NV Permit Practice Test 12

All 20 questions in test 12

Every question below comes from the Nevada 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 suddenly lose steering control, but the car keeps going straight in its lane. What should you do?

   1. Brake as hard as you can right away
   2. Shift into park to stop the car
   3. Speed up to regain steering feel
   4. Ease off the gas, then brake gently
   Show answer

   Ease off the gas, then brake gently. If you suddenly lose steering control, the handbook says to ease up on the accelerator first. If the car continues to hold the lane, slow down and then gently apply the brakes, using your four-way flashers to warn other drivers. Maximum braking pressure is the step for when the car heads off the road or toward another vehicle or a pedestrian. Shifting into park while moving is not part of the handbook's emergency advice, and speeding up does nothing to restore steering.

   Study this in the handbook: Driving Emergencies and Flash Floods

2. 2. Your car is disabled beside a Nevada road. Which items does the handbook list for warning other drivers?

   1. High beams aimed at oncoming traffic
   2. The horn sounded every minute
   3. An open trunk and a raised hood
   4. Parking lights, flashers or flares
   Show answer

   Parking lights, flashers or flares. For a disabled vehicle, the handbook's checklist is short: if possible, get all four wheels off the roadway, use parking lights, flashers or flares to warn other drivers, and have the vehicle towed as soon as possible. High beams pointed at approaching traffic create glare, and a horn or an open trunk is not on the list. After a blowout, the handbook similarly says to make sure the vehicle is safely off the roadway and to use parking lights or flashers.

   Study this in the handbook: Driving Emergencies and Flash Floods

3. 3. Towing a tall trailer, you approach an overpass with a posted clearance. Why does the Nevada handbook say not to fully trust that number?

   1. Posted heights are always measured too low
   2. Signs are only updated every ten years
   3. Repaving or packed snow may have lowered it
   4. Heights are posted for cars, not trailers
   Show answer

   Repaving or packed snow may have lowered it. Hitting overhead objects is a danger when you are towing. The handbook warns not to assume the height posted at bridges and overpasses is correct, because repaving or packed snow may have reduced the clearance since the height was posted. Weight changes height too: an empty trailer rides higher than a loaded one. If you doubt there is enough space, go slowly, and if you are not sure you can make it, take another route.

4. 4. On a two-lane Nevada road, oncoming traffic means you could give a cyclist only about 2 feet if you passed now. What should you do?

   1. Pass slowly with 2 feet of space
   2. Wait until you can give at least 3 feet
   3. Honk so the cyclist moves to the shoulder
   4. Pass if the cyclist moves over
   Show answer

   Wait until you can give at least 3 feet. When there is no adjacent lane, Nevada requires drivers passing a bicycle to pass to the left at a safe distance of no less than three feet, and not to move back right until safely clear. If oncoming traffic leaves room for only about two feet, the pass is not legal; slow down and stay behind the cyclist until you can give at least three feet. Honking or expecting the rider to squeeze over does not reduce the required space.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians and Bicyclists

5. 5. A person using a guide dog starts across a Nevada street in the middle of the block, away from any crosswalk. What must you do?

   1. Go, since it is not a crosswalk
   2. Honk to warn the person
   3. Go around the person slowly
   4. Yield and stop if needed
   Show answer

   Yield and stop if needed. A person who is blind or visually impaired, on foot with a guide dog or other service animal or carrying a white cane, has the right-of-way on any highway, street or road in Nevada. A driver who approaches must yield, come to a full stop if necessary, and take precautions to avoid a crash or injury. The rule is not limited to crosswalks. Do not honk at a blind or visually impaired person, and do not try to drive around them.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians and Bicyclists

6. 6. You are first in line at a Nevada railroad crossing as a train approaches, and the driver behind you starts honking. What should you do?

   1. Pull onto the tracks to make room behind
   2. Stay clear of the tracks until it passes
   3. Cross fast, since the driver behind wants to go
   4. Stop with your front bumper over the rail
   Show answer

   Stay clear of the tracks until it passes. Drivers should look both ways when approaching a railroad crossing and always stay clear of the tracks when a train is approaching. Pressure from a honking driver does not change that. Trains cannot stop in time to miss cars, and it is hard to judge a moving train's speed, so trying to beat it is dangerous. If a stop sign is posted and a train is coming, stop at least 15 feet from the tracks.

   Study this in the handbook: Stop, Yield, Regulatory, Warning and Work Zone Signs

7. 7. After stopping at a Nevada stop sign, you find a parked van blocks your view of the cross street. What should you do?

   1. Go, since you already stopped
   2. Creep forward slowly until you can see
   3. Honk, then drive through quickly
   4. Back up to get a better view
   Show answer

   Creep forward slowly until you can see. At a stop sign, come to a full stop behind the crosswalk or stop line. If your view of the cross street is blocked, the handbook says to move forward slowly to determine when it is safe to proceed. Having stopped once does not mean the way is clear, and a horn does not replace looking. Backing up does not improve the view. Give the right-of-way to pedestrians and cross traffic before moving through.

   Study this in the handbook: Stop, Yield, Regulatory, Warning and Work Zone Signs

8. 8. Your green left-turn arrow is lit, but a pedestrian is still crossing the street you are turning into. What should you do?

   1. Turn, since the arrow protects you
   2. Honk so the person hurries
   3. Yield to the pedestrian, then turn
   4. Turn behind the person quickly
   Show answer

   Yield to the pedestrian, then turn. A green arrow lets you go in the direction shown and protects the turn from other vehicles, but you must still yield to pedestrians, bicycles and traffic already in the intersection. A person still crossing has the right-of-way, so wait until they are clear before completing the turn. Honking or squeezing behind the walker does not meet the duty to yield.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals and Arrows

9. 9. On a rural Nevada highway with two lanes in your direction, you drive in the far left lane below the limit while a faster car closes in behind you. Is this legal?

   1. Yes, the left lane has no special rule
   2. Yes, if you stay within 10 mph of the limit
   3. Yes, unless a sign says to keep right
   4. No, it is illegal in that situation
   Show answer

   No, it is illegal in that situation. On a highway with two lanes going the same direction, Nevada makes it illegal to drive in the far left lane slower than the posted speed limit while a faster vehicle is overtaking you from behind in that lane. There is no 10 mph cushion, and no sign is needed for the rule to apply. Exceptions include driving within a city or town, preparing for a left turn, passing another vehicle, following police direction, an emergency vehicle on duty, or conditions that make the left lane necessary.

   Study this in the handbook: Turns, Lane Changes, U-Turns and Passing

10. 10. Two seconds is the minimum following distance in Nevada at 40 mph or less. How much do most driving instructors recommend?

    1. Up to three seconds
    2. Up to four seconds
    3. Exactly two seconds
    4. Up to ten seconds
    Show answer

    Up to four seconds. The handbook calls the two-second rule a minimum following distance and notes that most driving instructors recommend up to four seconds. To measure it, start counting when the rear of the vehicle ahead passes a fixed point such as a sign; if you reach that point before you finish counting, you are following too closely. As speed rises, the time and distance needed to stop grow too, so extra seconds help at highway speeds or when roads are slippery.

    Study this in the handbook: Freeway Driving

11. 11. You are leaving a Nevada freeway at an exit that has a deceleration lane. Where should you do most of your slowing down?

    1. In the deceleration lane, after leaving traffic
    2. On the freeway, before reaching the exit lane
    3. At the bottom of the ramp near the signal
    4. In the far left lane before changing over
    Show answer

    In the deceleration lane, after leaving traffic. Most freeway exits have a special lane that comes before the exit ramp. The handbook says to avoid slowing down on the freeway itself, wait until you are in the deceleration lane, and then slow gradually until your speed matches the posted exit ramp speed. Braking while still in a freeway lane forces the traffic behind you to slow too. To be ready, signal and move into the proper lane a mile or more before the exit.

    Study this in the handbook: Freeway Driving

12. 12. You and one passenger reach a metered Nevada on-ramp that has a lane marked with a diamond. What may you do?

    1. Use the bypass lane without stopping
    2. Stop at the meter like every other car
    3. Use the diamond lane after 6 p.m. only
    4. Use it if three or more people ride
    Show answer

    Use the bypass lane without stopping. Some metered freeway ramps have High Occupancy Vehicle bypass lanes, also called carpool lanes. They are marked with a diamond on the pavement and are not metered. A carpool of two or more people may use the bypass lane without stopping at the meter. A driver and one passenger already make two, so a third rider is not needed, and the handbook gives no time-of-day limit for the ramp bypass lane.

    Study this in the handbook: Freeway Driving

13. 13. You turn left from a two-way street onto a street that has two lanes going your new direction. Which lane should you turn into?

    1. The far right lane, next to the curb
    2. The lane closest to you, nearest the center
    3. Either lane, whichever has less traffic
    4. The far lane, then move left later
    Show answer

    The lane closest to you, nearest the center. For a left turn on a two-way road, start in the lane just to the right of the center line and complete the turn into the traffic lane closest to you going in your intended direction. Swinging wide into the far right lane is not what the handbook describes. If you need a different lane afterward, change lanes only when you can do so safely, well away from the intersection.

    Study this in the handbook: Turns, Lane Changes, U-Turns and Passing

14. 14. You are in the right lane of a Nevada freeway, and a car on the on-ramp is trying to merge just ahead of you. What should you do?

    1. Adjust your speed so it can merge smoothly
    2. Hold your speed; merging cars must wait
    3. Speed up so it has to merge behind you
    4. Brake to a full stop in your lane
    Show answer

    Adjust your speed so it can merge smoothly. Entering drivers must yield to traffic already on the freeway, but drivers already on the freeway have a job too: watch for merging traffic and adjust your speed to allow safe and smooth merges. Racing to block the merging car or refusing to adjust creates conflict, and stopping in a freeway lane is dangerous. Merge warning signs are there to prepare you for this situation.

    Study this in the handbook: Freeway Driving

15. 15. A Nevada railroad crossing has only a crossbuck sign, with no lights or gates, and you see a train approaching. What must you do?

    1. Yield and let the train pass first
    2. Cross quickly if the train is far off
    3. Proceed, since no signal is flashing
    4. Stop on the tracks to look carefully
    Show answer

    Yield and let the train pass first. A crossbuck, the X-shaped sign, marks the actual location of the train tracks and means drivers must yield to trains. With no lights or gates, it is up to you to look both ways and stay clear of the tracks when a train is approaching. Trains cannot stop in time to miss cars, and it is difficult to judge a moving train's speed accurately. If a stop sign is posted and a train is coming, stop at least 15 feet from the tracks.

    Study this in the handbook: Railroad Crossings

16. 16. Your light turns yellow just after your front wheels have entered a Nevada intersection. What should you do?

    1. Stop right where you are in the intersection
    2. Back up behind the stop line
    3. Speed up to beat the red light
    4. Continue and clear the intersection safely
    Show answer

    Continue and clear the intersection safely. A steady yellow light warns that the signal is about to turn red. If you have not yet entered the intersection, you must stop; if you are already in it, the handbook says to keep moving and clear it safely. Stopping in the middle blocks cross traffic, and backing up endangers the cars behind you. The handbook also warns not to speed up to beat the light, so clear the intersection at a safe, steady speed.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals and Arrows

17. 17. A Nevada adult who bought marijuana legally drives with about 4 nanograms per milliliter in the blood. Is that legal?

    1. Yes, because it was bought legally
    2. Yes, since the limit is 5 nanograms
    3. No, it is over the 2 nanogram limit
    4. Yes, unless alcohol is also found
    Show answer

    No, it is over the 2 nanogram limit. Nevada makes it unlawful to drive or be in actual physical control of a vehicle on a highway or premises open to the public with more than two nanograms of marijuana per milliliter of blood. Four nanograms is over that limit. A legal purchase does not change the driving law, and the five nanogram figure applies to marijuana metabolite, not to marijuana itself. The handbook also warns that drugs can greatly affect motor skills.

    Study this in the handbook: DUI Laws and Penalties

18. 18. After parallel parking along a Nevada curb, you notice your right wheels are about 2 feet from the curb. Are you parked legally?

    1. Yes, anything under 3 feet is legal
    2. Yes, if the car fits in the space
    3. No, the wheels must be within 18 inches
    4. No, the wheels must touch the curb
    Show answer

    No, the wheels must be within 18 inches. The legal parking position in Nevada is with the front and rear wheels within 18 inches of the curb. Two feet is 24 inches, which is too far out, so pull forward and adjust. The wheels do not have to touch the curb. The parallel parking steps end with the car centered in the space about 18 inches from the curb, and your vehicle should face the direction normal traffic flows.

19. 19. A road you need is closed with work zone barriers, and sliding one barrier aside would let you through. What should you do?

    1. Do not move it; find another way
    2. Move it, then put it back
    3. Move it if no workers are present
    4. Drive around it on the shoulder
    Show answer

    Do not move it; find another way. Do not move any barriers or signs to cross over a road that is closed to traffic. The handbook says doing so is illegal and brings double penalties for work zone violations. Putting the barrier back afterward or acting when no workers are around does not make it legal, and driving around a barrier ignores the closure just the same. Find another route.

    Study this in the handbook: Stop, Yield, Regulatory, Warning and Work Zone Signs

20. 20. On a hot afternoon, a parent wants to leave a sleeping 4-year-old alone in the car for just a few minutes. What does Nevada law say?

    1. Fine if the windows are cracked
    2. Fine if it is under ten minutes
    3. No, it is not allowed in those conditions
    4. Fine if the engine and air conditioning run
    Show answer

    No, it is not allowed in those conditions. Nevada law says never to leave a child aged 7 or younger unattended in a vehicle if the conditions present a significant risk to the child's health and safety, unless the child is supervised by and within sight of a person at least 12 years old. A hot afternoon is exactly that kind of condition. Cracked windows, a short time or a running engine are not exceptions. A violation is a misdemeanor.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat Belts, Children and Phone Laws