MA Permit Practice Test 5

All 20 questions in test 5

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. How close may you drive to a Massachusetts trolley's passenger step while riders are getting on or off?

   1. No closer than two feet
   2. No closer than 15 feet
   3. No closer than eight feet
   4. No closer than 25 feet
   Show answer

   No closer than eight feet. State law says you must not drive closer than eight feet to a trolley passenger step when the trolley is letting passengers on or off. Two feet would put people stepping off the trolley in danger. Fifteen feet is the distance for stopping at a railroad signal or gate, and 25 feet is not a Massachusetts trolley figure. Drivers should also look for oncoming trolleys before crossing tracks.

2. 2. If a Massachusetts JOL applicant completes a driver skills development program, how many parent-supervised hours will the RMV accept?

   1. 12 hours
   2. 20 hours
   3. 50 hours
   4. 30 hours
   Show answer

   30 hours. The standard requirement is at least 40 hours of supervised driving certified by a parent or guardian. The RMV will accept 30 hours if the applicant completed a driver skills development program. Twelve hours is the behind-the-wheel training in driver education, and 20 and 50 are not Massachusetts figures for this rule. The 30 classroom hours of driver education are separate.

3. 3. In heavy rain or fog in Massachusetts, what does the manual say about visibility?

   1. Visibility is unaffected if headlights are on
   2. Hard rain, fog, and mist can make it more difficult to see
   3. Fog improves contrast at night
   4. Only snow reduces visibility
   Show answer

   Hard rain, fog, and mist can make it more difficult to see. The manual pairs traction and vision when it talks about bad weather: rain and wet roads make it harder to start, stop and turn, and hard rain, fog and mist make it harder to see. Headlights help others see you but do not restore your view, fog scatters light and worsens contrast, and snow is only one of several conditions that blind you. Slow to a speed that lets you stop within what you can see, and use low beams in fog.

4. 4. At this stop sign with a white stop line painted on the road, where must a Massachusetts driver stop?

   
   1. With the front bumper over the line for a better view
   2. Before the line
   3. Anywhere within 20 feet of the sign
   4. Only if traffic is coming
   Show answer

   Before the line. A painted stop line tells you exactly where the stop belongs: before the line, not on it or past it. The same rule applies to a crosswalk line. Creeping over for a better view is allowed only as a second step after the full stop behind the line. There is no 20 foot zone, and the stop is required whether or not traffic is visible, because pedestrians and hidden vehicles are the reason for the sign. Stop behind the line, look, then edge forward if you must.

5. 5. This yield sign is posted with a painted yield line before a crosswalk. If a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, where must you stop?

   
   1. Behind the yield line and crosswalk lines
   2. Past the crosswalk, out of the pedestrian's way
   3. In the crosswalk, so the pedestrian can see you
   4. You do not need to stop at a yield sign
   Show answer

   Behind the yield line and crosswalk lines. Yield lines and crosswalk lines are stop points when a pedestrian is using the crossing. The manual requires you to stop behind the stop lines, yield lines and crosswalk lines whenever a stop or yield sign, a traffic signal or a pedestrian in the crosswalk calls for it. Stopping inside the crosswalk blocks the very space the pedestrian needs, and stopping beyond it means you drove through the crossing. A yield sign does require a stop whenever a stop is needed to yield.

6. 6. A Massachusetts driver under 18 is charged with OUI and refuses a chemical test. What additional suspension does the manual describe, and does winning the court case remove the alcohol education requirement?

   1. An additional 30 days, waived if the case is won
   2. No additional suspension, only the education course
   3. An additional one year suspension, and the alcohol education requirement remains even if the case is won
   4. An additional 180 days, waived on acquittal
   Show answer

   An additional one year suspension, and the alcohol education requirement remains even if the case is won. For drivers under 18, refusing the chemical test adds a full year of suspension, and the manual is explicit that the outcome of the court case does not matter: even a driver who wins still must complete the alcohol education course. Thirty days is not a figure the rule uses, the education requirement is not the only consequence, and the 180 day version applies to drivers who are 18 to 20, not to those under 18. The point of the design is treatment rather than punishment, which is why acquittal does not cancel it.

7. 7. You see smoke coming from under the hood of your vehicle in Massachusetts. What does the manual tell you to do?

   1. Pull off the road, turn off the ignition, and move away from the vehicle
   2. Open the hood immediately to let the smoke out
   3. Keep driving to the nearest service station
   4. Pour water on the engine while it is running
   Show answer

   Pull off the road, turn off the ignition, and move away from the vehicle. Smoke from under the hood is treated as a fire, and the manual's sequence is to get off the road, shut the engine down, and get away from the vehicle. Opening the hood feeds oxygen to a fire and puts your face over it, driving on lets the fire grow, and water on a running engine can spread burning fuel. Once you are clear, call for help and keep others back; the manual's reminder is that fire and smoke can kill.

8. 8. How many questions must a Massachusetts applicant answer correctly to pass the learner's permit exam, and in how much time?

   1. 20 questions within 30 minutes
   2. 25 questions within 60 minutes
   3. 15 questions within 20 minutes
   4. 18 questions within 25 minutes
   Show answer

   18 questions within 25 minutes. The permit exam has a clock as well as a score. Massachusetts requires 18 correct answers within 25 minutes, and the audio version of the exam carries the same 25 minute limit. The other combinations either overstate the number needed or invent a longer time window. Cheating carries a separate penalty: anyone found responsible cannot hold any license or permit for 60 days. Prepare from the manual rather than memorizing practice questions, because the wording changes.

9. 9. In which direction does traffic travel in a Massachusetts rotary?

   1. Counter-clockwise
   2. Clockwise
   3. Either direction, depending on the exit
   4. Straight through the center
   Show answer

   Counter-clockwise. Because Massachusetts drives on the right, every rotary is travelled counter-clockwise: you enter with a right turn, keep the island on your left, and leave with another right turn. Clockwise travel would send you head on into circulating cars, and there is never a choice of direction based on where you want to exit. Nothing crosses the center island. Signal your exit the same way you would at any intersection so the drivers waiting to enter can judge the gap.

10. 10. What should a Massachusetts driver do on seeing a YIELD sign?

    1. Slow down and be prepared to stop
    2. Speed up to merge ahead of traffic
    3. Come to a complete halt every time
    4. Stop only if a police officer is present
    Show answer

    Slow down and be prepared to stop. The yield sign asks for judgment rather than an automatic stop. Slow down, look for traffic and pedestrians on the road you are entering, and be prepared to stop if they are close; if the way is clear you may continue without stopping. A full stop every time is the stop sign rule, speeding up to beat traffic is the crash the sign exists to prevent, and police presence has nothing to do with it. When in doubt, stopping at a yield sign is always allowed.

11. 11. After a Massachusetts driver with an Ignition Interlock requirement gets the license reinstated, how long must the device stay in use?

    1. 30 more days
    2. Two more years
    3. Six more months
    4. No time, it comes out at reinstatement
    Show answer

    Two more years. The device must be used for the whole time a hardship license is held and for two more years after the license is reinstated. Removing it at reinstatement ignores that extra period. Thirty days and six months are far shorter than the rule. The device is required for drivers with two or more OUI offenses and is paid for by the driver.

12. 12. You park on a Massachusetts hill where there is no curb. Which way should you turn your front wheels?

    1. Inward, toward the edge of the road
    2. Straight ahead
    3. Outward, toward the travel lane
    4. It does not matter if the parking brake is set
    Show answer

    Inward, toward the edge of the road. With no curb there is nothing to catch a rolling wheel, so the goal is to send the car off the road rather than into traffic if the brake fails. Massachusetts says to turn the wheels inward, toward the edge of the road, whether you face uphill or downhill. Turning outward would aim a runaway car into the travel lane, straight wheels give it a free path, and the parking brake is a backup rather than a substitute for wheel position. Set the brake, shift to park or leave a manual in gear, then turn the wheels.

13. 13. Besides being found at fault under the standards of fault, what payment makes a Massachusetts crash a surchargeable at-fault crash?

    1. Any payment at all
    2. The insurer pays more than $1000 for the damage or injury
    3. More than $100
    4. More than $5,000
    Show answer

    The insurer pays more than $1000 for the damage or injury. A driver is treated as more than 50 percent at fault when the insurance company finds fault under one of the standards of fault and has paid more than $1000 for collision, property damage, or bodily injury. Rear-end and wrong side of the road crashes are examples of those standards. Any payment, or $100, sets the bar too low, and $5,000 sets it too high. At-fault crashes count toward suspension like violations do.

14. 14. What do rapidly flashing brake lights or a hazard warning from a vehicle ahead on a Massachusetts road usually mean?

    1. The driver is inviting you to pass
    2. The vehicle is turning left
    3. A hazard ahead that may require you to slow or stop
    4. Nothing, they are decorative
    Show answer

    A hazard ahead that may require you to slow or stop. Drivers use emergency flashers when their vehicle breaks down and to warn traffic behind them of a sudden hazard. The manual tells you to use emergency lights and signals when your vehicle breaks down so other drivers can see it, and the reverse is true: when you see them, assume trouble ahead and slow. Flashers are not a passing invitation, a left turn uses a single signal, and the lights are never decorative. Cover your brake and increase your following distance.

15. 15. This skidding-car sign warns of a slippery road. What does the Massachusetts manual say can happen when a road is slippery?

    
    1. Your brakes become more effective
    2. Your steering becomes more responsive
    3. Your tires can lose traction and the car can hydroplane
    4. Nothing changes below 40 mph
    Show answer

    Your tires can lose traction and the car can hydroplane. The sign is posted where water, ice or oil makes the surface treacherous. The manual's warning is that a slippery road lets the tires lose traction, and on water the car can hydroplane, riding on a film with almost no grip. Brakes and steering do not improve; they lose effect. Speed is not a safe harbor, since roads are often most slippery when rain first mixes with oil. Slow before the marked stretch, avoid sudden inputs, and leave extra room.

16. 16. What does a flashing red circle require of a Massachusetts driver?

    1. Slow down and proceed without stopping
    2. Wait for the light to turn green
    3. Yield only to vehicles on the right
    4. The same as a STOP sign
    Show answer

    The same as a STOP sign. A flashing red circle is a stop sign made of light. Come to a complete stop, yield to traffic and pedestrians, and go when it is safe. Slowing without stopping is the flashing yellow behavior, waiting for green is pointless because a flashing signal will not change, and yielding only to the right ignores the pedestrians and cross traffic the stop is meant to protect. You will often see flashing red on the minor road where the major road has flashing yellow.

17. 17. What does a flashing yellow arrow allow a Massachusetts driver to do?

    1. Turn without yielding because the turn is protected
    2. Turn in the direction of the arrow when oncoming traffic has a green light but there is a break in traffic
    3. Stop and wait for a green arrow
    4. Go straight only
    Show answer

    Turn in the direction of the arrow when oncoming traffic has a green light but there is a break in traffic. The flashing yellow arrow is the permissive turn signal. Oncoming traffic still has green, so you may turn in the arrow's direction only when there is a safe break in that traffic and no pedestrian in the crosswalk. It is not protected, it does not restrict you to going straight, and you do not have to wait for a green arrow, which is the protected phase that may follow. Creep forward, wait for the gap, and turn when it is clearly enough.

18. 18. After a Massachusetts license suspension of two years or more, what must the driver do besides paying the reinstatement fee?

    1. Only renew the license online
    2. Only take a vision test
    3. Pass a learner's permit exam and a road test
    4. Nothing else
    Show answer

    Pass a learner's permit exam and a road test. For suspensions of two years or more, the driver must pass a learner's permit exam and a road test to get the license back, and bring identification documents for those tests. Online renewal or a vision test alone is not enough, and doing nothing else is wrong. Most reinstatement fees are $100, but suspensions for serious offenses can cost as much as $1,200.

19. 19. Under Massachusetts law, how much can a driver who is not wearing a safety belt be fined, and when can that fine be issued?

    1. $100, at any time
    2. $500, and only after a crash
    3. There is no fine for adults
    4. $25, and only when the vehicle is stopped for a traffic violation
    Show answer

    $25, and only when the vehicle is stopped for a traffic violation. Massachusetts enforces the safety belt law as a secondary offense: the $25 fine is issued only when the vehicle has been stopped for some other traffic violation. The fine is not $100 or $500 and it does not depend on a crash. The manual's larger point is that belts cut the chance of death or serious injury in a crash by about half, so the fine is the least of the reasons to buckle up. The driver can also be fined for each unbelted passenger age 12 to 15.

20. 20. A Massachusetts intersection signal shows a flashing yellow circle. What does the manual say it means?

    1. It means the intersection is closed
    2. It means the same as a stop sign
    3. It means the signal is about to turn red
    4. It is a warning: proceed with caution and stay alert
    Show answer

    It is a warning: proceed with caution and stay alert. Flashing yellow is the caution signal, usually shown to the main road while the side street sees flashing red. You do not have to stop, but you must slow, stay alert and look both ways as you cross, because drivers on the flashing red side will be entering after their stop. It is not a stop sign, it is not the transition to red, and it does not close the intersection. Cover your brake and expect cross traffic to misjudge the gap.