MN Permit Practice Test 13

All 20 questions in test 13

Every question below comes from the Minnesota 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. In Minnesota, what is an unmarked crosswalk?

   1. Any spot where people cross in the middle of a block
   2. A crossing with only a sign, no signal
   3. A school crossing used in school hours
   4. Where a sidewalk meets the road, no lines painted
   Show answer

   Where a sidewalk meets the road, no lines painted. An unmarked crosswalk is the area where a road intersects a sidewalk but no solid lines are painted on the road. Drivers often think only painted crosswalks count, but you must yield to pedestrians in both marked and unmarked crosswalks. A random mid-block spot without a sidewalk connection is not a crosswalk. Signs, signals, and school hours do not define it; the meeting of sidewalk and road does.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycles

2. 2. A 19-year-old drinks one beer, then drives. A test finds 0.02 percent alcohol. Is this legal in Minnesota?

   1. No, any detectable amount is illegal under 21
   2. Yes, it is below the 0.08 limit
   3. Yes, it is below 0.04
   4. Only illegal if driving is affected
   Show answer

   No, any detectable amount is illegal under 21. The legal age to buy and drink alcohol in Minnesota is 21, and it is illegal for anyone under 21 to drive with any detectable amount of alcohol in their system. A 0.02 reading is detectable, so the 19-year-old is breaking the law even though the amount is small. The 0.08 and 0.04 figures apply to other drivers and situations. No proof of poor driving is needed for this rule.

   Study this in the handbook: How alcohol affects you and the DWI law

3. 3. Just past this sign, a median begins in the middle of the road. Where should you drive?

   
   1. Either side of the median
   2. To the left of the median
   3. To the right of the median
   4. On the median edge
   Show answer

   To the right of the median. The Divided Highway Begins sign warns that the road is dividing ahead. Stay to the right of the median, which separates your direction of travel from oncoming traffic. Driving to the left of the median would put you in the lanes meant for vehicles coming toward you. Either side is not an option, and the edge of the median is not a lane. A similar sign marks where the divided highway ends.

4. 4. On a four-lane road with only a painted center line, a school bus stopped in the opposite lanes flashes its red lights. What must you do?

   1. Keep going; it is across the center line
   2. Slow to 20 mph and pass carefully
   3. Stop, because the road is not divided
   4. Stop only if children are in your lane
   Show answer

   Stop, because the road is not divided. The only time you may keep going past a school bus with flashing red lights is when you are on a divided roadway and the bus is on the opposite side of the divider. A painted center line is not a divider, so on a four-lane road without a median, traffic in both directions must stop at least 20 feet from the bus. Slowing down is not enough, and you may not wait to see whether children enter your lane.

   Study this in the handbook: Stop rules, school buses and fleeing police

5. 5. On a two-way road, an ambulance with flashing red lights and a siren is coming toward you from the opposite direction. What should you do?

   1. Keep going; it is in the other lane
   2. Slow down but keep moving
   3. Stop where you are in your lane
   4. Pull to the right and stop
   Show answer

   Pull to the right and stop. When an emergency vehicle with flashing red lights and a siren or bell approaches your vehicle on a two-way road, you must pull to the right and stop. The rule is not limited to vehicles coming from behind; the ambulance may need to swing into your lane to get around traffic. Remain stopped until all emergency vehicles have passed. Only a physical barrier, such as a median, removes the duty to stop.

   Study this in the handbook: Emergency vehicles, the Move Over Law and traffic stops

6. 6. In a work zone, what are orange drums, cones, and striped barriers used for?

   1. To mark where drivers are allowed to park
   2. To keep traffic out of dangerous areas
   3. To show the start of a toll road
   4. To mark lanes for trucks only
   Show answer

   To keep traffic out of dangerous areas. Drums, cones, tubes, flashing arrows, and orange-and-white striped barriers are used to keep traffic out of a construction area or other places where it is dangerous to drive. Follow the path they create and slow down. You may also see people with orange signs or flags giving directions; always follow them. These devices do not mark parking, toll roads, or truck lanes.

   Study this in the handbook: Warning, school, construction and guide signs

7. 7. A lane-use sign over the right lane shows an arrow straight ahead and an arrow for a turn. What may drivers in that lane do?

   1. Make the turn after waiting for a green light
   2. Only make the turn shown by the sign
   3. Only continue straight through the intersection
   4. Go straight ahead or make the turn
   Show answer

   Go straight ahead or make the turn. Minnesota's lane-use control signs tell drivers which movements a lane allows. One sign tells drivers in the specified lane that they must turn. Another shows that traffic in the right lane may proceed straight ahead or turn, so the driver chooses either movement. A lane-use sign is a regulatory sign that must be obeyed, and it does not add a rule about waiting for a green light. Follow the arrows shown for your lane.

8. 8. As you approach a roundabout, a pedestrian is crossing the road you are on. What must you do?

   1. Enter first; circle traffic has priority
   2. Yield to the pedestrian before entering
   3. Honk and keep going slowly
   4. Yield only if there is a walk signal
   Show answer

   Yield to the pedestrian before entering. When approaching a roundabout, slow down, choose the correct lane before entering if there are several, and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the road. Then yield to vehicles already in the circle before you enter. Pedestrians do not need a signal to have the right of way at the crosswalk. Honking or rolling past them is not allowed, and traffic inside the roundabout does not outrank a person in the crosswalk.

   Study this in the handbook: Signaling, turns, roundabouts and U turns

9. 9. You are stopped on a freeway shoulder in an emergency. Where should you place flares or reflectors?

   1. Right next to your vehicle
   2. 100 to 500 feet behind your vehicle
   3. 50 feet in front of your vehicle
   4. About 1,000 feet behind your vehicle
   Show answer

   100 to 500 feet behind your vehicle. If you have flares or reflectors, place them from 100 to 500 feet behind your vehicle on the right edge of the main road. That gives approaching drivers time to see the warning and move over before they reach you. Putting them beside your car or in front of it warns traffic too late. One thousand feet is beyond the range in the rule. Park as far from the main roadway as you can and use hazard lights too.

   Study this in the handbook: Following distance, night driving and freeways

10. 10. You are driving slower than the other traffic on a freeway. Which lane should you use?

    1. The lane nearest the right side of the road
    2. The center lane, so faster cars can pass on both sides
    3. The left lane, with your hazard lights on
    4. Any lane, as long as you stay under the limit
    Show answer

    The lane nearest the right side of the road. On a freeway, Minnesota tells you to keep about the same speed as surrounding vehicles when possible, but never to exceed the posted speed limit. If you are driving slower than other traffic, stay in the lane nearest the right side of the road. If you need to change lanes to pass or to leave the freeway, signal your intent and make sure your path is clear before moving over. Slower traffic does not belong in the left or center lanes.

    Study this in the handbook: Following distance, night driving and freeways

11. 11. Your car has daytime running lights that come on by themselves. What should you remember as it gets dark?

    1. Your taillights are already lit along with them
    2. You never need to use the headlight switch
    3. Your high beams will switch on when it is dark
    4. Taillights may be off; turn on headlights
    Show answer

    Taillights may be off; turn on headlights. Some vehicles have daytime running lights that turn on automatically to make the car more visible during the day. Minnesota's manual points out that taillights and parking lights do not turn on automatically with them. At dusk, a car on running lights alone can be dark from behind. Turn on your headlights at sunset, and use them in rain, snow, fog, or whenever you cannot see the road for 500 feet.

    Study this in the handbook: Headlights, special lights and required equipment

12. 12. In slow traffic, a motorcycle passes between your car and the car in the next lane. What should you do?

    1. Move over to block it
    2. Honk to warn the rider
    3. Report the rider to police
    4. Let it pass; this is legal
    Show answer

    Let it pass; this is legal. Minnesota now allows motorcycles to ride or pass between your car and the car in the next lane, sharing part of your lane. You will often see this at stoplights or in slow traffic. It is legal, and you may not interfere with the rider's safe movement. Moving over to block a motorcycle could cause a crash. Honking may startle the rider, and there is nothing to report, because the rider is following the law.

    Study this in the handbook: Stop rules, school buses and fleeing police

13. 13. A 6-year-old has outgrown the car seat's height and weight limits. What must the child use in Minnesota?

    1. An adult seat belt by itself
    2. A booster seat and a safety belt
    3. A rear-facing infant seat
    4. A lap belt in the front seat
    Show answer

    A booster seat and a safety belt. A child from 4 to 9 years old who is too tall or too heavy for a car seat must use a booster seat and be secured with a safety belt. The booster raises the child so the belt crosses the hips and chest instead of the stomach and neck. An adult belt alone fits poorly at that size. A rear-facing infant seat is far too small. Children under 13 should also ride in the back seat when one is available.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats, airbags and window rules

14. 14. You are driving in the right lane and a city transit bus signals to pull out from a bus stop. What must you do?

    1. Yield and let the bus merge
    2. Speed up and pass before it moves
    3. Keep going; the bus must find a gap
    4. Honk so the bus driver sees you
    Show answer

    Yield and let the bus merge. When you are in the right lane, Minnesota requires you to yield to transit and metro mobility buses merging back into traffic from a bus stop or shoulder. The same duty applies to a school bus pulling into the lane after loading or unloading. Racing ahead of the bus or forcing it to wait for a gap breaks this rule and can cause a side-swipe. A horn does not give you the right of way.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way and yielding

15. 15. An ambulance with its siren on is coming the other way on a divided highway with a concrete median. Must you pull over and stop?

    1. Yes, all traffic must stop for a siren
    2. Yes, if you are in the left lane
    3. No, the median separates you from it
    4. Only if it is within 500 feet
    Show answer

    No, the median separates you from it. You do not need to stop for an emergency vehicle that is separated from your lane by a physical barrier such as a fence, wall, or median strip. On a divided highway, the ambulance on the far side cannot cross into your lanes, so stopping would only slow traffic for no reason. If the emergency vehicle were on your side of the barrier, you would pull over and stop. Distance and lane position do not change the barrier rule.

    Study this in the handbook: Emergency vehicles, the Move Over Law and traffic stops

16. 16. You are in the left lane of a two-lane-each-way highway and a faster car comes up behind you. What should you do?

    1. Stay left if you are at the limit
    2. Speed up past the limit to stay ahead of it
    3. Move out of the left lane when practical
    4. Brake lightly so the driver backs off
    Show answer

    Move out of the left lane when practical. Minnesota expects you to drive in the right-hand lane when one is available on a multi-lane highway. If you are in the left-most lane, you should move out so another vehicle can pass when it is practical. Driving at the speed limit does not give you a right to stay in the left lane. Speeding up breaks the limit, and tapping the brakes to send a message can cause a rear-end crash. Let the faster car by, then continue in the right lane.

    Study this in the handbook: Signaling, turns, roundabouts and U turns

17. 17. After passing a car on a two-lane road, when should you return to the right lane?

    1. When all of it shows in your rearview mirror
    2. As soon as your rear bumper clears its front bumper
    3. When the other driver flashes headlights
    4. After you are 100 feet past its bumper
    Show answer

    When all of it shows in your rearview mirror. Minnesota's cue for ending a pass is simple: move back to the right lane once you can see the whole vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror. That leaves a safe gap in front of it. Cutting in as soon as your bumper clears is too close and can force the other driver to brake. Headlight flashes from another driver are not a legal signal. A fixed distance like 100 feet does not tell you whether the gap is really safe.

    Study this in the handbook: Passing, backing up and parking

18. 18. During a power outage, the traffic lights at an intersection are dark. You and a car on your right arrive together. Who should go first?

    1. The other driver
    2. You, as the driver on the left
    3. Whoever is on the busier road
    4. Whichever car is going straight
    Show answer

    The other driver. If a traffic signal is not working, treat the intersection like an uncontrolled intersection. At an uncontrolled intersection, when two drivers arrive at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. Since the other car is on your right, it goes first. The busier road gets no special right of way when the lights are out, and going straight does not outrank the driver on the right.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning, school, construction and guide signs

19. 19. At night on a rural road, you pass this round yellow sign. What should you do next?

    
    1. Keep your speed; trains have lights
    2. Slow, look both ways, be ready to stop
    3. Stop right at the sign
    4. Speed up to clear any tracks fast
    Show answer

    Slow, look both ways, be ready to stop. This round sign warns that a railroad crossing is ahead. Slow down, look carefully in both directions, and be prepared to stop, because trains cannot stop quickly. At night, a train's speed and distance are especially hard to judge even with bright lights. You do not stop at the sign itself; it is placed before the crossing. Speeding up to cross faster gives you less time to react.

    Study this in the handbook: Warning, school, construction and guide signs

20. 20. When pulling a camper or trailer in Minnesota, how much following distance must you keep from other vehicles?

    1. At least 100 feet
    2. At least 200 feet
    3. At least 500 feet
    4. At least 50 feet
    Show answer

    At least 500 feet. Minnesota requires drivers pulling a camper or trailer to keep at least 500 feet of following distance from other vehicles. A trailer adds weight that your brakes may not be built to handle, so you need far more room to stop. A sudden stop at high speed could even flip the trailer and car. One hundred, two hundred, and fifty feet are all much shorter than the law requires.

    Study this in the handbook: Distraction, aggression, winter driving and skids