PA Permit Practice Test 24

All 20 questions in test 24

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. Your vehicle gets trapped on a Pennsylvania railroad crossing and a train is approaching. What should you do?

   1. Stay in the vehicle and sound the horn
   2. Try to rock the vehicle off the tracks with the accelerator
   3. Quickly leave the vehicle and move as far from the track as you can
   4. Push the vehicle clear by hand from the track side
   Show answer

   Quickly leave the vehicle and move as far from the track as you can. If you are trapped on a railroad crossing and a train is approaching, quickly leave the vehicle and move as far away from the track as you can. The passage behind this item: If you make the mistake of getting trapped on a railroad crossing and a train is approaching, quickly leave the vehicle and move as far away from the track as you can.

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

2. 2. You see a pedestrian hesitating at an unmarked mid-block spot in Pennsylvania and consider waving the person across. What does the guidance say?

   1. It is never safe to wave a pedestrian into the line of traffic, especially at unmarked or mid-block spots
   2. Wave the pedestrian across if your lane is clear
   3. Wave only at night when traffic is light
   4. Wave the pedestrian halfway, then proceed
   Show answer

   It is never safe to wave a pedestrian into the line of traffic, especially at unmarked or mid-block spots. The manual says it is never safe to wave a pedestrian into the line of traffic, especially at unmarked or mid-block locations. Yield to pedestrians crossing at intersections or in crosswalks. Controlling manual language: When pedestrians do see you, it is never safe to wave a pedestrian into the line of traffic at any time and especially at unmarked or mid-block locations.

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

3. 3. Your ramp meter turns green. What must you still do before entering the highway?

   1. Enter at once, since green protects your entrance
   2. Stop again at the highway edge line
   3. Look for a safe gap in traffic to enter the highway
   4. Enter on the shoulder until traffic notices you
   Show answer

   Look for a safe gap in traffic to enter the highway. A green ramp-meter signal does not protect your entrance onto the highway. You must still look for a safe gap in traffic. Where an acceleration lane is provided, it allows you to accelerate to traffic speed before entering. Look over your shoulder and in your side mirror while looking for a gap. The cited manual passage: Must still look for a safe gap in traffic to enter the highway.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and lane signals

4. 4. You arrive at an intersection in Pennsylvania. What is the left-right-left scanning rule?

   1. Look left first, then right, then left again before pulling out
   2. Look right first, then left, then right again before pulling out
   3. Look left once, since right traffic stops for you
   4. Look straight ahead and trust signals to clear cross traffic
   Show answer

   Look left first, then right, then left again before pulling out. Scan left initially because vehicles approaching from that side reach you soonest, then scan right, then check left once more before pulling out. That final leftward glance catches a vehicle missed on the opening scan. Starting from the right delays notice of the closest threat. A single leftward look assumes nothing changed during the remaining checks. Signals and stop signs deserve no blind trust either, since other traffic may fail to obey them. When buildings, shrubs or parked vehicles block the cross street, creep forward slowly until sight lines open, then scan again inside the intersection.

   Study this in the handbook: Space cushion, following distance and scanning

5. 5. You catch up to a snow plow working a Pennsylvania road. May you pass it?

   1. Yes, on the left only
   2. Yes, on the right only
   3. Yes, once the driver waves you around
   4. No; do not attempt to pass on either side
   Show answer

   No; do not attempt to pass on either side. Do not attempt to pass a snow plow on either side. Plows may have wing plows extending several feet on either side, which are difficult to see in bad weather or at night and have been involved in sideswipe crashes. Follow at a safe distance; plow drivers have limited mirror visibility, and salt, de-icing liquids and anti-skid pellets can damage your vehicle.

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

6. 6. A school bus ahead flashes its amber (yellow) lights. What is it signaling?

   1. It is stopped and children are crossing
   2. It is preparing to stop
   3. You may pass it at highway speed
   4. Its stop arm is already extended
   Show answer

   It is preparing to stop. Flashing amber lights mean a school bus is preparing to stop. When it stops with red lights flashing and its stop arm extended, drivers behind it or approaching on the same roadway must stop at least 10 feet away. Remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing, the arm is withdrawn, and the children have reached a safe place. Controlling manual language: When a school bus is preparing to stop, its amber (yellow) lights will begin flashing.

   Study this in the handbook: School buses, emergency vehicles and the Move Over law

7. 7. Which eyewear rule applies to night driving in Pennsylvania's vehicle-preparation guidance?

   1. Wear sunglasses to cut headlight glare on dark roads
   2. Do not wear sunglasses or tinted contact lenses at night; always wear your prescription glasses or contacts while driving
   3. Tinted contacts are required after sunset for sensitive eyes
   4. Prescription lenses may be skipped for short night trips
   Show answer

   Do not wear sunglasses or tinted contact lenses at night; always wear your prescription glasses or contacts while driving. If you normally wear corrective lenses, always wear them while driving. Do not wear sunglasses or tinted contact lenses at night. The passage behind this item: While driving. That wording points to "Do not wear sunglasses or tinted contact lenses at night; always wear your prescription glasses or contacts while driving." By contrast, sunglasses darken the night scene and are expressly barred.

   Study this in the handbook: Space cushion, following distance and scanning

8. 8. A Pennsylvania applicant has trouble reading the Knowledge Test and would rather hear it. What testing option is available on request?

   1. The test is waived for poor readers
   2. A family member may read and answer aloud
   3. The test becomes a road test instead
   4. Voice tests are offered at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth
   Show answer

   Voice tests are offered at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth. Upon request, voice tests are offered at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth for people who have trouble reading or would be more comfortable hearing the test. The Knowledge Test has 18 multiple-choice questions, and 15 correct answers are required to pass. Manual wording for this rule: And would feel more comfortable if the test were read to them. Upon request, voice tests are offered at all Driver License Centers across the commonwealth.

   Study this in the handbook: Parking rules and distances

9. 9. Entrance and exit ramps share a short weaving lane. Who must yield to whom?

   1. The exiting driver yields to the entering driver
   2. The entering driver yields to the exiting driver
   3. The faster driver proceeds without yielding
   4. Both drivers stop in the weaving lane
   Show answer

   The entering driver yields to the exiting driver. Entering and exiting traffic must share a short weaving lane. If you are entering the highway, you must yield to the exiting driver. When looking for a gap on an entrance ramp, look over your shoulder and in your side mirror. Controlling manual language: If you are the driver entering the highway, you must yield to the exiting driver. That wording points to "The entering driver yields to the exiting driver."

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

10. 10. A medication label warns: do not operate heavy machinery. How does Pennsylvania say a driver should read that warning?

    1. It applies only to factory equipment, not to cars
    2. Your vehicle is considered heavy machinery
    3. It applies only to commercial trucks over 26,000 pounds
    4. It applies only while the medicine is being swallowed
    Show answer

    Your vehicle is considered heavy machinery. When a medication label says not to operate heavy machinery, the manual says your vehicle counts as heavy machinery. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can affect driving skills. Review warning labels before driving and ask a doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about side effects. Cited handbook wording: Doctor or pharmacist before driving. Remember: When the warning label states - Don't operate heavy machinery Your vehicle is considered heavy machinery!

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

11. 11. What fuel benefit does Pennsylvania attribute to cruise control on flat highways?

    1. About a 40 percent fuel savings
    2. No savings, only convenience
    3. Savings only when traffic is heavy
    4. About a 7 percent average fuel savings
    Show answer

    About a 7 percent average fuel savings. Using cruise control while driving on flat highways provides an average fuel savings of 7 percent. The manual separately says rapid starts and hard stops can increase fuel use by 40 percent. Do not use cruise control on slippery roads. The cited manual passage: Keep cruising. Get a 7% average fuel savings by using cruise control while driving on flat highways. By contrast, the manual associates the 7 percent average savings with cruise control on flat highways, not specifically with heavy traffic.

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

12. 12. A vehicle behind you is flashing only blue lights and signaling you to stop. What should you conclude?

    1. If the vehicle is flashing only blue lights, then it is not a police officer
    2. It is an unmarked police vehicle; stop at once
    3. It is a police supervisor's vehicle
    4. Blue lights alone mean a medical emergency transport
    Show answer

    If the vehicle is flashing only blue lights, then it is not a police officer. The manual says police lights can be red and blue, or red only on an unmarked vehicle, with flashing white lights used in addition. It states that a vehicle flashing only blue lights is not a police officer. Manual wording for this rule: Flashing white lights used in addition to these lights. If the vehicle is flashing only blue lights, then it is not a police officer.

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

13. 13. A HILL sign warns of a steep downgrade in Pennsylvania. Besides slowing down, what should you be ready to do?

    1. Shift to neutral and coast to save fuel
    2. Turn off the engine until the grade levels out
    3. Shift to a lower gear to control speed and save wear on the brakes
    4. Ride the brake pedal lightly for the whole descent
    Show answer

    Shift to a lower gear to control speed and save wear on the brakes. The HILL/DOWNGRADE sign warns of a steep hill ahead. Slow down and be ready to shift to a lower gear to control your speed and save wear and tear on your brakes. Cited handbook wording: There is a steep hill ahead. Slow down and be ready to shift to a lower gear to control your speed and to save wear and tear on your brakes.

14. 14. Pennsylvania generally bars anyone under 18 from riding in an open truck bed. Which child is covered by a hunting exception?

    1. Any child riding to a sporting goods store
    2. A child with a fishing license during summer
    3. A child whose parent gives verbal permission
    4. A child possessing a valid hunting license, transported between a hunting camp and a hunting site or between hunting sites during hunting season
    Show answer

    A child possessing a valid hunting license, transported between a hunting camp and a hunting site or between hunting sites during hunting season. The hunting exception covers a child with a valid hunting license being transported between a hunting camp and a hunting site, or between hunting sites, during hunting season. The manual also lists specific farm-work and officially sanctioned parade exceptions. Cited handbook wording: A child possessing a valid hunting license, who is being transported between a hunting camp and a hunting site or between hunting sites during hunting season.

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

15. 15. An electric arrow panel in a Pennsylvania work zone displays the caution pattern. What does it mean?

    1. The panel batteries are failing and the sign will go dark
    2. Every lane is closed and traffic must turn around
    3. There is a work area ahead next to the travel lane, so drive with extra caution
    4. Radio traffic reports are available on a posted station
    Show answer

    There is a work area ahead next to the travel lane, so drive with extra caution. A caution display on an electric arrow panel indicates a work area ahead next to the travel lane. Drive with extra caution. Directional arrow displays advise motorists of lane closures and tell them to begin merging well in advance. Manual wording for this rule: Displaying either of the messages shown in the figure to the far right (caution) indicates there is a work area ahead next to the travel lane.

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

16. 16. Which seeing abilities can quietly deteriorate with disease and normal aging, under Pennsylvania guidance?

    1. Color naming and reading speed only
    2. Only night vision after age eighty
    3. Peripheral vision, distance judgment and the ability to see in low light conditions
    4. Hearing pitch and balance while walking
    Show answer

    Peripheral vision, distance judgment and the ability to see in low light conditions. Peripheral vision, distance judgment and the ability to see in low light can deteriorate because of disease or normal aging. You may not notice these changes without regular vision examinations. Have your vision checked every one or two years, and wear prescribed glasses or contacts whenever you drive. Cited handbook wording: Your peripheral (side) vision, your distance judgment and your ability to see in low light conditions can deteriorate due to disease and as a normal part of the aging process.

    Study this in the handbook: Space cushion, following distance and scanning

17. 17. The outside temperature is in the low 80s Fahrenheit and a car window is rolled down two inches. How quickly can the inside reach deadly levels?

    1. In about one hour
    2. In only 10 minutes
    3. Only after several hours in direct sun
    4. Not at all when a window is partly open
    Show answer

    In only 10 minutes. With the outside temperature in the low 80s Fahrenheit, a vehicle’s interior can reach deadly levels in only 10 minutes even when a window is rolled down two inches. The manual says never to leave a child or pet alone in a car, even with partially open windows. It recommends putting something you will need in the back seat as a reminder to check for a child.

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

18. 18. You test on a motorcycle with more than two wheels in Pennsylvania. What does the 9 restriction bar you from doing?

    1. Operating a two-wheeled motorcycle
    2. Operating the multi-wheeled motorcycle used for testing
    3. Operating a motor-driven cycle on public roads
    4. Operating any Class M vehicle at all
    Show answer

    Operating a two-wheeled motorcycle. Testing on a motorcycle with more than two wheels results in a 9 restriction. This restriction prohibits operating a two-wheeled motorcycle; it does not prohibit the multi-wheeled motorcycle used for the test or every Class M vehicle. This restriction prohibits you from operating a two-wheeled motorcycle. That wording points to "Operating a two-wheeled motorcycle." By contrast, the manual defines the 9 restriction as prohibiting a two-wheeled motorcycle, not as prohibiting motor-driven cycles on public roads.

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

19. 19. Line painting and mowing crews work as moving operations on a Pennsylvania road. What do shadow vehicles at the back do, and may you pass?

    1. Shadow vehicles warn motorists and protect the crew; do not pass unless directed
    2. Shadow vehicles sell permits to pass the crew
    3. Shadow vehicles mean the road is closed to all traffic
    4. Shadow vehicles invite passing on either side
    Show answer

    Shadow vehicles warn motorists and protect the crew; do not pass unless directed. A moving work operation carries its warning system with it. Operations such as line painting, crack sealing, and mowing sometimes use shadow vehicles at the back to warn motorists that a work zone lies ahead and to serve as protection for the crew, and you must not pass a moving operation unless directed to do so. Permit sales, a total closure, and open passing invitations all misread the buffer vehicle role. Fall in behind the shadow vehicle and wait for a directed gap.

20. 20. What does the Driver License Compact one driver license concept require when a driver applies for a license in another member state?

    1. Keeping both licenses and using whichever is convenient
    2. Renewing the old license by mail forever
    3. Carrying the old license as a backup only
    4. Surrender of the out-of-state driver license when applying in the new state
    Show answer

    Surrender of the out-of-state driver license when applying in the new state. The Driver’s License Compact’s one-license concept requires surrendering an out-of-state license when applying for a license in another state. Its one-record concept requires a complete driver record in the state of residence to determine driving eligibility there and in other jurisdictions. Cited handbook wording: The "one driver’s license" concept, which requires the surrender of an out-of-state driver's license when application for a driver’s license in another state is made.

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