MN Permit Practice Test 24

All 20 questions in test 24

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. How far back must you stop from a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing?

   1. At least 20 feet
   2. At least 10 feet
   3. At least 50 feet
   4. At least 100 feet
   Show answer

   At least 20 feet. When a school bus is stopped with red lights flashing, it is loading or unloading students, and you must stop at least 20 feet from the bus. This applies whether or not the stop arm swings out, and whether you are behind the bus or facing it. Ten feet is too close to children crossing. Fifty and one hundred feet are not the legal figures, though stopping farther back is never wrong. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing.

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

2. 2. Your car is completely under water. Why may the doors not open at first?

   1. The locks short out under water
   2. Water pressure outside is greater
   3. The airbags seal the doors shut
   4. The engine's weight jams the frame
   Show answer

   Water pressure outside is greater. Vehicle doors cannot be opened until the water pressure inside the car equals the pressure outside. Once the car is completely filled, the doors can be opened if there is no structural damage. The heavy engine makes the front end sink first, so the rear may hold an air pocket while you plan your escape. Locks shorting out, airbags, and the frame jamming are not the reasons the manual gives.

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

3. 3. On a long drive, how often does Minnesota suggest you stop to stay alert?

   1. Every 300 miles or five hours
   2. Only once you start to feel tired and sleepy
   3. At least every 100 miles or two hours
   4. Every 200 miles or four hours
   Show answer

   At least every 100 miles or two hours. Minnesota suggests stopping as often as you need to, and at least once every 100 miles or every two hours. Get out of the car to walk, stretch, and have something to eat or drink. These steps help, but they do not last, so get plenty of rest before a long trip. Waiting until you feel sleepy is too late, because tiredness builds before you notice. Three hundred or two hundred miles between breaks is longer than advised.

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

4. 4. After stopping at a stop sign, a parked truck blocks your view of the cross street. What should you do?

   1. Go, since you already stopped once
   2. Honk, then drive straight through
   3. Ease forward, ready to stop again
   4. Back up and choose another route
   Show answer

   Ease forward, ready to stop again. At a stop sign, stop completely and yield to pedestrians, bicyclists, and traffic. If your view of the intersection is blocked, be prepared to stop again for traffic or pedestrians in your path. Edging forward slowly lets you see without pulling into cross traffic. Having stopped once does not give you the right to go. A horn does not clear the way, and backing up into traffic behind you creates new risks.

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

5. 5. Your temperature gauge is climbing in stop-and-go traffic on a hot day. After turning off the air conditioning, what can help?

   1. Turning on the heater
   2. Turning on the high beams
   3. Revving the engine in neutral
   4. Opening the radiator cap
   Show answer

   Turning on the heater. When the engine runs hot, turn off unnecessary equipment such as the air conditioning. If the temperature is still too high, turning on the heater helps draw hot air away from the engine. If that does not work, or the temperature jumps or steam rises, pull over, stop, and turn off the ignition. Revving the engine adds heat, high beams do nothing for cooling, and opening a hot radiator cap can cause burns.

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

6. 6. You are stopping to run an errand on a very hot day with your dog in the car. What does Minnesota's manual say?

   1. Leave it with the windows cracked open
   2. Do not leave it in the vehicle
   3. Leave it if you will be gone under an hour
   4. Leave it in the shade with the engine running
   Show answer

   Do not leave it in the vehicle. Minnesota's manual says you are responsible for the safety of animals in your vehicle. Do not leave pets in vehicles, especially on very hot or cold days, because temperature extremes can be very dangerous to animals. The manual also warns about leaving animals unattended during warm weather. It tells drivers to take their keys and not leave the vehicle running when they leave it, so leaving the engine on is not a fix for heat.

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

7. 7. According to Minnesota's manual, what happens to your field of vision as your speed increases?

   1. It narrows, and crash risk goes up
   2. It widens because you scan farther
   3. It stays the same at any speed
   4. It narrows only at night
   Show answer

   It narrows, and crash risk goes up. The manual reminds drivers that raising your speed shrinks your field of vision and raises the chance of a crash. At higher speed you have less time to notice what is happening at the edges of the road, such as a car pulling out of a driveway or a child near the curb. Some people believe looking farther ahead widens what they see, but the opposite is true for side vision. The effect is not limited to night driving; it happens in daylight too.

   Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and the basic speed law

8. 8. At a J-turn on a divided highway, you want to go left from the side street. What do you do first?

   1. Turn left across both lanes when you see a gap
   2. Wait in the median and turn left
   3. Stop, then turn right onto the highway
   4. Drive straight across to the far side
   Show answer

   Stop, then turn right onto the highway. J-turns are built to cut broadside crashes on four-lane divided highways. Drivers on the side street always turn right onto the highway. To go left or straight across, you stop, turn right, then use the marked left-turn lane at the median opening to make a U-turn. A direct left or a straight crossing is what the J-turn is designed to prevent, and waiting in the median to turn left is the old method the design replaces.

9. 9. What does the color red mean on a Minnesota regulatory sign?

   1. It warns of a hazard
   2. It prohibits or commands
   3. It guides you to places
   4. It marks a work zone
   Show answer

   It prohibits or commands. On Minnesota signs, red prohibits and commands, which is why it appears on stop, yield, do not enter, and wrong way signs and on the red circle and slash. White regulates, as on speed limit signs. Yellow is used to warn of hazards, green guides and informs, and orange warns and controls in construction zones. When you see red, expect a rule you must obey.

   Study this in the handbook: Sign colors, shapes and regulatory signs

10. 10. Railroad crossing lights are flashing in Minnesota. How far from the nearest rail or gate must you stop?

    1. At least 5 feet
    2. At least 15 feet
    3. At least 50 feet
    4. At least 10 feet
    Show answer

    At least 10 feet. Flashing lights, bells, and gates mean a train or other on-track equipment is coming. When they are active, do not cross, and stop at least 10 feet from the nearest rail or gate. Fifteen feet is the figure many other states use, which makes it a common wrong answer on a Minnesota test. Five feet is too close to a passing train. Fifty feet is Minnesota's parking distance from a rail, not the stopping distance.

    Study this in the handbook: Commercial vehicles, railroad crossings and work zones

11. 11. You plan to pass a slow car and then see this sign. What should you do?

    
    1. Slow down and do not pass on the bends
    2. Pass quickly before the bends begin
    3. Pass on the inside of the first curve
    4. Keep your speed and stay alert
    Show answer

    Slow down and do not pass on the bends. The winding road sign means the road ahead winds back and forth, so slow to a safe or indicated speed. On winding roads you often cannot see far enough ahead to pass safely; Minnesota does not allow passing on a curve where you cannot see at least 700 feet. Rushing a pass before the bends, or cutting inside a curve, can leave you facing an oncoming car. Keeping full speed ignores the warning.

12. 12. It is midday, but light snow is falling and you can see only about 400 feet ahead. Should your headlights be on?

    1. No, headlights are for night only
    2. Only if another car has them on
    3. Yes, visibility is under 500 feet
    4. On freeways, not city streets
    Show answer

    Yes, visibility is under 500 feet. Turn on your headlights at sunset and keep them on until sunrise. Also use them during rain, snow, hail, sleet, or fog, or any time you cannot see the road ahead for at least 500 feet. Falling snow and 400 feet of visibility meet both conditions, so headlights belong on in the middle of the day. The rule does not depend on other drivers or on the type of road.

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

13. 13. A 30-year-old driving a car tests at 0.09 percent alcohol concentration. Can the driver be arrested for DWI?

    1. No, the adult limit is 0.10
    2. Only if the officer saw a crash
    3. No, that level matters only under 21
    4. Yes, it is above the 0.08 limit
    Show answer

    Yes, it is above the 0.08 limit. In Minnesota, a person with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher who is in control of a moving or parked vehicle can be arrested for DWI. A reading of 0.09 is over that line. The limit is not 0.10, and no crash is needed. Drivers under 21 face an even stricter rule, since any detectable amount is illegal for them, but adults are covered at 0.08.

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

14. 14. You are leaving an alley or driveway to enter the street. Who does Minnesota tell you to watch for?

    1. Only vehicles traveling in the street
    2. Bicyclists, including ones on the sidewalk
    3. Only pedestrians in a marked crosswalk
    4. No one, if you stopped before the sidewalk
    Show answer

    Bicyclists, including ones on the sidewalk. Minnesota tells drivers to watch for bicyclists in intersections, on sidewalks, and when entering or leaving alleys and driveways. Bicycles can be on the sidewalk or the street, so checking only for cars is not enough. The manual also says to be extra cautious of bicycle traffic at night. Stopping before the sidewalk is required when you leave an alley or driveway, but stopping does not replace looking for bicyclists before you go.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcycles

15. 15. Bright headlights behind you are glaring in your rearview mirror. What should you do?

    1. Tap your brakes to warn the driver
    2. Speed up to lose the other car
    3. Switch on your rear fog lights
    4. Use the mirror's night setting or adjust it
    Show answer

    Use the mirror's night setting or adjust it. For glare from headlights behind you, use a day-night mirror's night setting or adjust your regular mirror so the light is not in your eyes. Tapping the brakes to send a message can cause the driver behind to brake hard or crash into you. Speeding up to escape adds risk without fixing the glare. Fog lights are not the solution the manual gives; a simple mirror adjustment is.

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

16. 16. How is a center left-turn lane marked on the pavement in Minnesota?

    1. Parallel solid and dashed yellow lines
    2. Double solid white lines on each side
    3. A single dashed white line
    4. Double dashed yellow lines on each side
    Show answer

    Parallel solid and dashed yellow lines. A center lane between lanes of opposite traffic may be used only for left turns. It is marked by parallel solid and dashed yellow lines, sometimes with white arrows on the pavement, and drivers from either direction may use it to turn left. Double dashed yellow lines mark a reversible lane, which is a different kind of lane. White lines separate traffic going the same way, so they do not outline a center turn lane.

    Study this in the handbook: Lines and lane markings

17. 17. In Minnesota, within what distance of an intersection or a tunnel is passing not allowed?

    1. 50 feet
    2. 100 feet
    3. 200 feet
    4. 1,000 feet
    Show answer

    100 feet. You must not pass within 100 feet of an intersection, underpass, tunnel, or railroad crossing. Near these places cars may turn, merge, or stop, and your view is often limited, so a passing car can be caught in the wrong lane. Fifty feet is too short a zone. Two hundred feet is not the figure, and 1,000 feet is the sight distance used for U-turns on hills and curves. Wait until you are well past the intersection before you pull out.

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

18. 18. When passing on a two-lane road, you must be back on the right side before coming within what distance of an oncoming vehicle?

    1. 50 feet
    2. 300 feet
    3. 500 feet
    4. 100 feet
    Show answer

    100 feet. Minnesota requires you to finish a pass and return to the right side of the road before you come within 100 feet of an oncoming vehicle. At highway speeds two cars close 100 feet in about a second, so you should plan the pass with far more room than that. Fifty feet is not enough and is not the legal figure. Three hundred and five hundred feet are distances used in other Minnesota rules, such as following trailers, not this one.

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

19. 19. You have to park on a Minnesota highway at night. From how far away must your front and rear lights be visible?

    1. At least 500 feet
    2. At least 100 feet
    3. At least 200 feet
    4. At least 1,000 feet
    Show answer

    At least 500 feet. If you park on the highway at night, or any time lights are needed, at least one white or amber light in front and one red taillight in back must be on, and both must be visible from at least 500 feet away. Parking lights or hazard warning lights help other drivers spot you, and headlights on a parked car should be set to low beam. One hundred or two hundred feet gives a fast driver too little warning. One thousand feet is the distance for dimming headlights for oncoming cars.

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

20. 20. What should you do when you see this sign?

    
    1. Speed up to get through the area
    2. Use high beams in daylight
    3. Expect a deer farm entrance
    4. Watch for animals crossing the road
    Show answer

    Watch for animals crossing the road. Crossing signs warn you to watch for animals, people, or vehicles crossing the road, and this one shows a deer. Scan the road edges, slow down, and be ready to stop. Deer are most active from dusk to dawn, and where you see one, more may follow. Speeding up gives you less time to react. High beams are not a daytime tool, and the sign is not about a farm entrance.

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