OR Permit Practice Test 5

All 20 questions in test 5

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. In what direction does traffic move in an Oregon roundabout?

   1. Counterclockwise around the center island
   2. Clockwise around the center island
   3. Straight across the center island
   4. In either direction chosen by the entering driver
   Show answer

   Counterclockwise around the center island. Oregon roundabouts carry traffic counterclockwise around a center island. The clockwise choice reverses the established flow and would place a vehicle into opposing movement. Driving straight across the island is not a roundabout path, and entering drivers do not choose the direction. Approach slowly, follow the lane-use signs, and keep the center island to your left as you circulate. The direction cue is especially useful when visibility is limited or when a driver is unfamiliar with the intersection's layout.

2. 2. A school bus displays flashing red lights on the other side of a divided highway separated by a barrier. What must you do?

   
   1. Stop only when the divider is a painted turn lane
   2. Stop in every lane on both sides of the divided highway
   3. Continue only if the bus driver waves you through
   4. Stop only if you are traveling on the same side as the bus
   Show answer

   Stop only if you are traveling on the same side as the bus. On a divided highway with separate roads divided by an unpaved median or barrier, the stop duty applies only to traffic on the bus's side. The all-lanes choice would be correct for a painted median or turn lane, which does not create two separate roads. A driver should watch the roadway design as well as the bus lights, stop before reaching the bus when required, and remain stopped until the flashing red lights are turned off.

3. 3. What should you do when a traffic signal is dark because of a power failure?

   1. Treat it as stop signs in all directions
   2. Wait for a police officer before moving
   3. Treat it as a yield sign
   4. Proceed if no vehicle is approaching
   Show answer

   Treat it as stop signs in all directions. A dark signal is not permission to continue through the intersection. Oregon directs drivers to stop as though every approach had a stop sign, then proceed only after yielding and checking for traffic and pedestrians. Waiting for an officer is unnecessary unless one is present directing traffic. Treating the outage like a yield sign skips the required stop, while simply checking for an approaching vehicle overlooks people or vehicles that may enter from another direction. The practical cue is simple: no lights means four-way stop behavior, even if the signal normally controls a busy intersection.

4. 4. When does Oregon's school speed zone limit of 20 mph apply under a School Speed Limit Sign for When Children Are Present?

   1. Only between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a school day
   2. Any day and at any time children are present
   3. Only when a police officer is directing traffic
   4. Only after a school bus begins flashing red lights
   Show answer

   Any day and at any time children are present. This school speed sign activates the reduced 20 mph limit whenever children are present, regardless of the day or clock time. The 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. choice belongs to a different school-hours sign. Children count as present when they are waiting at a crosswalk, occupying or walking within one, or when a traffic patrol member assists them there. The key cue is the sign type, not a bus or officer: look for children and be ready to slow to the marked limit.

5. 5. At an intersection with a stop sign and a marked stop line, where must the driver stop?

   1. Beside the sign, even if that is past the line
   2. After the crosswalk, inside the intersection
   3. Before the marked stop line
   4. Only where the driver can see cross traffic best
   Show answer

   Before the marked stop line. Oregon places the required stop before the marked stop line when an intersection has one. If there is no line, the driver uses the crosswalk or the unmarked crossing area as the stopping reference. Stopping after the crosswalk can block pedestrians, while stopping beside the sign may put the vehicle beyond the legal point. Scan for traffic only after stopping correctly; if the view is blocked, inch forward carefully rather than rolling through the initial stop.

6. 6. You back into a parked, empty car in Oregon and cannot find its owner. What are you required to do?

   1. Leave a note with your name, address, and a brief description of what happened
   2. Drive away, because no one was in the car
   3. Leave only your license plate number on the windshield
   4. Wait beside the car until the owner returns, however long it takes
   Show answer

   Leave a note with your name, address, and a brief description of what happened. When you hit an unoccupied vehicle, first try to find the owner. If you cannot, leave a note with your name and address plus a short description of what happened. Driving off without leaving that information is not allowed just because the car was empty. A plate number alone does not give the owner your name and address. The rule does not require waiting indefinitely once you have left the note. The same duty to locate an owner applies when you damage property other than a motor vehicle.

7. 7. What minimum Personal Injury Protection must Oregon auto insurance include?

   1. $10,000 per person
   2. $15,000 per person
   3. $25,000 per person
   4. $20,000 per collision
   Show answer

   $15,000 per person. Oregon's minimums include Personal Injury Protection of $15,000 per person, covering reasonable and necessary expenses within two years after the date of the injury, such as medical and dental services. The $25,000 figure is the bodily injury minimum for one person and also the per person uninsured motorist amount. $20,000 per collision is the property damage minimum. $10,000 is below any figure the manual lists. Keeping each amount tied to its coverage type avoids mixing up these similar numbers.

8. 8. What road situation is associated with the five-sided school sign?

   
   1. An adult-only crosswalk outside a school area
   2. A recreation area where pedestrians are prohibited
   3. A school zone or school crossing requiring extra attention
   4. A park entrance where vehicles have priority
   Show answer

   A school zone or school crossing requiring extra attention. The distinctive five-sided shape is used for school-related warnings, including a school zone or school crossing. Drivers should slow as required by the roadway, watch carefully for children, and be prepared for people to enter the crossing unexpectedly. The choice “A park entrance where vehicles have priority” reverses the safety message by suggesting that vehicles have priority near a park or school. Keep scanning sidewalks, curb lines, and crossing points, and do not let a clear moment make you stop looking for a child who may be approaching.

9. 9. A driver faces the pictured DO NOT ENTER sign at the end of a ramp. What does it indicate?

   
   1. The ramp is reserved for buses during daytime hours
   2. The driver may enter after yielding to freeway traffic
   3. The driver must not enter that road or freeway
   4. Parking is prohibited beside the ramp
   Show answer

   The driver must not enter that road or freeway. This square regulatory sign marks an entrance that a driver must not take. It commonly appears where a road or freeway is being entered from the wrong direction, so continuing would put the vehicle into conflict with normal traffic. The choice “The driver may enter after yielding to freeway traffic” is especially risky because yielding cannot make an illegal entry safe. Stop before committing to the ramp, check for a safe way to leave the area, and follow a route that uses the proper entrance. Never treat the sign as a parking instruction.

10. 10. Before making a left turn on a steady circular green signal, to whom must a driver yield?

    
    1. Only vehicles behind the turning driver
    2. Pedestrians and oncoming traffic
    3. Only pedestrians waiting on the sidewalk
    4. No one, because a green signal gives an unconditional right of way
    Show answer

    Pedestrians and oncoming traffic. A steady circular green signal permits a left turn, but the driver must first yield to pedestrians and oncoming traffic. The signal allows the movement; it does not remove conflicts already in the intersection or crossing. Yielding only to people waiting on the sidewalk misses pedestrians in the crosswalk, while ignoring oncoming traffic risks a direct collision. Check the crosswalk and opposing approach before turning, keep the intersection clear, and proceed only when the permitted movement can be completed without conflicting with another road user.

11. 11. How long does a reduced work-zone speed limit remain in effect in Oregon?

    1. Only until the next intersection
    2. Only until workers leave the driver's view
    3. Until an End Work Zone Speed Limit sign or another posted speed limit sign
    4. Until the driver has passed the first orange cone
    Show answer

    Until an End Work Zone Speed Limit sign or another posted speed limit sign. Oregon keeps a reduced work-zone speed limit in effect until the driver sees an End Work Zone Speed Limit sign or another posted speed limit sign. Worker visibility, the next intersection, or the first cone does not end the restriction. Construction areas can continue to have narrowed lanes, shifting traffic, and equipment after the crew is out of sight. Look beyond the immediate work area for the ending sign, maintain the posted temporary speed, and continue scanning for flaggers and changing lane markings.

12. 12. Apart from the new resident rule, which proof lets Oregon DMV waive the drive test?

    1. Logging 100 hours of supervised driving
    2. Scoring 35 out of 35 on the knowledge test
    3. Holding an instruction permit for at least 12 months
    4. Completing an ODOT approved driver education course within the past two years
    Show answer

    Completing an ODOT approved driver education course within the past two years. DMV may waive the behind the wheel test when it receives proof that the applicant finished an ODOT approved driver education course within the past two years. Logging 100 supervised hours is a condition for an under 18 license, not a substitute for the drive test. A perfect knowledge score only shows you passed the written part, where 28 correct answers are enough. Holding a permit longer than the six month minimum also earns no waiver. The course completion proof has to reach DMV for the waiver to apply.

13. 13. A pedestrian using a white cane starts crossing in front of you, and your light is green. What must you do?

    1. Stay stopped until the person has crossed the entire road
    2. Go once the person has cleared your lane
    3. Go, because the green light gives you the right of way
    4. Tap the horn so the person knows you are there
    Show answer

    Stay stopped until the person has crossed the entire road. Oregon requires drivers to give the right of way to a pedestrian with limited vision, or anyone who is blind or deaf and blind carrying a white cane or using a guide dog. Stop if the person is about to cross or is crossing, and remain stopped until the person has crossed the entire road, even on a green light. Leaving once your own lane is clear is too soon, and a green signal does not override this duty. A horn does nothing to meet the duty to stop and wait.

14. 14. In daylight you are hauling lumber that extends 5 feet past the rear of your vehicle. What does Oregon require at the end of the load?

    1. A white flag at least 6 inches square
    2. Nothing, unless the load extends 10 feet or more
    3. A flashing amber light at all times
    4. A red flag at least 12 inches square
    Show answer

    A red flag at least 12 inches square. Any load that extends 4 feet or more beyond the rear of the vehicle must carry a red flag at least 12 inches square at its end, so a 5 foot overhang needs one. A white flag or a 6 inch size does not meet the rule, and the threshold is 4 feet, not 10. A light is required only when limited visibility conditions exist: then a red light visible for 500 feet to the rear and sides replaces the flag, and the manual does not call for an amber light.

15. 15. What does Oregon say about the unmarked crosswalk at an intersection that has no sidewalk?

    1. It does not exist without painted lines
    2. It exists only where there are sidewalks on both corners
    3. It still exists and is at least six feet wide
    4. It is at least twelve feet wide
    Show answer

    It still exists and is at least six feet wide. Oregon treats every intersection as having a crosswalk, whether or not lines are painted. To locate an unmarked one, imagine the sidewalk or shoulder at the corner extending across the road. The manual says an unmarked crosswalk is at least six feet wide and exists even with no sidewalk or shoulder, so painted lines and sidewalks are not conditions. Twelve feet is not the stated minimum. Drivers must stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks alike.

16. 16. Your car stalls on railroad tracks and you see a train approaching. After getting out, which way should you move?

    1. Along the tracks, running away from the train
    2. Straight across to the far side of the tracks and wait there
    3. Back into the car with your seat belt fastened
    4. Away from the tracks at a 45 degree angle, toward the approaching train
    Show answer

    Away from the tracks at a 45 degree angle, toward the approaching train. Oregon's steps are to get out of the vehicle, get away from the tracks even if no train is visible, and, if safe, use the Emergency Notification System sign posted at the crossing to alert the railroad. If a train approaches, move away at a 45 degree angle in the direction of the train so debris thrown forward by the impact does not hit you. Running along the tracks keeps you in the debris path, standing just across the tracks is too close, and staying in the car risks your life.

17. 17. What does a solid white line used as an edge or fog line help drivers do?

    1. Cross into opposing traffic to pass
    2. Stay on the road
    3. Change lanes without checking nearby traffic
    4. Identify a two-way left-turn lane
    Show answer

    Stay on the road. Oregon uses a solid white edge or fog line to help drivers stay on the road. It is not a center line separating opposing traffic, so it does not authorize a pass into the other direction. It also does not replace a mirror and shoulder check before a lane movement. A two-way left-turn lane is identified by different markings and arrows. When the line appears at the roadway edge, use it as a visual boundary, especially in darkness, rain, or fog, and keep the vehicle inside that boundary.

18. 18. What information do green guide signs generally provide?

    1. Warnings about slippery pavement
    2. Exit information or the direction of roads and cities
    3. Rules prohibiting lane changes
    4. Locations where fuel and lodging are available
    Show answer

    Exit information or the direction of roads and cities. Green guide or information signs help drivers navigate by showing exit information and the direction of roads or cities. They are different from yellow warning signs, which announce hazards, and white regulatory signs, which impose requirements. Blue signs point to motorist services such as fuel or lodging. A driver should read the route name, arrow, and exit number early enough to choose a lane safely. The cue is green for guidance: it helps you decide where to go, rather than warning or commanding a maneuver.

19. 19. Who may supervise the driving experience that counts toward an Oregon applicant's under 18 license?

    1. A driving instructor of any age with a current permit
    2. Any licensed driver at least 18 who has held a license for 1 year
    3. Only a parent or legal guardian who is at least 25
    4. Someone at least 21 who has held valid driving privileges for at least 3 years
    Show answer

    Someone at least 21 who has held valid driving privileges for at least 3 years. The supervised hours count only when the accompanying person meets both experience conditions in the manual: that person must be at least 21 years old and must have had valid driving privileges for at least three years. Age alone is not enough, and the rule does not limit supervision to parents. A recently licensed 18 year old therefore cannot make the hours count, even if that person is careful and present for every trip. Check both the supervisor's age and driving history before logging practice time.

20. 20. What is the legal status of an Oregon variable advisory speed sign?

    1. It recommends a speed based on current conditions
    2. It permanently replaces every posted speed limit
    3. It permits travel above the statutory maximum
    4. It applies only when a police officer is present
    Show answer

    It recommends a speed based on current conditions. A variable advisory speed sign recommends a speed for conditions such as heavy traffic, poor weather, or a slippery road. The manual distinguishes that recommendation from a variable speed limit sign, which changes the legal limit and can be enforced like another speed limit sign. An advisory display does not replace every permanent limit or authorize travel above a maximum. Police may still enforce the basic rule, so the driver should choose a reasonable and cautious speed for the conditions shown.