PA Permit Practice Test 19

All 20 questions in test 19

Every question below comes from the Pennsylvania 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 are approaching a bicyclist from behind in Pennsylvania and want to warn the rider. When may you sound your horn close to the bicyclist?

   1. Only when you must do so to avoid a crash
   2. As a routine warning on every pass
   3. Whenever the bicyclist rides near the lane line
   4. Whenever you plan to pass within a minute
   Show answer

   Only when you must do so to avoid a crash. Do not sound your horn close to bicyclists unless you must do so to avoid a crash. When approaching or passing a bicycle, slow to a safe speed. Cited handbook wording: Do not sound your horn close to bicyclists, unless you must do so to avoid a crash. That wording points to "Only when you must do so to avoid a crash."

   Study this in the handbook: Motorcycles, bicycles, trucks and pedestrians

2. 2. When should you check tire pressure so the reading counts as cold in Pennsylvania's guidance?

   1. Right after a 30-minute drive, while the tires are warm
   2. After any highway trip, before the tires cool overnight
   3. Before you have driven, or at least three hours after you have driven
   4. At any time, because driving does not change the reading
   Show answer

   Before you have driven, or at least three hours after you have driven. Check tire pressure cold: before driving or at least three hours after driving. Use a tire pressure gauge and the recommended pressure in the owner’s manual or on the driver’s side door jamb. If the reading is above the listed pressure, release air until it matches; if below, add air or have a tire professional help. Controlling manual language: Check your tires “cold” - before you’ve driven or at least three hours after you’ve driven.

   Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats and the anti-texting law

3. 3. After passing another vehicle, when may you move back into your lane?

   1. As soon as your front bumper clears the passed vehicle
   2. Before moving back, make sure you can see both headlights of the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror, after signaling your return
   3. When the passed driver flashes headlights at you
   4. After counting two seconds from the pass
   Show answer

   Before moving back, make sure you can see both headlights of the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror, after signaling your return. After passing, signal your plan to return to your lane. Before moving back, make sure you can see both headlights on the front of the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror. Manual wording for this rule: After passing, signal your plan to return to your lane. 6. Before you move back into the lane, make sure you can see both headlights on the front of the vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror.

   Study this in the handbook: Signaling, turning, U-turns and passing

4. 4. A sign near your left-turn signal reads LEFT TURN OPPOSING TRAFFIC HAS EXTENDED GREEN. What is it warning you about?

   1. Opposing traffic may continue to move after your signal has turned red
   2. Your green will last longer than opposing traffic's green
   3. Opposing traffic must stop earlier than your signal requires
   4. The left turn becomes protected for a longer phase
   Show answer

   Opposing traffic may continue to move after your signal has turned red. The OPPOSING TRAFFIC HAS EXTENDED GREEN sign warns that opposing traffic may continue moving after your signal turns red. Do not assume that opposing traffic stops when your signal changes. The cited manual passage: This sign is posted where opposing traffic may continue to move after your signal has turned red. That wording points to "Opposing traffic may continue to move after your signal has turned red."

   Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and lane use signs

5. 5. According to the Pennsylvania manual, about what share of motorist deaths each year involves drugs other than alcohol, and how does combining drugs with alcohol affect risk?

   1. Other drugs appear in under 2 percent of deaths
   2. Other drugs matter only when they are illegal
   3. Drugs other than alcohol are involved in about 20 percent of motorist deaths, and combining drugs with alcohol further increases side effects and crash risk
   4. Prescription drugs never impair driving
   Show answer

   Drugs other than alcohol are involved in about 20 percent of motorist deaths, and combining drugs with alcohol further increases side effects and crash risk. Drugs other than alcohol are involved in approximately 20 percent of motorist deaths each year. Combining drugs with alcohol further increases side effects and greatly increases crash risk. Illegal, prescription, and over-the-counter drugs can impair driving. Review medication warning labels and consult a doctor or pharmacist about side-effect questions before driving. Manual wording for this rule: Prescription, and over-the-counter drugs can also impair your ability to drive safely. Drugs other than alcohol are involved in approximately 20 percent of deaths among motorists each year. Additionally, combining drugs and.

   Study this in the handbook: DUI, chemical tests and zero tolerance

6. 6. A truck ahead signals and swings wide at a Pennsylvania intersection. Why is squeezing between the truck and the curb dangerous?

   1. The curb lane is reserved for bicycles at all times
   2. Truck drivers cannot see vehicles squeezing in between them and the curb during the wide turn
   3. The truck is legally required to crush the curb space
   4. Your vehicle becomes invisible only at night
   Show answer

   Truck drivers cannot see vehicles squeezing in between them and the curb during the wide turn. Wide turns are how long trucks get their rear wheels around a corner, and the swing creates a trap on the curb side: combined with blind spots alongside the trailer, the driver cannot see a vehicle squeezing in between the truck and the curb. What looks like an opening is the space the trailer rear is about to occupy. The danger exists in full daylight, not only at night, and no rule requires a truck to crush anything. Stay put, watch the turn signals closely, and give the truck room to finish before moving.

   Study this in the handbook: Motorcycles, bicycles, trucks and pedestrians

7. 7. A junior license holder may drive at 1 a.m. for a volunteer fire company call. What document must be carried?

   1. A verbal okay from a parent, kept at home
   2. A school excuse note signed by a coach
   3. A notarized affidavit or certificate of authorization from the employer, supervisor or fire chief showing the probable schedule, kept with the license
   4. A photocopy of the fire company roster with no schedule
   Show answer

   A notarized affidavit or certificate of authorization from the employer, supervisor or fire chief showing the probable schedule, kept with the license. For the volunteer fire company exception to the junior-license nighttime restriction, carry a notarized affidavit or certificate of authorization from your employer, supervisor, or fire chief indicating your probable schedule of activities. Keep it with your driver’s license. Cited handbook wording: You must carry a notarized affidavit or certificate of authorization from your employer, supervisor or fire chief indicating your probable schedule of activities. This notarized affidavit should be kept with your driver’s license.

   Study this in the handbook: Learner's permit, knowledge test and road test

8. 8. A U.S. Traffic Route 22 marker appears with a TO trailblazer and a supplemental arrow pointing straight ahead. What must you do to reach Route 22?

   1. Turn right at once onto Route 22
   2. Stop and wait for a green arrow panel
   3. Continue ahead to gain access to U.S. Traffic Route 22
   4. Leave the highway at the next exit ramp
   Show answer

   Continue ahead to gain access to U.S. Traffic Route 22. A trailblazer answers a driver who is not yet on the named route. When the marker pairs TO with an arrow for U.S. Traffic Route 22, the instruction is to continue ahead in order to gain access to that route, not to turn immediately or leave the road. Turning at once mistakes a direction aid for the junction itself, while stopping or exiting invents controls that are absent. Keep moving ahead and watch for the access point the assembly promises.

9. 9. A RIGHT TURN SIGNAL sign is posted close to a traffic signal. What does it tell you?

   1. Right turns are banned on red only
   2. You must turn right without stopping
   3. The right lane closes after the signal
   4. The signal controls right turn movements
   Show answer

   The signal controls right turn movements. Placement near a signal is the clue that this small sign is about control rather than permission to rush. Posted close to a traffic signal, it indicates that the signal controls right turn movements, so the light phase governs the turn instead of driver impatience. Reading it as a ban on red only, a command to turn without stopping, or a lane closure adds rules that the sign never states. Watch the signal head itself before starting the right turn.

   Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and lane use signs

10. 10. An applicant wants the Pennsylvania Knowledge Test read aloud in Vietnamese. What testing availability applies?

    1. Both written and audio format in Vietnamese and other listed languages upon request at every Driver License Center
    2. Written form only, in English and Spanish only
    3. Audio format only at one regional testing office
    4. Written form in Vietnamese, with audio limited to English
    Show answer

    Both written and audio format in Vietnamese and other listed languages upon request at every Driver License Center. The Knowledge Test is available in written and audio formats in Vietnamese and the other listed languages, upon request, at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth. Controlling manual language: Both written and audio format in the following languages Spanish, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, English, Burmese, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Nepali, Polish, Somali, and Urdu languages upon request, at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth.

    Study this in the handbook: Learner's permit, knowledge test and road test

11. 11. Pennsylvania calls the 9 and 3 or 8 and 4 hand positions preferred. How does it treat the older 10 and 2 position?

    1. It is the recommended position for air bag vehicles
    2. It is illegal on roads with air bags
    3. It must be used whenever the road is wet
    4. A 10 and 2 o'clock position is acceptable; however, if your air bag deploys, you are at risk of injury
    Show answer

    A 10 and 2 o'clock position is acceptable; however, if your air bag deploys, you are at risk of injury. The manual calls the 10 and 2 o’clock position acceptable but warns of injury risk if the air bag deploys. It recommends 9 and 3 or 8 and 4, whichever is more comfortable. These positions reduce the likelihood of overcorrecting and of the air bag throwing your arms and hands into your face. Keep your thumbs along the face of the wheel.

    Study this in the handbook: Skids, blowouts, floods and brake trouble

12. 12. Your sanction notice lists an effective date, but you surrender your license early. When does the sanction start?

    1. On the day you surrender the license
    2. Seven days after surrender
    3. Only when police collect the license
    4. On the effective date listed in the notice
    Show answer

    On the effective date listed in the notice. Every suspension, revocation and disqualification starts on the effective date printed in the notice of sanction, regardless of when the license or acknowledgment form is surrendered. Handing the card in early does not start the clock early, so surrender day is not day one. No seven day rule moves the start, and police collection is an enforcement step for people who fail to surrender, not the trigger. Circle the notice date when planning restoration, because restoration requirements must also be satisfied before the privilege returns. Surrender by that date as the notice directs.

    Study this in the handbook: Points, insurance and crash duties

13. 13. An aggressive driver follows you after a highway confrontation. Where should you drive?

    1. Home, where you can get inside quickly
    2. To a police station, convenience store, or other location with help and witnesses
    3. Onto a deserted road to lose the follower
    4. Stop at once and confront the driver
    Show answer

    To a police station, convenience store, or other location with help and witnesses. If an aggressive driver pursues you, do not go home. Drive to a police station, convenience store or another location where you can get help and there will be witnesses. Avoid eye contact, ignore gestures, and do not gesture back. Controlling manual language: If an aggressive driver pursues you, do not go home. Instead, drive to a police station, convenience store or other location where you can get help and there will be witnesses.

    Study this in the handbook: Skids, blowouts, floods and brake trouble

14. 14. You are driving on ice in Pennsylvania. How much space should you leave ahead, and at what speed?

    1. About twice the normal space at half speed
    2. About 10 times more space than normal, slowed to a crawl
    3. Five to six seconds of following distance at the posted limit
    4. Normal space, since ice affects only stopping
    Show answer

    About 10 times more space than normal, slowed to a crawl. Ice demands the extreme adjustment: slow to a crawl and leave roughly 10 times the normal space before the vehicle ahead. Packed snow takes the middle setting, cutting speed by half. Twice the space understates ice by a wide margin. Five to six seconds belongs to wet roads after reducing speed by five to ten miles per hour, a recipe meant for rain rather than glare ice. Normal spacing pretends steering survives on ice, yet traction loss cripples braking and steering together. Brake gently, release if a skid begins, reapply on regaining grip, and skip cruise control entirely.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed, night driving and bad weather

15. 15. A Pennsylvania firefighter with a Class C license wants to operate a fire vehicle registered to the fire department. What extra credential is required?

    1. A Class A license upgrade before any emergency run
    2. A commercial driver's license with a tanker endorsement
    3. Permission noted on the vehicle registration card alone
    4. A certificate of authorization from the fire chief or head of the rescue or emergency squad
    Show answer

    A certificate of authorization from the fire chief or head of the rescue or emergency squad. A firefighter or member of a rescue or emergency squad who holds a Class C license and has a certificate of authorization from the fire chief or head of the rescue or emergency squad may operate a fire or emergency vehicle registered to that department, squad, or municipality. The cited manual passage: Squad who is the holder of a Class C driver’s license and who has a certificate of authorization from a fire chief.

    Study this in the handbook: Junior permit and junior license limits

16. 16. Except in emergencies or when a police officer directs otherwise, how is parking treated if the vehicle would prevent a streetcar from moving freely?

    1. Prohibited, because the vehicle would prevent free streetcar movement
    2. Allowed when the driver stays inside
    3. Allowed on Sundays without streetcar service
    4. Permitted if hazard lights stay on
    Show answer

    Prohibited, because the vehicle would prevent free streetcar movement. Never stop, stand or park where your vehicle would prevent a streetcar from moving freely, unless an emergency occurs or an officer directs otherwise. Staying inside the vehicle, choosing Sunday or using hazard lights is not a listed exception. Manual wording for this rule: Where your vehicle would prevent a streetcar from moving freely. That wording points to "Prohibited, because the vehicle would prevent free streetcar movement."

    Study this in the handbook: Parking rules and distances

17. 17. Only one travel lane is available and a bicyclist moves across it. When may the rider use any portion of that lane?

    1. Only while racing downhill above the speed limit
    2. To avoid hazards on the roadway, including keeping distance from stopped and parked cars
    3. Only when a police officer waves the rider across
    4. Never, because riders must hug the curb line
    Show answer

    To avoid hazards on the roadway, including keeping distance from stopped and parked cars. A narrow lane leaves a rider no separate refuge when pavement or parked cars create danger. When there is only one travel lane, bicyclists may use any portion of the lane to avoid hazards on the roadway, including keeping a safe distance from stopped and parked cars. Downhill racing, an officer wave, and a curb hugging rule each invent conditions that the allowance does not require. Give the rider the full lane moment and pass only with clear space.

    Study this in the handbook: Parking rules and distances

18. 18. A ROAD CLOSED FLOODING sign blocks your route. What must you do?

    1. Use an alternate route
    2. Drive slowly through water below the axles
    3. Follow other vehicles around the sign
    4. Wait beside the sign until water stops rising
    Show answer

    Use an alternate route. A ROAD CLOSED FLOODING sign means the road ahead is closed because of flooding. You must use an alternate route. The manual also says not to attempt to cross flooded roadways and that it is illegal to drive around or through devices closing a road because of hazardous conditions. Controlling manual language: ROAD CLOSED FLOODING This sign informs you that the road ahead is closed due to flooding.

    Study this in the handbook: Regulatory, warning and work zone signs

19. 19. Which group lists only symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure named for drivers?

    1. Improved alertness and slower breathing
    2. Clear vision and steady hands only
    3. Hunger, thirst, and sunburn pain
    4. Fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, and rapid heart rate
    Show answer

    Fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, and rapid heart rate. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, odorless gas. The manual lists fatigue or weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, rapid heart rate, irregular breathing, confusion or disorientation, coughing and chest pain as exposure symptoms. If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning in your vehicle, exit immediately, get fresh air and seek emergency medical attention right away. Cited handbook wording: Fatigue or weakness Dizziness Headache Nausea and/or vomiting Rapid heart rate.

20. 20. In a roundabout, how may a bicyclist legally behave under PA rules?

    1. Only as a vehicle in the center of the circle
    2. Only as a pedestrian on the outside shoulder
    3. Either as a vehicle or as a pedestrian, following the rules for that choice
    4. Bicycles are excluded from roundabouts
    Show answer

    Either as a vehicle or as a pedestrian, following the rules for that choice. Pennsylvania gives a bicyclist using a roundabout the option to function as a vehicle or as a pedestrian. When the rider acts as a vehicle, the manual says the rider follows the same rules as other vehicles, and drivers must never overtake a bicyclist acting as a vehicle in a roundabout. The shoulder-only and center-only options invent restrictions, while bicycles are not banned from the circular intersection. Drivers should watch for either operating pattern, since a rider acting as a pedestrian will use the crosswalks and splitter islands.