle identify?

    1. A railroad crossbuck
    2. A yield sign
    3. A school-zone warning
    4. A route-number marker
    Show answer

    A yield sign. A yield sign has a red and white inverted-triangle design, although some older signs may use yellow and black. Its shape identifies the sign before the driver reads the word. The driver must still slow, check the road being entered or crossed, and give priority to traffic or pedestrians who have the right-of-way. A yield sign is not a command to stop for a fixed period, and it does not grant priority to the entering vehicle. Recognize the triangle, then make the safe decision from the traffic gap.

20. 20. What happens to a Maine driver adjudicated for failing to produce evidence of insurance?

    1. Nothing on a first offense
    2. A $25 fine only
    3. They must file an SR-22 certificate or face suspension of license and registration privileges
    4. Vehicle confiscation
    Show answer

    They must file an SR-22 certificate or face suspension of license and registration privileges. If you are adjudicated of failure to produce evidence of insurance, you will be required to file proof of financial responsibility through an SR-22 insurance certificate or face suspension of your license and registration privileges. An uninsured motorist who causes injury or property damage of $1,000 or more may not drive until proof of financial responsibility or proper insurance is shown.