NC Permit Practice Test 8

All 20 questions in test 8

Every question below comes from the North Carolina 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. In which direction do vehicles travel around a traffic circle or roundabout?

   1. To the right around the circle in a counterclockwise direction
   2. Straight across the center whenever traffic is light
   3. In either direction according to the driver’s preferred lane
   4. To the left around the circle in a clockwise direction
   Show answer

   To the right around the circle in a counterclockwise direction. Vehicles in a traffic circle travel to the right around the circle in a counterclockwise direction until reaching the road where they intend to turn. The clockwise choice reverses the required flow, while crossing the center would create a direct conflict with circulating traffic. A driver should enter carefully, stay in the proper lane, look and signal before changing lanes, and leave by making a right turn. The direction cue prevents wrong way movement in the circle.

2. 2. If a vehicle stalls on or near railroad tracks, what should the occupants do first?

   1. Remain inside and try to restart the engine
   2. Stand behind the vehicle to warn traffic
   3. Wait for the crossing gate to rise before leaving
   4. Get out immediately
   Show answer

   Get out immediately. A stalled vehicle near tracks creates an immediate risk because a train may require more than a mile to stop. The handbook’s first instruction is to get out immediately, then move away from the vehicle and tracks along the roadway to a safe location. Staying inside or waiting for a gate ignores the possibility of a train arriving before help comes. Once safe, locate the blue Emergency Notification System sign and use its information to report the problem.

3. 3. Where do crashes caused by drowsy driving most often happen, according to the North Carolina handbook?

   1. In parking lots
   2. In city traffic during rush hour
   3. On high-speed rural highways when the driver is alone
   4. At school crossings
   Show answer

   On high-speed rural highways when the driver is alone. The National Sleep Foundation reports that crashes caused by drowsy driving are often serious and occur most often on high speed rural highways when the driver is alone, and that the problem is seriously under reported. A lone driver on a long straight road has nothing to keep attention up. Plan breaks, share the driving, and stop when you feel drowsy rather than pushing on.

4. 4. When making a turn on a circular green traffic signal, whom must the turning driver yield to?

   1. Only vehicles approaching from behind
   2. No one because green gives turning traffic exclusive priority
   3. Oncoming traffic and pedestrians
   4. Only bicycles traveling in a marked lane
   Show answer

   Oncoming traffic and pedestrians. A circular green signal permits a driver to proceed cautiously, but a turning vehicle must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Green does not create an exclusive protected turn. The choices limited to traffic behind or bicycles leave out people and vehicles directly in the turning path. Before turning, scan the crosswalk and opposing approach, signal the movement, and continue only when the path is clear enough to protect everyone using the intersection.

5. 5. A flashing yellow signal has the same meaning as what type of sign?

   1. A stop sign
   2. A speed-limit sign
   3. A railroad-crossing sign
   4. A warning sign
   Show answer

   A warning sign. The handbook gives a flashing yellow signal the same meaning as a warning sign. It tells the driver to slow down and proceed with caution, rather than to stop automatically as required by a flashing red signal. A speed-limit sign controls a posted maximum, and a railroad-crossing sign addresses a different hazard. The visual cue is the yellow flash: reduce speed, scan for vehicles and pedestrians, and continue only when the path is safe. Treat the warning as an instruction to prepare for changing conditions, not as permission to maintain speed.

6. 6. What action is required at a flashing yellow traffic signal?

   1. Stop and remain stopped until a green signal appears
   2. Speed up to clear the intersection
   3. Slow down and proceed with caution
   4. Turn around before entering the intersection
   Show answer

   Slow down and proceed with caution. The flashing yellow signal has the same meaning as a warning sign. Drivers should slow down and proceed with caution after checking for traffic, pedestrians, and other hazards. It is not an automatic stop, so the choice requiring a wait for green adds a condition the signal does not state. Speeding through removes the time needed to respond. Reduce speed, scan the intersection, and continue only when the movement can be made safely.

7. 7. How does a North Carolina license show that the holder is an organ donor?

   1. A red stripe on the back
   2. A heart symbol on the front of the card
   3. There is no indicator
   4. A separate paper card
   Show answer

   A heart symbol on the front of the card. You may indicate your decision to be an organ donor when you apply for or renew a North Carolina license or ID card. Donors' licenses and ID cards carry a heart symbol on the front, representing their consent to donation. The symbol lets medical staff see the decision immediately. Your choice can be changed at a later renewal or through the donor registry.

8. 8. During rain, what following distance does the handbook recommend?

   1. One car length regardless of speed
   2. The same distance used on dry pavement
   3. Half the normal distance so other vehicles cannot merge
   4. At least twice the normal following distance
   Show answer

   At least twice the normal following distance. Rain makes pavement slippery and increases stopping distance, so the handbook advises allowing at least twice the normal following distance. Keeping the dry pavement interval ignores the reduced traction and longer braking path. A shorter gap is especially dangerous because it removes reaction time, and one car length has no fixed safety value at different speeds. Slow down, use headlights and wipers, and leave a larger time based gap behind the vehicle ahead.

9. 9. When driving in fog in North Carolina, which headlights should a driver use?

   1. High-beam headlights only
   2. Parking lights without headlights
   3. Low-beam headlights
   4. Hazard flashers instead of headlights
   Show answer

   Low-beam headlights. The handbook directs a driver who must travel in fog to turn on low-beam headlights. High beams can reflect from moisture and make the forward view harder to read, while parking lights alone provide too little illumination and visibility. Hazard flashers are not a substitute for the normal lighting instruction. Pair the low beams with reduced speed and attention to taillights ahead. Fog can hide a stopped vehicle or a changing lane edge, so the lighting choice should help the driver see without producing unnecessary glare.

10. 10. If a vehicle begins to hydroplane, what should the driver do?

    1. Brake hard and jerk the steering wheel toward the shoulder
    2. Take the foot off the gas, keep the steering wheel straight, and let momentum decrease
    3. Accelerate until the tires cut through the water
    4. Use cruise control to hold a steady path
    Show answer

    Take the foot off the gas, keep the steering wheel straight, and let momentum decrease. Hydroplaning reduces tire contact with the road, so sudden steering or braking can turn a slide into an uncontrollable skid. The handbook advises taking the foot off the gas, resisting the brakes, keeping the steering wheel straight, and letting speed decrease until the tires grip again. Acceleration and cruise control work against that recovery. Keep the vehicle pointed steadily, make no abrupt input, and regain traction before making a normal steering correction.

11. 11. Where does the North Carolina handbook direct drivers for information about the state's toll roads?

    1. The N.C. Quick Pass office or website
    2. The State Highway Patrol
    3. The county sheriff
    4. The local DMV office
    Show answer

    The N.C. Quick Pass office or website. For information about North Carolina's toll roads, the handbook says to call the N.C. Quick Pass office at 1-877-769-7277 or visit www.myncquickpass.com. Quick Pass is the state's electronic toll transponder program. The sheriff, Highway Patrol and driver license offices do not handle toll accounts. When driving on an interstate, plan the trip in advance and check the vehicle's fluids and tires before leaving.

12. 12. When a North Carolina traffic light has failed, what stop-sign treatment applies to the intersection?

    1. Treat the signal as a green light for the main road
    2. Approach and proceed as though the intersection is controlled by a stop sign
    3. Follow the vehicle ahead without stopping
    4. Use the shoulder until the signal works
    Show answer

    Approach and proceed as though the intersection is controlled by a stop sign. When a traffic light malfunctions, drivers should approach the intersection and proceed as though it is controlled by a stop sign. This prevents a dark or broken signal from becoming an invitation to continue through without checking the other approaches. The main road does not receive automatic priority, and following another vehicle does not replace an individual stop and observation. Slow down, stop, scan for traffic and pedestrians, and enter only when the intersection is clear and no officer or other device directs a different movement.

13. 13. A flashing red signal at a North Carolina intersection means you must first:

    1. Slow down but continue without stopping
    2. Turn around before reaching the intersection
    3. Wait for the signal to become a steady yellow
    4. Stop and wait until entering will not interfere with approaching traffic
    Show answer

    Stop and wait until entering will not interfere with approaching traffic. A flashing red signal carries the same stopping obligation as a stop sign. Come to a complete stop, then assess approaching traffic before moving. The light does not authorize a rolling approach, even when the intersection looks empty. A driver who merely slows may enter while another vehicle still has priority. Remember the sequence as stop, check, and proceed only after the movement can be made without interference.

14. 14. What can happen to fines for a violation committed while driving a commercial motor vehicle in North Carolina?

    1. They are halved
    2. They may be doubled
    3. They are waived for a first offense
    4. They are the same as for a car
    Show answer

    They may be doubled. Any person who commits an offense for which points may be assessed while operating a commercial motor vehicle may be assessed double the amount of any fine or penalty authorized by statute. Commercial drivers also face a separate point schedule, with passing a stopped school bus worth 8 points, and a lower 0.04 alcohol limit. Fines are not reduced or waived because the vehicle was commercial.

15. 15. As driving speed increases, what does the North Carolina handbook say about the distance needed for stopping?

    1. The driver must be able to see farther ahead
    2. The driver needs the same view at every speed
    3. The driver may rely on the shoulder as stopping space
    4. The driver can shorten the following gap
    Show answer

    The driver must be able to see farther ahead. The handbook connects higher speed with a need to see farther ahead so there is enough distance to stop. Faster travel covers more roadway during the driver’s reaction time and requires more room for braking. Shortening the following gap moves in the opposite direction, while an unchanged view ignores the extra stopping distance. The shoulder is not a planned substitute for safe spacing. Scan farther down the road as speed rises, preserve a usable gap, and reduce speed when curves, hills, traffic, or weather limit how far you can see.

16. 16. Before changing lanes on a North Carolina highway, which check is specifically required beyond the mirrors?

    1. Sound the horn continuously for ten seconds
    2. Look over your shoulder to clear the blind spot
    3. Look only at the vehicle directly ahead
    4. Turn off the signal before moving
    Show answer

    Look over your shoulder to clear the blind spot. Mirrors cannot show every area beside and just behind your vehicle, so the handbook calls for a shoulder check to confirm that the blind spot is clear. Signal in advance, inspect the mirrors, look beyond the new lane, and then move smoothly when the space is open. The horn is not a substitute for seeing. Turning off the signal before moving also removes useful information from nearby drivers who need to anticipate your maneuver.

17. 17. How should a North Carolina driver handle a pedestrian in a crosswalk at an unsignalized intersection?

    1. Yield because the pedestrian has the right of way
    2. Yield only when the pedestrian is running
    3. Use the horn and continue through the crosswalk
    4. Proceed first if the vehicle arrived first
    Show answer

    Yield because the pedestrian has the right of way. At an intersection without signals, a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk formed by sidewalk lines has priority. Slow and yield so the person can cross safely. Vehicle arrival order does not cancel that protection. A horn may warn someone in limited circumstances, but it does not give permission to drive through the pedestrian's path. The visual cue is the person occupying the crossing area, whether painted lines are present or not.

18. 18. In North Carolina, how much space must a driver allow when passing a moped?

    1. At least six inches to the moped's right
    2. No clearance if the moped is near the shoulder
    3. One full lane to the moped's right without changing position
    4. At least two feet to the moped's left
    Show answer

    At least two feet to the moped's left. A driver passing a moped must stay at least two feet to the moped's left. That lateral space helps protect the rider from the vehicle's body and windstream. Passing close to the shoulder is not enough, and the rule does not disappear because the moped is traveling slowly. Plan the maneuver with a visible gap and wait when traffic or roadway width prevents the required clearance.

19. 19. What should a North Carolina driver do when approaching a school bus displaying flashing red lights?

    1. Stop only when traveling behind the bus
    2. Pass slowly if no children are visible
    3. Stop and wait until the lights are off and the bus moves
    4. Change lanes and continue past the bus
    Show answer

    Stop and wait until the lights are off and the bus moves. A school bus using its mechanical stop signal or flashing red lights is receiving or discharging passengers. Other approaching vehicles must stop and remain stopped until the signal is withdrawn, the red lights are off, and the bus has started moving. The absence of visible children does not change the duty. On a divided highway with a median, the opposite-direction rule can differ, but a driver approaching the bus must not pass during the stop.

20. 20. According to the North Carolina handbook, how long does a vehicle at 55 mph take to travel the length of a football field?

    1. About 3.7 seconds
    2. About 1 second
    3. About 10 seconds
    4. About 20 seconds
    Show answer

    About 3.7 seconds. The handbook uses a football field to make speed feel real. At 55 mph you cover that whole length, roughly 100 yards, in about 3.7 seconds. The point is that a glance at a phone or a brief drift of attention eats the entire distance before you notice anything. Ten or twenty seconds would mean you were crawling, and one second would require highway speeds far above any posted limit. Keep the figure in mind when judging following distance and when deciding whether something can wait until you are parked.