RI Permit Practice Test 17

All 20 questions in test 17

Every question below comes from the Rhode Island 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, what should you do before rejoining traffic?

   1. Rejoin moving traffic first, then signal and look
   2. Signal, glance back for another emergency vehicle
   3. Wait a full five minutes before moving forward again
   4. Follow the emergency vehicle very closely behind it
   Show answer

   Signal, glance back for another emergency vehicle. Emergency vehicles claim the right of way at every moment, so pull right, stop, and wait until the flashing lights move beyond. Before rolling again, activate the turn signal and glance over a shoulder, because a second emergency vehicle may trail the first one closely. Rolling out before signaling reverses that protective order and surprises drivers who resumed speed already. Once clear, proceed gently and keep five hundred feet behind emergency vehicles during any following stretch.

   Study this in the handbook: Licenses, insurance, phones and other laws

2. 2. After a long stretch at freeway speed, you feel as if you are crawling even though the speedometer still shows highway speed. What is happening to your speed judgment?

   1. You begin to feel faster than your true speed
   2. You begin to feel slower than your true speed
   3. You lose all sense of surrounding traffic flow
   4. Your speedometer begins to understate road speed
   Show answer

   You begin to feel slower than your true speed. Velocitizing twists your sense of pace after sustained freeway driving, so you begin to feel slower than your actual speed even while the speedometer reads high. Feeling faster than your true speed reverses the effect and would make you lift off the pedal for the wrong reason. The trap springs near an exit, where ramp traffic moves much more gently. Trust the speedometer over your body, ease down early, and let your judgment reset before mixing with slower streets and turning traffic.

   Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and freeway driving

3. 3. How old must you be when a Rhode Island driver education class begins, at the youngest?

   1. Sixteen years old on the first day of class
   2. Fifteen years old on the first day of class
   3. Fourteen years and six months old when signing up
   4. Fifteen years and ten months old at the start
   Show answer

   Fifteen years and ten months old at the start. Class can start well before solo driving begins. Teens from fifteen to eighteen may register, yet the first day of class sets the floor at fifteen years and ten months. Sixteen matters for a different milestone, holding the Limited Instructional Permit itself. Signing up younger than the floor means the class cannot count at its start. Families planning around a birthday should count forward ten months from fifteen, then book the session that begins after that date arrives.

   Study this in the handbook: The three levels of Rhode Island's graduated license

4. 4. Which description matches the one-way roadway condition for passing on the right?

   1. A one-way roadway with a single narrow lane
   2. A two-way roadway with two or more clear lanes
   3. A one-way roadway with two or more clear lanes
   4. A two-way roadway with parked cars blocking lanes
   Show answer

   A one-way roadway with two or more clear lanes. One way roadways form a separate right passing condition in the rule list. The roadway must run one way, carry two or more lanes of traffic, and stay free of obstructions or parked vehicles. A two way roadway description changes the traffic pattern named in this condition. A single narrow one way lane fails the width requirement even without parked cars. Before using the right side, confirm direction, lane count, and clear space together. The broad lesson is conditional permission: every element named in the condition must be present before the pass begins.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping, turning and passing

5. 5. Where can the carbon monoxide in exhaust fumes be found?

   1. It appears only in exhaust from older trucks
   2. It is found in exhaust from all motor vehicles
   3. It comes only from vehicles with closed windows
   4. It is produced only during cold winter starts
   Show answer

   It is found in exhaust from all motor vehicles. Carbon monoxide rides in the exhaust fumes of all motor vehicles, not just older trucks with smoky tailpipes. Closed windows do not create the gas; they only trap fumes that leak inside during cold weather driving. Because the fumes are odorless, your nose gives no warning when levels build in the cabin. Yawning, dizziness, or nausea during a winter drive deserves immediate respect. Open the windows, let fresh air circulate through the vehicle, and stop somewhere safe if those feelings grow stronger.

   Study this in the handbook: Skids, brake failure, blowouts and other emergencies

6. 6. How do drugs such as LSD, cocaine, and heroin affect a person's fitness to drive?

   1. They leave users unaware of surroundings and unable to drive safely
   2. They mainly cause mild thirst without changing driving awareness
   3. They improve hazard spotting during the first hour of use
   4. They become harmless once the user feels calm again
   Show answer

   They leave users unaware of surroundings and unable to drive safely. LSD, cocaine, and heroin can leave users unaware or indifferent to their surroundings and unable to drive a motor vehicle safely. Mild thirst understates a total loss of contact with traffic events unfolding nearby. Hazard spotting does not improve during early use, and a calm mood afterward does not restore awareness that the drug removed. Anyone who has taken one of these drugs belongs in a passenger seat at most, with a sober driver handling every mile home.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, BAC limits and implied consent

7. 7. When children are nearby, especially around a school zone, how should you adjust your driving?

   1. Reduce speed and stay especially alert near children
   2. Maintain posted speed and watch for children closely
   3. Speed up slightly to clear the school area quickly
   4. Rely on children to stop and wait for traffic
   Show answer

   Reduce speed and stay especially alert near children. Children near a road can dart out without warning and often misjudge how fast traffic is approaching, so drivers must slow their pace and heighten attention, particularly in school zones. Keeping the posted speed while merely watching, as one option describes, leaves too little room to stop if a child steps from between parked cars. Slow down before reaching the group, cover the brake pedal, scan both sidewalks and every gap between vehicles, and remain ready to stop until each child is clear of your travel path.

   Study this in the handbook: Distractions, drowsy driving and road rage

8. 8. What rule applies to using alcohol together with another drug?

   1. Alcohol may accompany a drug if each dose stays small
   2. Alcohol is acceptable with drugs prescribed by a doctor
   3. Alcohol and other drugs must stay completely separate in time
   4. One drink is safe with any simple cold remedy
   Show answer

   Alcohol and other drugs must stay completely separate in time. Alcohol and other drugs should never be used at the same time, regardless of dose size or prescription status. Small amounts still combine inside the body, and a doctor's prescription does not grant permission to add drinks. Even one drink beside a simple allergy or cold remedy can impair like several beverages. Build plans around separation: choose either a sober social evening without extra substances or a quiet night home, and always keep a non drinking driver available.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, BAC limits and implied consent

9. 9. You drink only a small amount before driving. How does that change your collision risk?

   1. It raises the risk only after a second drink
   2. It leaves the risk unchanged for short trips
   3. It doubles the risk on familiar roads only
   4. It makes a collision seven times more likely
   Show answer

   It makes a collision seven times more likely. Even a small drink multiplies collision risk sharply. Rhode Island teaching puts the increase at seven times compared with not drinking at all. Waiting for a second drink or trusting a short familiar trip keeps the first drink in your system while judgment already slips. Doubling understates a jump large enough to turn a routine drive into a gamble. The safe reading is simple: any drinking before driving moves risk from baseline to many times higher, so hand the keys over early.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, BAC limits and implied consent

10. 10. What happens during a dooring crash beside a parked car?

    1. A carelessly opened door collides with a passing cyclist
    2. A cyclist brakes suddenly before reaching a parked car
    3. A passenger checks mirrors before opening a car door
    4. A driver honks before a cyclist reaches the parked car
    Show answer

    A carelessly opened door collides with a passing cyclist. Dooring is the collision that occurs when a driver or passenger carelessly opens the door of a parked or stopped vehicle into the path of a passing cyclist. Checking mirrors before opening is a prevention step, not the crash described by the term. A cyclist braking or a driver honking may happen near a parked car, but neither action defines dooring. Before opening a door beside a travel lane or bike lane, look behind the vehicle and open slowly only when the space is clear.

    Study this in the handbook: Distractions, drowsy driving and road rage

11. 11. Your vehicle reaches your chosen fixed object before the count ends. What does that tell you?

    1. Your following distance is longer than needed
    2. You may speed up and keep the same count
    3. Slow down and try another object
    4. You should pick a closer object next time
    Show answer

    Slow down and try another object. Reaching the fixed object before finishing the count means too little stopping distance remains, so you must slow the vehicle and try another fixed object to recheck. Picking a closer object next time only hides the shortage instead of correcting your speed. Slowing earlier restores the buffer that lets you stop without striking the hazard ahead. Repeat the count after slowing until four full seconds pass before your vehicle reaches the new reference point along your path.

    Study this in the handbook: Following distance, trucks and motorcycles

12. 12. What does the four second stopping rule give a driver time to do?

    1. Pass a slower vehicle safely before the next sharp curve
    2. Stop safely without hitting a person or object
    3. Change lanes twice before reaching a hazard
    4. Read every road sign along the roadside
    Show answer

    Stop safely without hitting a person or object. Keeping four seconds of travel distance ahead gives you the opportunity to stop safely without colliding with a person, vehicle, or object in your path. Choose a fixed object ahead and count the seconds your vehicle needs to reach it while judging that space. Finishing the count after your vehicle arrives means the distance is insufficient, so slow down and test a new object. Children playing near the street or cars parked close to the roadway deserve slower speeds well before you reach them.

    Study this in the handbook: Following distance, trucks and motorcycles

13. 13. If you cannot get into the center lane early enough for a left turn, what should you do?

    1. Turn sharply from the right lane at the current intersection
    2. Stop in the intersection until a gap appears
    3. Continue to the next intersection
    4. Cross the centerline to reach the turn lane
    Show answer

    Continue to the next intersection. When a driver cannot move into the proper center position early enough, the manual says to continue to the next intersection. A sharp turn from the right lane can surprise traffic and produce an improper turn. Stopping in the intersection creates a hazard, and crossing the centerline to reach the intended path places the vehicle where opposing traffic may be traveling. Missing one turn is safer than forcing a late lane change or turn.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping, turning and passing

14. 14. What does the term stale green light mean in Rhode Island?

    1. A green light that has just changed from yellow
    2. A green arrow paired with a steady red light
    3. A flashing green used only at fire stations
    4. A light that has been green for a while
    Show answer

    A light that has been green for a while. A stale green has already been green for some time, which warns a driver that it could change soon and that cross traffic may be growing impatient. A light that has just changed describes the opposite freshness, so that option names a fresh green rather than a stale one. Approaching a long green, cover the brake and scan the intersection instead of assuming the phase will hold through the crossing.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights and roundabouts

15. 15. Why can shouting at another driver make traffic worse for everyone nearby?

    1. Yelling helps the other driver calm down and focus better during the trip
    2. He or she could become angry and take that anger out on someone else
    3. Anger stays with one driver and never spreads to others
    4. Shouting clears tension so later drivers behave more politely
    Show answer

    He or she could become angry and take that anger out on someone else. Emotions travel from person to person. A driver who gets yelled at may carry fresh anger toward the next motorist, who then passes it along in turn. That chain explains why one shout can sour several encounters down the road. Raised voices seldom calm anyone, and anger rarely stays contained inside a single car. Courtesy spreads the same way hostility does, so choose the better contagion. Offer a wave instead of a glare after a mistake. Your restraint may be the reason a stranger stays patient at the next light.

16. 16. Why does the manual tell drivers to keep large packages off the back seat and rear window ledge?

    1. They can block the rearward view and create a blind spot
    2. They can make the vehicle easier to steer in a lane change
    3. They can improve the view in the side mirrors
    4. They can reduce the stopping distance behind another vehicle
    Show answer

    They can block the rearward view and create a blind spot. Large items stacked in the back seat or on the rear window ledge can block part of the view behind the vehicle and create a blind spot. Side mirrors cannot compensate for a blocked rear window, and extra cargo does not make steering or stopping safer. Keep bulky objects low and out of the driver's sight lines, then check the mirrors and the appropriate shoulder before changing lanes. A clear window does not remove every blind spot, but a package piled high can make the hidden area larger and harder to detect.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping, turning and passing

17. 17. Before starting a turnabout, how far must you be able to see clearly in each direction?

    1. Two hundred feet in each direction before turning
    2. One hundred feet in each direction before turning
    3. Fifty feet in each direction before turning around
    4. Five hundred feet in each direction before turning
    Show answer

    Five hundred feet in each direction before turning. Turning the car completely around takes time exposed to traffic from both directions, so the view must reach five hundred feet each way before starting. The two-hundred-foot choice refers to a different check, the minimum separation from an intersection. Hills and curves that block sight also bar the maneuver, even on a quiet street. Scan far both ways, confirm no pedestrians cross the path, then commit at once. A shorter view leaves too little warning when a fast vehicle appears mid-turn.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping, turning and passing

18. 18. Your car needs a repair beside a highway and you pull over to work on it. Before starting, where must the vehicle sit?

    1. With all four wheels off the main pavement
    2. With two wheels still on the travel lane
    3. Straddling the fog line at the pavement edge
    4. With one or more wheels still on the main pavement
    Show answer

    With all four wheels off the main pavement. Before any roadside repair, move the vehicle to a place where all four wheels are off the main pavement. Leaving two wheels on the travel lane keeps part of your car in the path of drivers who may drift or change lanes late. The fog line marks the edge of that danger zone, not a safe parking strip. Once fully clear, switch on your hazard flashers, set out flares or triangles if you have them, and work on the side away from passing traffic.

    Study this in the handbook: Speed limits and freeway driving

19. 19. What should a Rhode Island driver remember about freeway lane speeds?

    1. Most lanes move at one fixed speed
    2. The right lane tends to move fastest
    3. Trucks set the pace in most lanes
    4. Freeway speeds vary from lane to lane
    Show answer

    Freeway speeds vary from lane to lane. Freeway speeds vary from lane to lane, so Rhode Island urges motorists to pick the proper lane to travel rather than drifting wherever space appears. Assuming the right lane moves fastest inverts the design, since that lane serves slower traffic plus entering and exiting vehicles. Choose the lane matching your pace and purpose, then hold it instead of weaving for small gains in crowded flow.

    Study this in the handbook: Licenses, insurance, phones and other laws

20. 20. A child is not using a booster seat. How do you check whether one is still needed?

    1. Use a three step check of belt fit
    2. Use a seven step check of belt fit
    3. Use a five step check of belt fit
    4. Skip checking until the child turns twelve
    Show answer

    Use a five step check of belt fit. Deciding about a booster seat takes five checks covering posture, knee bend, belt placement, and staying seated for a whole trip. The child should sit fully back, knees should bend at the seat edge, the shoulder belt should cross collarbone and chest center, and the lap belt should rest on hips. Any negative reply points toward continued booster use with a lap and shoulder harness. Guessing three or seven steps skips safeguards built into that sequence.

    Study this in the handbook: Seat belts, child seats and headlights