MN Permit Practice Test 3

All 20 questions in test 3

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. A Minnesota driver under 21 is convicted of driving with a detectable amount of alcohol for the first time. How long is the suspension?

   1. 180 days
   2. 90 days
   3. 30 days
   4. A full year
   Show answer

   30 days. It is illegal for anyone under 21 to operate a motor vehicle with any detectable amount of alcohol. A first conviction brings a 30 day suspension of driving privileges, and a second conviction brings a 180 day suspension. Ninety days is the first adult DWI revocation minimum, and one year the second. Under Vanessa's Law, a teen who is unlicensed or holds a provisional license can face longer consequences.

2. 2. What condition does the skidding-car symbol warn about?

   
   1. The road is reserved for emergency vehicles
   2. The road surface may be slippery when wet
   3. A gravel shoulder begins immediately
   4. The road is closed during rain
   Show answer

   The road surface may be slippery when wet. The symbol warns that moisture can make the road surface slippery, often near bridges or overpasses. It does not announce a closure, a gravel shoulder, or an emergency-only route. Reduce speed before reaching the slick area, increase following space, and use smooth steering and braking. Hard inputs can make a loss of traction worse. The most useful cue is the weather itself: when rain begins after a dry period, treat the pavement as especially suspect and leave room for other vehicles to react.

3. 3. What is the alcohol content of 80-proof whiskey?

   1. 40 percent
   2. 80 percent
   3. 8 percent
   4. 20 percent
   Show answer

   40 percent. Proof measures a drink's strength and equals twice the percentage of alcohol it contains. So 80-proof whiskey is 40 percent alcohol. Eighty percent confuses proof with percent. Eight and 20 percent are not what the formula gives. Standard servings of beer, wine and a typical mixed drink hold about the same alcohol, though mixed drinks can contain more than 1.5 ounces and beers vary by as much as 40 percent.

4. 4. A Minnesota driver tests at 0.08 percent or above. What may the driver receive before the revocation begins?

   1. A 30-day temporary license
   2. A seven-day temporary license
   3. A work permit valid for one year
   4. Nothing; driving stops at the roadside
   Show answer

   A seven-day temporary license. If you are found at 0.08 percent or above, or you refuse to take a test, you may receive a seven-day temporary license, and at the end of that seven-day period your license will be revoked. Thirty days is not the temporary license length. A work permit is not issued right away; after a first offense none is issued until 15 days of revocation have passed and reinstatement steps are met.

5. 5. Where may a person with a Minnesota Class D license drive a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle?

   1. On streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less
   2. On any street where the driver can reach 35 mph
   3. Only on private property
   4. Only on roads posted at 55 mph or higher
   Show answer

   On streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less. A Class D license permits NEV operation only on streets whose speed limit is 35 mph or less. The restriction refers to the posted limit of the street, not the vehicle's ability to reach a particular speed. Private property is not the manual's stated boundary, and high-speed roads are outside the permitted category. Before entering a roadway, read its posted limit and confirm that it falls at or below 35 mph.

6. 6. A Minnesota driver gave false information on a license application. How long is the license canceled?

   1. Permanently
   2. 30 days, whichever comes first
   3. 60 days or until the correct information is provided, whichever is longer
   4. Until age 21
   Show answer

   60 days or until the correct information is provided, whichever is longer. Cancellation applies when a driver has no legal right to the license. If you give false or misleading information on the application, the license is canceled for 60 days or until the correct information is provided, whichever is longer. It is not permanent by default. Thirty days whichever comes first reverses both the number and the logic. Age 21 has no role here.

7. 7. A Minnesota instruction permit holder is 19. How old must the supervising driver be?

   1. 18 or older
   2. 21 or older
   3. 25 or older
   4. Any licensed driver, at any age
   Show answer

   18 or older. The supervision age depends on the learner's age. A permit holder who is 18 or older must be supervised by a driver aged 18 or older, while a permit holder under 18 needs a supervisor 21 or older. Twenty-five is tied to the provisional license night rule. A supervisor of any age is too loose, since the handbook sets 18 as the floor. Everyone in the vehicle still must wear a seat belt or use a child restraint.

8. 8. How long after leaving active military service does a Minnesota driver have to renew an expired license?

   1. 30 days
   2. There is no exception for military service
   3. Five years
   4. Within one year of separation or discharge, with the license and DD-214
   Show answer

   Within one year of separation or discharge, with the license and DD-214. You must renew your license within one year of your separation or discharge from active military service by presenting your Minnesota driver's license and your DD-214 discharge papers. The exception also covers a spouse, domestic partner or dependents under 26 who did not live in Minnesota during the service period. Documents can be submitted online or by mail to Driver and Vehicle Services in St. Paul.

9. 9. What does an exempt sign allow certain bus and truck drivers to do at a railroad crossing?

   1. Stop only when the crossbuck is missing
   2. Ignore the crossing because trains must yield to buses and trucks
   3. Proceed without stopping while still looking in both directions for trains
   4. Cross without checking if the tracks appear empty
   Show answer

   Proceed without stopping while still looking in both directions for trains. An exempt sign permits bus and truck drivers who are usually required to stop at railroad crossings to proceed without stopping. It does not remove the duty to look in both directions for trains. The choices about ignoring the crossing, stopping only when a crossbuck is missing, or crossing without checking all omit the manual’s continuing safety instruction. Treat exempt as permission to continue without the usual stop, not as permission to stop observing the tracks. Slow down, scan both directions, and be ready to stop if a train or another warning requires it.

10. 10. Under Minnesota's basic speed law, how should a driver choose a speed during poor weather?

    1. Drive exactly at the posted limit whenever visibility is reduced
    2. Use a speed reasonable for the weather, traffic, and road conditions
    3. Use the posted limit plus 10 mph on any wet road
    4. Match the speed of the fastest vehicle nearby
    Show answer

    Use a speed reasonable for the weather, traffic, and road conditions. Minnesota's basic speed law connects a safe speed to current conditions, including weather, traffic, and the road itself. A posted number is the maximum allowed speed, not a promise that it is safe in every situation. The choice requiring the posted limit during reduced visibility ignores that obligation. The 10 mph allowance belongs only to lawful passing on a qualifying two lane highway, so it cannot justify faster travel in rain. A useful cue is to reassess the road before relying on the sign, then slow enough to keep control and time to react.

11. 11. How should you approach the crossing shown by this pedestrian warning sign?

    
    1. Maintain speed because pedestrians must always wait
    2. Slow down and be prepared to stop for pedestrians
    3. Sound the horn so pedestrians leave the roadway
    4. Stop only at a marked crosswalk with painted lines
    Show answer

    Slow down and be prepared to stop for pedestrians. A pedestrian crossing warning calls for slower, more attentive driving. Be prepared to stop and yield to pedestrians at intersections and crosswalks. Pedestrians do not lose their protection merely because the pavement lacks bright paint, and using the horn as a command can startle someone. Maintaining speed removes the time needed to react. The concrete cue is to scan beyond parked vehicles and toward both edges of the road, then stop before the crosswalk if a person is crossing.

12. 12. What should you do when this sign appears beside a traffic island or median?

    
    1. Use the center lane for a two-way left turn
    2. Move left and pass the obstruction on its left side
    3. Stop and wait for a green arrow before continuing
    4. Stay to the right of the island, median, or obstruction
    Show answer

    Stay to the right of the island, median, or obstruction. The keep-right instruction directs traffic around an obstruction, so the vehicle should remain on its right side. Moving left could place the driver in the wrong path or against an opposing flow. A green arrow is not required by this sign, and a center turn lane serves a different purpose. The practical cue is to locate the island or median, reduce speed if needed, and follow the arrow around the safe side while staying within the roadway.

13. 13. How long does a new Minnesota resident have to get a Minnesota license or permit?

    1. One year
    2. 10 days
    3. 60 days, or 30 days for commercial drivers
    4. Six months
    Show answer

    60 days, or 30 days for commercial drivers. You have 60 days once you become a Minnesota resident to get your Minnesota license or permit, and commercial drivers have only 30 days. If your former license has been expired for up to a year you must pass the written test, and if expired more than a year you must pass both the written and road tests. A valid motorcycle endorsement transfers with the license.

14. 14. How far does an average car at 55 mph need to stop compared with a loaded tractor trailer, according to the Minnesota manual?

    1. 50 feet and 100 feet
    2. 400 feet for both
    3. 1,000 feet for the truck and 500 for the car
    4. 130 to 140 feet for the car and more than 400 feet for the truck
    Show answer

    130 to 140 feet for the car and more than 400 feet for the truck. An average passenger car traveling at 55 mph can stop within 130 to 140 feet, while a fully loaded tractor trailer may need more than 400 feet to stop completely. Following a commercial vehicle too closely also hides the road ahead, so leave extra room, never cut in front of a truck, and allow for speed limiters and other operating restrictions trucks face.

15. 15. What is the safest response when smoke rises from beneath your vehicle's hood?

    1. Pull off, turn off the ignition, and leave the vehicle
    2. Open the hood and pour water on the engine
    3. Keep moving until the smoke disappears
    4. Rev the engine to clear the smoke
    Show answer

    Pull off, turn off the ignition, and leave the vehicle. Smoke under the hood can signal a vehicle fire, so the priority is to get away from traffic and away from the burning vehicle. Pull off the road, switch off the ignition, and exit immediately. Opening a hot hood can expose you to flames and oxygen, while water can spread a fire rather than extinguish it. Continuing to a gas station leaves the danger active and may place other people at risk. Treat smoke as an emergency warning, not a minor mechanical nuisance, and move yourself and passengers to a safe distance.

16. 16. At an uncontrolled T-intersection, who has priority when the road you are on ends?

    
    1. Cross traffic on the continuing road
    2. The vehicle that reaches the pavement edge first
    3. The driver making the louder warning signal
    4. The vehicle turning from the ending road
    Show answer

    Cross traffic on the continuing road. A vehicle approaching an uncontrolled T-intersection from the road that ends must yield to all cross traffic on the road that continues. The ending road does not gain priority by arriving first or by signaling an intended turn. The through road's traffic may be moving in either direction, so check both approaches and wait for a safe opening before turning. Think of the pavement layout as the cue: the driver facing the cross street is entering another road and must give that road's traffic room to proceed.

17. 17. Which method does the manual recommend for maintaining a safe following distance in ideal conditions?

    
    1. Judge the gap only by looking in the rearview mirror
    2. Stay exactly one car length behind at every speed
    3. Use a fixed roadside point and count at least three seconds
    4. Follow as closely as possible when traffic is moving slowly
    Show answer

    Use a fixed roadside point and count at least three seconds. The three-second method uses a fixed object beside the road as a reference. When the vehicle ahead reaches that object, count through three seconds and check whether you arrive before the count ends. If you do, increase the gap by slowing gradually. A fixed car-length rule fails because stopping needs grow with speed and conditions, while mirror-only observation does not measure the space ahead. Poor weather or a longer vehicle calls for four or five seconds. The cue is time, not bumper distance: choose a point, count, and adjust.

18. 18. What does a solid white line with a bicycle insignia mark?

    1. A lane where cars may park during daylight
    2. An area reserved for bicycle or electric-assist bicycle traffic
    3. A passing lane for vehicles traveling in either direction
    4. A shoulder that motorcycles must use
    Show answer

    An area reserved for bicycle or electric-assist bicycle traffic. The marking identifies space for bicycle or electric-assist bicycle traffic, separating that use from ordinary vehicle lanes. It is not a parking area, a two-way passing lane, or a motorcycle-only shoulder. Drivers should recognize the bicycle symbol and avoid treating the marked space as an extra lane for convenience. When crossing such a lane to turn or enter a driveway, check carefully for approaching bicyclists and yield when required. The cue is the combination of solid white boundary and bicycle insignia: reserved bicycle space, not spare pavement for cars.

19. 19. What does a flashing yellow arrow permit a driver to do at an intersection?

    1. Treat the arrow as a protected green turn
    2. Make the turn without checking oncoming traffic
    3. Stop and wait until a red arrow disappears
    4. Turn with caution after yielding to an immediate hazard
    Show answer

    Turn with caution after yielding to an immediate hazard. A flashing yellow arrow signals caution rather than a protected movement. Drivers may proceed through the intersection carefully, but a left turn or U-turn requires yielding to oncoming vehicles that are close enough to pose an immediate hazard. The arrow does not authorize a blind turn, and it is not the same as a green arrow that protects the movement from oncoming or crossing traffic. Stopping is not automatically required by the flashing yellow indication. Before turning, reduce speed, search the opposing approach, and yield whenever another vehicle could create a conflict.

20. 20. Which group may use strobe lamps under the Minnesota vehicle-equipment rules?

    1. Any truck weighing more than 10,000 pounds
    2. All delivery vans making a daytime stop
    3. Passenger vehicles with a roof-mounted warning sticker
    4. School buses, snow removal equipment, and rural mail carrier vehicles
    Show answer

    School buses, snow removal equipment, and rural mail carrier vehicles. The manual names school buses, snow removal equipment, and rural mail carrier vehicles as vehicles that can use strobe lamps. The other options replace that specific list with broad categories based on delivery work, a sticker, or vehicle weight. None of those conditions creates the authorization described in the text. Strobe lamps therefore signal a limited group of road users and work activities, not a general visibility option for heavy or commercial vehicles. Use the vehicle type and its operating role as your recognition cue when reviewing this equipment rule.