OR Permit Practice Test 25

All 20 questions in test 25

Every question below comes from the Oregon 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. At a quiet residential corner with no painted crosswalk lines, a woman steps off the curb to cross in front of you. What must you do?

   1. Keep going, since no crosswalk is painted
   2. Honk so she waits for you to pass
   3. Stop, since this corner has a crosswalk
   4. Slow down and steer around her
   Show answer

   Stop, since this corner has a crosswalk. Oregon requires drivers to stop for pedestrians crossing at any marked or unmarked crosswalk. There is a crosswalk at every intersection, even when no lines are painted; imagine the sidewalk or shoulder extending across the road. When she is in your lane or the next lane, stop and stay stopped until she is clear, then go on carefully. A horn or a swerve does not replace the stop.

   Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians and Bicycles

2. 2. A stop sign has a Right Turn Permitted Without Stopping plaque below it. You plan to go straight through. What must you do?

   1. Go through without stopping, like right turns
   2. Stop and yield, as at any stop sign
   3. Slow down and yield, but you need not stop
   4. Stop only if a car is turning right
   Show answer

   Stop and yield, as at any stop sign. The Right Turn Permitted Without Stopping sign may appear below a stop sign. It lets traffic turning right make the turn without stopping. Everyone else, including drivers going straight or turning left, must still stop and yield the right of way. Read the plaque carefully, because it changes the rule only for the movement it names. If you are turning right, you may continue, but still watch for pedestrians.

   Study this in the handbook: Regulatory Signs

3. 3. Why does the Oregon manual tell you to take extra care near a streetcar stop?

   1. Streetcars often roll backward at stops
   2. The rails are slick right at every stop
   3. Streetcars can change lanes without warning
   4. Riders may run across lanes to catch the car
   Show answer

   Riders may run across lanes to catch the car. Streetcar and light rail stops draw people across the street. Oregon warns drivers to be careful where streetcars and trains stop, to look out for people getting on or off, and to expect passengers to run across lanes to catch the streetcar or train. Slow down near stops, follow pedestrian signals, and let people cross the street safely. If a streetcar is stopped for riders, stay behind it until it moves or the people are clear.

4. 4. Which yellow warning sign tells you to slow down and be ready to stop because a traffic light is coming up?

   1. Signal Ahead
   2. Crossroad
   3. Stop Ahead
   4. Railroad Advance
   Show answer

   Signal Ahead. The Signal Ahead sign shows a traffic signal symbol on a yellow diamond and warns that a signal is ahead. Slow down and be ready to stop. Do not confuse it with Stop Ahead, which warns of a stop sign, or with Crossroad, which warns of an intersection without saying how it is controlled. When you reach the signal, a steady yellow means stop before entering if you can do so safely.

   Study this in the handbook: Warning, Guide and Service Signs

5. 5. You drive into thick smoke from a wildfire. Which lights should you use?

   1. Your high beam headlights
   2. Only your parking lights
   3. Your low beam headlights
   4. Your hazard lights alone
   Show answer

   Your low beam headlights. In fog, dust, smoke, or any area of low visibility, Oregon says to use your headlights on low beam. Light from high beams reflects back off the haze, causing glare and making it harder to see ahead. As visibility drops, slow down, watch for slow or stopped vehicles and other obstacles, and be prepared to pull over and stop. If you choose to pull off, go as far right as you can.

   Study this in the handbook: Headlights and Hazardous Conditions

6. 6. What general rule does Oregon give for choosing lanes when you turn from one road onto another?

   1. Turn from the nearest lane into the nearest lane
   2. Swing wide so the turn stays smooth
   3. Turn into whichever lane is emptiest
   4. End every turn in the far right lane
   Show answer

   Turn from the nearest lane into the nearest lane. Oregon's general turning rule is to go from the nearest lane in your direction of travel to the nearest lane in the direction you want to go. The manual warns against swinging wide or changing lanes while turning, two common mistakes that cause crashes with cars beside you. Turning into the wrong lane, or from the wrong lane, puts you where other drivers do not expect you. Once the turn is finished, signal before moving to another lane.

   Study this in the handbook: Turns, U-Turns and Roundabouts

7. 7. To finish passing a slow truck on a two-lane highway, you would need to go 10 mph over the limit. What does Oregon law say?

   1. Going over the limit is illegal even while passing
   2. You may go over it briefly to finish the pass
   3. You may go up to 10 mph over while passing
   4. You may go over it if the truck speeds up
   Show answer

   Going over the limit is illegal even while passing. Some drivers believe a short burst over the limit is allowed to complete a pass. Oregon says otherwise: do not exceed the speed limit when passing, because it is against the law to exceed speed limits at any time. If you cannot pass within the limit, the pass is not safe, so stay in your lane. Know how your vehicle accelerates and make sure the road ahead is clear before you pull out.

   Study this in the handbook: Passing and Freeway Driving

8. 8. A car is coming at you in your lane, and there is no room left on the pavement. What does Oregon say is usually safer?

   1. Swerving into the oncoming car's lane
   2. Steering to the shoulder or even the ditch
   3. Braking hard and holding your lane
   4. Flashing your lights and keeping going
   Show answer

   Steering to the shoulder or even the ditch. Oregon's manual ranks your options when a vehicle is coming at you in your lane. In most cases, steering to the shoulder or even the ditch is safer than risking a head-on collision. Do not pull into the opposing lane, because the oncoming driver may turn back sharply into it. Pull to the right as far as possible, slow down, and warn the other driver with your horn or lights.

   Study this in the handbook: Avoiding Collisions and Equipment Failures

9. 9. Turning left from a two-way road onto another two-way road, where in the intersection should you make the turn?

   1. After passing the center of the intersection
   2. As soon as your front wheels cross the line
   3. Only after reaching the far crosswalk
   4. Just before the imaginary center point
   Show answer

   Just before the imaginary center point. On a left turn between two-way roads, yield to oncoming traffic until it is safe, then turn just before the imaginary center point of the intersection. Finish just to the right of the center line of the street you are entering. Turning too early cuts the corner across lanes of cross traffic, while turning too late swings wide. Keeping to that path leaves you in the correct lane and out of the way of oncoming drivers.

   Study this in the handbook: Turns, U-Turns and Roundabouts

10. 10. A truck ahead swings left but has its right turn signal on. You are also turning right. What should you do?

    1. Stay beside it on the right as it turns
    2. Squeeze into the gap between it and the curb
    3. Wait behind it until it has finished turning
    4. Honk and make your turn alongside it
    Show answer

    Wait behind it until it has finished turning. A truck that swings left before a right turn is not changing its mind. Large vehicles may need to swing wide and use more than one lane to start or finish a turn, and their drivers often cannot see vehicles directly behind or beside them during the turn. Oregon says not to cut in between a large vehicle and the curb or shoulder. Watch its turn signals, do not crowd the intersection, and let it complete the turn.

    Study this in the handbook: Motorcycles, Large Vehicles and Other Road Users

11. 11. You are in the right lane of a four-lane street. A pedestrian in the crosswalk is in the bike lane next to your lane. Must you stop?

    1. Yes, and stay stopped while they are that close
    2. No, a bike lane does not count as a lane
    3. No, not until they step into your own lane
    4. Yes, but you may go once they make eye contact
    Show answer

    Yes, and stay stopped while they are that close. Oregon requires you to stop and remain stopped for a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk when the person is in your lane, in a lane next to yours, including a bike lane, or in the lane you are turning into. A pedestrian in the bike lane beside you is one lane away, so you must stop and wait. Once they have moved farther than the next lane, you may continue with care.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians and Bicycles

12. 12. You turn off a busy business street into a residential neighborhood. No speed sign is posted. What is your speed limit now?

    1. 20 mph
    2. 30 mph
    3. 35 mph
    4. 25 mph
    Show answer

    25 mph. Oregon's statutory limit in a residential district is 25 mph, and it applies even where no sign is posted. The business district you came from has a lower limit of 20 mph. Narrow residential areas drop to 15 mph. These numbers are the most you may drive under ideal conditions; parked cars, children, or bad weather may call for less under the basic rule.

    Study this in the handbook: Oregon Speed Limits

13. 13. You want to park near a corner that has no painted crosswalk lines. Your car would be 12 feet from where the crosswalk would be. Is that allowed?

    1. Yes, unmarked crosswalks have no limit
    2. No, stay 20 feet from an unmarked crosswalk too
    3. Yes, the limit is 10 feet
    4. Yes, if no one is walking nearby
    Show answer

    No, stay 20 feet from an unmarked crosswalk too. Oregon bans parking within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Every intersection has a crosswalk, even when no lines are painted, so measure from where the sidewalk or shoulder would extend across the road. At 12 feet you are too close. Move back to at least 20 feet. The same no parking rules apply whether or not you stay in the car.

14. 14. In a work zone, a dump truck ahead of you pulls out of the open lane and drives into the coned-off area. What should you do?

    1. Follow it, since it knows the safe path
    2. Stay in the open lane and do not follow it
    3. Follow at a safe distance into the work area
    4. Pass it by driving on the coned side
    Show answer

    Stay in the open lane and do not follow it. Construction vehicles may be driving in work zones, entering and leaving the road and causing traffic to slow. Oregon says not to follow construction vehicles while you are in a work zone. They can go into closed areas where workers and equipment are close by, places that are not open to traffic. Follow the signs, cones, flaggers, and lane markings that guide traffic through instead, and slow down and pay attention.

15. 15. You are first at a red light, planning to turn right onto a two-way street. The driver behind you honks for you to go without stopping. What does Oregon require?

    1. Roll through slowly, since no one is coming
    2. Wait until the light turns green
    3. Turn without stopping, since right turns are free
    4. Come to a complete stop before turning
    Show answer

    Come to a complete stop before turning. Oregon allows a right turn onto a two-way road on a steady red light, but only after coming to a complete stop and only if no sign or police officer says otherwise. Then yield to pedestrians and to traffic on the street you are entering. Honking from behind does not change the rule. Make your stop, check carefully, and turn when it is safe.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic Signals

16. 16. A large X with the letters RR is painted across your lane. What does it warn you about?

    1. A road closure ahead
    2. A roundabout ahead
    3. A no passing zone ahead
    4. A railroad crossing ahead
    Show answer

    A railroad crossing ahead. Oregon uses a large X with the letters RR painted on the pavement to mark the approach to a railroad crossing. When you see it, slow down, look and listen for trains, and be ready to stop. Only cross the tracks if you are sure you can completely clear the crossing. Never stop on the tracks, and watch for a second train that may be hidden by the first.

    Study this in the handbook: School Buses and Railroad Crossings

17. 17. You start a new prescription and are not sure whether it is safe to drive while taking it. What does Oregon advise?

    1. Find another way to get where you are going
    2. Drive, since prescribed drugs are always legal
    3. Drive slowly and stay off the freeway
    4. Take half the dose and then drive
    Show answer

    Find another way to get where you are going. Over the counter and prescription medications can impair your driving. Oregon suggests asking your doctor or pharmacist about the side effects of any medication, and if you are not sure it is safe to drive after taking a new one, finding different transportation. A prescription is not a defense: Oregon's DUII law applies to any substance that impairs your mental or physical ability to drive.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, Drugs and DUII

18. 18. Your engine stalls and the power steering stops working, making the wheel very hard to turn. What should you do?

    1. Let go of the wheel until the power returns
    2. Brake hard and stop right there in your lane
    3. Hold on firmly and ease onto the shoulder
    4. Speed up so the steering gets lighter
    Show answer

    Hold on firmly and ease onto the shoulder. When power steering fails, the steering wheel becomes difficult to turn, but you can still steer. Oregon says to grip the steering wheel firmly, slow down, and ease onto the shoulder. Expect to use much more effort than usual to turn the wheel. Do not panic or stop suddenly in your lane. Once you are off the road, turn on your hazard lights.

    Study this in the handbook: Avoiding Collisions and Equipment Failures

19. 19. When should you begin slowing down to leave a freeway?

    1. In the right lane before the ramp starts
    2. As soon as you see the exit sign
    3. Once you are on the exit ramp
    4. At the moment you turn on your signal
    Show answer

    Once you are on the exit ramp. Leaving a freeway takes two steps in Oregon's manual. First, turn on your signal well ahead of time. Second, keep your speed until you are off the freeway, then begin slowing to the posted advisory speed once you are on the exit ramp. Slowing down in a freeway lane catches the drivers behind you by surprise. Freeway exits are usually numbered, which helps you find yours early.

    Study this in the handbook: Passing and Freeway Driving

20. 20. What does this yellow warning sign tell you about the road ahead?

    
    1. Traffic ahead must make a U-turn
    2. A circular intersection is coming up
    3. A one-way loop road begins here
    4. Merging traffic joins from both sides
    Show answer

    A circular intersection is coming up. Arrows drawn in a circle pattern warn that a roundabout, also called a traffic circle or rotary, is ahead. Slow down as you approach and look for signs that show where your exit is. Before entering, yield to traffic already in the circle and to vehicles leaving it, then merge into a gap. Inside, traffic moves one way around the center island. Watch for people walking in the crosswalks at the entry and exit.

    Study this in the handbook: Turns, U-Turns and Roundabouts