ME Permit Practice Test 22

All 20 questions in test 22

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. You will be out of sight of your parked car for a while. What does the manual advise?

   1. Leave the key inside the ignition
   2. Lock the car and take the key
   3. Leave a window partly open for air
   4. Keep the engine running while away
   Show answer

   Lock the car and take the key. Once you leave a car, Maine advises shutting off the engine and taking the key with you. If the vehicle will be out of your sight, locking it is the sensible extra step. A key left in the ignition invites theft, an open window does not secure the car, and an idling engine wastes fuel while making the vehicle easy to take. Cue: key in pocket, doors locked, before you walk away.

2. 2. Your road has two lanes in your direction and no special turn lanes. Which lane generally flows most smoothly?

   1. The left lane
   2. The right lane
   3. Either lane, because both are identical
   4. The lane with fewer markings
   Show answer

   The right lane. When there are only two lanes in your direction, Maine points to the right lane as the one that usually flows most smoothly. The left lane remains available for passing or for a dedicated left turn at an intersection. Saying both lanes are identical ignores that each has a different job, and the amount of paint on the pavement does not decide traffic flow. Cue: on a two-lane road in one direction, stay right unless you are overtaking or preparing to turn left.

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

3. 3. You park on a hill where there is no curb. Which way should the front wheels be turned?

   1. Left, toward the center line
   2. Straight ahead
   3. It makes no difference without a curb
   4. Right, toward the road edge
   Show answer

   Right, toward the road edge. With no curb to catch the tires, a car parked on a slope should be aimed so that a roll takes it away from the travel lanes. Maine therefore calls for the front wheels turned to the right whether the grade runs uphill or downhill. Pointing them left aims the car into traffic, keeping them straight lets it roll wherever the slope leads, and the absence of a curb does not remove the need to choose a direction. Cue: no curb on a hill means right wheels.

4. 4. Driving on wet roads, when should you signal turns and begin braking?

   1. Signal late and brake at the corner
   2. Signal all turns and brake well in advance
   3. Skip signaling while roads are wet
   4. Brake only after the turn begins
   Show answer

   Signal all turns and brake well in advance. Wet roads lengthen every phase of a maneuver, so notice must travel earlier. Signal all turns and begin braking well in advance so other drivers will know what you are planning to do. Late signals and corner braking leave followers no room to respect your slower plan, and skipping signals in rain hides your intentions when visibility is already poor. Advance notice gives the driver behind time to open a gap. Signal every turn, start braking early, and keep each input gentle until the maneuver is finished.

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

5. 5. What purpose do stop lines at intersections serve for large vehicles turning there?

   1. They shorten truck turns
   2. They speed up car traffic
   3. They mark truck parking
   4. More truck turning space
   Show answer

   More truck turning space. Intersection paint quietly reserves room for sweeping truck turns. Stop lines at intersections are designed to give larger vehicles more turning space, holding cars back so long noses and trailing wheels can complete corners without climbing over hoods. Stopping on the line steals that engineered clearance. Truck parking and car speed have nothing to do with the setback. Stop behind the line and watch a trailer track safely inside the room you preserved.

6. 6. What do posted speed limits actually tell a Maine driver?

   1. The exact speed to drive always
   2. A cap, slower when conditions demand
   3. A minimum speed for all roads
   4. A speed that overrides weather
   Show answer

   A cap, slower when conditions demand. Posted numbers set ceilings, not commands. Posted speed limits do not tell you at what speed you must drive; if road and weather conditions make the posted speed unsafe, you must slow down below it. Treating the limit as a minimum pushes drivers into rain and ice at reckless pace. Weather outranks the sign whenever grip or sight shrinks. Read the limit as the fastest lawful choice on a perfect day, then adjust downward honestly.

   Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and school zones

7. 7. A Maine driver is convicted of street racing. What license suspension does the handbook list for this conviction?

   1. Up to 90 days
   2. Exactly 60 days
   3. Up to 120 days
   4. Permanent revocation
   Show answer

   Up to 90 days. Eluding a police officer, passing a roadblock, and street racing are grouped together, and a conviction for any of them may bring a suspension of up to 90 days. Sixty days is the listed period for operating after suspension. Up to 120 days is the extra suspension for someone suspended three times within three years. The handbook describes permanent revocation for other offenses, such as vehicular manslaughter when alcohol is involved.

8. 8. You approach an oncoming vehicle at night with bright lights. Within what distance must you dim to low beam?

   1. Within 300 feet
   2. Within 100 feet
   3. Within 500 feet
   4. Only when the other driver flashes
   Show answer

   Within 500 feet. Courtesy at night carries a measured trigger. When a vehicle equipped with multiple beam road lights approaches an oncoming vehicle within 500 feet the operator shall dim the headlights or switch to a low beam and shall turn off a fog auxiliary light. Three hundred feet is the following distance figure, and using it here leaves the oncoming driver in glare too long. One hundred feet blinds first and dims afterward. Waiting for a flash protest means the other driver already lost night vision. Dim at five hundred feet and restore high beams once you have passed.

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

9. 9. You must slow down suddenly for a hazard ahead. What mirror action comes first?

   1. Quick mirror look before braking
   2. No mirror use, brake instantly
   3. Stare behind until fully stopped
   4. Check mirrors after stopping only
   Show answer

   Quick mirror look before braking. Sudden braking exports risk to the car behind you. When you slow down suddenly look in the mirrors quickly before you slow down or stop, judging whether the follower can match your deceleration. Instant braking without that glance can trade one crash for another. Staring backward while stopping abandons the hazard ahead entirely. Split the difference: quick mirror check, firm braking, eyes forward, and an escape path in mind.

10. 10. The Secretary of State finds a driver negligently caused a death while under the influence. What immediate license action follows?

    1. No action until a criminal trial ends
    2. A 30 day suspension
    3. Suspension for at least one year
    4. A warning with points only
    Show answer

    Suspension for at least one year. Fatal impaired driving brings an immediate administrative penalty. If the Secretary of State is satisfied that a driver, while under the influence, negligently operated a motor vehicle in a way that caused a death, the driver's license is immediately suspended for at least one year. A 30 day suspension is too short for this circumstance. Waiting for a criminal trial overlooks the separate administrative suspension. A warning with points does not replace the required license suspension. The key trigger is negligent impaired operation that causes a death.

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

11. 11. During which overnight hours does Maine guidance say a tired driver should find a safe place to sleep instead of pushing on?

    1. Between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
    2. Between midnight and 6 a.m.
    3. Between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m.
    4. Only after midnight on weekends
    Show answer

    Between midnight and 6 a.m.. Night driving against the body clock needs a hard stop rule. Find a safe place to sleep between midnight and 6 a.m. rather than pushing through to a destination while drowsy. Shifting the window earlier to ten or later to eight misses the hours singled out for rest. Weekend only limits ignore how fatigue strikes on any night of the week. When those hours approach and eyelids grow heavy, park somewhere safe and sleep.

    Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue and distractions

12. 12. Why can a driver remain unaware of poor side vision or weak distance judgment for years?

    1. Hidden unless eyes get regular checks
    2. These defects always cause pain
    3. License tests measure them monthly
    4. Mirrors fully compensate for both
    Show answer

    Hidden unless eyes get regular checks. Some vision defects give no daily warning. A driver may never know about bad side vision or bad distance judgment unless eyes are checked on a regular basis, because ordinary driving rarely tests either ability directly. Pain is an unreliable alarm that these particular defects seldom provide. Monthly state testing exists nowhere in the licensing system. Scheduled eye exams are the net that catches quiet losses before they matter in traffic.

    Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue and distractions

13. 13. Inside an active work zone, what combination of speed, spacing, and readiness is required?

    1. Increase speed and shorten the gap.
    2. Stop at each barrel before continuing.
    3. Keep your usual speed and following distance.
    4. Slow down, increase space, and be ready to stop.
    Show answer

    Slow down, increase space, and be ready to stop.. Maine's work-zone instruction combines three actions: slow down, increase following distance, and be prepared to stop. Lane shifts, rough pavement, workers, and construction vehicles can change the roadway quickly. Speeding up and shortening the gap removes time to react. Stopping at every barrel is not the instruction and would block normal movement through the zone. Keeping ordinary speed and spacing also fails to create the extra margin the work area requires.

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

14. 14. Your car slides uncontrollably on a slick surface toward open road. What last resort does Maine guidance offer?

    1. Close your eyes and coast
    2. Speed up to regain grip
    3. Find something soft to stop you
    4. Turn off the engine mid slide
    Show answer

    Find something soft to stop you. When steering and braking both fail, energy must go somewhere survivable. If you can't control your car on a slippery surface, try to find something to stop you, choosing a snowbank, bushes, or an open field over opposing traffic or a tree. Speed only deepens the eventual impact. Engine shutdown removes power steering help when recovery might still come. Aim early for the softest stopping place within reach and brace for a gentler end to the slide.

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

15. 15. How far beyond the right side fender line may a passenger vehicle load extend at most?

    1. Not at all on either side
    2. Up to two feet with lights
    3. Up to twelve inches
    4. Six inches at most
    Show answer

    Six inches at most. The curb side grants a small, exact overhang allowance. A load may extend more than six inches beyond the line of the fenders on the right side of the vehicle in no lawful case; six inches marks the ceiling beside parked cars and mailboxes. Twelve inches and two feet double and quadruple a limit measured for tight street clearances. Zero on both sides erases the right side allowance that does exist. Tape measure the right flank and keep cargo inside the half foot.

    Study this in the handbook: Moose and deer

16. 16. Drivers of vehicles under 10,000 pounds must take reasonable measures to prevent what while driving in winter?

    1. Fuel from freezing
    2. Windows from frosting
    3. Snow or ice shedding off
    4. Salt from staining paint
    Show answer

    Snow or ice shedding off. Roof snow becomes a flying hazard at highway speed. Operators of vehicles under 10,000 pounds shall take reasonable measures to prevent snow or ice from falling off their vehicle while driving, clearing roofs, hoods, and trunks before departure. Frosting and staining concern comfort and cosmetics, not windshields shattered by ice sheets behind you. Fuel freezing is a maintenance issue separate from debris duties. Brush the whole vehicle, not just a peephole, before winter driving.

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

17. 17. Why does drowsiness become deadly when the car ahead stops suddenly?

    1. Drowsy drivers steer straighter
    2. Sleepiness sharpens braking
    3. You may not react as quickly as you need to
    4. Following distance stops mattering
    Show answer

    You may not react as quickly as you need to. Sleep pressure taxes the exact reflex emergency braking spends. You may not react as quickly as you need to if a car suddenly stops in front of you while drowsy, because perception and foot movement both lag behind events. Straighter steering and sharper braking describe the alert drivers fatigue quietly replaces. Following distance matters more, not less, when reactions stretch. Treat slow responses as impairment and stop for sleep before traffic tests them.

    Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue and distractions

18. 18. You are entering a street or highway from a side road. What traffic duty applies as you enter?

    1. Enter quickly before others arrive
    2. Stop in the entry lane to judge speed
    3. Expect highway traffic to make room
    4. Enter without interfering with other traffic
    Show answer

    Enter without interfering with other traffic. Entering drivers join a stream that already owns the road. If you are entering a street or highway you must do so without interfering with other traffic, choosing a gap that forces nobody to brake or swerve. Quick lunges gamble that others will rescue a bad entry. Expecting room reverses the yield burden entirely. Wait for a genuine opening, accelerate briskly within it, and blend at traffic speed.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way at intersections and highways

19. 19. Approaching a stop sign, where must the stop be completed relative to the intersection?

    1. Before any part of the car enters
    2. After rolling halfway in to see better
    3. Only after entering if traffic is coming
    4. At the far side of the intersection
    Show answer

    Before any part of the car enters. A proper stop keeps the whole car out of the crossing zone. The stop must be made before any portion of your vehicle has entered the intersection, behind the stop line or crosswalk where present. Rolling halfway in to peek steals space from cross traffic and pedestrians. Waiting until the far side describes driving through, not stopping. Halt fully at the line, scan from that vantage, and proceed only when the way stands clear.

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

20. 20. A car stops suddenly and an unbelted rider keeps moving forward. What stops that rider inside the car?

    1. The dashboard or windshield
    2. The safety belt that was never worn
    3. The air bag alone in every crash
    4. The headrest behind the rider
    Show answer

    The dashboard or windshield. Crash physics inside the cabin follows a grim sequence. If you are not wearing safety belts and have a collision, your car stops but you keep going at the same travel speed until you hit the dashboard or windshield. An unworn belt cannot arrest motion it never engages. Bags help only alongside belts and positioning. Headrests guard against rear impacts, not forward flight. Fastening the belt beforehand is the sole step that changes this outcome.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat position, seat belts and child safety