MT Permit Practice Test 15

All 20 questions in test 15

Every question below comes from the Montana 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. What does Montana say about combining alcohol with driving, even for veteran drivers?

   1. Experienced drivers can drink and drive safely
   2. One drink never affects experienced drivers
   3. No one can drink alcohol and drive safely
   4. Drivers over 40 handle alcohol without risk
   Show answer

   No one can drink alcohol and drive safely. Experience offers no shield: nobody drinks alcohol and then drives safely, because judgment and skill erode from the first drink onward. Years behind the wheel may breed confidence, yet alcohol dulls the very judgment that would warn a veteran to stop. New drivers suffer even sooner since their skills are still forming. Hand the keys to a sober driver or arrange the ride before drinking starts, never after judgment fades.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and the law

2. 2. On the highway, looking 10 seconds ahead of the vehicle covers roughly what distance?

   1. About one city block of travel on a highway
   2. About four city blocks, a quarter of a mile
   3. About half of a mile of highway travel distance
   4. About two miles of roadway at highway speed
   Show answer

   About four city blocks, a quarter of a mile. Ten seconds of travel at highway pace spans about four city blocks, roughly a quarter of a mile, and scanning that far ahead replaces last second braking with calm planning. One block of preview shrinks your world to the bumper ahead, so hazards arrive as surprises. Lift your eyes past the nearest taillights toward curves, signs, and merging ramps; the farther your gaze reaches, the gentler every speed and lane adjustment becomes.

   Study this in the handbook: Scanning, blind spots and signaling

3. 3. What do white lane lines separate on a Montana roadway?

   1. Traffic moving in opposite directions on the road.
   2. Lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.
   3. Lanes where parking is allowed.
   4. A shared center lane from the lanes beside it.
   Show answer

   Lanes of traffic moving in the same direction.. White lines separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction. Yellow lines separate opposing traffic. White lane lines do not identify places where parking is allowed, and a shared center lane is marked with yellow line pairs. The color gives a quick clue about how nearby traffic is organized. Before crossing a white line to change lanes, check whether it is dashed and whether the movement is safe.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane lines and pavement markings

4. 4. Where should children under 13 ride in a vehicle whenever possible?

   1. In the back seat
   2. In the front seat with a seat belt
   3. In the front seat with the air bag on
   4. On an adult's lap in the back seat
   Show answer

   In the back seat. The manual says children under age 13 should be secured in the back seat whenever possible, away from the active front passenger air bag. A seat belt in the front seat does not remove the air bag risk, and an adult's lap is never a safe restraint. The cue is the back seat and the right child restraint for the child's size, with the rear facing seat never placed in front of an active air bag.

   Study this in the handbook: Required lights and equipment

5. 5. Your headlights suddenly go out at night. After easing off the accelerator and braking, what should you try next?

   1. Try the headlight switch a few times and turn on the high beams
   2. Turn on the parking lights and continue driving at normal speed
   3. Flash the turn signals repeatedly while speeding up in the dark
   4. Turn off every light and coast to a stop inside the travel lane
   Show answer

   Try the headlight switch a few times and turn on the high beams. When headlights fail, the manual tells drivers to stay calm, ease off the accelerator, begin braking, then try the headlight switch a few times and switch on the high beams. Parking lights alone will not light the road ahead, flashing signals while speeding up adds risk, and sitting dark in a travel lane invites a rear crash. If the switch attempts fail, use emergency flashers or fog lights and pull off the road as soon as it can be done safely.

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

6. 6. Why does the Montana manual warn against driving with headphones or earbuds?

   1. They can damage the vehicle's speakers
   2. They are illegal only for drivers under 18
   3. They make the steering wheel harder to turn
   4. They make it too hard to hear emergency horns and sirens
   Show answer

   They make it too hard to hear emergency horns and sirens. The manual advises against headphones and earbuds because they make it too hard to hear emergency horns and sirens. The problem is attention and hearing, not damage to the sound system, the driver's age, or steering control. Even hands free phone equipment can take attention away from the road, but headphones add a direct block to warning sounds. The cue is to keep one ear open to traffic and pull over before making a call or adjusting audio.

7. 7. What does Montana call parking on the road side of a parked vehicle?

   1. Angle parking
   2. Standing
   3. Parallel parking
   4. Double parking
   Show answer

   Double parking. The manual lists parking on the road side of a parked vehicle as double parking and prohibits it. Angle and parallel parking describe ways of fitting into a legal space, not stopping beside an occupied one. Standing is a brief stop, not the name for this second lane of parked cars. The cue is the travel lane: if another vehicle is already at the curb and yours would sit beside it, you are blocking moving traffic.

8. 8. A child must ride in the front seat of an air bag equipped car in a child safety seat. How should the vehicle seat be set?

   1. Moved forward so the child can see ahead
   2. Tilted back so the child can sleep easily
   3. Moved back as far as possible from the air bag
   4. Left where the adult driver last set it
   Show answer

   Moved back as far as possible from the air bag. When a child must ride in front in a car with an air bag, the child should be secured in a child safety seat or booster and the vehicle seat should be moved back as far as possible from the active air bag. Moving forward puts the child closer to a deploying bag. A sleeping tilt and an adult setting do not create distance. Distance is the protection a parent can add when the front seat cannot be avoided.

   Study this in the handbook: Required lights and equipment

9. 9. Which drugs listed in the Montana manual can make a person drowsy and affect driving?

   1. Pep pills, uppers, and diet pills that may later affect concentration.
   2. Prescription drugs that improve reflexes, judgment, vision, and alertness while driving.
   3. Headache, cold, and allergy medicines that make a driver more alert.
   4. Drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever, allergies, or to calm nerves.
   Show answer

   Drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever, allergies, or to calm nerves.. The manual specifically warns that drugs taken for headaches, colds, hay fever or other allergies, or to calm nerves can make a person drowsy and affect driving. Pep pills and diet pills may make a person feel alert briefly, then cause nervousness, dizziness, poor concentration, or vision trouble. Other prescription drugs can affect driving like alcohol, but they are not identified here as the drowsy group. Read the label and ask a doctor or pharmacist when a medicine's effects are uncertain.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and the law

10. 10. Which pavement marking usually identifies a reversible travel lane?

    1. Double-dashed yellow lines.
    2. A single dashed white line.
    3. A solid yellow line beside a dashed yellow line.
    4. Two solid yellow lines.
    Show answer

    Double-dashed yellow lines.. A reversible lane carries traffic in one direction at some times and the opposite direction at other times. The manual says double-dashed yellow lines usually mark this type of lane. A dashed white line separates same-direction lanes, a solid-and-dashed yellow pair marks a shared center turn lane, and two solid yellow lines separate opposing traffic where neither side may pass. Check the lane signal or sign before entering because its permitted direction changes.

    Study this in the handbook: Lane lines and pavement markings

11. 11. Where sidewalks are provided along a street, where is walking against the law?

    1. On the sidewalk at night
    2. Across a marked crosswalk
    3. On the roadway
    4. On a gravel shoulder
    Show answer

    On the roadway. Where sidewalks are provided, pedestrians break the law by walking on the roadway instead of the walkway built for them. Sidewalks stay lawful after dark, especially with light clothing or a carried light. Marked crosswalks remain the proper crossing points. A gravel shoulder sits outside the traveled roadway in this rule. Drivers still watch for people who stray, yet walkers must claim the sidewalk whenever one exists beside the street.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits, passing and turning

12. 12. A driver counts three seconds after the vehicle ahead passes a pole and reaches it right at three. What does that count show?

    1. The gap is dangerously short at any speed
    2. The driver should close up to two seconds
    3. Following distance is adequate under the three second guide
    4. The count only matters on interstate highways
    Show answer

    Following distance is adequate under the three second guide. Reaching the marker as the count ends at three seconds marks a healthy following gap at that speed. Calling it dangerous ignores the measured buffer before any sudden stop ahead. Dropping to two seconds shaves away reaction room for no benefit. Limiting the count to interstates overlooks rear end crashes on ordinary streets. Pick a fixed mailbox or shadow line, count aloud, and add space whenever rain or a heavy load stretches stopping distance beyond the basic gap.

    Study this in the handbook: Adjusting speed for roads, weather and sight distance

13. 13. A person drinks steadily at one drink per hour. What can still happen to alcohol in the body?

    1. It clears completely between every drink
    2. It converts to water within the first hour
    3. It stops affecting the brain after the second drink
    4. It can still accumulate in the body over time
    Show answer

    It can still accumulate in the body over time. Drinking at one drink per hour can still let alcohol accumulate, because intake pacing varies with drink strength, body weight, food, and health. Clearing completely between drinks assumes a processing speed many bodies cannot match. Nothing converts alcohol to water in an hour; the liver works at its own fixed rate. Brain effects do not politely stop after a second serving. The clock watching strategy therefore fails quietly: a person can feel paced and sensible while the level keeps climbing toward impairment.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and the law

14. 14. Which way of getting a bicyclist's attention is forbidden because it can startle the rider?

    1. Slowing down and waiting for room to pass
    2. Horn, yelling, or swerving toward the bicyclist
    3. Leaving extra space when passing the rider
    4. Watching for the rider at streets and driveways
    Show answer

    Horn, yelling, or swerving toward the bicyclist. Drivers should treat bicyclists as other lawful road users and must not honk the horn, yell, or swerve toward a bicyclist. Those actions can startle the rider and cause a serious crash. Slowing and waiting for a safe pass protects the rider, and extra space does the same. Watching at streets, bikeways, and driveways helps a driver spot riders who may dart out. Courtesy is practical here, since a startled rider may swerve into traffic.

15. 15. A Montana driver parks facing uphill next to a curb. Which way should the front wheels be turned?

    1. Toward the curb
    2. Straight ahead
    3. Away from the curb
    4. However the previous driver left them
    Show answer

    Away from the curb. When the vehicle faces uphill beside a curb, Montana directs the driver to turn the wheels away from the curb. If the car rolls backward, the rear of the front tire then catches the curb and stops the roll. Turning toward the curb is the downhill rule, and straight ahead gives the vehicle nothing to catch. Aiming the wheels away from the curb matters because a failed parking brake can let the car move. Set the parking brake as well.

16. 16. On a wet road, most tires keep good traction up to about what speed, according to the Montana manual?

    1. 20 mph
    2. 65 mph
    3. 50 mph
    4. 35 mph
    Show answer

    35 mph. The manual says most tires keep good traction on a wet road up to about 35 mph. Above that speed the tires begin to float on a film of water, and in a heavy rain they can lose all traction at about 50 mph. Twenty mph is below the threshold, while 65 mph is far beyond it. The cue is the first rain after a dry spell: slow to the low 30s, because oil on the pavement can make the surface extra slippery until it washes away.

    Study this in the handbook: Adjusting speed for roads, weather and sight distance

17. 17. What does a yield sign require at an intersection?

    1. Stop fully in every case no matter what traffic does
    2. Slow to a reasonable speed and yield to all vehicles
    3. Proceed ahead whenever no pedestrian can be seen nearby
    4. Stop only for vehicles approaching from the left side
    Show answer

    Slow to a reasonable speed and yield to all vehicles. A yield sign means you must slow to a reasonable speed and yield right of way to all vehicles. Treating it as an unconditional stop sign adds a full stop the sign does not demand, although stopping may still result when traffic requires it. Proceeding merely because no pedestrian is present ignores vehicles, and yielding only to the left leaves cross traffic from other directions unconsidered. The sign compresses two duties, moderate your speed and give way broadly, into one triangular warning at the approach.

    Study this in the handbook: Who yields at intersections

18. 18. What road surface does a Loose Gravel warning sign announce ahead?

    1. The highway ahead is covered with loose gravel
    2. The pavement ahead is unusually slick when wet
    3. The road ahead is icy and dangerous to travel
    4. Fresh oil has risen to the surface of the road
    Show answer

    The highway ahead is covered with loose gravel. A Loose Gravel sign warns that the highway ahead is covered with loose gravel, a surface where tires grip less firmly than on clean pavement. It is not the slippery when wet warning, and it does not by itself say the road is icy. Oil on hot pavement is a different hazard described elsewhere. On gravel, slow down before reaching it, leave more following room, and make steering and braking inputs gently so the tires keep what grip they have.

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

19. 19. A driver merging from an entrance ramp needs more time to match traffic speed. What driving error must be avoided?

    1. Signaling intent before merging
    2. Driving to the end of the ramp and stopping
    3. Checking the rearview mirror on the ramp
    4. Slowing on the ramp to open room ahead
    Show answer

    Driving to the end of the ramp and stopping. Driving to the end of the ramp and stopping leaves no room to build speed before merging, and drivers behind who watch main road traffic may strike the stopped car. Signaling and mirror checks remain part of a sound merge. When a gap has not opened, slow earlier on the ramp so pavement remains ahead for acceleration. Use the whole ramp as a runway, never as a parking spot.

    Study this in the handbook: Adjusting speed for roads, weather and sight distance

20. 20. What should a driver do with keys and door locks every time the vehicle is left parked?

    1. Never leave keys in the car and lock the doors
    2. Leave keys inside for the next driver
    3. Lock doors only on downtown streets
    4. Hide keys under the floor mat
    Show answer

    Never leave keys in the car and lock the doors. Keys should never stay inside a parked car, and doors should be locked whenever the driver leaves the vehicle. Leaving keys ready helps a thief drive away within seconds. Locking only downtown ignores theft risk on rural roads and at trailheads. A floor mat hides nothing from anyone who watches the driver park. Pocket the keys, lock every door, and glance through windows for valuables before walking off.