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 must you do at a flashing red traffic signal?

   1. Slow down without stopping and continue through
   2. Come to a complete stop, yield, and proceed when the way is clear
   3. Treat it as a steady green signal
   4. Stop only if a train or pedestrian is visible
   Show answer

   Come to a complete stop, yield, and proceed when the way is clear. A flashing red signal operates as a stop instruction. Stop at the stop line, or before the crosswalk or intersection when the usual marking is absent. Yield to all other traffic and pedestrians, then proceed only when the way is clear. Simply slowing down leaves the intersection uncontrolled, and a flashing red is not permission to proceed like a green light. Waiting for a visible train or pedestrian also misses vehicles that may be approaching. Make the full stop first, then use the yield decision before entering.

2. 2. At what speed does a Class 3 electric bicycle stop providing assistance in Maryland?

   1. 20 miles per hour
   2. 15 miles per hour
   3. 28 miles per hour
   4. 35 miles per hour
   Show answer

   28 miles per hour. A Class 3 electric bicycle has a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and stops assisting when the bicycle reaches 28 miles per hour. Class 1 bikes also assist only while pedaling but stop at 20 mph, and Class 2 bikes assist whether or not the rider pedals, stopping at 20 mph. All classes are limited to a 750 watt motor.

3. 3. Before entering a Maryland traffic circle, what should you do?

   
   1. Enter immediately because circulating traffic must yield
   2. Stop in the circle and wait for every approaching vehicle
   3. Yield to traffic already in the circle and wait for a safe gap
   4. Drive left of the island to shorten the route
   Show answer

   Yield to traffic already in the circle and wait for a safe gap. Traffic entering a circle must yield to vehicles already circulating. The driver should approach cautiously, reduce speed, watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk, and wait at the yield line for a gap. A full stop in the middle disrupts traffic and is not the prescribed location. Entering immediately reverses the priority rule, while driving left of the island violates the instruction to keep right. The cue is to read the yield line before entry, then join the circle only after the circulating path is clear.

4. 4. What does the pictured crossbuck identify?

   
   1. The end of a no-passing zone
   2. The start of a school zone
   3. A lane reserved for buses
   4. The location of a railroad crossing
   Show answer

   The location of a railroad crossing. The crossbuck identifies the location of a highway rail grade crossing. It is not a school-zone marker, bus-lane sign, or no-passing marker. As you reach the tracks, scan for trains and obey any additional signals, gates, or pavement markings. The manual distinguishes the crossbuck from the round railroad warning sign: the round sign warns that a crossing is ahead, while the crossbuck marks where the crossing is located. That shape distinction helps determine whether to prepare or to cross the tracks.

5. 5. Under Maryland's Move Over Law, which stopped vehicles are covered when their lights are flashing?

   1. Only police cars and ambulances
   2. Only school buses loading passengers
   3. Only tow trucks on interstate highways
   4. Any vehicle stopped, standing, or parked on the road
   Show answer

   Any vehicle stopped, standing, or parked on the road. Maryland's rule applies broadly to vehicles that are stopped, standing, or parked on a road while their lights are flashing. It is not restricted to police, ambulances, tow trucks, interstate locations, or school bus loading zones. When approaching one, move to a lane that is not immediately adjacent if that is safe. If moving over cannot be done safely, slow down and be prepared to stop. The key recognition cue is the combination of a roadside vehicle and flashing lights, regardless of the vehicle's ordinary purpose.

6. 6. When should a driver activate a turn signal?

   1. Only after beginning to turn
   2. Before reaching the turn
   3. Only when another vehicle is directly behind
   4. After completing the turn
   Show answer

   Before reaching the turn. Maryland instructs drivers to switch on the turn signal before getting to the turn so other drivers know what is planned. Waiting until the vehicle is already turning gives surrounding road users less time to react, and waiting for a visible follower overlooks pedestrians or vehicles outside the mirror's immediate view. The cue is early communication: signal before the turning point, check around the vehicle, then make the turn at a suitable speed.

7. 7. 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.

8. 8. When may you begin moving after stopping for a school bus with flashing red lights?

   
   1. As soon as no child is visible near the roadway
   2. After the bus starts moving or turns off its flashing red lights
   3. After waiting exactly 10 seconds
   4. When the vehicle behind you honks
   Show answer

   After the bus starts moving or turns off its flashing red lights. The stop continues until the school bus starts moving or turns off its flashing red lights. A driver cannot replace that signal with a personal guess that children are clear, a timed pause, or pressure from following traffic. The bus may still be loading or preparing to release children, so the visible red lights control the waiting period. Keep the vehicle stopped at least 20 feet away when approaching from behind, watch the bus, and move only after one of the two stated release conditions occurs.

9. 9. What happens after a second moving violation for a Maryland provisional driver under 18?

   1. A warning
   2. License revocation until age 21
   3. A 180 day suspension
   4. A 30 day suspension followed by a 90 day restriction to employment and educational driving
   Show answer

   A 30 day suspension followed by a 90 day restriction to employment and educational driving. For a provisional license holder under 18, the first moving violation conviction requires a driver improvement program. A second offense brings a 30 day suspension followed by a 90 day restriction that limits driving to employment and educational purposes. A third offense brings a 180 day suspension, the young driver improvement program, and a 180 day employment and education restriction.

10. 10. When may you change lanes according to Maryland's basic lane-driving guidance?

    1. After determining it is safe, but not while in an intersection
    2. Whenever the vehicle ahead slows, including in an intersection
    3. Only after crossing the center line
    4. Without checking if the lane appears empty
    Show answer

    After determining it is safe, but not while in an intersection. Maryland expects a driver to remain in a single lane until a safe lane change has been confirmed. The manual specifically warns against drifting across lane lines or changing lanes in an intersection. A slowing vehicle may require patience, not an unchecked move, and an empty-looking lane still needs a proper search of mirrors and blind areas. Crossing the center line is not a general lane-change method. Signal, scan the surrounding traffic, and complete the move where the roadway gives you enough space and time to control it.

11. 11. What should a Maryland driver do when road conditions are adverse?

    1. Keep the same speed in every condition
    2. Drive faster than the posted limit
    3. Recognize the conditions and adjust speed
    4. Ignore potential hazards until they appear
    Show answer

    Recognize the conditions and adjust speed. Maryland requires drivers to recognize and adjust speed to adverse conditions. The posted speed is a maximum for ideal conditions, not a promise that the same speed is safe during rain, heavy traffic, poor visibility, or a difficult roadway. Driving faster than the limit is illegal, and holding one speed regardless of conditions ignores the manual’s risk guidance. Waiting until a hazard appears leaves less time to respond. Scan the road early, identify what has changed, and reduce speed before traction, sight distance, or stopping room becomes a problem.

12. 12. What can leaving the scene of a fatal crash bring in Maryland?

    1. A felony with up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000
    2. Up to 5 years and $5,000
    3. A misdemeanor with a $500 fine
    4. License suspension only
    Show answer

    A felony with up to 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000. Leaving the scene of a crash where someone dies is a felony in Maryland, and you could go to prison for up to 10 years and be fined up to $10,000. A serious injury crash carries up to 5 years and $5,000 plus revocation. Even when no one is hurt and the vehicle cannot move, call 911 with the location and wait for police assistance.

13. 13. By Maryland law, what must a bicycle's brakes be able to do?

    1. Stop the bicycle within 50 feet at 20 mph
    2. Stop the bicycle within 3 feet at any speed
    3. Stop the bicycle within 15 feet at 10 mph on dry, level, clean pavement
    4. Stop the bicycle within 100 feet on wet pavement
    Show answer

    Stop the bicycle within 15 feet at 10 mph on dry, level, clean pavement. Maryland lists required bicycle equipment, and the brake standard is exact: the brakes must stop the bicycle within 15 feet when it is going 10 miles per hour on dry, level, clean pavement. The other choices mix up distances and speeds that the law does not use. The same list requires a white headlight seen from 500 feet and a red rear reflector seen from 600 feet when the bicycle is ridden at night.

14. 14. 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.

15. 15. If moving over is unsafe or impossible near a stopped vehicle with flashing lights, what must a Maryland driver do?

    1. Slow down to a safe speed while considering conditions and people nearby
    2. Maintain the posted limit and pass closely
    3. Stop in the travel lane until the vehicle leaves
    4. Use high beams and accelerate past the scene
    Show answer

    Slow down to a safe speed while considering conditions and people nearby. Maryland's Move Over Law requires a driver to slow to a safe speed when moving over is not safe or possible. The driver should consider weather, road conditions, traffic, and pedestrians while choosing that speed. Holding the posted limit or accelerating past the scene ignores the changed hazard. Look for a safe lane change first; if one cannot be made, create safety with space and reduced speed.

16. 16. What do warning signs provide notice of?

    
    1. A situation that might not be readily apparent
    2. A guarantee that no hazard is present
    3. A vehicle registration requirement
    4. A direction to ignore traffic controls
    Show answer

    A situation that might not be readily apparent. Maryland states that warning signs provide notice to road users of a situation that might not be readily apparent. Their purpose is to reveal a condition or hazard early enough for a driver to look ahead, adjust speed, and choose a safe response. A warning does not guarantee that the road is clear, replace registration rules, or authorize ignoring other controls. Treat the sign as advance information, then obey the signal, marking, or regulatory sign that governs the actual location.

17. 17. A Maryland Provisional License holder age 19 is convicted of a second moving violation. What penalty follows?

    1. A 180-day suspension and a 180-day restriction
    2. A 30-day suspension of the license
    3. Revocation and retesting
    4. Only a driver improvement program
    Show answer

    A 30-day suspension of the license. Maryland has separate penalty ladders for provisional drivers under 18 and those 18 or older. For an adult provisional driver, the first offense requires a driver improvement program and a second offense brings a 30-day suspension. The ladder for adults is shorter than the one for minors. A 180-day suspension with a 180-day restriction is the third offense penalty for minors. Revocation with retesting is for a minor's fourth offense, and the improvement program alone is the first offense penalty.

18. 18. Which Maryland administrative action ends the driving privilege without reinstatement?

    1. Cancellation
    2. Suspension
    3. Restriction
    4. Revocation
    Show answer

    Cancellation. Cancellation is the most severe action the manual describes. It is more severe than a suspension or a revocation, and it means the driving privilege is terminated and not reinstated. The MVA may cancel a license if you should not have been given one, gave wrong or missing information on the application, or committed fraud. A suspension is a temporary loss. A revocation can end in reinstatement after a waiting period. A restriction only limits when or why you may drive.

19. 19. Why can alcohol create driving impairment concerns before a driver reaches 0.08 BAC?

    1. A lower BAC improves reaction time but increases fines
    2. The legal limit changes to 0.10 when traffic is light
    3. Only experienced drivers are affected below 0.08 BAC
    4. Judgment and coordination can be impaired at a much lower BAC
    Show answer

    Judgment and coordination can be impaired at a much lower BAC. The manual identifies 0.08 as Maryland’s threshold for driving under the influence, but it also warns that alcohol can impair judgment and physical coordination at a much lower BAC. One drink may affect vision, simple movements, and reaction time. The number of drinks is not a reliable personal gauge because food, body composition, tiredness, mood, and medication change how alcohol affects someone. The safest plan after drinking is not to drive.

20. 20. What vision does Maryland require to qualify for a driver's license?

    1. 20/20 in one eye
    2. Binocular vision, at least 20/40 in each eye, and a continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees
    3. 20/70 in either eye with 90 degrees
    4. Any vision with corrective lenses
    Show answer

    Binocular vision, at least 20/40 in each eye, and a continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees. To qualify for a Maryland driver's license the applicant must have binocular vision, visual acuity of at least 20/40 in each eye, and a continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees. The MVA or your eye doctor can do the screening and explain the standard. If glasses or contact lenses are needed to meet it, you must always wear them when you drive, and the license carries that restriction.