MA Permit Practice Test 1

All 20 questions in test 1

Every question below comes from the Massachusetts 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 two solid yellow lines in the center of a Massachusetts road prohibit?

   
   1. Turning left into a driveway
   2. Driving faster than 30 mph
   3. Crossing them to pass another vehicle
   4. Stopping for a school bus
   Show answer

   Crossing them to pass another vehicle. Double solid yellow means no passing in either direction. The lines forbid crossing to overtake another vehicle, and they are placed where hills, curves or intersections make passing blind. They do not forbid a left turn into a driveway or side street, they set no speed, and they have nothing to do with school buses. If the vehicle ahead is slow, wait for a broken line on your side or a passing lane rather than crossing the double line.

2. 2. Your tire blows out on a Massachusetts road. What does the manual tell you to do first?

   1. Brake as hard as you can
   2. Grip the steering wheel tightly and slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal
   3. Turn sharply toward the shoulder
   4. Shift into park
   Show answer

   Grip the steering wheel tightly and slowly remove your foot from the gas pedal. A blowout pulls the car toward the failed tire, so the first job is to hold the wheel firmly and ease off the gas rather than brake. Hard braking on a flat can spin the car, a sharp turn toward the shoulder at speed can roll it, and shifting into park while moving is impossible or destructive. Let the car slow, steer straight, then brake gently and move off the road. Never change the tire in a traffic lane.

3. 3. You see a stopped emergency vehicle on the shoulder ahead with flashing lights. What speed does Massachusetts expect as you pass?

   
   1. A speed that is reasonable and safe for the road conditions, below the posted limit if needed
   2. At least 10 mph over to clear the scene quickly
   3. Exactly the posted limit
   4. Walking speed in every case
   Show answer

   A speed that is reasonable and safe for the road conditions, below the posted limit if needed. The law does not name a number; it requires a speed that is reasonable and safe for the conditions as you approach a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing lights, which in practice means well below the posted limit near people on foot. The posted limit is the maximum for open road, not for a crash scene, going faster is the violation, and walking speed is not always required on a wide highway with an empty adjacent lane. Slow, move over if you can, and proceed with caution.

4. 4. When must Massachusetts drivers use their headlights and taillights because of the weather?

   1. Only after sunset
   2. Only in snow
   3. Whenever they use their windshield wipers
   4. Only when visibility drops below 100 feet
   Show answer

   Whenever they use their windshield wipers. Massachusetts ties lights to wipers: if the weather makes you run the wipers, the law requires headlights and taillights as well. That covers rain, mist, sleet and snow, not snow alone, and it applies in daylight, not only after sunset. There is no visibility measurement to make; the wiper switch is the trigger. Lights in the rain are less about seeing than about being seen by drivers looking through a wet windshield.

5. 5. What shape is the standard advance warning sign for a railroad crossing in Massachusetts?

   1. Round
   2. Octagonal
   3. Pentagonal
   4. Rectangular
   Show answer

   Round. Massachusetts follows the national pattern: the advance warning for a railroad crossing is a round yellow sign with a black X and the letters RR, posted before the tracks. The octagon is reserved for stop, the pentagon for schools, and rectangles for regulatory and guide messages. The crossing itself is marked by the white crossbuck. When the round sign appears, slow and check both directions before you reach the rails.

6. 6. What following distance does the Massachusetts manual call a minimum for good road conditions and moderate traffic?

   
   1. One second
   2. Ten seconds
   3. One car length
   4. Three seconds
   Show answer

   Three seconds. The three second rule is the floor, not the ideal. In good weather and moderate traffic, three seconds behind the vehicle ahead gives you time to notice a problem and stop. One second is not enough for reaction time alone, ten seconds is more than traffic allows, and car lengths do not scale with speed. Add time at night, in rain, behind motorcycles and large trucks, and whenever the road ahead is hidden.

7. 7. What does a flashing yellow circle mean at a Massachusetts intersection?

   1. It means the same as a stop sign
   2. It means the signal is broken
   3. It is a warning
   4. It means a left turn is protected
   Show answer

   It is a warning. A flashing yellow circle is a warning to approach with caution, slow and be ready to yield, but it does not require a stop. The flashing red circle is the one that means the same as a stop sign. A flashing signal is a normal mode, not a broken one, and a protected left turn is shown by a green arrow, not a flashing yellow circle. When both directions see flashing yellow, the intersection works like an ordinary uncontrolled one, so watch for cross traffic that may face flashing red.

8. 8. What is the only exception to the Massachusetts rule that you must stop for a school bus with flashing lights and an extended stop sign?

   1. The bus is on a road posted above 40 mph
   2. The bus has stopped on the other side of a divided highway with a barrier between travel directions
   3. No children are visible near the bus
   4. You are driving a commercial vehicle
   Show answer

   The bus has stopped on the other side of a divided highway with a barrier between travel directions. The exception is narrow and physical. When a divided highway has a barrier between the two directions, traffic on the opposite side does not stop for a bus loading on the far roadway, because children cannot cross the barrier to reach it. A high posted speed, the kind of vehicle you drive, and whether you happen to see children change nothing. A grass median without a barrier is not enough for the exception. If you are unsure whether a barrier exists, stop.

9. 9. What is the Massachusetts fine for a first offense of failing to produce your license or registration when an officer asks?

   1. $5
   2. $35
   3. $100
   4. $500
   Show answer

   $35. Chapter 90, section 11 requires drivers to keep their license and registration handy, and failing to produce either brings a $35 fine for a first offense. Five dollars is the separate public safety surcharge on civil fines. One hundred dollars is the fine for refusing to give a name and address or giving a false one, a separate offense that can also lead to arrest. Five hundred dollars is not a figure in this rule.

10. 10. Massachusetts adds a surcharge to every speeding fine that goes entirely to the Head Injury Treatment Services Trust Fund. How much is it?

    1. $50
    2. $5
    3. $25
    4. $100
    Show answer

    $50. By law, all Massachusetts speeding fines include a $50 surcharge, and the entire surcharge goes to the Head Injury Treatment Services Trust Fund, because speeding often plays a part in crashes that cause serious head injuries. The $5 figure is a separate public safety surcharge, not the trust fund surcharge. Twenty-five and one hundred dollars are not the stated amounts. The speeding fine itself is $105 for the first 10 mph over plus $10 for each additional mph.

11. 11. This crossroad warning sign marks an intersection ahead. In Massachusetts, who yields when a driver on a two-lane road reaches an intersection with a roadway of three or more lanes?

    
    1. The driver on the larger roadway
    2. Whoever arrives second
    3. Nobody, because the larger road always has a stop sign
    4. The driver on the two-lane road
    Show answer

    The driver on the two-lane road. Massachusetts gives the bigger road the priority at this kind of crossing. A driver on a single or two-lane road who reaches a divided highway or a roadway with three or more lanes must yield to the traffic on the larger road. The driver on the larger road does not yield, arrival order is the rule for equal roads or four-way stops, and the larger road often has no stop sign at all. The crossroad sign is your prompt to slow and prepare to yield.

12. 12. This round yellow sign with an X and RR is posted before a crossing. What is it?

    
    1. The sign that marks the crossing itself
    2. A detour marker
    3. A sign that trains are prohibited
    4. The warning sign that usually appears before a railroad crossing
    Show answer

    The warning sign that usually appears before a railroad crossing. The round yellow sign is the advance warning for a railroad crossing; it usually stands some distance before the tracks so you can slow, look and listen. The crossing itself is marked by the white crossbuck. Trains are never prohibited by a road sign, and detours use orange. When you see the round sign, expect the tracks, check for a stopped vehicle ahead, and never start across unless you can clear the far side.

13. 13. At a Massachusetts four-way stop, you and a vehicle directly to your right stop at the same time. Who goes first?

    1. The vehicle on your right
    2. The larger vehicle
    3. You, because you are on the left
    4. Whoever accelerates first
    Show answer

    The vehicle on your right. The four-way stop rule has two parts: a vehicle that stopped before you goes first, and when you stop at the same moment, the vehicle to your right has the right of way. Being on the left gives you nothing, vehicle size never decides priority, and racing off the line is how these intersections produce crashes. Make eye contact with the other driver to confirm who is going, then proceed only when your turn is clear.

14. 14. When a Massachusetts officer takes a driver's license for a BAC above the limit or a test refusal, when does the notice of suspension take effect?

    1. After a hearing is held
    2. 30 days after the arrest
    3. Only after a court conviction
    4. Immediately
    Show answer

    Immediately. The suspension paperwork handed over at the roadside is not a warning of something to come; the notice of suspension is effective immediately. The driver cannot legally drive away from the stop. No hearing precedes it, there is no 30 day grace period, and it does not wait for a conviction. The suspension periods themselves are set out in charts in the manual and depend on age, prior offenses and whether the driver failed or refused the test.

15. 15. What does a flashing yellow circle signal indicate in Massachusetts?

    1. A requirement to stop as at a stop sign
    2. That the intersection is closed
    3. A warning to proceed with caution
    4. That you have a protected turn
    Show answer

    A warning to proceed with caution. Flashing yellow is the caution signal. It tells you to slow, look and be ready to yield, but it does not require a stop; the flashing red circle is the one that works like a stop sign. A flashing signal does not close the intersection, and a protected turn is shown only by a green arrow. Because the cross street usually faces flashing red, expect vehicles there to stop and then enter, and cover your brake as you pass through.

16. 16. What does the round yellow warning sign with a black X and RR tell a Massachusetts driver?

    
    1. A hospital is ahead
    2. A rotary is ahead
    3. A railroad crossing is ahead
    4. The road curves sharply
    Show answer

    A railroad crossing is ahead. The round yellow sign with the crossed X and the letters RR is the advance warning for a railroad crossing. It is posted before the tracks so you can slow, look and listen; the crossing itself is marked with the white crossbuck, and a small sign under the crossbuck gives the number of tracks when there is more than one. Rotaries and hospitals use different shapes and colors, and sharp curves are shown with an arrow. Treat the round sign as the cue to be ready to stop.

17. 17. What does the Massachusetts manual tell drivers to do near a curve or any place where they cannot see clearly ahead?

    1. Always slow down
    2. Move to the center of the road for a better view
    3. Flash the high beams to warn oncoming drivers
    4. Maintain speed to keep momentum through the curve
    Show answer

    Always slow down. Curves and blind spots share the same rule: slow down before you get there. A vehicle is more likely to leave the road at a curve, and anything hidden beyond a crest or bend leaves you no time if you arrive fast. Holding speed for momentum is a racing idea, not a driving manual one. Moving toward the center puts you in the path of oncoming traffic, and flashing high beams does not reveal the road ahead. Keep to the right and ease off before the curve, not in it.

18. 18. What does a STOP sign always mean in Massachusetts, and to whom does it apply?

    1. Slow to a crawl, and only the first vehicle in line must stop
    2. Come to a complete halt, and it applies to each vehicle that comes to the sign
    3. Stop only if cross traffic is present
    4. Yield, unless the intersection is clear
    Show answer

    Come to a complete halt, and it applies to each vehicle that comes to the sign. A stop sign never softens into a yield. The manual says it always means come to a complete halt, and the duty applies to each vehicle that reaches the sign, so the second and third cars in line stop at the sign in turn rather than following the leader through. Stopping only when cross traffic is visible misses the pedestrians and the cars hidden by parked vehicles. Stop before the line or crosswalk, look both ways, and go only when the way is clear.

19. 19. What is the first offense fine for violating Massachusetts' law on driving with an out of country license?

    1. $25
    2. $500, as a criminal violation of Chapter 90, Section 10
    3. $5,000
    4. No fine, only a warning
    Show answer

    $500, as a criminal violation of Chapter 90, Section 10. Chapter 90, Section 10 allows certain validly licensed drivers from other countries to operate validly registered vehicles in Massachusetts, but driving outside those terms is a criminal violation and a first offense carries a fine of $500. Residents from other states and countries must convert to a Massachusetts license within the required period after establishing residency, and the manual explains the conversion steps and fees.

20. 20. What must Massachusetts drivers under 18 avoid regarding mobile devices?

    1. Nothing, the same rules as adults apply
    2. Only texting
    3. Only handheld calls
    4. Routine mobile-device use, including hands-free calls
    Show answer

    Routine mobile-device use, including hands-free calls. Drivers under 18 must avoid routine mobile-device use while driving, including hands-free calls. Emergency reports of an accident, disabled vehicle, medical need, or safety emergency can qualify for a statutory defense. The adult hands-free allowance does not authorize ordinary teen calls. Violations bring fines, and for junior operators a conviction for using a device brings permit suspensions of 60 days, 180 days and one year for successive offenses, and reinstatement requires retaking the learner's permit exam.