MA Permit Practice Test 7

All 20 questions in test 7

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 is the fine for a first offense of parking in a Massachusetts space posted for disabled person or disabled veteran parking without plates or a placard?

   1. $300
   2. $25
   3. $100
   4. $1,000
   Show answer

   $300. Parking in a zone posted for HP-DV parking without the right plates or placard brings a $300 fine for a first offense. Wrongful use of a disabled person or veteran plate or placard costs at least $500. Twenty-five and one hundred dollars are far below the fine, and $1,000 is not the stated amount. Parking in the striped crosshatch area next to the space is also illegal, even with a placard.

2. 2. A Massachusetts sign is an octagon with a red background and white letters. What does it always mean?

   1. Yield if traffic is present
   2. Come to a complete halt
   3. Slow to 15 mph
   4. No entry for trucks
   Show answer

   Come to a complete halt. The red octagon is the stop sign and its meaning never varies: come to a complete halt, and the duty applies to each vehicle that reaches it. Yielding is the triangle's job, a numeric slowdown belongs to speed signs, and truck restrictions use words or symbols on white. Stop behind the line or crosswalk, look in every direction, and go only when the way is clear. Even a damaged or snow covered octagon means stop.

3. 3. What does a solid white line separate on a Massachusetts road?

   1. Lanes of traffic moving in opposite directions
   2. The right edge of the roadway, or lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction, including bicycle lanes
   3. The road from a railroad crossing
   4. Nothing, it is decorative
   Show answer

   The right edge of the roadway, or lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction, including bicycle lanes. White lines are for traffic going the same way. A solid white line marks the right edge of the roadway or separates same-direction lanes, including bicycle lanes, and the manual notes you can go the same direction on both sides of it except the shoulder. Opposite directions are separated by yellow, railroad crossings use their own markings, and no line is decorative. Cross a solid white line only when a lane change is necessary and safe.

4. 4. Near schools, what does the Massachusetts manual tell drivers to look closely for?

   1. Signs listing the school's hours
   2. Signs allowing higher speeds during vacation
   3. Signs marking truck routes
   4. Signs saying you are approaching or entering a school zone
   Show answer

   Signs saying you are approaching or entering a school zone. School zone signs often begin before the school is visible, and the 20 mph limit starts at the sign, not at the building. The manual therefore tells drivers to look closely for signs announcing that they are approaching or entering a school zone. There are no vacation speed increases posted, truck route signs are unrelated, and the zone is defined by signs rather than by school hours printed on them. Slow at the first sign and stay alert for children until the zone ends.

5. 5. You approach a horse and rider on a Massachusetts road. What should you do?

   1. Slow down, be careful, and give the animal the right of way
   2. Pass as closely as possible to save time
   3. Speed up to get by before the horse reacts
   4. Sound the horn so the rider knows you are there
   Show answer

   Slow down, be careful, and give the animal the right of way. Animals are easily frightened by motor vehicles, so the manual tells you to give the right of way to any animal being led, ridden or driven, to slow down, and to be careful around it. Honking, passing close or accelerating are exactly the things that spook a horse and can throw its rider into your path. Wait until the animal is settled and the road is clear, then pass slowly with plenty of room. The rule covers horses, cows and other draft animals.

6. 6. On a Massachusetts road, why must you never pass on a curve or at the crest of a hill?

   1. Because passing there is always allowed if you signal
   2. Because the road narrows
   3. Because the speed limit drops automatically
   4. Because you and other drivers cannot see far enough ahead, the manual uses 500 feet for U-turns as the standard
   Show answer

   Because you and other drivers cannot see far enough ahead, the manual uses 500 feet for U-turns as the standard. Curves and hill crests hide oncoming traffic. The manual uses the same 500 foot visibility idea for U-turns: do not turn where you or other drivers cannot see 500 feet, and a pass into a blind stretch has the same problem, an oncoming car that appears when you are committed to the wrong lane. Signaling does not create sight distance, speed limits do not change on their own, and width is not the issue. Wait for a straight, open stretch.

7. 7. A Massachusetts driver under 18 commits a driving offense in which alcohol or drugs were involved. What license suspension applies in addition to any court penalty?

   1. 60 days
   2. 180 days
   3. 30 days
   4. One year
   Show answer

   One year. For the youngest drivers Massachusetts adds a full year of suspension when alcohol or drugs are part of a driving offense, on top of whatever the court orders. The 180 day figure belongs to drivers who are 18 to 21 in the same situation. Thirty and sixty day suspensions exist in the manual for other reasons, such as repeated speeding or surchargeable events, but not for this one. The rule is meant to keep teens who mix substances and driving off the road for a long stretch, and it runs regardless of how the criminal case ends.

8. 8. Unless posted otherwise, above what speed is a Massachusetts driver's speed not reasonable and proper in a thickly settled or business district?

   1. 30 mph, unless signs show a 25 mph limit
   2. 40 mph
   3. 50 mph
   4. 20 mph
   Show answer

   30 mph, unless signs show a 25 mph limit. Massachusetts speed law works from a list of unposted defaults, and a thickly settled or business district sits at 30 mph. Some communities have adopted a 25 mph limit and post signs saying so, which is why the choice mentions that exception. Twenty is the school zone figure, forty applies outside a thickly settled district, and fifty is for highways outside those districts. Exceeding the default is treated as speeding even without a sign, and driving at the default in rain or heavy traffic can still be ticketed as unreasonable.

9. 9. Under the Massachusetts Vulnerable Road Users Law, how much space must you leave when passing a bicyclist or pedestrian?

   1. At least two feet
   2. At least four feet
   3. At least three feet
   4. At least six feet
   Show answer

   At least four feet. Massachusetts requires a safe passing distance of at least four feet between your vehicle and a vulnerable road user. Three feet is a tempting wrong answer, but Massachusetts sets four. Two feet is far too close, and six feet is more than the law requires. If it is safe, you may use part of the next lane or cross the center line to give that room, but you must still obey the speed limit.

10. 10. What total stopping distance does the Massachusetts manual give at 60 mph on dry, level road?

    1. About 100 feet
    2. About 292 feet, almost a whole football field
    3. About 30 feet
    4. About 1,000 feet
    Show answer

    About 292 feet, almost a whole football field. If your brakes and tires are working and the road is dry and level, at 60 mph it takes about 292 feet to react to a hazard, step on the brake and safely stop, almost a whole football field, while at just 30 mph the total is about 104 feet and at 55 mph about 215 feet. Speed multiplies stopping distance far faster than most drivers expect.

11. 11. Who must use an Ignition Interlock Device to get a hardship license or reinstatement in Massachusetts?

    1. Any driver with one speeding ticket
    2. Every driver under 21
    3. Only commercial drivers
    4. A driver with two or more OUI offenses
    Show answer

    A driver with two or more OUI offenses. A driver who has had two or more operating under the influence offenses and qualifies for a hardship license or reinstatement must have an Ignition Interlock Device installed at the driver's own expense. A speeding ticket does not trigger it, and it is not required of every driver under 21 or only of commercial drivers. The device stays in use during the hardship license and for two more years after reinstatement.

12. 12. What defines a Low Speed Vehicle in Massachusetts?

    1. A motorcycle under 50cc
    2. Any golf cart
    3. A vehicle under 10,000 pounds
    4. A four wheel vehicle that goes only 20 to 25 mph with a gross weight rating under 3,000 pounds
    Show answer

    A four wheel vehicle that goes only 20 to 25 mph with a gross weight rating under 3,000 pounds. A Low Speed Vehicle has four wheels, can only travel between 20 and 25 mph, and must have a gross weight rating lower than 3,000 pounds. It may be used only on roads where permitted and needs registration and insurance like other vehicles. Drivers around LSVs should expect slow acceleration and give them room, since they cannot keep up with highway traffic and are not allowed on expressways.

13. 13. A Massachusetts driver gets three surchargeable events within two years. What does the RMV require?

    1. An automatic 60-day suspension
    2. Nothing until seven events
    3. A Driver Retraining course within 90 days, or the license is suspended
    4. A new road test within 30 days
    Show answer

    A Driver Retraining course within 90 days, or the license is suspended. Three surchargeable events, meaning moving violations and at-fault crashes, within a two-year period lead the RMV to order a Driver Retraining course. It must be completed within 90 days or the license is suspended until it is done. The automatic 60-day suspension is for seven events in three years. No new road test is required, and waiting for seven events ignores the earlier threshold.

14. 14. What are Massachusetts' minimum insurance limits?

    1. $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000
    2. $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, and $30,000 for property damage
    3. $50,000, $100,000 and $25,000
    4. $10,000 combined
    Show answer

    $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, and $30,000 for property damage. Massachusetts minimum limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury and $30,000 for property damage, and a road test vehicle registered out of state must show the examiner proof of coverage equal to those limits. Every registered vehicle must carry compulsory insurance, and driving uninsured brings fines and suspension, and can leave you personally liable for every claim.

15. 15. This curved-arrow sign warns of a curve ahead. What does the Massachusetts manual tell you to do at a curve where you cannot see ahead?

    
    1. Maintain speed to hold traction
    2. Move toward the center for a wider view
    3. Keep to the right and slow down
    4. Flash your high beams around the curve
    Show answer

    Keep to the right and slow down. A blind curve hides whatever is beyond it, so the manual's instruction is to keep to the right and slow down before you enter. Moving toward the center puts you in the oncoming lane at the worst possible moment, holding speed leaves no margin if something is stopped ahead, and high beams do not see around a bend. Brake before the curve, steer smoothly through it, and accelerate gently once you can see the exit.

16. 16. A Massachusetts learner's permit is suspended three months before the road test. What happens to the six-month permit period?

    1. It starts over when the suspension is lifted
    2. It keeps counting during the suspension
    3. It is waived
    4. It drops to 30 days
    Show answer

    It starts over when the suspension is lifted. An applicant needs a valid learner's permit for six consecutive months before the road test. Any suspension invalidates the permit, and the six months start running anew once the suspension is lifted. Time held before the suspension does not carry over, so the clock does not keep counting and is not waived or shortened. The same idea applies to the six-month passenger restriction, which pauses during a suspension.

17. 17. This sign shows a red circle and slash over a right turn arrow. What does it prohibit in Massachusetts?

    
    1. Turning right unless the light is green
    2. Turning right for vehicles over 10,000 pounds
    3. Turning right at this location
    4. Turning right during posted hours only
    Show answer

    Turning right at this location. The slashed circle prohibits the movement drawn inside it, and here that is the right turn. A green light does not override the sign, the prohibition is not limited to heavy vehicles, and unless a plaque adds hours it applies all day. Signs with a red circle and slash are among the few that work by image alone, which is why the manual asks you to recognize the symbol rather than wait for words. Continue straight and turn at the next legal opportunity.

18. 18. After passing a bicycle on your right in Massachusetts, when may you return to the right?

    1. Not until you have safely passed the overtaken bicycle
    2. As soon as your front bumper is ahead of the bicycle
    3. Immediately, if you signal first
    4. After 100 feet in every case
    Show answer

    Not until you have safely passed the overtaken bicycle. The manual calls the mistake cutting off the bicycle. When you pass a bike that is on your right and traveling your way, you may not move back to the right until you have safely cleared it, which means the whole bicycle is behind you with room to spare. Being bumper ahead is not clear, a signal does not create space, and a fixed footage is not the standard. A right turn just after passing a cyclist is the same hazard and needs the same patience.

19. 19. A school bus is stopped with red lights flashing on the opposite side of a Massachusetts road that has only a painted center line. What must you do?

    1. Slow to 20 mph and pass
    2. Continue, because the bus is on the other side
    3. Stop, because the exception applies only to a divided highway with a barrier
    4. Stop only if children are crossing
    Show answer

    Stop, because the exception applies only to a divided highway with a barrier. Traffic in both directions stops for a school bus unless a barrier physically separates the two roadways. A painted line, a turn lane or even a grass median without a barrier does not qualify, so on an ordinary two-way road you stop even when the bus faces the other way. Slowing to pass is the violation the law was written against, and children who have not started to cross yet are exactly the ones the stop protects.

20. 20. In a Massachusetts work zone, what do orange warning signs and work equipment usually tell you?

    1. The road is closed to all traffic
    2. The speed limit no longer applies
    3. People are on foot nearby
    4. Only trucks may use the lane
    Show answer

    People are on foot nearby. Orange is the work zone color, and the manual's point is human rather than mechanical: orange signs and parked equipment usually mean workers are on foot close to the travel lane. The road is rarely closed outright, the speed limit still applies and speeding fines in a posted work zone are doubled, and lane restrictions come from separate signs. Slow early, keep your eyes moving, and expect a person to step out from behind the equipment.