MA Permit Practice Test 3

All 20 questions in test 3

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 Junior Operator receives a first speeding citation. What license suspension does the manual list?

   1. No suspension until the third citation
   2. 30 days for each citation
   3. 90 days for a first citation and one year for any later citation
   4. One year for the first citation
   Show answer

   90 days for a first citation and one year for any later citation. Speeding is treated harshly for Junior Operators. The first citation costs a 90 day suspension and any later one costs a full year, plus the retraining course that follows. Adults, by contrast, face a 30 day suspension only after three speeding violations in a year. There is no free first or second offense for a JOL holder, and the first citation does not jump straight to a year. Losing the license also pauses the JOL passenger restriction clock, which then resumes after reinstatement.

2. 2. Unless posted otherwise, above what speed is driving not reasonable and proper in a Massachusetts school zone?

   1. 30 mph
   2. 15 mph
   3. 25 mph
   4. 20 mph
   Show answer

   20 mph. School zones sit at the bottom of the Massachusetts default list at 20 mph. Fifteen is lower than the state uses, twenty five is the optional posted limit some communities adopt for thickly settled areas, and thirty is the thickly settled default itself. In a properly posted school zone the manual also treats speeding as a surchargeable offense with stiffer consequences, so the number is worth remembering even where the flashing beacon is not lit.

3. 3. What does this NO U-TURN sign mean in Massachusetts?

   
   1. You cannot make a U-turn where the sign is posted
   2. Only trucks may not make a U-turn
   3. U-turns are allowed when no traffic is visible
   4. U-turns are allowed after a complete stop
   Show answer

   You cannot make a U-turn where the sign is posted. The sign is absolute where it is posted: no U-turn, for any vehicle, at any time, regardless of a stop or an empty road. The manual notes that NO U-TURN is one of the signs that uses only an image, the curved arrow inside a red circle with a slash. Drivers who want to reverse direction continue to the next intersection where turning around is legal. The sign usually appears where sight distance or traffic volume makes a U-turn dangerous.

4. 4. A yellow school bus ahead has stopped with its red lights flashing and stop sign extended on a Massachusetts road. Where does the stop sign fold out from?

   1. The rear bumper
   2. The roof
   3. The driver's side of the bus
   4. The passenger door
   Show answer

   The driver's side of the bus. The manual describes the equipment so you recognize it: yellow school buses carry flashing red lights and stop signs that fold out from the driver's side, facing traffic in both directions. The rear bumper, roof and passenger door are not where the sign is mounted. When the lights flash and the sign is out, stop and stay stopped until they are withdrawn. Vans and cars used as school pupil transport vehicles show the same red lights with a SCHOOL BUS sign on top.

5. 5. What does a flashing red traffic signal require a Massachusetts driver to do?

   1. Stop completely, as at a stop sign, then proceed when safe
   2. Wait for the signal to turn green
   3. Yield only to vehicles on the left
   4. Slow down and continue without stopping
   Show answer

   Stop completely, as at a stop sign, then proceed when safe. Flashing red equals a stop sign: a complete stop, a check for traffic and pedestrians, and then proceed when it is safe. Slowing without stopping is the flashing yellow response, waiting for green is futile because a flashing signal does not cycle, and yielding only to the left ignores the pedestrians and the cross traffic the stop protects. Expect the cross street to see flashing yellow and to slow rather than stop.

6. 6. A Massachusetts driver over 21 fails a chemical test at 0.08 or higher. How long is the administrative license suspension?

   1. One year
   2. 30 days or until the court case ends, whichever is shorter
   3. 180 days
   4. Three years
   Show answer

   30 days or until the court case ends, whichever is shorter. For drivers over 21 who fail a chemical test, the license is suspended for 30 days or until the court case ends, whichever is shorter. If the court then finds the driver guilty, the court's sanctions follow. One year and 180 days are the added youth suspensions for drivers under 18 and 18 to 21, and three years is a refusal figure for drivers with a prior OUI. The suspension ends early if the case is concluded within the 30 days.

7. 7. According to the Massachusetts manual, what happens if your vehicle starts to hydroplane?

   1. Your brakes will stop the car more quickly
   2. You should accelerate to regain traction
   3. It means you are driving too fast for the conditions
   4. It cannot happen below 50 mph
   Show answer

   It means you are driving too fast for the conditions. Hydroplaning is the tires riding on water instead of pavement, and the manual's blunt diagnosis is that it means you are driving too fast. Brakes cannot grip water, accelerating lifts the tires further onto the film, and hydroplaning can begin well below 50 mph on a wet road with worn tires. The cure is prevention: slow down before the water, keep tires inflated and treaded, and ease off the gas gently if the steering suddenly feels light.

8. 8. What does a yellow diamond-shaped sign generally tell a Massachusetts driver?

   1. That there is a hazard or change in conditions ahead
   2. That a law is being stated
   3. The distance to a destination
   4. That parking is permitted
   Show answer

   That there is a hazard or change in conditions ahead. Yellow diamonds are warning signs. They flag a hazard or a change in road conditions ahead, from a curve or intersection to a school zone or a merge, so you can adjust before you reach it. Laws are stated on white regulatory signs, distances appear on green guide signs, and parking rules use white with red or green text. When you see the yellow diamond, ease off the accelerator and look for the specific hazard it names.

9. 9. A Massachusetts driver is convicted a third time of using a hand-held mobile device while driving. What is the penalty?

   1. A $250 fine only
   2. A $100 fine and a warning
   3. A $1,000 fine and one year in jail
   4. A $500 fine, an insurance surcharge and a distracted driving program
   Show answer

   A $500 fine, an insurance surcharge and a distracted driving program. Third and later offenses bring a $500 fine plus an insurance surcharge and mandatory completion of a distracted driving program. The $250 fine belongs to the second offense, and $100 to the first. Jail and a $1,000 fine are not part of the hand-held device schedule. A crash that injures someone because of phone use can bring separate criminal charges for negligent operation.

10. 10. A Massachusetts Junior Operator violates the passenger restriction or the night restriction. What suspension applies for a first offense?

    1. 180 days
    2. 60 days
    3. One year
    4. 14 days
    Show answer

    60 days. The JOL restrictions come with an escalating ladder of suspensions. A first violation of either the passenger rule or the night driving rule brings a 60 day suspension, a second brings 180 days, and any further violation costs a full year. Fourteen days is the wait after a failed road test, not a suspension. The manual also notes that the six month passenger restriction clock stops during any suspension, so a teen who loses the license early ends up restricted for longer overall.

11. 11. Under the Massachusetts hands-free law, when may a driver 18 or older use a mobile telephone or other electronic device while driving?

    1. Whenever the vehicle is moving slower than 25 mph
    2. Only when the device is used in hands-free mode
    3. At any time, as long as the phone is not held to the ear
    4. Only for calls shorter than one minute
    Show answer

    Only when the device is used in hands-free mode. The law is written around the device, not the conversation. An adult driver may use a phone or other electronic device only in hands-free mode; holding it to text, dial or watch is prohibited regardless of speed or the length of the call. The low speed and short call answers describe habits the law was written to end, and the answer allowing use whenever the phone is not held to the ear misstates the rule, since holding the device at all is the violation. Teen drivers face a stricter rule and may not use devices even hands-free.

12. 12. This merge sign warns that traffic will join your roadway. In a work zone, what does the Massachusetts manual say to do when you see channeling devices in the roadway?

    
    1. Stop and wait for a flagger
    2. Drive between the devices to hold your lane
    3. Carefully merge into the adjacent travel lane
    4. Speed up to get ahead of merging traffic
    Show answer

    Carefully merge into the adjacent travel lane. Merging works when everyone moves early and predictably. In a work zone the cones, barrels and arrow panels are placed before the closure so you have notice to merge into the adjacent open lane while there is still room. Stopping in a live lane invites a rear end crash, threading between the devices puts you in the closed lane, and racing ahead of the merge forces a late, dangerous squeeze. Signal, check your mirror and shoulder, and blend in.

13. 13. This pedestrian crossing sign warns of a crosswalk ahead. What does Massachusetts law require when a pedestrian is entering or using a crosswalk in your path?

    
    1. You may proceed if you sound the horn
    2. You must yield only at signalized crossings
    3. You must stop only if the crosswalk is marked
    4. You must yield to the pedestrian
    Show answer

    You must yield to the pedestrian. The sign gives advance notice; the law behind it is simple. A driver must yield to any pedestrian entering or using a crosswalk in the travel path, marked or not, signalized or not. The horn does not transfer the right of way, and a person already stepping off the curb has it. The manual also singles out blind pedestrians with a white cane or guide dog, for whom you must stop completely. Slow when you see the sign and scan both curbs.

14. 14. What share of pedestrians are seriously injured or killed when hit at 20 mph, according to the Massachusetts manual?

    1. 1 percent
    2. 50 percent
    3. 90 percent
    4. 13 percent
    Show answer

    13 percent. At a speed of 20 mph, 13 percent of pedestrians hit are seriously injured or killed, and the share climbs steeply with speed, which is why lower limits are posted in dense and school areas. Speeding is a main cause of crashes, and drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks in their travel path. Slow down wherever people walk, and stop for anyone in a crosswalk.

15. 15. You are on a two-lane Massachusetts road and reach an intersection with a divided highway. Who yields?

    1. You must yield the right of way to traffic on the multi-lane road
    2. The vehicle on the right yields
    3. No one yields
    4. The divided highway traffic must yield to you
    Show answer

    You must yield the right of way to traffic on the multi-lane road. Massachusetts gives priority to the larger road: a driver on a single or two-lane road who comes to a divided highway or a roadway with three or more lanes must yield. Highway traffic does not stop for you, the vehicle-on-the-right rule applies to uncontrolled intersections of similar roads, and someone always yields. Wait for a gap long enough to cross or merge without forcing anyone to slow.

16. 16. When must a Massachusetts driver lower high beam headlights to low beam?

    1. Within 1,000 feet of any vehicle
    2. Within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or within 200 feet of a vehicle ahead
    3. Only when the other driver flashes their lights
    4. Only in rain or fog
    Show answer

    Within 500 feet of an oncoming vehicle or within 200 feet of a vehicle ahead. The dimming distances are fixed in the manual: 500 feet for an oncoming vehicle and 200 feet when you are following another vehicle. A thousand feet is farther than the rule requires, waiting to be flashed means you have already blinded the other driver, and weather is not the trigger, though high beams are a poor choice in fog anyway because they reflect back at you. High beams reach about 350 feet, low beams about 100, so dim early and look to the right edge of the road.

17. 17. What is the penalty for a Massachusetts driver under 18 convicted of a first offense of using a mobile electronic device while driving?

    1. A $100 fine, a 60-day license or permit suspension, and an attitude-change course before reinstatement
    2. A written warning only, since first offenses carry no fine
    3. A $250 fine and a 180-day suspension
    4. A $35 fine with no suspension
    Show answer

    A $100 fine, a 60-day license or permit suspension, and an attitude-change course before reinstatement. A junior operator's first conviction for using a mobile electronic device brings a $100 fine and a 60-day suspension of the license or permit, and the license is not reinstated until the driver completes a program that encourages attitudinal changes in young drivers. The $250 fine with a 180-day suspension is the penalty for a second offense, so picking it confuses the tiers. There is no warning-only first offense. Remember the ladder: 100 dollars and 60 days first, then it climbs.

18. 18. Your brakes fail while driving in Massachusetts and your car has antilock brakes that do not respond to a fully pressed pedal. What should you do first?

    1. Pump the pedal rapidly
    2. Shut off the engine
    3. Open the door to create drag
    4. Downshift to a lower gear and keep working down through the gears
    Show answer

    Downshift to a lower gear and keep working down through the gears. With antilock brakes, pumping accomplishes nothing because the system already pulses the pressure for you, so the manual's first move when the pedal does not respond is to downshift and let the engine slow the car, going to the lowest gear if necessary. Shutting off the engine removes power steering and can lock the wheel, and opening a door at speed is dangerous and useless. After downshifting, apply the parking brake gradually and steer to a safe stop.

19. 19. A Massachusetts driver who is 19 fails a chemical test. What suspension applies?

    1. 30 days only
    2. 30 days plus an additional one year
    3. 30 days plus an additional 180 days
    4. Three years
    Show answer

    30 days plus an additional 180 days. Drivers age 18 to 21 who fail a chemical test lose the license for 30 days plus an extra 180 days under MGL chapter 90, section 24P. If this is the first OUI case, the 180 days can be waived by entering a Department of Public Health approved alcohol education program. Thirty days alone applies to drivers over 21. The extra full year applies to drivers under 18, and three years is a refusal period.

20. 20. What do broken white lines on a Massachusetts road separate?

    1. Traffic traveling in opposite directions
    2. Lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction
    3. The road from the shoulder
    4. A bicycle lane from the travel lane
    Show answer

    Lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction. White lines separate traffic moving the same way, and the broken pattern tells you a lane change across them is allowed when it is safe. Opposing traffic is separated by yellow, the shoulder is marked by a solid white edge line, and bicycle lanes use solid white lines and symbols. When a broken white line becomes solid near an intersection or exit, the manual expects you to stay in your lane through that stretch.