MD Permit Practice Test 10

All 20 questions in test 10

Every question below comes from the Maryland 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 do Maryland traffic signs use to communicate information?

   
   1. Only flashing lights
   2. Engine sounds and tire size
   3. Symbols and words
   4. Vehicle registration numbers
   Show answer

   Symbols and words. Maryland states that traffic signs use symbols and words to communicate information. Drivers should quickly identify signs by their shapes, colors, words, numbers, and symbols. A sign is not interpreted from engine noise, tire size, or a vehicle registration number, and not every sign uses a flashing light. Slow enough to recognize the sign before acting, then combine the visual elements to understand whether it warns, regulates, guides, or identifies a service. This habit helps prevent a driver from reacting to only one part of the sign.

   Study this in the handbook: Sign colors and shapes

2. 2. A flashing red signal is located at a railroad crossing, but you do not see a train. What must you do?

   1. Slow down and cross if no train is visible
   2. Stop completely, then proceed when the signal stops flashing and the way is clear
   3. Stop only if a gate is coming down
   4. Proceed with caution, as with a flashing yellow signal
   Show answer

   Stop completely, then proceed when the signal stops flashing and the way is clear. A flashing red signal at a railroad crossing means a complete stop even when no train is in sight. Maryland says to proceed only after the flashing red signal stops and the way is clear. Rolling through because the tracks look empty ignores the rule, and a gate does not have to be lowering for the stop to apply. A flashing yellow signal is the one that lets you slow down and continue with caution. Trains cannot stop quickly and may be closer and faster than they appear, so wait for the lights to go dark.

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

3. 3. A school bus with flashing red lights is stopped on an undivided Maryland road, and you are approaching it from the front. Where must you stop?

   1. At least 10 feet from the front of the bus
   2. You do not need to stop when facing the bus
   3. At least 50 feet from the front of the bus
   4. At least 20 feet from the front of the bus
   Show answer

   At least 20 feet from the front of the bus. When a school bus stops on the road with its flashing red lights on, Maryland requires drivers on both sides to stop. A driver behind the bus stops at least 20 feet from its back, and a driver in front of the bus stops at least 20 feet from its front. Facing the bus does not excuse you; the only exception is a multiple lane road divided by a physical barrier with the bus on the other side. Ten feet is too close, and 50 feet is not the stated distance. Stay stopped until the bus starts moving or turns off its red lights.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, emergency vehicles and school buses

4. 4. Your vehicle breaks down near a highway exit. Where does Maryland say you must never stop or park?

   1. On an off-ramp
   2. In a parking lot near the exit
   3. In the triangular painted zone where a ramp exits the road
   4. On the shoulder beyond the exit
   Show answer

   In the triangular painted zone where a ramp exits the road. Maryland's roadside emergency advice is to get as far from traffic as you can. If your vehicle becomes disabled, move it to the shoulder, and if you can reach an off-ramp or parking lot, consider going there even if it means driving on a flat tire or damaging a rim. The one place the handbook says never to stop or park is the triangular painted zone where a ramp exits the road. Off-ramps and parking lots are suggested, not forbidden.

5. 5. Who must wear a helmet on a bicycle in Maryland?

   1. No one, helmets are optional
   2. Everyone regardless of age
   3. Only riders on state highways
   4. Anyone under 16, including passengers who are not steering
   Show answer

   Anyone under 16, including passengers who are not steering. Helmets are required for anyone under age 16 riding on a bike, including passengers who are not steering, and they are strongly recommended for people of all ages. By law all bicycles must have brakes that can stop within a short distance, and at night a white headlight and red rear reflector visible from 600 feet. The manual says bicycles are generally allowed on sidewalks, but local jurisdictions can prohibit sidewalk riding, so riders should check the local code.

6. 6. What does a red background on a Maryland traffic sign generally warn or require?

   1. Food, fuel, or another roadside service
   2. Construction or maintenance work ahead
   3. A destination, distance, or direction
   4. Stop, yield, do not enter, or wrong way
   Show answer

   Stop, yield, do not enter, or wrong way. Red is used for several high-priority traffic messages in Maryland: stop, yield, do not enter, and wrong way. It is not the color used to identify a work zone, a destination guide, or a service area. The exact words and shape still matter, because a red octagon gives a stop command while a red triangle gives a yield command. When red appears on a sign, slow your visual search, read the instruction, and follow the restriction before continuing.

   Study this in the handbook: Sign colors and shapes

7. 7. In winter weather, which parts of the road does Maryland warn freeze before other roads?

   1. Ramps and bridges
   2. Roads in direct sunlight
   3. Freshly plowed roads during the day
   4. Roads with heavy traffic
   Show answer

   Ramps and bridges. Maryland warns that ramps and bridges freeze before roads, so they can be icy while the rest of the road is not. The handbook adds that plowed roads may refreeze at night or have icy patches from snow that melted during the day, so freshly plowed pavement in daytime is not the place that freezes first. Black ice, a thin layer that forms when snow or ice melts and refreezes, can be very hard or impossible to see on blacktop. Slow down before bridges and ramps in cold weather and avoid sudden braking or steering.

   Study this in the handbook: Headlights, night driving and fog

8. 8. You are leaving a Maryland interstate. When should you start slowing down?

   1. While still in the travel lane, before the exit
   2. Only after you reach the end of the exit ramp
   3. As soon as you enter the deceleration lane
   4. When you see the next exit sign
   Show answer

   As soon as you enter the deceleration lane. Maryland tells drivers to move to the right lane well before the exit, then start slowing down as soon as they enter the deceleration lane. That lane leads to the exit ramp and gives you room to lose speed without holding up highway traffic. Braking in the travel lane forces faster traffic behind you to slow, and waiting until the end of the ramp leaves too little room. Keep slowing until you reach the posted speed limit for the exit ramp. If you miss your exit, continue on and find another way back; never stop and back up on the highway.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroads, work zones, roundabouts, highways and processions

9. 9. A Maryland provisional licensee under 18 may drive unsupervised only for certain listed purposes during what late-night period?

   1. 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
   2. 12:00 midnight to 5:00 a.m.
   3. 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
   4. 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
   Show answer

   12:00 midnight to 5:00 a.m.. Maryland's nighttime restriction covers provisional license holders under 18 between 12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. During those hours they may drive unsupervised only when driving to, from, or during a job, to or from an organized volunteer program, to or from an official school activity, or to or from an athletic event or training session they take part in. The other time windows start or end at the wrong hour. Outside those listed purposes, a provisional driver under 18 needs a qualified supervising driver for midnight to 5:00 a.m. trips.

   Study this in the handbook: Provisional license restrictions, implied consent and penalties

10. 10. Within what distance of an intersection or railroad grade crossing is passing prohibited in Maryland?

    1. 100 feet
    2. 50 feet
    3. 300 feet
    4. 500 feet
    Show answer

    100 feet. Maryland prohibits passing when crossing or within 100 feet of an intersection or a railroad grade crossing. The same 100 foot distance applies when your view is blocked as you come within 100 feet of a bridge, elevated road or tunnel. Fifty feet is too short. Three hundred and five hundred feet are the manual's distances for dimming high beams when following or meeting another vehicle, not passing limits.

    Study this in the handbook: Passing rules and parking

11. 11. A Maryland driver has a valid disability placard. Which parking act is still a violation?

    1. Parking in a disability space when the qualified person is the driver
    2. Parking on the access aisle next to a disability space
    3. Parking in a regular space
    4. Parking in a disability space with the qualified person as a passenger
    Show answer

    Parking on the access aisle next to a disability space. A placard does not cover every spot. Maryland lists parking on any part of the access aisle next to a disability parking space as a violation even with a disability plate or placard, because people in wheelchairs use that aisle to get in and out. Blocking a curb cut is also illegal with a placard. Using the disability space itself is allowed when the qualified person is the driver or a passenger. A regular space is always allowed.

    Study this in the handbook: Provisional license restrictions, implied consent and penalties

12. 12. A Maryland permit applicant is 15 and a half years old. Which extra form must the applicant provide?

    1. A completed Learner's Permit School Attendance Certification form (DL-300)
    2. A signed Practice and Skills Log showing 60 hours
    3. A certificate from the three-hour roadway safety program
    4. A letter from an employer approving night driving
    Show answer

    A completed Learner's Permit School Attendance Certification form (DL-300). An applicant under age 16 must hand in a completed Learner's Permit School Attendance Certification form, numbered DL-300, along with a parent or guardian co-signature. The Practice and Skills Log is turned in later, when the permit holder moves up to a Provisional License, so it cannot be required at the permit stage. The three-hour roadway safety program is for drivers who hold a license from another country. No employer letter is part of the permit application.

    Study this in the handbook: The learner's instructional permit and practice hours

13. 13. A Maryland driver who already has a license gets a Type 2 Learner's Instructional Permit for a new class. How soon can the driving test be taken?

    1. After holding the permit at least 45 days
    2. After holding the permit at least 9 months
    3. After holding the permit at least 14 days
    4. On the same day the permit is issued
    Show answer

    After holding the permit at least 14 days. The Type 2 permit is for someone who already holds a driver's license and wants a different class, so the waiting time is short. The manual lets that driver take the skills test for a full license once the permit has been held at least 14 days. Forty-five days is the minimum permit period for a new applicant 25 or older under the Type 1 route. Nine months applies to new applicants under 18. There is no same day test.

    Study this in the handbook: The learner's instructional permit and practice hours

14. 14. How much can a fully loaded truck weigh, and how far does it take to stop, according to the Maryland manual?

    1. About 10,000 pounds, stopping in 50 feet
    2. About 20,000 pounds, stopping like a car
    3. About 40,000 pounds, stopping in 100 feet
    4. More than 80,000 pounds, taking the length of a football field to stop
    Show answer

    More than 80,000 pounds, taking the length of a football field to stop. Fully loaded trucks can weigh more than 80,000 pounds and take the length of a football field to stop, while most cars weigh only about 2,000 pounds. Never cut in front of a truck, and never squeeze along a truck's right side as it begins a turn, because it swings wide and you can be caught between the truck and the curb. Stay out of the four no zones.

    Study this in the handbook: Trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and mopeds

15. 15. In Maryland, how does the revocation of a driver's license compare with a suspension?

    1. Revocation is milder and ends automatically after 30 days
    2. They are the same action with different names
    3. Revocation is more severe, and there is a minimum waiting period before you can ask to be reinstated
    4. Revocation only restricts driving to work and school
    Show answer

    Revocation is more severe, and there is a minimum waiting period before you can ask to be reinstated. Maryland describes revocation as more severe than a suspension. After a revocation you may not drive until the MVA decides you can drive safely again, and there is a minimum waiting period before you can even request reinstatement, which the MVA can deny. It does not end automatically after 30 days, and it is not the same as a suspension. A license limited to work and school is a restricted license, which the MVA may grant in some suspension cases.

16. 16. A Maryland teen lies about age to buy alcohol. Besides criminal fines or prison, what can happen to the driver's license?

    1. It may be suspended
    2. Nothing, because the offense did not involve driving
    3. It is automatically canceled forever
    4. It is converted to a Type 2 permit
    Show answer

    It may be suspended. The manual says it is against the law to lie about your age to purchase, possess or acquire alcohol, and that in addition to the fines or prison allowed under federal and state law, your driver's license may be suspended. The license can be affected even though no vehicle was involved. Permanent cancellation is not the listed outcome here, and the Type 2 permit is a licensing product for adding a vehicle class, not a penalty.

17. 17. How much litter do Maryland highway workers remove from state roads each year, according to the manual?

    1. About 500 pounds
    2. Over two million pounds
    3. About 10,000 pounds
    4. About 100 tons
    Show answer

    Over two million pounds. The manual's Did You Know note says highway workers remove over two million pounds of litter from Maryland state roads each year. The same note warns that fines for littering can reach $1,500 or 30 days in prison. Five hundred pounds, ten thousand pounds and one hundred tons all fall far short of that figure. Keep a trash bag in the car instead of tossing anything out the window, and secure any load so nothing blows out.

    Study this in the handbook: The vision screening, knowledge test and skills test

18. 18. What do vertical rectangular signs usually provide?

    
    1. Warnings about every railroad crossing
    2. Instructions or rules of the road
    3. Only recreation information
    4. A guarantee that no traffic is present
    Show answer

    Instructions or rules of the road. Maryland explains that vertical rectangular signs usually give instructions or tell drivers the rules of the road. They are not limited to railroad warnings, recreation information, or assurances about traffic. A driver should read the sign and obey the instruction at the location where it is posted. The shape helps classify the message, but the words and symbols provide the specific rule. Slow enough to identify the sign before acting, especially where a regulatory instruction changes lane use, turns, parking, or speed.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign colors and shapes

19. 19. If the broken yellow line is on your side of a solid yellow line, when may you pass?

    
    1. When passing is careful and the road ahead is clear
    2. Never, because any solid yellow line forbids both directions
    3. Only after moving onto the shoulder first
    4. Whenever the vehicle ahead is traveling below the speed limit
    Show answer

    When passing is careful and the road ahead is clear. A solid yellow line paired with a broken yellow line permits passing only for traffic on the broken-line side, and the maneuver must still be careful. The solid-line side may not pass. A solid line somewhere in the pair therefore does not forbid both directions, and using the shoulder is not a substitute for a legal passing lane. Being below the speed limit does not by itself make passing safe or lawful. The cue is to identify which side carries the broken line before considering a pass.

    Study this in the handbook: Lines and pavement markings

20. 20. At an unsignalized street crossing, when must a driver stop for a pedestrian?

    1. Only when a crossing guard is present
    2. When the pedestrian has been waiting at the curb for several seconds
    3. When the speed limit on the road is 25 mph or less
    4. When the pedestrian is in a marked or unmarked crosswalk
    Show answer

    When the pedestrian is in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Without a traffic signal, Maryland requires drivers to stop for pedestrians in either a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Paint is not what creates the crossing, and a crossing guard, a waiting period at the curb, or a low speed limit is not a prerequisite. Approach crossings attentively, anticipate people who may be difficult to see or hear, and remain stopped long enough for the pedestrian to cross safely. The practical cue is to treat the intersection as a crosswalk even when markings are absent.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, emergency vehicles and school buses