PA Permit Practice Test 7

All 20 questions in test 7

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. After an emergency vehicle passes, how much following distance should a Pennsylvania driver keep?

   1. At least 50 feet
   2. No distance if the siren is silent
   3. At least 500 feet
   4. One car length
   Show answer

   At least 500 feet. Pennsylvania tells drivers to wait for the emergency vehicle to pass and then keep at least 500 feet behind it. That space protects the response route and gives the emergency driver room to brake, turn, or encounter another hazard. Fifty feet and one car length are far shorter than the manual's figure, and a silent siren does not erase the separation requirement. Pull over and stop first, then resume only after checking for another emergency vehicle and preserving the 500-foot gap.

2. 2. If an older vehicle's brakes suddenly fail, which initial response does Pennsylvania recommend?

   1. Turn the ignition to LOCK immediately
   2. Release the steering wheel and coast
   3. Use the parking brake at full force first
   4. Shift to low gear and look for a place to slow to a stop
   Show answer

   Shift to low gear and look for a place to slow to a stop. For an older vehicle with sudden brake failure, Pennsylvania lists shifting to low gear and looking for a place to slow to a stop as the first step. Downshifting helps reduce speed while the driver searches for an open place or uphill road. Turning the ignition to LOCK can lock the steering, and releasing control removes the ability to guide the vehicle. The parking brake is a later option if pumping the pedal does not work. Keep steering control and build the response in the manual's order.

3. 3. When can driving at Pennsylvania's posted speed limit still result in a ticket?

   1. Never, if the vehicle is at or below the sign's number
   2. When wet roads, poor visibility, or other conditions make that speed too fast
   3. Only when the driver exceeds the limit by 10 mph
   4. Only inside a marked school zone
   Show answer

   When wet roads, poor visibility, or other conditions make that speed too fast. Posted speed limits describe the maximum safe driving speed under ideal road, traffic, and weather conditions. Pennsylvania says a driver can still be ticketed for driving too fast for conditions when the road is wet, visibility is poor, or another factor makes the posted speed unsafe. The sign's number is not an exemption from judgment, and a ticket does not require a ten-mph excess or a school zone. Treat changing conditions as a reason to slow below the posted maximum.

4. 4. What should a Pennsylvania driver do when approaching a stopped vehicle marked with warning devices near the roadway?

   1. Maintain speed because the vehicle is outside the lane
   2. Stop beside the disabled vehicle to ask whether help is needed
   3. Move into a nonadjacent lane, or slow at least 20 mph below the limit if moving over is impossible
   4. Pass on the shoulder without reducing speed
   Show answer

   Move into a nonadjacent lane, or slow at least 20 mph below the limit if moving over is impossible. Pennsylvania's Move Over Law protects emergency responders, highway workers, and people near disabled vehicles. The normal response is to move into a lane that is not adjacent to the response area or disabled vehicle. When traffic or another condition prevents that change, the driver must reduce speed to at least 20 miles per hour below the posted limit. Staying at speed, stopping beside the hazard, or using the shoulder at normal speed gives the roadside activity too little room. Identify warning devices early and choose the safe fallback.

5. 5. A Pennsylvania driver is stopped in traffic before a railroad crossing. Where should the vehicle stop?

   1. Where the entire vehicle is clear of the railroad tracks
   2. With the front wheels on the nearest rail
   3. As close to the crossing as possible, even on the tracks
   4. Across the tracks if the signal is green
   Show answer

   Where the entire vehicle is clear of the railroad tracks. Pennsylvania warns drivers never to stop on railroad tracks, whether or not a train is visible. If traffic backs up because of a signal, stop sign, or another cause, the vehicle must remain in a location where it is entirely clear of the tracks. The nearest-rail choice leaves the vehicle exposed, and a green signal does not make occupying the crossing safe. Look beyond the crossing before entering it, and wait behind the line until there is room to clear the rails completely.

6. 6. What does Pennsylvania's 2006 snow and ice law provide?

   1. A fine for driving in snow without chains
   2. Nothing, clearing snow is voluntary
   3. Severe fines if snow or ice falling from your vehicle injures or kills another motorist or pedestrian
   4. A requirement to wash the car after storms
   Show answer

   Severe fines if snow or ice falling from your vehicle injures or kills another motorist or pedestrian. Under a law that went into effect July 10, 2006, motorists face severe fines if snow or ice that falls from their vehicle causes injury or death to other motorists or pedestrians. Clear the roof, hood, trunk and windows before driving. A separate 2007 law requires headlights whenever the wipers are in continuous or intermittent use because of weather, with a $25 fine for violations.

7. 7. What does Pennsylvania's pennant-shaped NO PASSING ZONE sign mark?

   1. The beginning of a no-passing zone
   2. A place where passing is required
   3. A lane reserved for emergency vehicles
   4. The end of a divided highway
   Show answer

   The beginning of a no-passing zone. The pennant-shaped warning sign marks the beginning of a no-passing zone and is placed on the left side of the road facing the driver. Treating it as a passing opportunity reverses the sign’s purpose and could put the vehicle into opposing traffic. It does not designate an emergency lane or announce the end of a divided roadway. The unusual sideways pennant shape is the cue to finish any passing maneuver before entering the restricted section.

8. 8. At a steady red light, when may a driver turn right in Pennsylvania?

   1. Without slowing when cross traffic is absent
   2. Only after waiting through two green cycles
   3. Only when a police officer waves the driver through
   4. After stopping and yielding, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign prohibits it
   Show answer

   After stopping and yielding, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign prohibits it. A right turn on red is permitted only after the driver stops, checks for pedestrians and other traffic, and yields, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted. The open-road choice skips the required stop, while waiting for extra cycles invents a condition the manual does not require. A police officer can direct traffic, but the ordinary rule does not depend on an officer being present. The practical sequence is stop, scan, yield, then turn when the intersection is clear.

9. 9. A DEER CROSSING warning sign is posted ahead. What should the driver expect?

   1. A mandatory wildlife inspection station
   2. Deer may cross in that area
   3. A pedestrian-only crossing
   4. A bridge with a low clearance
   Show answer

   Deer may cross in that area. Pennsylvania uses the DEER CROSSING warning sign in areas where deer frequently cross and crashes with deer have occurred. The sign does not create a mandatory inspection stop or identify pedestrians as the only road users. A low-clearance warning addresses vehicle height and is a different hazard. Reduce speed before the marked area, scan both shoulders, and be prepared for a second animal because deer often travel together. The animal symbol is a prompt for anticipation, not a command to swerve.

10. 10. After stopping for an emergency vehicle, where should a Pennsylvania driver remain?

    1. Across the nearest crosswalk
    2. On the railroad tracks if traffic is stopped
    3. Directly beside the emergency vehicle
    4. Clear of intersections
    Show answer

    Clear of intersections. When yielding to an emergency vehicle, Pennsylvania instructs drivers to stay clear of intersections while stopped. An intersection must remain available for the response vehicle to turn or continue through, so stopping across a crosswalk or beside the emergency vehicle can obstruct its movement. Railroad tracks are never a safe waiting place and may create a separate collision hazard. Pull toward the roadside, stop parallel to the curb, and check that the emergency route is open before moving again.

11. 11. When law enforcement may not be present, who may report Move Over Law violations to Pennsylvania authorities?

    1. Only passing motorists who witnessed the event
    2. Road workers and emergency responders
    3. Only the driver who was stopped at the scene
    4. Any pedestrian who saw a traffic signal change
    Show answer

    Road workers and emergency responders. Pennsylvania allows road workers and emergency responders to report Move Over Law violations when law enforcement may not be present. The rule gives those people a reporting role because they are directly involved in or protecting the emergency response area. A passing motorist, a stopped driver, or a pedestrian is not the group identified in this passage. Watch for responders and marked activity, move into a nonadjacent lane when possible, and remember that a report can support enforcement even when an officer is not immediately on site.

12. 12. What is the first response Pennsylvania lists for a tire blowout?

    1. Hold the steering wheel tightly
    2. Brake hard immediately
    3. Turn sharply toward the shoulder
    4. Release the wheel to let the vehicle settle
    Show answer

    Hold the steering wheel tightly. A blowout can make the vehicle pull suddenly or wobble, so the manual begins with holding the steering wheel tightly. Hard braking can cause a skid after the tire fails, and a sharp shoulder movement adds another abrupt change in direction. Releasing the wheel gives up control when the vehicle needs steady guidance. Keep the vehicle pointed where you want to go, then ease off the accelerator and steer smoothly toward a safe place once speed falls.

13. 13. What can a Pennsylvania driver who ignores the wipers on, headlights on law end up paying?

    1. $1,000
    2. Nothing, it is only a recommendation
    3. A $25 fine that approaches $100 with fees and costs
    4. A one year suspension
    Show answer

    A $25 fine that approaches $100 with fees and costs. The law effective January 28, 2007 requires motorists to turn on their headlights any time the wipers are in continuous or intermittent use due to weather. Motorists who do not comply may face a fine of $25, but with fees and other associated costs the penalty would approach $100. Headlights in rain make your vehicle visible to others long before they see the car itself.

14. 14. At a Pennsylvania YIELD sign, what is the driver’s duty?

    1. Stop every time for five seconds
    2. Accelerate to enter before approaching traffic
    3. Ignore pedestrians if the lane is open
    4. Slow down, check traffic, and give the right-of-way when needed
    Show answer

    Slow down, check traffic, and give the right-of-way when needed. A YIELD sign requires the driver to slow down, check for traffic, and give the right-of-way to pedestrians and approaching cross traffic. A complete stop is needed only when conditions require it, so the fixed five-second choice adds an unsupported requirement. Accelerating into a gap can force another road user to brake, and an open lane does not erase pedestrian priority. Look for a sufficient gap, proceed without interfering with normal traffic, and stop if the scan shows that yielding is necessary.

15. 15. How should a driver treat a railroad crossbuck sign?

    1. Treat it as a green signal
    2. Treat it as a YIELD sign and prepare to stop for a train
    3. Pass the tracks without looking
    4. Stop only when a gate is lowered
    Show answer

    Treat it as a YIELD sign and prepare to stop for a train. The railroad crossbuck marks the crossing and should be treated as a YIELD sign. The driver slows and prepares to stop if a train is approaching, rather than assuming the tracks are clear because no gate is down. A green signal is unrelated, and crossing without looking ignores the train hazard. Scan left, right, and left again, listen for warning signals, and enter only when the crossing is clear enough to get completely across.

16. 16. When school-zone signals are flashing in Pennsylvania, what speed must a driver not exceed?

    1. 25 mph
    2. 35 mph
    3. 45 mph
    4. 15 mph
    Show answer

    15 mph. A Pennsylvania school-zone signal is a flashing yellow signal on the school-zone speed-limit sign. During flashing periods, the driver must travel no faster than 15 mph, or follow the time period shown on the sign. Twenty-five and 35 mph are ordinary roadway figures that do not replace the school-zone limit, and 45 mph is plainly too high for the marked area. Watch the sign’s lights, reduce speed before the zone, and expect children near the roadway.

17. 17. On packed snow, how should a Pennsylvania driver adjust speed?

    1. Keep the dry-road speed
    2. Decrease speed by half
    3. Increase speed by half
    4. Stop in the travel lane
    Show answer

    Decrease speed by half. The manual distinguishes packed snow from ordinary wet pavement and says to decrease speed by half. Keeping dry-road speed ignores the loss of tire traction, while increasing speed makes steering and braking less predictable. Stopping in the travel lane can expose the vehicle to following traffic and is not the listed adjustment. Reduce speed before the tires lose grip, leave much more space ahead, and make every steering and braking input gently. Packed snow is the cue for the half-speed rule.

18. 18. What should a Pennsylvania driver do when forced to drive below 40 mph on a limited access highway?

    1. Drive on the shoulder
    2. Stop and wait for traffic to clear
    3. Use the hazard flashers to warn drivers behind
    4. Flash the high beams
    Show answer

    Use the hazard flashers to warn drivers behind. If you must drive below 40 mph on a limited access highway, use your hazard four way flashers to warn the drivers behind you, because traffic closing at highway speed may not realize how slowly you are moving. Get off at the next exit if the problem persists. Never stop in a travel lane, and pull fully onto the shoulder only in an emergency.

19. 19. How much clear road does the Pennsylvania manual say you need to pass at 45 mph?

    1. About one quarter mile
    2. About 100 feet
    3. About 2 miles
    4. About 50 feet
    Show answer

    About one quarter mile. Even with enough clear road ahead, you must judge the space and time to pass, and at 45 mph that translates into a quarter mile of clear roadway needed to pass a slower vehicle safely. Check that no one is passing you, signal, and return only when you can see the passed vehicle in your mirror. Never pass where signs or markings prohibit it.

20. 20. When parking on a Pennsylvania roadway, what should a driver use and leave for passing vehicles?

    1. High beams and enough room for one parked car
    2. Hazard lights only after blocking the travel lane
    3. Four-way flashers and enough room for passing vehicles
    4. No lights if the vehicle is visible from 500 feet
    Show answer

    Four-way flashers and enough room for passing vehicles. When parking on the roadway, Pennsylvania advises using the vehicle’s four-way flashers and leaving enough room for passing vehicles. The rule is about making a stopped vehicle visible and preserving usable roadway space, not about turning on high beams or waiting until the lane is blocked. Waiting until the lane is blocked reverses the safety goal, while showing no lights removes the warning lights the manual calls for. Before leaving the vehicle, check both traffic directions, activate the flashers, and position the car so moving drivers have a clear path around it.