ME Permit Practice Test 20

All 20 questions in test 20

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. On a flat roadway, fourth gear is intended for driving above what speed?

   1. Above 20 mph
   2. Above 35 mph
   3. Above 50 mph
   4. Above 65 mph
   Show answer

   Above 35 mph. Top gears trade pulling power for efficient cruising. Use of fourth gear is for driving above 35 mph on a flat roadway, where momentum carries the car and the engine can turn slowly. Twenty miles per hour still needs a lower gear with real pulling strength. Fifty and sixty five describe highway pace in the highest gear. Shift up near the stated threshold and listen for an engine settling rather than screaming.

2. 2. By how much is normal vision reduced at night because light is insufficient for the eyes?

   1. About 10 percent
   2. About 25 percent
   3. About 50 percent
   4. About 90 percent
   Show answer

   About 50 percent. Darkness quietly halves a key driving sense. Normal vision is reduced by 50 percent at night because there is not enough light for eyes to function properly, making hazards harder to judge. Ten or twenty five percent understates a loss that reshapes following distance and speed choices after sunset. Ninety percent would leave a driver nearly blind, beyond the stated effect. Slow down after dark and widen gaps to buy back the seeing margin daylight normally provides.

   Study this in the handbook: How alcohol affects driving

3. 3. What reading activity is flatly illegal for a Maine driver while the vehicle is moving?

   1. Reading printed material while driving
   2. Reading road signs ahead
   3. Glancing at the dashboard
   4. Reading a passenger map aloud
   Show answer

   Reading printed material while driving. Eyes belong on the road, not on pages. It is illegal for an operator to read printed material while driving a motor vehicle, covering books, papers, and documents that steal both gaze and thought. Road signs and gauges are driving information designed for quick glances. A passenger reading aloud keeps the driver ears informed and eyes forward. Print waits for parked moments, every time, without exception.

4. 4. From a full stop, how large a gap do you need to cross or enter traffic on city streets versus the highway?

   1. A quarter block in both places
   2. Two full blocks in the city
   3. Half block city, full block highway
   4. No gap if you accelerate hard
   Show answer

   Half block city, full block highway. Starting from rest eats distance before speed matches traffic. To get moving from a full stop, you need a gap of about a half a block on city streets and about a full block on the highway, where closing speeds double. Quarter block entries force others to brake sharply around you. Hard acceleration cannot repeal the physics of heavy cars gaining pace. Judge gaps by blocks, not by hope, and wait for the full measure.

   Study this in the handbook: Following distance, headlights and signals

5. 5. What is the minimum fine for misusing a disability parking access aisle in Maine?

   1. $25
   2. Not less than $200
   3. $50
   4. $1,000
   Show answer

   Not less than $200. Parking in an access aisle next to a disability parking space is prohibited, and misuse of an access aisle is a traffic infraction subject to a fine of not less than $200. The handbook explains that the aisle is needed to enter or exit a vehicle when a platform lift or other mobility device is used, so blocking it defeats the purpose of the space. For information on disability plates and placards, the handbook refers drivers to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

6. 6. What is the legal status of driving in a way that violates a restriction on your Maine license?

   1. Allowed if no crash occurs
   2. Unlawful in every case
   3. Allowed on short trips
   4. A warning offense only
   Show answer

   Unlawful in every case. License restrictions carry the full force of licensing law. Driving in violation of any restrictions is unlawful, whether the breach involves lenses, vehicle type, or daylight limits, and regardless of trip length or lucky outcomes. Short hops to the store still occur on public ways under the same license. Warnings describe officer discretion, not the legal classification. Read your restrictions before driving and treat each one as a boundary, not a suggestion.

7. 7. Running the heater while snowbound, what window and exhaust steps prevent carbon monoxide poisoning?

   1. Crack windows, clear the pipe
   2. Seal windows, ignore exhaust
   3. Open all doors fully
   4. Run engine continuously all night
   Show answer

   Crack windows, clear the pipe. Idling engines in snowdrifts can poison the shelter they warm. Crack your windows slightly to allow a supply of fresh air and keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, checking the pipe after every heater cycle. Sealed windows with a buried pipe fill the cabin with invisible, odorless gas. Continuous running multiplies both fuel loss and fume risk. Cycle the heat, ventilate slightly, and keep that tailpipe breathing freely.

   Study this in the handbook: Night, rural, winter and wet weather driving

8. 8. A driver shows an insurance card that was made up and never issued by any insurer. How does Maine law treat this?

   1. It is a crime to show false insurance evidence
   2. It counts as proof until the policy is checked
   3. It is allowed if the vehicle is truly insured
   4. It brings only a warning for a first showing
   Show answer

   It is a crime to show false insurance evidence. Insurance evidence must be genuine to count at all. It is a crime to display evidence of insurance that is fictitious or altered, because officers and other drivers rely on that card after stops and crashes. A made up card proves nothing while a check runs, and real coverage elsewhere does not excuse showing false papers for this vehicle. A warning understates a criminal act. Carry the true card, letter, binder, or policy summary for the vehicle you drive and keep its dates current.

   Study this in the handbook: Title, registration, insurance and inspection

9. 9. An intersection has no lights, stop signs, or yield signs. How should you approach it?

   1. Keep normal speed because no signs assign priority
   2. Slow down and be ready to stop
   3. Stop only after another driver sounds a horn
   4. Assume the vehicle on your left will yield
   Show answer

   Slow down and be ready to stop. An uncontrolled intersection has no signal, stop sign, or yield sign to organize the approaches. Maine advises drivers to approach with caution, slow down, and be ready to stop for crossing traffic or oncoming traffic that indicates a turn. Normal speed and assumptions about another driver's action leave too little time to respond. A horn is not a substitute for looking. Reduce speed early, scan the approaches, and proceed only when the conflicting paths are clear.

   Study this in the handbook: Night, rural, winter and wet weather driving

10. 10. One deer crosses the road ahead of you at night. What should you expect next?

    1. The road is now clear
    2. Following cars will stop them
    3. Deer always travel alone
    4. More animals nearby may cross as well
    Show answer

    More animals nearby may cross as well. Single animals rarely represent the whole herd story. Moose and deer often travel in small groups; if you see one animal cross the road, you can bet that there are more animals nearby that may cross as well, following nose to tail into your lane. Declaring the road clear after the first crosser invites the second through your windshield. Followers behind cannot guard your front bumper. Slow down, scan both ditches, and wait out the family procession.

    Study this in the handbook: Moose and deer

11. 11. What does Maine say about passing another car by driving off the pavement?

    1. It is allowed on rural roads with light traffic
    2. It is allowed when the shoulder is gravel
    3. It is never allowed
    4. It is allowed only for farm equipment
    Show answer

    It is never allowed. Maine forbids overtaking by leaving the pavement or the main traveled portion of the road, even when the shoulder looks firm. Loose gravel, soft dirt, and hidden drop offs can pull a car out of control, and a vehicle re-entering the lane may strike the one it just passed. Light traffic and a gravel surface do not make the maneuver legal, and farm equipment does not create an exception. Cue: if a pass requires two wheels off the pavement, wait for a proper passing zone.

    Study this in the handbook: Lane markings, lane use and special lanes

12. 12. A steady yellow arrow appears as you begin a turn. What should you do?

    1. Clear the intersection as you finish the turn
    2. Stop in place and wait for a fresh green arrow
    3. Change lanes instead of completing the turn
    4. Back out of the intersection to the stop line
    Show answer

    Clear the intersection as you finish the turn. A yellow arrow is a clearance interval, not a new permission. It tells turning drivers already in the intersection to complete the movement and get clear before the opposing light turns red. Stopping in place would block cross traffic, and waiting for another green arrow ignores that the current arrow is ending. Changing lanes or reversing inside an intersection adds conflict where drivers least expect it. Cue: once the arrow turns yellow, keep moving through the turn and do not stop in the box.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals, arrows and lane lights

13. 13. A school crossing guard signals you to stop at a Maine crosswalk. What must you do?

    1. Continue if no children are visible
    2. Stop only if the guard enters your lane
    3. Slow down and pass behind the guard
    4. Stop and yield as the guard signals
    Show answer

    Stop and yield as the guard signals. At a school crossing where a guard is directing traffic, Maine requires drivers to stop and yield exactly as the guard signals. The guard's direction carries the same authority as a traffic control device, so an empty looking gap or the absence of children in view does not cancel it. Waiting for the guard to step into your lane, slowing and passing behind, or proceeding because no children are visible all ignore the signal. Cue: watch the guard's hand and whistle, stop where directed, and move only when released.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles and large vehicles

14. 14. Unless a different limit is posted, what is the maximum speed in a Maine business district or built-up area?

    1. 15 miles per hour
    2. 35 miles per hour
    3. 25 miles per hour
    4. 45 miles per hour
    Show answer

    25 miles per hour. Unless a sign posts something different, Maine's top speed in a business district, residential district, or built-up area is 25 miles per hour. The same list sets 45 miles per hour outside those areas and 15 miles per hour for a school during recess or arrival and dismissal. Thirty five is not one of the three statewide figures, and 15 belongs to the school setting, not an ordinary built up street. A lower posted sign still controls if one appears. Cue: houses, stores, and sidewalks generally mean the 25 mile per hour default.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and school zones

15. 15. When leaving an angle parking space, how far should you back before turning the wheel?

    1. Until your rear bumper touches the vehicle behind
    2. Until your door is level with the space line
    3. Until the steering wheel reaches full lock
    4. Until the front bumper clears the car beside you
    Show answer

    Until the front bumper clears the car beside you. Backing out of an angle or perpendicular space, the driver keeps watching for traffic until the front bumper has passed the vehicle next to the space. Only then is there room to swing the wheel without clipping that car. Waiting for contact with the vehicle behind would mean a collision, a door lined up with a painted line says nothing about clearance, and full steering lock is a position, not a clearance check. Cue: watch the front corner pass the neighboring bumper, then turn.

16. 16. Traffic forces you to stop near a railroad crossing. Where should you wait?

    1. On the tracks, keeping momentum ready
    2. Past the tracks, blocking the exit
    3. At the stop line before the tracks
    4. On the crossing gate arm line
    Show answer

    At the stop line before the tracks. Queuing traffic must never park a car on rails. If you must stop for traffic or a signal near a railroad crossing, wait at the stop line before the tracks, not on the tracks, even when the queue tempts you forward. Blocking the far side traps others behind you on the crossing. Gate lines mark machinery, not waiting spots. Hold short of the rails until space beyond can swallow the whole car, so a train never finds you stopped where you cannot move clear.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning, railroad and work zone signs

17. 17. Why must you never merge or change lanes closely in front of a moving larger vehicle?

    1. Trucks prefer empty roads
    2. Trucks need longer to stop
    3. Large vehicles turn faster
    4. Their horns are louder
    Show answer

    Trucks need longer to stop. Size stretches every reaction a heavy vehicle makes. Because they are so big and heavy larger vehicles take longer to stop than cars, and the truck ahead of your merge may also be going faster than you think. Cutting in closely steals the gap its driver needs to manage tons of momentum. Horn volume and turning speed cannot excuse a cutoff, and a preference for empty roads plays no role in the safety margin. Merge only with generous space that keeps growing, never with space that is shrinking toward the truck.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles and large vehicles

18. 18. On a cold morning, how long should a driver usually let the engine idle to warm up before driving?

    1. Ten full minutes
    2. Until the heater blows hot
    3. Five minutes minimum
    4. Thirty seconds is usually enough
    Show answer

    Thirty seconds is usually enough. Modern engines warm by working gently, not by idling in driveways. Thirty seconds is usually enough time to allow your engine to idle; even a cold engine will warm up faster when being driven than when left to idle for long periods of time. Ten minutes burns fuel warming the neighborhood instead of the motor. Heater comfort measures cabin air, not engine readiness. Idle briefly, drive slowly at first in extreme cold, and let motion finish the warmup.

    Study this in the handbook: Night, rural, winter and wet weather driving

19. 19. No breath test was given at a Maine OUI stop. What testing step comes next?

    1. Blood test, own physician if available
    2. The driver goes home without testing
    3. Only a second roadside exercise
    4. Testing waits until the next day
    Show answer

    Blood test, own physician if available. Skipping the breath test does not end chemical testing. If the breath test is not administered, the driver will be required to submit to a blood test, which may be administered by a physician of the driver choice if that physician is reasonably available. Going home untested rewards refusal with freedom the law denies. Next day testing would let alcohol vanish before measurement. Cooperate promptly and ask about physician choice while availability still allows it.

    Study this in the handbook: OUI law, implied consent and penalties

20. 20. How often should a Maine driver have vision checked to catch problems that affect driving?

    1. At the next license renewal
    2. When the driver begins wearing glasses
    3. After a crash reveals a vision problem
    4. On a regular eye exam schedule
    Show answer

    On a regular eye exam schedule. The manual recommends having your eyes checked regularly by an optometrist and following that professional's recommendations. It does not tie the check only to license renewal, wearing glasses, or a crash. A regular schedule can identify changes before they interfere with seeing traffic, signs, or hazards. Drivers should also pay attention to new vision problems and seek professional advice instead of waiting for a licensing event or an incident on the road.

    Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue and distractions