MA Permit Practice Test 2

All 20 questions in test 2

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. A Massachusetts driver under 21 tries to buy alcohol. How long is the license suspended?

   1. 30 days
   2. 180 days
   3. 60 days
   4. Two years
   Show answer

   180 days. If you are under 21 and buy or try to buy alcohol, your license is suspended for 180 days. The broader possession and purchase rule carries 90 days to one year, and this specific attempt carries 180 days. Thirty and sixty days are too short, and two years is too long. Using a false ID in the attempt adds separate penalties, including a one-year suspension on conviction.

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 convictions inside twelve months trigger an automatic 30 day suspension for an adult Massachusetts driver, with no hearing needed to impose it. A warning is not part of the system at that point, a one year suspension is what a Junior Operator faces for a second speeding citation, and the road test is not the remedy. The manual also requires a driver retraining course after the suspension, and failing to finish it within 90 days extends the suspension until the course is done.

3. 3. On a designated throughway in Massachusetts, what must you do before you turn?

   1. Yield the right of way to traffic on the throughway
   2. Stop for at least three seconds
   3. Sound your horn
   4. Flash your headlights
   Show answer

   Yield the right of way to traffic on the throughway. A throughway is the road given priority, and the rule is that you yield to its traffic before turning onto or across it. There is no fixed stop time, and horns and headlights never substitute for yielding. Check both directions, judge the gap against your acceleration, and turn only when you can complete the move without making throughway traffic brake. The same logic applies at any intersection where one road is signed as the through road.

4. 4. When you must stop behind a yield line or crosswalk line in Massachusetts because a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, where do you stop?

   1. On the crosswalk
   2. Just past the crosswalk
   3. Behind the line
   4. In the intersection
   Show answer

   Behind the line. The painted lines mark where a stopped vehicle leaves the crossing usable. The manual requires you to stop behind stop lines, yield lines and crosswalk lines whenever a sign, a signal or a pedestrian in the crosswalk calls for a stop. Stopping on the crosswalk forces the pedestrian into traffic, stopping past it means you drove through the crossing, and stopping in the intersection blocks cross traffic. Behind the line is the only correct position.

5. 5. What speed limits are usual on Massachusetts highways, according to the manual?

   1. Between 25 and 35 mph
   2. 75 mph or more
   3. Between 45 and 65 mph
   4. Under 40 mph
   Show answer

   Between 45 and 65 mph. Highway speed limits are usually between 45 and 65 mph on expressways and freeways such as Routes 90, 495 and 128, which are entered and exited at interchanges. Yield to drivers already on the highway when merging, use the right lane for driving unless passing, and take extra care exiting where breakdown lanes serve as travel lanes during posted hours.

6. 6. A Massachusetts driver approaches a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights. Besides slowing, what basic attitude does the move-over law require?

   
   1. Pass as quickly as possible
   2. Stop and offer assistance
   3. Use the shoulder to get by
   4. Proceed with caution
   Show answer

   Proceed with caution. The law pairs a slower speed with caution: proceed carefully, ready to stop, moving to a farther lane when it is safe to do so. Rushing past is the behavior that injures responders, stopping to help creates another hazard unless you are asked, and the shoulder is where the people are standing. Reduce speed to what is reasonable and safe for the conditions, keep your eyes on the scene, and expect someone to step into the lane.

7. 7. When may a Massachusetts driver turn left on a red light?

   1. At any intersection after a complete stop
   2. When driving on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street, after stopping and yielding
   3. Never
   4. Only when a green arrow appears
   Show answer

   When driving on a one-way street and turning left onto another one-way street, after stopping and yielding. Massachusetts allows a left on red in one narrow case: you are on a one-way street and you are turning left onto another one-way street. Even then you stop first and yield to pedestrians and other vehicles. The right on red rule does not extend to left turns at ordinary intersections, a green arrow is a protected turn rather than a red light exception, and never is wrong because the one-way case exists. A NO TURN ON RED sign removes the option.

8. 8. According to the Massachusetts manual, when should you pass a pedestrian, bicyclist, or motor vehicle?

   1. Whenever the vehicle ahead is below the speed limit
   2. Only when it is necessary and safe to do so
   3. Whenever you can see 200 feet ahead
   4. Only on a multi-lane road
   Show answer

   Only when it is necessary and safe to do so. Passing is not a right you exercise whenever someone ahead is slower; the manual limits it to when it is necessary and safe. A vehicle under the limit is not by itself a reason, a fixed sight distance is not the test, and passing is not restricted to multi-lane roads. The judgment covers oncoming traffic, sight distance, road markings and the room you can give the person you are overtaking. When the pass is not clearly needed and clearly safe, stay behind.

9. 9. This LANE ENDS sign tells you a lane will close ahead. Why are channeling devices placed before a work area within the closed lane?

   
   1. To show where the speed limit returns to normal
   2. To mark a parking area for work vehicles
   3. To give you notice to merge when it is safe
   4. To separate bicycles from cars
   Show answer

   To give you notice to merge when it is safe. The devices in a closing lane are there to warn, not to decorate. They sit ahead of the actual work so drivers in that lane get notice to move over while merging is still safe and unhurried. They are not a parking zone, they do not restore the speed limit, and they do not create a bicycle lane. Treat a LANE ENDS sign the same way: the earlier you merge, the smaller the gap you need and the less you disturb the traffic beside you.

10. 10. Unlike a gentle curve sign, this right-angle arrow warns of a sharp turn. According to the Massachusetts manual, where is a vehicle more likely to leave the road?

    
    1. On a straight highway
    2. At a curve
    3. In a parking lot
    4. At a railroad crossing
    Show answer

    At a curve. The manual states the risk plainly: a vehicle is more likely to leave the road at a curve, and the sharper the turn the smaller the margin. Straight highways, parking lots and railroad crossings each have their own hazards, but they are not where cars run off the pavement. The right angle arrow is your cue that the turn ahead is tight enough to need real braking beforehand, often with an advisory speed plate below it. Slow first, then steer.

11. 11. What is the Massachusetts penalty for a second offense of using a hand-held mobile device while driving?

    1. A $250 fine plus a distracted driving educational program
    2. A $100 fine only
    3. A $500 fine and an insurance surcharge
    4. A warning letter
    Show answer

    A $250 fine plus a distracted driving educational program. The hand-held device penalties climb with each offense. The first is a $100 fine. The second is a $250 fine plus mandatory completion of a distracted driving educational program. The third and later offenses bring a $500 fine, an insurance surcharge and the program. So $100 is the first step and $500 with a surcharge is the third. A warning letter is not part of the schedule.

12. 12. A Massachusetts road has a double yellow center line with one solid and one broken line, and the solid line is closer to you. What does that mean?

    1. You may pass when it is safe
    2. You cannot cross the lines
    3. The lines mark the shoulder
    4. Only vehicles from the other direction may not cross
    Show answer

    You cannot cross the lines. Read the line nearest your lane. With one solid and one broken yellow line, the solid line on your side means you cannot cross, while drivers on the broken line side may pass when it is safe. The rule is about which side the solid line is on, not about the other direction being free to cross, and yellow lines separate opposing traffic rather than marking a shoulder. Solid means stay, broken means you may pass with care.

13. 13. Under Massachusetts law, may a driver under 18 use an electronic device in hands-free mode while driving?

    1. Yes, hands-free use is allowed at any age
    2. Yes, if a parent is in the vehicle
    3. Yes, but only for navigation
    4. No routine use, even hands-free; emergency reporting is an exception
    Show answer

    No routine use, even hands-free; emergency reporting is an exception. Massachusetts prohibits routine electronic-device use by drivers under 18, including hands-free calls. The statute provides an emergency defense for reporting a disabled vehicle, needed medical assistance, a safety emergency requiring responders, or an accident. Navigation is not carved out, and a parent in the passenger seat does not change the rule. The reasoning is that a new driver has little spare attention to give a conversation or a screen. Set the route before moving, and let calls wait until the car is parked.

14. 14. What does an orange sign generally indicate on a Massachusetts roadway?

    1. A school zone
    2. A hospital
    3. A work zone where people may be on foot nearby
    4. A recreation area
    Show answer

    A work zone where people may be on foot nearby. Orange is the construction and maintenance color. The manual's practical note is that orange warning signs and work equipment usually mean people are on foot nearby, so slow down and expect someone to step out from behind a truck or barrel. School zones use fluorescent yellow-green, hospitals are shown on blue service signs, and recreation areas are brown. Speeding in a posted work zone doubles the fine.

15. 15. What surcharge is added to every Massachusetts civil motor vehicle infraction fine under Chapters 89 or 90?

    1. Nothing
    2. A $50 court fee
    3. A $5 public safety surcharge
    4. A $100 surcharge
    Show answer

    A $5 public safety surcharge. Every fine for a civil motor vehicle infraction that comes from Chapter 89 or 90 of the General Laws carries an added $5 public safety surcharge. The RMV records all moving violations on your driving record, and an attested copy of that record costs $20. Criminal motor vehicle offenses such as OUI and leaving the scene are handled separately in criminal court and can bring license suspension and jail.

16. 16. How much does the Massachusetts manual say the fine would be for driving 73 mph on a highway posted at 55 mph?

    1. $185
    2. $100
    3. $500
    4. $50
    Show answer

    $185. The manual works the arithmetic for you: 73 mph on a 55 mph highway comes to a $185 fine. That total combines the base fine with a per mile charge for every mile over the limit, which is why a modest looking overage produces a three figure ticket. Fifty and one hundred dollars understate it, and five hundred is far more than this example produces; in a posted work zone the whole speeding fine would instead be doubled. The fine is only the start, since the violation also counts toward the three in twelve months suspension and raises insurance surcharges.

17. 17. A school bus with flashing lights and stop sign is stopped on the other side of a divided highway. When may Massachusetts drivers on the opposite side continue without stopping?

    1. Whenever the bus is on the other side of any median
    2. Whenever traffic is moving faster than 40 mph
    3. Never
    4. When a barrier separates the travel directions
    Show answer

    When a barrier separates the travel directions. The exception is limited to a divided highway with a barrier between the travel directions, because children cannot cross a barrier to reach the far roadway. A grass or painted median without a barrier does not qualify, speed has nothing to do with it, and never is wrong because the barrier exception exists. If you cannot tell whether there is a barrier, stopping is always the safe choice.

18. 18. On a two-way Massachusetts road, what does a broken yellow center line allow you to do?

    
    1. Cross over into the oncoming lane temporarily to pass a vehicle, if it is safe
    2. Drive in either lane at any time
    3. Park on the left side of the road
    4. Make a U-turn without looking
    Show answer

    Cross over into the oncoming lane temporarily to pass a vehicle, if it is safe. A broken yellow line is a conditional invitation to pass. You may cross into the oncoming lane briefly to get around a slower vehicle, but only when it is safe: enough sight distance, no oncoming traffic, and room to return before the line turns solid. It never makes the oncoming lane yours to use at will, it says nothing about parking, and a U-turn still requires a full check for traffic. Finish the pass promptly and return to the right.

19. 19. This ONE WAY sign marks a one-way street. In Massachusetts, what may a single yellow line mark on a one-way street?

    
    1. The center of the street
    2. A parking lane
    3. A bicycle lane
    4. The left edge of the pavement
    Show answer

    The left edge of the pavement. On a one-way street there is no opposing traffic, so a center yellow line would make no sense. Massachusetts instead uses a single yellow line to mark the left edge of the pavement on one-way streets and divided highways, telling you where the road ends on the side that would normally face oncoming cars. Bicycle lanes and parking areas are marked in white. The rule pairs with the ONE WAY sign: yellow on the far left edge confirms you are traveling with the flow.

20. 20. You are driving through a posted Massachusetts work zone and are caught speeding. What happens to the fine?

    1. It is waived if no workers were present
    2. It is doubled
    3. It is reduced because the limit is temporary
    4. It is the same as anywhere else
    Show answer

    It is doubled. Massachusetts doubles the speeding fine in a posted work zone. The presence of workers at that moment does not cancel the doubling, the temporary nature of the limit does not soften it, and the fine is not the ordinary amount. The rule exists because orange signs and equipment usually mean people on foot within a few feet of moving traffic. Slow to the posted work zone limit before the first orange sign and hold it until the end sign.