MS Permit Practice Test 20

All 20 questions in test 20

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. How should the driver seat be adjusted before driving?

   1. As far back as possible while still touching pedals barely
   2. Low and reclined for a relaxed posture on long trips
   3. So you can reach the wheel and pedals easily and comfortably
   4. Close enough that elbows bend sharply against the torso
   Show answer

   So you can reach the wheel and pedals easily and comfortably. Seat position should let you reach wheel and pedals easily from a comfortable posture, supporting full brake pressure and steering range. Barely touching pedals weakens braking force, and a reclined lounge posture slows emergency steering inputs when seconds matter most. Press the brake fully while your shoulders stay against the seat back. The seat should support reach and control rather than simply maximize distance.

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

2. 2. At night, what should a driver do with the lights after a vehicle breaks down?

   1. Turn off all lights to save the battery
   2. Use only the parking lights while waiting
   3. Leave the lights on and use the emergency flashers
   4. Flash the high beams at passing traffic
   Show answer

   Leave the lights on and use the emergency flashers. A disabled vehicle at night needs to be seen before it can be helped. The manual says to leave the lights on and use the emergency flashers, which marks the car for traffic approaching from behind. Turning everything off makes the vehicle nearly invisible, parking lights alone give a weaker signal than the flashers, and flashing high beams can blind or confuse other drivers rather than warn them. If the vehicle is on the shoulder, stay inside with the doors locked and wait for reliable help.

   Study this in the handbook: Following Distance and Stopping

3. 3. How can you tell a truck driver cannot see your car behind the rig?

   1. If you cannot see the truck side mirrors, the driver cannot see you
   2. If you can see your headlights reflect in the trailer doors at night
   3. If the truck keeps a steady speed for several miles
   4. If you can read the company name on the trailer rear
   Show answer

   If you cannot see the truck side mirrors, the driver cannot see you. Mirror visibility is mutual: if the truck side mirrors are invisible from your seat, your vehicle is invisible to that driver. Reading trailer lettering only proves closeness, not visibility, and steady truck speed says nothing about the driver rearward view. Ease back or move where a mirror catches your headlights and windshield plainly. The mirror test gives a direct clue about whether the truck driver can see the car.

   Study this in the handbook: Following Distance and Stopping

4. 4. A train is approaching a crossing as you near the tracks. What does the manual warn against?

   1. Stop when the crossing signal or gate requires it
   2. Wait until the train has completely cleared the crossing
   3. Keep alert for a second train after the first passes
   4. Try to beat the train to the crossing
   Show answer

   Try to beat the train to the crossing. The manual gives a direct warning never to try to beat a train to a crossing. The other choices describe protective actions: obeying a gate or signal, waiting until the train has cleared, and staying alert for another train. A train cannot stop or swerve quickly enough to protect a driver who races it to the rails. The warning applies even when a driver thinks there is enough time, because the train's speed and distance are easy to misjudge.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad Crossings

5. 5. What does a solid yellow line before a railroad crossing prevent?

   1. It marks where buses must stop before the tracks
   2. It prevents passing in advance of the railroad crossing
   3. It shows the exact stopping point for every vehicle
   4. Passing is allowed there only for smaller vehicles
   Show answer

   It prevents passing in advance of the railroad crossing. Solid yellow paint ahead of a crossing bars passing on the approach, with white lines painted on each side of the track itself. Bus stopping points are chosen by the driver before rails, and small vehicles get no exemption from the no-passing approach zone. No passing on the approach; a stopped bus ahead is not an invitation. The yellow line controls passing before the rails, while the white lines mark the track.

   Study this in the handbook: Railroad Crossings

6. 6. If you need aids like eyeglasses to pass the exam, what happens to your license?

   1. Your license is denied until the aid is no longer needed
   2. Your license will be restricted accordingly for that aid or equipment
   3. A note is filed, but the license itself stays unrestricted
   4. You receive a temporary license valid for thirty days only
   Show answer

   Your license will be restricted accordingly for that aid or equipment. Needing eyeglasses or special equipment to pass the exam places a matching restriction on the license you are issued. Denial would bar correctable drivers entirely, and an unrestricted card would let the needed aid be left home legally. A thirty day temporary license is not the outcome the restriction rule describes. Drive with the aid every time; the restriction travels with the license. The restriction records the aid needed to pass the exam instead of denying the license.

   Study this in the handbook: Learner's Permits and the Regular License

7. 7. When holding a car on a hill, which control does the manual recommend using?

   1. The accelerator
   2. The clutch alone
   3. The transmission in neutral
   4. The brake pedal
   Show answer

   The brake pedal. The energy appendix tells drivers to use the brake pedal rather than the accelerator to hold a car in place on a hill. Pressing the accelerator to keep the vehicle from rolling wastes fuel and can create unnecessary movement. The passage does not identify the clutch alone or neutral as the recommended holding control. The brake pedal is the specific control named for keeping the stationary car in position while avoiding accelerator use.

8. 8. What happens to wind resistance as speed increases, and why does it matter?

   1. Wind resistance falls as speed rises, improving mileage greatly
   2. Wind resistance matters only for trucks and large trailers
   3. Wind resistance grows with speed and becomes a big mileage factor
   4. Resistance stays fixed, so speed never changes fuel use
   Show answer

   Wind resistance grows with speed and becomes a big mileage factor. Wind resistance climbs as speed rises, becoming a major gasoline mileage factor that punishes fast cruising with extra fuel burn. Falling resistance would reward speed with economy, the opposite of the measured fifty-versus-seventy mileage comparison given nearby. Slow down and the air itself stops taxing every gallon you buy. Higher speed increases the air resistance that lowers gasoline mileage, and the effect grows as speed rises.

9. 9. Two drivers face each other; one goes straight, one turns. Who has right-of-way?

   1. The vehicle intending to travel straight through has the right-of-way
   2. The turning vehicle, because turning takes more time
   3. Whoever signals first claims the intersection path
   4. Both proceed together if speeds are kept low enough
   Show answer

   The vehicle intending to travel straight through has the right-of-way. Straight-through travel outranks the turning vehicle facing it, so the turner waits for the straight path to clear before moving. Turning time creates no claim, and an early signal announces intent without transferring priority from the straight driver. As the turner, let the straight car pass, then follow behind it. The straight vehicle has priority over the opposing turn, which must wait for the path to clear.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

10. 10. Using the air conditioner can reduce fuel economy by how much?

    1. Up to ten miles per gallon on interstate trips only
    2. There is no measurable effect from air conditioning use
    3. Exactly one mile per gallon regardless of vehicle type
    4. Up to two and one-half miles per gallon in fuel economy
    Show answer

    Up to two and one-half miles per gallon in fuel economy. Air conditioning can cost up to two and one-half miles per gallon, a real economy penalty on long summer highway travel. Ten miles per gallon exaggerates the effect beyond the stated figure, and claiming no effect ignores the compressor load entirely. At moderate speeds, open windows may beat the compressor for economy. The manual treats air conditioning as a measurable fuel-economy cost.

11. 11. A traffic light far ahead turns red. What fuel-saving action does the manual suggest?

    1. Take your foot off the accelerator immediately
    2. Accelerate until you reach the light
    3. Brake hard as soon as the red light appears
    4. Keep your speed unchanged until the intersection
    Show answer

    Take your foot off the accelerator immediately. The energy appendix says to take your foot off the accelerator immediately when a traffic light far ahead turns red. The vehicle may coast toward the intersection while the light changes, and even if it remains red, reducing speed before braking saves energy. Accelerating toward the red light and holding speed ignore the instruction. Hard braking is not the action named in the passage; the fuel-saving cue is to stop applying the accelerator early and anticipate the traffic ahead.

12. 12. What minimum age does Mississippi require before a person may drive a school bus?

    1. Eighteen years old
    2. Twenty-one years old
    3. Twenty-five years old
    4. Sixteen years old with a regular license
    Show answer

    Twenty-one years old. Mississippi sets twenty-one as the minimum age for a license to drive a school bus. Carrying children brings added duties for loading, unloading, crossings, and discipline, so the state requires an adult driver with more experience than a new teen license holder. Eighteen and sixteen both fall below that floor, even with a regular license, while twenty-five adds years the rule does not demand. A driver who wants school bus work should plan to meet the age rule before applying for that license.

    Study this in the handbook: Learner's Permits and the Regular License

13. 13. A driver parks beside a car already parked at the curb and leaves the vehicle unattended in the travel lane. What does Mississippi say about this?

    1. Allowed whenever the hazard lights are flashing
    2. Prohibited on the roadway side of a parked car
    3. Allowed for no more than fifteen minutes
    4. Allowed while the driver waits behind the wheel
    Show answer

    Prohibited on the roadway side of a parked car. Mississippi's prohibited parking list bars leaving a vehicle on the roadway side of any car stopped or parked at the edge of the road or curb. That second car sits in the travel lane, where moving traffic must swerve around it. Hazard lights, a fifteen-minute limit and a driver waiting behind the wheel are not exceptions in the manual. Pull into a legal space instead of creating a double-parked obstacle, and check the curb before opening the door.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking Rules

14. 14. After moving to Mississippi, how long does a new resident have to obtain a Mississippi driver's license?

    1. Ten days
    2. Thirty days
    3. Sixty days
    4. Ninety days
    Show answer

    Sixty days. Mississippi allows sixty days from the move for a new resident to obtain a Mississippi driver's license. The clock is longer than many drivers assume, but it is not open-ended. Ten days is far shorter than the rule, thirty days belongs to a different requirement, and ninety days exceeds the license window. Treat the move date as the starting point and book the licensing appointment well before the second month ends, since replacing the license also involves surrendering the old one.

    Study this in the handbook: Who Needs a License and New Residents

15. 15. Where does Mississippi prohibit leaving a vehicle parked and unattended?

    1. On the curb beside a driveway
    2. Across the street from a driveway
    3. Within fifty feet of a driveway
    4. In front of a public or private driveway
    Show answer

    In front of a public or private driveway. The prohibited parking list forbids stopping and leaving a vehicle unattended in front of a public or private driveway. The rule protects the resident or business that needs to enter and exit, so it applies even when no sign marks the driveway. Parking across the street is not banned by this provision, and the manual sets no fifty-foot buffer around a driveway. Look for the curb cut or apron that shows a driveway before you leave the car.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking Rules

16. 16. How does Mississippi require a driver to treat a bicyclist who has the right-of-way at an intersection?

    1. As a pedestrian who must always yield
    2. As a slow vehicle with no road rights
    3. Exactly as any other vehicle
    4. As traffic only when a bike lane exists
    Show answer

    Exactly as any other vehicle. Mississippi places bicycles in the same right-of-way position as motor vehicles, so a driver yields to a bicyclist exactly as to a car. Treating the rider as a pedestrian who must always yield reverses the duty and can cause a turn-across crash. A bicycle needs no painted lane to count as traffic, and speed has nothing to do with the obligation. Before turning or entering an intersection, look for riders and give them the same gap you would give a car.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of Way at Intersections

17. 17. An officer is directing traffic against the signal indications. Whose directions govern?

    1. The signal governs unless the officer uses a whistle
    2. Whichever direction lets traffic move fastest wins
    3. Signs govern, with officer gestures as advice only
    4. The officer directions must be followed over signs and signals
    Show answer

    The officer directions must be followed over signs and signals. A directing officer overrides signs and signals, and drivers must follow the officer instructions at that intersection. Treating gestures as advice leaves two control systems competing, and whistle use is a signaling method, not a validity condition. Watch the officer hands, not the lamp colors, until you clear the controlled area. An officer's traffic direction takes priority over the ordinary signal display.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals and Arrows

18. 18. With a solid green light and a left turn planned, what applies?

    1. You must yield to oncoming traffic before turning left
    2. Oncoming traffic must yield to your turning vehicle
    3. You gain a protected turn identical to a green arrow
    4. Pedestrians must wait until your turn is completed
    Show answer

    You must yield to oncoming traffic before turning left. A solid green ball permits left turns only after yielding to oncoming traffic, unlike the protected phase a green arrow grants. Calling it protected invites turning across cars that still hold green, and oncoming drivers owe no yield to your signal alone. Creep forward, wheels straight, and turn only behind the last oncoming vehicle. A solid green does not remove the opposing traffic that crosses the turn.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals and Arrows

19. 19. By operating a motor vehicle in Mississippi, what consent does a driver give?

    1. You give implied consent to testing for intoxicating substances
    2. You may demand a lawyer before any test is requested
    3. You consent only to tests after a crash with injury
    4. Testing requires your written signature at the roadside
    Show answer

    You give implied consent to testing for intoxicating substances. Mississippi's implied consent rule attaches to operating a motor vehicle. A driver gives implied consent to testing for intoxicating substances, while an officer still needs good reason to suspect that the driver is under the influence before requesting a breath or chemical test. The rule is not limited to injury crashes, and it does not require a written roadside signature. It also does not turn the act of driving into a demand for a lawyer before any test request. The consent is implied by driving itself.

    Study this in the handbook: DUI and Implied Consent

20. 20. A bicyclist may move left farther into the traffic lane at an intersection under which condition?

    1. The cyclist is approaching a right turn and plans to stay in the right-turn lane
    2. The cyclist is going straight through an intersection where the right lane is turn-only
    3. The cyclist wants to ride against traffic around a stopped bus
    4. The cyclist is approaching a turn but will not use a signal
    Show answer

    The cyclist is going straight through an intersection where the right lane is turn-only. The manual lists a straight-through cyclist's approach as a reason to move farther left when the right lane is reserved for right turns. The cyclist is avoiding a turn-only lane while still traveling in the intended direction. Continuing straight in that lane ignores its marked movement, and riding against traffic or refusing to signal is not a permitted alternative. The lane assignment at the intersection supplies the condition in this question.

    Study this in the handbook: Bicycles and Large Vehicles