MO Permit Practice Test 22

All 20 questions in test 22

Every question below comes from the Missouri 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 enter a Missouri center two-way left-turn lane to reach a store entrance 700 feet ahead. What is the problem?

   1. You must signal for the entire 700 feet
   2. You must drive at least 45 mph in it
   3. You may not travel more than 500 feet in it
   4. There is no problem; any distance is allowed
   Show answer

   You may not travel more than 500 feet in it. A two-way left-turn lane is only for drivers preparing to slow down or stop before turning left from the main roadway. Missouri says not to use it as a travel lane, and a vehicle may not travel in it for more than 500 feet. Reaching a driveway 700 feet away means staying in the regular lane until you are within that distance, then moving into the center lane to turn.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of way at intersections and roundabouts

2. 2. You turn the wheel on a Missouri road, but the car keeps going straight. When should you use the brakes?

   1. Right away, as hard as you can
   2. When the car has almost stopped
   3. Never, even after the car slows
   4. After shifting into reverse
   Show answer

   When the car has almost stopped. If your vehicle does not turn when you turn the wheel, Missouri says to take your foot off the accelerator and let the vehicle slow down by itself. Do not hit the brakes until the vehicle has almost stopped, unless you have to. Turn on your emergency flashers to warn others. Shifting into reverse is not part of the guide's steps for steering failure.

   Study this in the handbook: Brake failure, blowouts and other emergencies

3. 3. You leave about four seconds between you and the car ahead on a snowy Missouri road. Is that enough, according to the guide?

   1. No, leave about eight to ten seconds
   2. Yes, three seconds is enough in any weather
   3. Yes, four seconds is the snow rule
   4. No, leave at least thirty seconds
   Show answer

   No, leave about eight to ten seconds. It takes longer to stop on snow or ice, so Missouri recommends leaving about eight to ten seconds between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Four seconds is only a little more than the three second rule for ordinary conditions. Apply the brakes gently and smoothly, avoid cruise control, and remember that bridges and overpasses freeze before the rest of the road.

   Study this in the handbook: Night driving, rain, snow, fog and skids

4. 4. You see this sign on a Missouri road. What should you do?

   
   1. Get ready to stop at a four-way stop up ahead
   2. Slow down as posted and follow roundabout rules
   3. Watch for a U-turn lane opening on the left
   4. Merge left because two roads join ahead
   Show answer

   Slow down as posted and follow roundabout rules. This Missouri warning sign means a roundabout intersection is ahead. Slow down as required by the speed restriction sign and follow the road rules for roundabouts: yield to traffic already in the circle, bicyclists, and pedestrians in the crosswalks, never turn left to enter, and travel counterclockwise to the right of the center island. Roundabouts use yield signs at every entering road rather than a four-way stop.

   Study this in the handbook: Road signs by shape and color

5. 5. You have stopped behind a Missouri school bus that is unloading children, and its red lights are still flashing. When may you start moving again?

   1. As soon as the children reach the sidewalk
   2. After waiting a full 30 seconds behind the bus
   3. When the bus moves or the bus driver signals you on
   4. When the stop arm folds in, even if lights still flash
   Show answer

   When the bus moves or the bus driver signals you on. After stopping for a Missouri school bus that is unloading, drivers must stay stopped until the bus begins to move or the bus driver signals that it is safe to proceed. Children who just got off may still be walking along the side of the road, so the guide says to watch for them and then go ahead with caution. Seeing children reach the curb, counting seconds, or watching only the stop arm does not replace those two signs.

   Study this in the handbook: Passing, turning and signaling

6. 6. While you are pulled over for a Missouri ambulance, a voice on its loudspeaker tells you to move. What should you do?

   1. Ignore it, because only police officers can direct traffic
   2. Stay stopped no matter what the voice tells you
   3. Follow the instructions given over the loudspeaker
   4. Drive away at once to the nearest side street
   Show answer

   Follow the instructions given over the loudspeaker. When an emergency vehicle approaches, Missouri drivers pull to the right and stay stopped until it passes. The guide also tells drivers to follow any instructions given over the emergency vehicle's loudspeaker. Crews use it to move traffic out of their way, so ignoring the voice or refusing to move can slow a response. Leaving for a side street on your own is not the same as doing what you are told.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of way at intersections and roundabouts

7. 7. Why does the Missouri guide say driving much slower than other traffic can be as dangerous as speeding?

   1. Slow cars are more likely to stall on the highway
   2. Engines wear out faster at low highway speeds
   3. Police ticket slow drivers more often than fast ones
   4. Cars bunch up behind you and drivers get impatient
   Show answer

   Cars bunch up behind you and drivers get impatient. Crashes involving two or more vehicles often happen when drivers go faster or slower than the vehicles around them. Missouri warns that going much slower than other traffic can be just as bad as speeding, because vehicles bunch up behind you and impatient drivers start passing. If vehicles are piling up behind you, pull over and let them pass when it is safe. Keeping pace with traffic, within the limit, is the safer choice.

   Study this in the handbook: Passing, turning and signaling

8. 8. You are turning left from a one-way street onto a two-way street in Missouri. Where should you begin and end the turn?

   1. Start in the right lane and enter to the left of the yellow line
   2. Start in the left lane and enter to the right of the yellow line
   3. Start in the center lane and enter whichever lane is open
   4. Start in the left lane and enter to the left of the yellow line
   Show answer

   Start in the left lane and enter to the right of the yellow line. For a left turn from a one-way street onto a two-way street, Missouri says to begin in the left lane of the one-way street. Enter the two-way road to the right of its yellow dividing line, which keeps you out of oncoming traffic. If the new road has four lanes, you may enter its right lane when that lane is free of traffic. Starting from the right lane would force you to cut across other lanes.

   Study this in the handbook: Passing, turning and signaling

9. 9. You notice you have been driving just behind and to the side of another car on a Missouri highway for a while. What should you do?

   1. Stay there, since that position is safest in traffic
   2. Honk so the other driver knows you are beside them
   3. Speed up or drop back so that driver can see you
   4. Move closer so the driver's mirror will show you
   Show answer

   Speed up or drop back so that driver can see you. Blind spots are the areas a driver cannot see using the rearview mirrors. Riding on either side and slightly behind another vehicle keeps you in one of those spots, so Missouri says to avoid that position. Either speed up or drop back so the other driver can see your vehicle more easily. When passing, move through the other driver's blind spot as quickly as you can without going over the speed limit.

   Study this in the handbook: Highway driving, merging and breakdowns

10. 10. Fog on a Missouri road becomes so thick that you cannot see. What should you do?

    1. Pull off the road, stop, and leave lights and flashers on
    2. Stop in your lane and turn off all your lights
    3. Switch to high beams and keep going slowly
    4. Follow the taillights of the car ahead closely
    Show answer

    Pull off the road, stop, and leave lights and flashers on. Driving in fog is very dangerous. Missouri says to reduce speed, be ready to stop, and keep headlights on low beam, since high beams make you see less in fog. If the fog becomes so thick that you cannot see, pull off the road and stop, leaving your lights and emergency flashers on so others can see your vehicle. Stopping in a travel lane or tailgating another car adds risk.

    Study this in the handbook: Night driving, rain, snow, fog and skids

11. 11. How does the Missouri guide suggest avoiding panic stops on the highway?

    1. Keep your foot resting on the brake pedal at all times
    2. Follow closely so you can match the car ahead's braking
    3. Drive in the left lane where traffic stops less often
    4. See events well ahead and slow down or change lanes early
    Show answer

    See events well ahead and slow down or change lanes early. Stopping suddenly is dangerous; braking quickly can make you lose control and makes it harder for drivers behind you to stop. Missouri suggests avoiding panic stops by seeing events well in advance. Slowing down or changing lanes early may mean you do not have to stop at all, and if you do, the stop can be gradual and safer. Following closely does the opposite by shrinking your warning time.

    Study this in the handbook: Highway driving, merging and breakdowns

12. 12. Your friend offers you some of their prescription pain medicine before you drive. What does the Missouri guide say about this?

    1. Using another person's prescription is illegal
    2. It is fine if you take less than their dose
    3. It is legal as long as it is not a narcotic
    4. It is safe if you wait ten minutes to drive
    Show answer

    Using another person's prescription is illegal. Missouri's guide says not to take medications prescribed for someone else, calling it both dangerous and illegal. Use medications only as prescribed, do not mix medications unless your physician directs it, and never combine medicine with alcohol. All medications can impair driving, even when taken as directed, so know the effects of anything you take before you get behind the wheel.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol limits and DWI penalties

13. 13. You have a green light, but a pedestrian steps into the street against the signal in front of you. What does Missouri law expect of you?

    1. Keep going, since the pedestrian is breaking the law
    2. Honk and hold your lane, since you have the green
    3. Stop only if the pedestrian is in a crosswalk
    4. Do everything you can to avoid hitting the person
    Show answer

    Do everything you can to avoid hitting the person. Missouri's guide says the law tells drivers who must yield but never gives any driver the right-of-way, and that you must do everything you can to prevent striking a pedestrian or another vehicle, regardless of the circumstances. In all situations, whether pedestrians are obeying the law or not, drive carefully, reduce speed if needed, and do your best not to endanger them. Having the green signal does not cancel that responsibility.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way at intersections and roundabouts

14. 14. Which Missouri sign is red with white letters and has eight sides?

    1. Stop
    2. Yield
    3. Do Not Enter
    4. Wrong Way
    Show answer

    Stop. Missouri describes the stop sign as red with white letters and eight sides, and the octagon shape is used only for stop signs. A yield sign is a red and white triangle with red letters, while Do Not Enter and Wrong Way signs are red and white regulatory signs with a square or rectangular shape. Shape is one of the clues a sign gives about its meaning, even before you can read it.

    Study this in the handbook: Road signs by shape and color

15. 15. While driving on a Missouri highway, you tuck your phone between your ear and shoulder to talk. Is that allowed?

    1. Yes, because your hands stay on the wheel
    2. No, that counts as supporting the phone
    3. Yes, if the call is under a minute
    4. Yes, if you are not typing anything
    Show answer

    No, that counts as supporting the phone. Missouri's device law prohibits drivers, while the vehicle is moving, from physically holding or supporting a cellphone with any part of their body. Pinning a phone between your ear and shoulder supports it with your body, even if both hands are on the wheel. Talking hands-free through a built-in speaker, in-car Bluetooth, or an earbud or headset is allowed instead.

    Study this in the handbook: Phones, distractions, fatigue and road rage

16. 16. You are about to merge onto a busy Missouri road where a red and white triangular sign is posted, and a car is approaching in the lane you want. What should you do?

    1. Slow down and let that car pass first
    2. Speed up and pull in ahead of the car
    3. Stop completely, even after the car has passed
    4. Enter at once, since this sign only warns of traffic
    Show answer

    Slow down and let that car pass first. A Missouri yield sign means you must slow down and yield the right-of-way to traffic in the intersection you are crossing or the roadway you are entering. With a car approaching in your target lane, let it go by, then enter when there is a safe gap. You do not have to stop if the way is clear, but you must stop if that is what it takes to yield.

    Study this in the handbook: Road signs by shape and color

17. 17. A Missouri traffic light is flashing yellow on your street late at night, while cross traffic has a flashing red. Must you stop?

    1. Yes, come to a full stop like a stop sign
    2. Yes, wait until the light turns steady green
    3. No, speed up since cross traffic must stop
    4. No, slow down and go through with caution
    Show answer

    No, slow down and go through with caution. In Missouri, a flashing yellow light tells you to slow down and proceed with caution. You do not have to stop unless something requires it, while drivers facing a flashing red must treat it as a stop sign. Cross traffic may still pull out after stopping, so watch carefully as you go through. Speeding up is never what a flashing yellow means.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights, arrows and officers

18. 18. You are driving near a large truck on a Missouri highway. How can you tell whether the truck driver is able to see you?

    1. If you can see the driver's face in its side mirror
    2. If your headlights are on, the driver can always see you
    3. If you stay directly behind the trailer's back doors
    4. If you are close enough to read the trailer's markings
    Show answer

    If you can see the driver's face in its side mirror. Trucks and buses have large blind spots on each side, in front, and behind, which Missouri calls the No-Zone. The guide gives a simple test: if you cannot see the truck driver's face in the truck's side mirror, the truck driver cannot see you. Staying alongside or right behind a large vehicle keeps you in a blind spot, and headlights do not change what a mirror can show. Either pass steadily or drop back.

    Study this in the handbook: Passing, turning and signaling

19. 19. The car in the lane next to you slows and stops at a Missouri crosswalk, but you cannot see why. What should you do?

    1. Pass it slowly, since your own lane is open and clear
    2. Honk so the driver knows to keep moving
    3. Do not pass it; a pedestrian may be crossing
    4. Change into its lane and wait behind it
    Show answer

    Do not pass it; a pedestrian may be crossing. Missouri tells drivers not to pass a vehicle that has stopped or slowed down for a pedestrian. The stopped car may be hiding someone who is already in the crosswalk and about to step into your lane. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and an open lane does not change that. Slow down, stop if needed, and look for the person before moving on.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles and trucks

20. 20. How does the Missouri guide define road rage?

    1. Any driving above the posted speed limit
    2. An uncontrolled display of anger by a driver
    3. A crash caused by bad weather conditions
    4. Honking once to warn another driver of danger
    Show answer

    An uncontrolled display of anger by a driver. Missouri defines road rage as an uncontrolled display of anger by the operator of a motor vehicle, usually in response to another driver's actions, which can result in property damage or personal injury. Examples include pursuing another vehicle, tailgating, aggressive gestures, and cutting others off. A single horn tap to warn of danger is the horn's proper use, not road rage. The guide says these habits can be unlearned with self discipline.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles and trucks