NH Permit Practice Test 2

All 20 questions in test 2

Every question below comes from the New Hampshire 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 the New Hampshire manual say about the consequences of collecting demerit points?

   1. They are identical for every driver
   2. Points can never lead to a loss of driving privileges
   3. They may vary depending on the driver's age
   4. Only commercial drivers receive demerit points
   Show answer

   They may vary depending on the driver's age. Excessive accrual of demerit points may result in loss of driving privileges, and the size of the points depends on the offense. Points are added for violations such as speeding, failing to obey traffic lights or stop signs, driving while intoxicated, and improper passing. The manual adds that the consequences may also vary depending on the driver's age, so they are not identical for everyone. Any licensed driver can collect points, not just commercial drivers.

2. 2. Which New Hampshire applicants must complete an approved driver education program before applying for a license?

   1. Only applicants who failed the road test once
   2. Only applicants under 16
   3. Every applicant of any age
   4. All applicants who are 16 or 17 years old
   Show answer

   All applicants who are 16 or 17 years old. State law RSA 263:19 requires everyone who is 16 or 17 years of age and wants a driver's license to have first completed an approved driver education program. The requirement is tied to those two ages, so an adult applicant is not required to take the course and an applicant under 16 cannot yet apply for a license at all. Failing a test does not trigger the requirement. More than 13,000 students go through the program each year at state approved driving schools.

3. 3. Your headlights suddenly go out at night on a New Hampshire road. What does the manual say to try?

   1. The high beam switch repeatedly
   2. Driving on the shoulder until a lit area
   3. Following the tail lights of the car ahead
   4. The turn signals or emergency flashers, then pull off the road as quickly and safely as possible
   Show answer

   The turn signals or emergency flashers, then pull off the road as quickly and safely as possible. For headlight failure the manual gives two steps: try the turn signals or emergency flashers so other drivers can see you, and pull off the road as quickly and safely as possible, leaving the emergency flashers on. Following another vehicle's tail lights leaves you unable to see hazards and unseen by others. For a vehicle breakdown, the same flashers plus flares or reflectors 200 feet in front of and behind the vehicle give other drivers time to change lanes.

4. 4. Why does the New Hampshire manual say to avoid driving next to other vehicles for long periods?

   1. Your vehicle may be in their blind spot, and it reduces the space needed to avoid a collision
   2. It uses more fuel
   3. It is illegal on multi-lane roads
   4. It blocks their view of signs
   Show answer

   Your vehicle may be in their blind spot, and it reduces the space needed to avoid a collision. Space on the sides of the vehicle is what lets a driver move right or left to avoid trouble. The manual says to avoid driving next to other vehicles for long periods of time, because your vehicle may be in their blind spot and it reduces the space needed to avoid a collision. It also advises against crowding the center line, keeping as much space as possible from oncoming traffic, and making room for vehicles entering a limited access road by moving over a lane or adjusting speed.

5. 5. A police officer at a New Hampshire intersection is directing traffic against the traffic light. Who must you obey?

   1. The traffic light, because it is the legal control
   2. The police officer, who overrules any traffic light or sign
   3. Whichever allows you to proceed
   4. The sign, but not the light
   Show answer

   The police officer, who overrules any traffic light or sign. Among the basic rules of the road, the manual states that a police officer directing traffic overrules any traffic light or sign and must be obeyed. Traffic control devices include the directions given by law enforcement, highway personnel and school crossing guards, not only signals, signs and pavement markings. When an officer waves you through a red light or holds you at a green one, the officer's direction controls. Choosing the more convenient instruction is not an option.

6. 6. A vehicle's blind spot monitor shows the lane is clear. What does the New Hampshire manual say the driver should still do before changing lanes?

   1. Nothing further, the monitor is reliable
   2. Sound the horn
   3. Check the mirrors and look over the shoulder
   4. Turn on the hazard lights
   Show answer

   Check the mirrors and look over the shoulder. The blind spot monitor helps a driver be more aware of other traffic, and its warnings can be helpful when changing lanes, but the manual says the driver should still always check their mirrors and look over their shoulders before doing so. Like the other warning systems, it is a backup to head checks rather than a replacement. A horn or hazard lights are not part of a lane change, which needs a mirror check, a head check, a signal and a second look.

7. 7. How close to a fire hydrant may a vehicle be parked in New Hampshire?

   1. No closer than 50 feet
   2. No closer than 5 feet
   3. No closer than 30 feet
   4. No closer than 15 feet
   Show answer

   No closer than 15 feet. Even without a posted sign, it is illegal to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. The other numbers in the manual's list belong to other places: 30 feet from a stop sign, yield sign or traffic control signal, 50 feet from the nearest rail of a railroad crossing, and 20 feet from a crosswalk at an intersection or from a fire station driveway. Firefighters need the hydrant space and the hose line, so the 15 foot zone stays empty.

8. 8. Near a truck weigh station on a New Hampshire highway, which lane does the manual suggest avoiding if possible?

   1. The right lane
   2. The left lane
   3. The center lane
   4. Any lane next to a guardrail
   Show answer

   The right lane. Large vehicles move slowly on steep grades and typically use the right lane, and near weigh stations they will be trying to re-enter faster traffic. The manual therefore suggests avoiding the right lane, if possible, on hills and near weigh stations to reduce the chance of a crash with a large vehicle. The manual does not ask drivers to avoid the left or center lane there, and guardrails are not mentioned. Give trucks room to merge.

9. 9. A marked bicycle path crosses the road you are driving on in New Hampshire. What must you do?

   1. Continue, because bicyclists must yield to motor vehicles
   2. Yield the right of way where the path crosses
   3. Sound the horn and proceed
   4. Speed up to clear the crossing quickly
   Show answer

   Yield the right of way where the path crosses. The manual tells drivers to yield the right of way when a bicycle path or bike lane intersects a road, and to yield to bicyclists in intersections as they would for pedestrians and other vehicles. Bicycles are vehicles with the same rights as drivers, so they are not required to give way to cars there. Honking near bicyclists can startle them into your path, and speeding up raises the danger. Slow down and let the rider clear the crossing.

10. 10. A New Hampshire driver is unsure whether an over-the-counter cold medicine is safe to take before driving. What does the manual advise?

    1. Drink coffee to offset drowsiness
    2. Take half the dose and drive slowly
    3. Check the label for warnings and ask a doctor or pharmacist about side effects
    4. Assume it is safe because no prescription was needed
    Show answer

    Check the label for warnings and ask a doctor or pharmacist about side effects. Over-the-counter drugs for headaches, colds, hay fever, allergies or nerves can make a driver drowsy, and pep pills and diet pills can cause nervousness, dizziness and vision problems. The manual says to check the product label for warnings about its effect and, if unsure whether it is safe to take the drug and drive, to ask a doctor or pharmacist about side effects. Coffee does not cancel drowsiness, a half dose is a guess, and needing no prescription does not make a drug safe behind the wheel.

11. 11. Which behavior does the New Hampshire manual list as typical of aggressive driving?

    1. Driving slightly below the speed limit
    2. Following too closely
    3. Using turn signals early
    4. Stopping fully at stop signs
    Show answer

    Following too closely. Aggressive driving occurs when a person intentionally commits an action that endangers other people or property. The manual's list of typical behaviors includes speeding, following too closely, unsafe lane changes, improperly signaling, and failing to obey traffic control devices such as stop signs, yield signs, traffic signals and railroad grade crossing signals. Driving a little under the limit, signaling early, and stopping fully are the opposite of aggressive. The advice is to concentrate on driving and stay patient and courteous.

12. 12. What is the minimum age to obtain a New Hampshire non-driver identification card?

    1. 12 years
    2. 18 years
    3. There is no minimum age
    4. 16 years
    Show answer

    12 years. Non-driver identification cards may be issued to New Hampshire residents who do not hold a valid driver's license and who are at least 12 years of age. Applicants provide the same documentation needed for a driver's license, and a REAL ID compliant version is available. The card is for identification only and does not permit driving. Sixteen and eighteen are licensing ages, not the ID card minimum, and the manual does set a floor, so it is not open to every age.

13. 13. This yellow sign shows a small stop sign with an arrow. What should a New Hampshire driver do when it appears?

    
    1. Prepare to stop at a stop sign ahead
    2. Stop immediately at this sign
    3. Treat this sign as a yield sign
    4. Speed up before the intersection
    Show answer

    Prepare to stop at a stop sign ahead. Stop Sign Ahead is a warning sign, and the manual says warning signs tell a driver to slow down because of a curve or intersection ahead and to be prepared to stop if necessary. The stop itself happens at the red octagon farther on, behind the stop line or crosswalk, with the wheels completely stopped. Stopping at the yellow warning sign is not required, treating it as a yield misreads it, and speeding up defeats its purpose.

14. 14. On which side of the road is this pennant-shaped NO PASSING ZONE sign found, and what does it mean?

    
    1. On the right side, marking where passing may resume
    2. On the left side, warning of a no passing zone ahead
    3. Overhead, marking a passing lane
    4. On the left side, marking the end of a no passing zone
    Show answer

    On the left side, warning of a no passing zone ahead. The pennant, a sideways triangle, is the no passing sign. The manual says it is found on the left side of the road and gives the driver warning of no passing zones ahead. It marks the beginning of the restriction, not the end, and it is never used to invite passing. The pavement usually confirms it with a solid yellow line on your side. Passing is also barred near curves, hills, intersections, and before railroad crossings and bridges.

15. 15. Under current New Hampshire law, what penalty applies to a Habitual Offender convicted of driving while the revocation order is in effect?

    1. Guilty of a felony, with imprisonment of not more than five years
    2. An additional 30 day suspension
    3. A fine only, with no jail time
    4. Mandatory driver education
    Show answer

    Guilty of a felony, with imprisonment of not more than five years. Driving after a Habitual Offender order is a felony under RSA 262:23, punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years. Older handbooks describe a one year minimum, but the current statute sets only the five year maximum, and any sentence of one year or less is served in a county correctional facility. The penalty is separate from and much heavier than the underlying one to four year revocation, so drivers near the threshold should treat every ticket as significant.

16. 16. Under New Hampshire's Sherrill's Law, what must a driver do when approaching a stopped vehicle displaying warning lights, flares, or cones?

    1. Maintain a reduced speed and, if practical, give a wide berth or move to a non-adjacent lane, and vacate any blocked lane
    2. Stop behind the vehicle until it moves
    3. Continue at the posted speed in the same lane
    4. Pass on the shoulder
    Show answer

    Maintain a reduced speed and, if practical, give a wide berth or move to a non-adjacent lane, and vacate any blocked lane. Sherrill's Law, RSA 265:37-a, covers fires, collisions, utility work, traffic stops, and any stopped or standing vehicle displaying warning signals such as hazard lights, flares, cones or caution signs. Every driver other than an emergency responder must maintain a reduced speed and, if practical, give a wide berth to public safety personnel, people in the roadway and vehicles showing blue, red or amber lights, obey anyone directing traffic, and vacate any lane wholly or partially blocked as soon as possible. Violations bring a fine plus penalty assessment.

17. 17. This sign shows a left turn arrow crossed by a red slash. What may a New Hampshire driver not do here?

    
    1. Go straight
    2. Turn left
    3. Turn right
    4. Change lanes
    Show answer

    Turn left. No Left Turn is one of the prohibition signs the manual lists alongside Do Not Enter, No Trucks, Wrong Way, No Right Turn and No U-Turn. The red slash over the left arrow bans only the movement pictured, so going straight, turning right, and changing lanes remain governed by other signs and markings. When the sign is posted, plan a different route to reach a destination on the left, such as continuing to the next intersection where a left turn is allowed.

18. 18. An approaching vehicle has its turn signal on. May a New Hampshire driver turn into the lane in front of it?

    1. Yes, the signal gives you the right of way
    2. Only if the other vehicle is a truck
    3. Yes, if you turn quickly
    4. No, the driver may plan to turn later or may have forgotten to cancel the signal
    Show answer

    No, the driver may plan to turn later or may have forgotten to cancel the signal. The manual warns drivers not to turn into a lane in front of another vehicle just because that vehicle has a turn signal active. The driver with the signal on may plan to turn after passing the intersection you are at, or may simply have forgotten to cancel the signal from an earlier turn. The point matters most with motorcycles, whose signals usually do not cancel automatically. Wait until the other vehicle actually begins to turn.

19. 19. Where in New Hampshire is a 70 mph speed limit in effect?

    1. On every 4-lane divided interstate
    2. On the central New Hampshire turnpike
    3. On the portion of I-93 from mile marker 45 to the Vermont border
    4. On all Class V highways
    Show answer

    On the portion of I-93 from mile marker 45 to the Vermont border. The 70 mph limit applies only to the portion of Interstate 93 from mile marker 45 to the Vermont border. Elsewhere the interstate system, the central New Hampshire turnpike and the eastern New Hampshire turnpike are limited to 65 miles an hour where they are 4-lane divided highways or other divided highways of 4 or more lanes. Class V highways outside compact areas are 35 mph. The minimum speed on an interstate is 45 mph unless conditions make that unsafe.

20. 20. Under RSA 265:28, when two vehicles approach a New Hampshire intersection with no signs or officer, which driver yields?

    
    1. The driver on the right yields to the vehicle on the left
    2. The slower vehicle yields
    3. The vehicle on the wider road yields
    4. The driver approaching or entering on the left yields to the vehicle on the right
    Show answer

    The driver approaching or entering on the left yields to the vehicle on the right. RSA 265:28 states that the driver of a vehicle approaching or entering an intersection on the left shall yield the right of way to the vehicle on the right, unless an official traffic control device or a police officer directs otherwise. Speed and road width are not the test. The same idea appears at a four way stop when two drivers arrive at the same time: the driver on the right goes first. Never assume the other driver will yield.