MS Permit Practice Test 16

All 20 questions in test 16

Every question below comes from the Mississippi 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. You park facing downhill on a hill with no curb. How should the wheels be turned?

   1. Toward the uphill side
   2. Sharply to the left
   3. Straight ahead
   4. Sharply to the right
   Show answer

   Sharply to the right. In a downhill position, the manual calls for the front wheels sharply to the right whether or not a curb is present. That sends the front of the car toward the edge of the road if it rolls, rather than into the travel lane. Turning them left is the uphill-with-a-curb rule, and straight wheels leave the car free to roll. Set the brake and put the transmission in park or low before releasing the foot brake.

   Study this in the handbook: Parking Rules

2. 2. Before passing on the left, why should you drop back from the car ahead?

   1. Dropping back lets you build extra speed for the pass
   2. Dropping back hides you in the other driver blind spot
   3. Dropping back lets you see around it before changing lanes
   4. Dropping back signals the other driver to speed up too
   Show answer

   Dropping back lets you see around it before changing lanes. Falling back before a left pass opens your view around the lead car so the passing lane can be judged before moving. Building speed from close behind shortens your decision window, and hiding in a blind spot makes your lane change a surprise. Once you can see past both sides of the lead car, signal and move with purpose. The extra view helps the driver see whether the passing lane is actually clear.

   Study this in the handbook: Signals, Lanes and Passing

3. 3. State law permits bicyclists to ride side by side. What limit applies to riding two abreast?

   1. They must ride in the oncoming lane
   2. They should not impede normal traffic movement
   3. They may block traffic for up to five minutes
   4. They must separate only at night
   Show answer

   They should not impede normal traffic movement. Mississippi allows bicyclists to ride side by side, but two riders abreast should not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic. On a multi-lane road they should also ride within a single lane. Riding in the oncoming lane puts them against traffic, and a five minute allowance to block a lane invents a grace period the rule does not give. Night riding adds visibility needs, yet the duty to keep traffic moving applies in daylight as well. Drivers should pass only when a safe gap opens.

4. 4. Two lanes side by side both permit turning. What lane discipline applies?

   1. Swing into whichever exit lane looks emptiest mid-turn
   2. Cross to the far lane early to straighten the path
   3. Stay in your own lane through the turn if you choose to turn
   4. Let the larger vehicle take both lanes without yielding
   Show answer

   Stay in your own lane through the turn if you choose to turn. With side by side turn lanes, each driver keeps the lane started in, so paths stay parallel and predictable through the corner. Swinging to an empty exit lane cuts across the neighbor turning beside you, creating the classic side swipe at the apex. Pick your lane early, hold its arc, and check the adjacent turner before accelerating out. Keeping the lane prevents the two turning vehicles from crossing paths.

5. 5. How often should tire pressure be checked with a gauge?

   1. Only when a tire looks visibly flat at the curb
   2. Once a year during the annual inspection visit
   3. Once every six months at a service visit
   4. Before driving, matching the owner manual or door jamb PSI
   Show answer

   Before driving, matching the owner manual or door jamb PSI. Tire pressure should be gauged before driving and matched to the PSI in the owner manual or on the driver door jamb. Waiting for a visibly flat tire ignores slow leaks that harm handling, and yearly checks leave months of underinflation unnoticed. Check cold in the morning; driving heat inflates the reading and hides a leak. The gauge check can reveal underinflation before a tire looks flat.

   Study this in the handbook: Required Equipment, Tags and Tint

6. 6. What do destination, direction, and distance markers tell a driver?

   1. Which lane to use for the next freeway exit only
   2. Where the nearest vehicle inspection station is located
   3. How many vehicles are currently using the highway
   4. Travel distance to towns and cities along the route
   Show answer

   Travel distance to towns and cities along the route. Destination, direction, and distance markers state how far towns and cities lie along your route, aiding fuel and rest planning. Exit lane choice comes from guide and lane signs at the interchange, and inspection station locations are not posted by distance markers. Use the mileage to judge whether the next town is a realistic fuel stop. These markers help a driver estimate how far the route continues to listed places.

7. 7. A blind pedestrian carries a white cane with a red tip. What should drivers do?

   1. Take every precaution and extend every courtesy for their safety
   2. Pass quickly before the pedestrian reaches the crosswalk
   3. Sound the horn continuously while passing the pedestrian
   4. Assume the pedestrian can see your vehicle approach clearly
   Show answer

   Take every precaution and extend every courtesy for their safety. Pedestrians using a white cane, possibly with a red tip, receive every precaution and courtesy at intersections and crosswalks. Quick passes and horn blasts pressure a vulnerable walker, and assuming clear vision defeats the purpose of watching for the cane. Stop early and wait visibly; patience is the courtesy that matters most here. Extra care is required because a blind pedestrian may not see the vehicle.

   Study this in the handbook: School Buses and Pedestrians

8. 8. A cyclist is preparing for a left turn at an intersection. Which lane position does the manual allow?

   1. Move left, farther into the traffic lane before turning.
   2. Remain on the sidewalk until the turn is complete.
   3. Stay at the far right and cross the lanes at the intersection.
   4. Stop and wait until every vehicle has left the road.
   Show answer

   Move left, farther into the traffic lane before turning.. Mississippi lists an intended left turn as a condition under which a bicyclist may move left or farther into the traffic lane. That position prepares the rider for the turn instead of requiring a sudden move across the roadway from the far right. Remaining on the sidewalk, crossing all lanes from the far right, or waiting for an entirely empty road is not the lane position described in the manual. The permitted action is the leftward move before turning.

   Study this in the handbook: Bicycles and Large Vehicles

9. 9. What license action may follow frequent convictions for serious traffic violations?

   1. The vehicle registration may be canceled
   2. The driver may be ordered to perform community service
   3. The driver may be required to take a new road test
   4. The license may be suspended without a preliminary hearing
   Show answer

   The license may be suspended without a preliminary hearing. Frequent convictions for serious traffic violations are listed among the grounds for suspending a license without a preliminary hearing. The passage does not assign vehicle-registration cancellation, community service, or a new road test as the response to this record. The action described is directed at the driver's license. Repeated serious convictions are the condition that permits the listed suspension action.

   Study this in the handbook: Zero Tolerance, Revocation and Reinstatement

10. 10. What does Mississippi say about a DUI conviction received while the license is already suspended for an earlier DUI?

    1. The two suspensions run at the same time
    2. The penalty is more severe than for the earlier case
    3. The earlier suspension is canceled automatically
    4. The new conviction draws only a warning letter
    Show answer

    The penalty is more severe than for the earlier case. A DUI committed while a license is suspended for a previous DUI is treated as an aggravated case. The manual states that penalties become more severe in that situation, so the new conviction does not simply merge into the old suspension or reset the clock. The concurrent-suspension option would let a driver serve both punishments at once, which undercuts the added deterrent, and the cancellation option would reward the violation by erasing the earlier order. A driver whose license is suspended should treat any driving as a separate offense with its own escalating consequences.

    Study this in the handbook: DUI and Implied Consent

11. 11. Why does the manual urge extra following room behind a large truck or bus?

    1. Extra following space helps you see around the large vehicle ahead
    2. A large vehicle can stop in half the distance of a car ahead
    3. Following close improves your view around the truck
    4. A large vehicle ahead means you need less following distance
    Show answer

    Extra following space helps you see around the large vehicle ahead. Behind a truck or bus, added space restores sight lines around the wide body and gives time when its brake lights appear suddenly. The claim that a large vehicle stops in half the distance reverses the reason for allowing more room. Following close does not improve the view, and a large vehicle does not remove the need for a safe gap. Stay back far enough to see the roadway beyond the vehicle and respond to a sudden slowdown. Seeing beyond a large vehicle also gives earlier notice of stopped or slowing traffic.

    Study this in the handbook: Following Distance and Stopping

12. 12. Three children who each need a booster seat ride in a rear seat with only two lap-and-shoulder belts. What does Mississippi require?

    1. Only the two children in lap-and-shoulder belts must use booster seats
    2. All three children must share the two booster seats
    3. No child needs a booster seat when the rear seat is crowded
    4. The third child must ride in the front seat
    Show answer

    Only the two children in lap-and-shoulder belts must use booster seats. When more than two children who need booster seats ride together and the rear seat has only two lap-and-shoulder belts, Mississippi requires booster seats for the two children sitting in those belt positions. The other child may be secured with a safety lap belt only. Sharing one booster between children would leave each child poorly positioned, dropping the rule for everyone ignores the two protected positions, and moving a child to the front seat trades one risk for a greater one. Fit each booster to its own child.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat Belts, Child Seats and Distractions

13. 13. What does a solid yellow arrow at an intersection mean?

    1. The turn is protected and oncoming traffic is stopped
    2. The signal is about to turn red, so prepare to stop
    3. The arrow permits a turn only after yielding first
    4. The turn lane is closed and must be cleared
    Show answer

    The signal is about to turn red, so prepare to stop. A solid yellow arrow is not a protected turn and not a flashing yield arrow. The manual equates it with a solid yellow light: the signal is about to change to red, so the driver should slow down and prepare to stop. The protected-turn option describes a green arrow, the yield-first option describes a flashing yellow arrow, and the closed-lane option confuses a turn signal with a lane-control signal. If the arrow turns yellow while you are still approaching, do not rush to beat the red; stop if you can do so safely and wait for the next green arrow.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals and Arrows

14. 14. What does a driver do when unsure how to enter the interstate?

    1. Proceed slowly onto the ramp and figure it out moving
    2. Stop on the entrance ramp itself while studying the signs
    3. Enter against traffic briefly to read signs facing you
    4. Pull off the road, stop, and check for the correct route
    Show answer

    Pull off the road, stop, and check for the correct route. Uncertainty about interstate entry is solved stopped and off the road, checking the route before any ramp commitment is made. Rolling while deciding splits attention at merging speeds, and stopping on the ramp blocks accelerating traffic behind you. A one minute stop beats a wrong way entry that unfolds in seconds. Stopping before entering the ramp prevents a wrong-way entry caused by guessing.

15. 15. Once in the deceleration lane to exit, what speed action follows?

    1. Maintain interstate speed until the ramp curve begins
    2. Increase speed to clear the lane for following traffic
    3. Reduce speed to the posted limit and turn off your signal
    4. Turn the signal off only after leaving the highway ramp
    Show answer

    Reduce speed to the posted limit and turn off your signal. In the deceleration lane, speed comes down to the posted ramp limit and the signal cancels once the exit path is established. Holding interstate speed into the curve overloads tires and brakes, and a lingering signal confuses drivers still on the mainline. Do your slowing in the lane built for it, not in the through lanes. The posted ramp limit applies after the vehicle leaves the main interstate lane.

16. 16. Where are Parkway traffic law violations tried?

    1. In the county court nearest the violation location
    2. Before a Parkway superintendent acting as trial judge
    3. Violations on the Parkway are tried in federal court
    4. Violations are handled only by written warning letters
    Show answer

    Violations on the Parkway are tried in federal court. The Natchez Trace appendix says that a person who violates a law on the Parkway roadway or its facilities will be tried in federal court. The passage does not assign those cases to the nearest county court, to the Parkway superintendent, or to a warning-letter process. The superintendent is described as being in charge of the facilities, but that role is not the trial venue. The named court for Parkway violations is federal court.

17. 17. How can trip planning itself reduce miles traveled per errand?

    1. Make each errand a separate short trip from home base
    2. Combine short shopping and commuting trips together
    3. Drive past stores to reach farther ones for variety
    4. Keep the engine idling between quick errand stops
    Show answer

    Combine short shopping and commuting trips together. Combining short shopping and commuting trips cuts total miles per errand, and patronizing nearby shops reduces mileage further. Separate trips multiply cold-engine miles, and idling between stops burns fuel without covering any distance at all. One loop of three errands beats three cold starts from your driveway. Combining errands reduces repeated cold starts and unnecessary mileage; one planned loop can replace several separate trips.

18. 18. When passing a row of parked cars, what sudden hazard does the manual identify?

    1. A parked car door might open and obstruct your lane
    2. A parked car might roll into traffic after its driver leaves
    3. A parked car must signal before its door opens
    4. A parked car's headlights warn you before its door opens
    Show answer

    A parked car door might open and obstruct your lane. The manual warns that a door from a parked car might open and obstruct the travel lane. A car rolling into traffic is a different possibility, and parked vehicles do not have a legal signal that warns before a door opens. Headlights also provide no such warning. The named hazard is the sudden opening of a door into the lane beside the parked cars.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat Belts, Child Seats and Distractions

19. 19. A sign posts a wider parking ban near a fire station driveway entrance. How far from that entrance must you park?

    1. No closer than twenty feet from the driveway entrance
    2. No closer than seventy-five feet from the entrance
    3. No closer than thirty feet from the entrance
    4. No closer than ten feet from the entrance
    Show answer

    No closer than seventy-five feet from the entrance. Parking bans near a fire station protect a clear exit path for fire apparatus. The usual limit keeps vehicles twenty feet from the driveway entrance, but a posted sign widens that clear zone to seventy-five feet. Ten feet belongs to fire hydrants, and thirty feet belongs to traffic control devices, so neither figure replaces the posted fire station distance. When a sign posts the wider limit, measure from the driveway entrance and leave the full seventy-five feet open for emergency vehicles leaving without delay.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking Rules

20. 20. How will an officer usually signal you to start or continue?

    1. Two long whistle blasts while the officer stands perfectly still
    2. Waving both arms overhead until all traffic moves
    3. Motioning with one hand and a series of short whistle blasts
    4. Pointing a flashlight at the ground beside your car
    Show answer

    Motioning with one hand and a series of short whistle blasts. Officers start or continue traffic with one-hand motions plus a series of short whistle blasts, a paired visual and audible command. Long blasts and stillness do not match the described signal, and overhead waving belongs to no standard officer direction given here. Watch the hand, listen for short blasts, then move as directed promptly. The short blasts pair with the officer's hand motion to authorize movement.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals and Arrows