MA Permit Practice Test 18

All 20 questions in test 18

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 rule governs driving or parking near a fire and crossing a fire hose?

   1. Keep eight hundred feet from a fire, and cross an unprotected hose only when directed by a firefighter or public safety official
   2. You may park within eight hundred feet if the shoulder is wide
   3. You may drive slowly over an unprotected hose at any time
   4. Cross the hose whenever no water is visible inside it
   Show answer

   Keep eight hundred feet from a fire, and cross an unprotected hose only when directed by a firefighter or public safety official. It is illegal to drive by or park within 800 feet of a fire. Do not drive over an unprotected fire hose unless directed by a firefighter or public safety official. The exception is direction from a firefighter or public safety official, not whether water is visible. Wide shoulders do not waive the eight hundred foot clearance. The cited passage states the point directly: It is illegal to drive by or park within 800 feet of a fire. Do not drive over an unprotected fire hose unless directed to by a firefighter or public safety official.

   Study this in the handbook: Emergency vehicles, skids, brake failure and breakdowns

2. 2. What happens to a Massachusetts driver who does not hold a Junior Operator license and is found guilty of three speeding violations within a 12 month period?

   1. A written warning is issued
   2. The license is suspended for one year
   3. The driver must retake the road test
   4. The license is suspended automatically for 30 days
   Show answer

   The license is suspended automatically for 30 days. Three speeding violations within a 12 month period trigger an automatic 30 day license suspension for a Massachusetts driver who does not hold a Junior Operator license, and the 12 month period starts when the driver either pays or is found guilty for the first citation. A warning is not part of the system at that point, a one year suspension is what a Junior Operator faces for a later speeding citation, and retaking the road test is not the penalty. Speeding violations are also surchargeable events, and three such events within two years bring a required driver retraining course.

   Study this in the handbook: Citations, surchargeable events and suspensions

3. 3. Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving is called what, and what should you do instead?

   1. It is called feathering, and it is encouraged
   2. It is called riding your brakes; do not let your foot rest on the brake pedal while driving
   3. It is called trailing, and it saves brake wear
   4. It has no name and causes no concern
   Show answer

   It is called riding your brakes; do not let your foot rest on the brake pedal while driving. Letting a foot rest on the brake pedal while driving is called riding your brakes. The manual says not to do this. The manual calls this riding your brakes and says not to rest your foot on the brake pedal while driving. Feathering praises the habit that the rule names riding your brakes and tells drivers to avoid. The habit has a name, riding the brakes, and it does warrant concern.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping distance, headlights, night and bad weather

4. 4. A Massachusetts driver cleared an out of state suspension and brings a reinstatement letter to the RMV. How recent must that letter be?

   1. It may be up to ninety days old
   2. It may be up to sixty days old
   3. It cannot be over 30 days old
   4. It has no age limit if it is signed
   Show answer

   It cannot be over 30 days old. Once an out of state suspension is cleared, a Massachusetts driver must bring either a reinstatement letter or a current driving record from that state, and the document cannot be over 30 days old. Ninety days sounds plausible because other RMV duties use that span, but it would let stale proof reach the counter. Sixty days also exceeds the freshness limit set for this paperwork. A signature alone does not cure age, since the rule caps how old the document may be. Check the date printed on the letter before traveling to a service center.

5. 5. When does the RMV strongly recommend arriving for an Ignition Interlock Device hearing?

   1. Any time before closing
   2. Only after 4:00 p.m.
   3. Prior to 4:00 p.m.
   4. At noon exactly
   Show answer

   Prior to 4:00 p.m.. The RMV strongly recommends arriving prior to 4:00 p.m. for an Ignition Interlock Device hearing. The stated recommendation is to arrive prior to 4:00 p.m., rather than simply before closing. No exact noon appointment is stated; the guidance sets a before four target. After four is the opposite of the recommended arrival window. The cited passage states the point directly: The RMV strongly recommends that you arrive prior to 4:00 p.m. for an Ignition Interlock Device hearing.

   Study this in the handbook: Operating under the influence and chemical tests

6. 6. About what share of highway deaths in the United States does alcohol cause each year?

   1. About 10 percent
   2. About 30 percent
   3. About 20 percent
   4. About 50 percent
   Show answer

   About 30 percent. Each year in the United States, alcohol causes about 30 percent of all highway deaths, a figure that sits alongside thousands of serious injuries and permanent disabilities among drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Ten percent shrinks the toll far below the stated national share. Twenty percent also falls short, though it may sound cautious enough to accept without checking. Fifty percent overshoots the share and would mean every other highway death involves alcohol. Recall the pairing of alcohol with roughly three in ten highway deaths when judging how widespread impaired driving remains.

   Study this in the handbook: Operating under the influence and chemical tests

7. 7. You are entering a Massachusetts highway from an entrance ramp. How should you handle your speed?

   1. Enter slowly and let highway traffic adjust around you
   2. Increase your speed to match vehicles already on the road
   3. Stop at the end of the ramp and wait for a large gap
   4. Enter at ramp speed and speed up only after merging
   Show answer

   Increase your speed to match vehicles already on the road. When entering a highway, yield the right-of-way to drivers already on it and increase your speed to match vehicles already on the road. The stated entry procedure is to yield and increase speed to match highway traffic, rather than routinely stop at the end of the ramp. The manual tells entering drivers to match highway traffic speed and yield to vehicles already on the highway.

   Study this in the handbook: Signaling, lane use and highway driving

8. 8. Where is the safest place for a child to sit, and which way must infant seats face?

   1. Back seat is safest, back middle is best, and infant seats must face the back of the vehicle
   2. Front seat, facing forward
   3. Back side seat, facing sideways
   4. Any seat, facing either direction
   Show answer

   Back seat is safest, back middle is best, and infant seats must face the back of the vehicle. The safest place for a child is the back seat, and the back middle seat is best. Infant seats must face the back of the vehicle. Never put a back-facing child safety seat in the front passenger seat if that seat has an air bag. The back seat is safest for children, and infant seats must face the back of the vehicle. Seats are ranked, with the back middle best, so any placement is not equally safe.

   Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats and safe following distance

9. 9. A solid white or yellow line on a Massachusetts road turns into short dotted dashes at an intersection. What does that change mean?

   1. The line ends and lane control stops there
   2. The line continues through the intersection or interchange
   3. The lane ahead is closed to traffic
   4. Passing becomes allowed through the intersection
   Show answer

   The line continues through the intersection or interchange. A change in dash length does not end lane control. A solid white or solid yellow line that turns into a dotted line (short dashes) is a continuation of the line through an intersection or highway interchange. Saying the line ends there wrongly suggests markings vanish mid-crossing. Drivers still stay between lane lines unless turning, exiting, or changing lanes. Treat short dashes at a crossing as the same line carried across.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad crossings and work zones

10. 10. Why should a Massachusetts driver never assume a pedestrian or bicyclist has heard the car approaching?

    1. Pedestrians always wear headphones near roads
    2. Horns carry poorly in Massachusetts weather
    3. Bicyclists are exempt from hearing traffic sounds
    4. One out of every five individuals of driving age is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
    Show answer

    One out of every five individuals of driving age is Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The manual says one out of every five individuals of driving age is Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers may not hear you, especially in crosswalks and parking lots. Driving defensively includes giving the right-of-way to prevent unsafe traffic situations. Headphones are not the stated reason; hearing loss itself affects many road users. Bicyclists share traffic duties; the point is that some cannot hear your car.

11. 11. You are returning from active duty outside the United States with a license issued by a branch of the Armed Forces based in another country. How long may you drive with that license in Massachusetts?

    1. Up to 30 days after returning
    2. Up to 60 days after returning
    3. Up to 45 days after returning
    4. Up to 90 days after returning
    Show answer

    Up to 45 days after returning. Service abroad creates a narrow exception tied to the kind of license held. A license issued by a branch of the Armed Forces based in another country may be used in Massachusetts for up to 45 days after returning from active duty outside the United States. Thirty days cuts that window short. Sixty days belongs to a different military situation involving an expired Massachusetts license after discharge. Ninety days appears nowhere in this exception. Associate the 45 day figure with the Armed Forces license from overseas service, not with discharge paperwork.

    Study this in the handbook: The learner's permit and permit exam

12. 12. Which pair of problems will the RMV cite when refusing to renew a license?

    1. A library fine plus an expired inspection sticker
    2. A missed toll in another New England state only
    3. An old address plus a faded license photo
    4. Unpaid parking violation fines plus citations for abandoned vehicles
    Show answer

    Unpaid parking violation fines plus citations for abandoned vehicles. The RMV lists unpaid parking fines and abandoned-vehicle citations as reasons to refuse license renewal. Other listed reasons include unpaid local excise tax, outstanding court warrants, unpaid Massachusetts, Maine, or New Hampshire E-ZPass/Fast Lane toll violations, and unpaid Tobin Bridge violations. Official release forms must show that fines and taxes are paid or warrants satisfied. Toll violations can block renewal, but limiting refusal to one out of state toll omits parking fines and abandoned vehicle citations.

    Study this in the handbook: Zero tolerance and under 21 alcohol laws

13. 13. Under the manual's general double-solid-yellow-line rule, which maneuver is permitted when safe?

    1. Whenever the opposing lane looks empty
    2. To pass a slow motor vehicle on a straight stretch
    3. Turning left when it is safe to do so
    4. At any marked driveway without slowing
    Show answer

    Turning left when it is safe to do so. Under the general rule on page 90, double solid yellow lines prohibit crossing to pass another vehicle, but you may cross to turn left when it is safe. Separately, page 49 allows crossing the center line if necessary and safe when passing a vulnerable road user, while leaving at least four feet and obeying the speed limit. A driveway does not by itself authorize crossing double solid yellow lines; the general rule permits a left turn only when safe.

    Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and special lanes

14. 14. What makes an area a thickly settled district for speed limit purposes?

    1. Only a posted business district with traffic signals
    2. Buildings are fewer than 200 feet apart for a distance of 1/4 mile or more
    3. Buildings are fewer than 500 feet apart for a distance of one mile or more
    4. Any street with houses on both sides, whatever the spacing
    Show answer

    Buildings are fewer than 200 feet apart for a distance of 1/4 mile or more. A thickly settled district is an area where buildings are fewer than 200 feet apart for a distance of at least one-quarter mile. A 500-foot spacing and a one-mile distance do not match that definition. Houses on both sides alone do not establish the required spacing over the required distance. Traffic signals and a business posting are not part of this spacing test. Houses on both sides alone do not meet the spacing test over 1/4 mile.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and the dangers of speeding

15. 15. For a Class M license, what must an applicant do after failing two road tests?

    1. Enroll in and finish a beginner rider course before booking again
    2. Wait 14 days and simply book a third attempt
    3. Switch to a Class D test for the same appointment slot
    4. Ride for one year on the permit before booking again
    Show answer

    Enroll in and finish a beginner rider course before booking again. After failing two Class M road tests, you must enroll in and successfully complete a beginner rider course before scheduling another test. The general rule also requires waiting at least 14 days after a failed road test before taking another. Successfully completing an approved MREP course waives the RMV Class M road test. Fourteen days is the general wait after a failed test, but two Class M failures additionally require a beginner rider course first.

    Study this in the handbook: The road test

16. 16. On which surfaces is parking banned under the Massachusetts parking list?

    1. On any gravel shoulder outside town
    2. In a marked space between white lines
    3. In a permitted parking space with the parking brake set
    4. On a sidewalk, curb, center traffic island, or median
    Show answer

    On a sidewalk, curb, center traffic island, or median. The manual prohibits parking on a sidewalk, curb, center traffic island, or median. Where parking spaces are marked by white lines, you must park between the lines without taking part of two spaces. The listed rural-area prohibition concerns parking on the roadway; it does not name every gravel shoulder as a prohibited surface. A marked space between white lines is where parking spaces are marked, not a banned surface.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking rules and hills

17. 17. Several cars stop at a four way stop at nearly the same moment. What order does traffic follow?

    1. The largest vehicle goes first regardless of arrival
    2. Vehicles on the wider street always go first
    3. Everyone inches forward until someone waves
    4. Vehicles go in the order they stopped; the first to stop is the next to go
    Show answer

    Vehicles go in the order they stopped; the first to stop is the next to go. At a four-way stop, vehicles go in the order they stopped. Yield to a vehicle that has already stopped and to a vehicle directly to your right that stopped at the same time as you. Try to make eye contact to judge other drivers’ intentions. If in doubt, yield to the driver on your right. Vehicle size plays no role in the stopping order at a four way stop.

    Study this in the handbook: Turns, right of way and rotaries

18. 18. Which limits come with a Massachusetts Class M learner permit?

    1. Passengers allowed at night only
    2. Passengers allowed if the motorcycle has a windshield
    3. No passenger may be carried, riding only during daylight hours between sunrise and sunset, with a US DOT standard helmet
    4. Night riding allowed with any helmet
    Show answer

    No passenger may be carried, riding only during daylight hours between sunrise and sunset, with a US DOT standard helmet. With a Class M learner’s permit, you may not carry a passenger and may drive only between sunrise and sunset. You must wear a US DOT standard helmet. You must also wear eyeglasses, goggles, or a protective face shield unless the motorcycle has a windshield or screen. A windshield does not change the passenger restriction, and a helmet does not permit night riding.

    Study this in the handbook: The learner's permit and permit exam

19. 19. What helmet rule applies to people riding a moped in Massachusetts?

    1. Driver and passenger must wear helmets meeting or exceeding the US DOT standard
    2. Only the driver needs a helmet
    3. Any bicycle helmet satisfies the rule
    4. Helmets are required only above twenty five miles per hour
    Show answer

    Driver and passenger must wear helmets meeting or exceeding the US DOT standard. Moped drivers and passengers must wear helmets that meet or exceed the US DOT standard. This requirement is not limited to riding above 25 mph; the manual separately prohibits driving a moped faster than 25 mph. The helmet must meet or exceed the US DOT standard; merely being a bicycle helmet does not establish that it qualifies. The helmet requirement applies to both the driver and passenger.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles and mopeds

20. 20. How much following distance should you leave behind a motorcycle in front of you?

    1. Four seconds of following distance
    2. Two seconds, because motorcycles stop slowly
    3. Three seconds, the same as behind other motor vehicles
    4. Six seconds on dry roads and four seconds in rain
    Show answer

    Four seconds of following distance. Use a four-second following distance behind a motorcycle, compared with three seconds for other motor vehicles. Motorcycles need more stopping distance in bad weather, so always give extra space in case the rider must stop suddenly. The stated normal following distance is four seconds. The manual also says motorcycles need more stopping distance in bad weather and should be given extra space. Three seconds is the spacing used behind other motor vehicles.