SC Permit Practice Test 24

All 20 questions in test 24

Every question below comes from the South Carolina 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 a work zone, the car ahead is moving slowly. What does the South Carolina manual say about following it?

   1. Stay close so other cars cannot cut in
   2. Follow closely so you can use its lights as a guide
   3. Don't tailgate; be ready to stop suddenly
   4. Keep the usual gap since work zones are short
   Show answer

   Don't tailgate; be ready to stop suddenly. The manual's work zone message is to give construction workers a brake: reduce your speed, be prepared to stop suddenly, and do not tailgate. Traffic in a work zone may be controlled by a person with a sign or flag who can tell you to slow down or stop, and narrower lanes can create hazards. Staying close to the car ahead to block others leaves you no time to react. As a driver in a work zone, the manual also says to increase your following distance.

   Study this in the handbook: Regulatory and guide signs

2. 2. The front left tire of your car blows out while you drive. Which way will the car pull sharply?

   1. To the right, away from the blown tire
   2. To the left, toward the blown tire
   3. Straight ahead, with only a bumpy ride
   4. Toward whichever side the road slopes
   Show answer

   To the left, toward the blown tire. If a front tire blows out, the manual says the vehicle will pull sharply in the direction of the blowout. With the front left tire gone, the car pulls to the left. It will not pull away from the failed tire, and it will not simply roll straight ahead with a bump. The road's slope does not decide the direction.

   Study this in the handbook: Avoiding collisions and vehicle malfunctions

3. 3. Which effect of alcohol does the South Carolina manual describe?

   1. It improves focus for the first hour after drinking
   2. It speeds up reaction time in an emergency
   3. It reduces your ability to distinguish colors
   4. It affects drivers just above a BAC of 0.15
   Show answer

   It reduces your ability to distinguish colors. The manual lists four abilities that alcohol and other impairing drugs reduce: judgment, vision, color distinction, and reaction time. On color, it is direct: alcohol reduces your ability to distinguish colors. Alcohol does not improve focus at any stage, and it slows your ability to process information and respond rather than speeding you up. Impairment is not reserved for high BAC levels either; the manual says vision is impacted at 0.02 percent blood alcohol content for all drivers.

   Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, other drugs and implied consent

4. 4. You pull up to a four-way stop just after another car has already stopped at its stop line. Who goes first?

   1. You, if you are on its right
   2. Whichever driver is going straight
   3. You, because you are moving faster
   4. The other car, because it arrived first
   Show answer

   The other car, because it arrived first. The manual's first car rule says to yield to the driver who is at or arrives before you at the intersection. The same-time rule, yielding to the driver on your right, applies when two drivers arrive together. Here the other car was already stopped, so it goes first no matter where you are positioned or which way either of you is going. Wait for it to clear, then proceed after checking for pedestrians and other traffic.

   Study this in the handbook: Yielding the right of way

5. 5. A school bus ahead has stopped on a highway and its red lights are flashing. You have stopped behind it. When may you go again?

   1. When the driver waves you around the bus
   2. When no children can be seen near the road
   3. When the bus moves or the red lights stop
   4. After waiting about fifteen seconds
   Show answer

   When the bus moves or the red lights stop. The manual says you must always stop on any highway when you are behind the bus. After you have stopped, you must not proceed until the school bus moves or the red lights are no longer flashing. A wave from the driver, an empty roadside, or a count of seconds is not on that list, so none of them lets you go.

   Study this in the handbook: School buses

6. 6. You see this sign on a hilly back road. What should you do?

   
   1. Prepare for one gentle curve to the right
   2. Watch for a road joining from the side
   3. Slow down for a series of curves ahead
   4. Expect the road to split around a median
   Show answer

   Slow down for a series of curves ahead. The winding arrow on this yellow diamond is the Curvy Road Ahead sign, warning of more than one curve. The manual says to reduce speed before entering a curve to a speed that allows slight, constant acceleration through it, and to slow more when traction is poor or you cannot see the end of the curve. A single gentle curve, a side road, and a median split each have their own symbols.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights

7. 7. At 2 a.m. you stop at a steady red light, and no other traffic is anywhere in sight. You want to go straight. What must you do?

   1. Go after a full stop, since no one else is coming
   2. Wait behind the stop line until the light turns green
   3. Flash your lights and proceed slowly
   4. Treat it like a flashing red, since it is after midnight
   Show answer

   Wait behind the stop line until the light turns green. With a steady red, you stop before the intersection and wait behind the stop line, crosswalk, or intersection for the green light. The time of day and empty roads do not change that. Stopping and then going is the procedure for a flashing red or a stop sign, not a steady red. The one exception for a steady red is a right turn, after stopping, where no sign prohibits it.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights

8. 8. You swerve left around an object and are past it. According to the manual, what should you do now?

   1. Keep steering left until the car stops
   2. Steer back the other way to regain control
   3. Brake hard while the wheels are turned
   4. Let go of the wheel so it centers itself
   Show answer

   Steer back the other way to regain control. After you have cleared the problem, the manual says to steer in the opposite direction to straighten out your vehicle, gain control, and adjust to an appropriate driving speed. A swerve to the left is therefore followed by steering back to the right. Holding the turn, braking hard, or releasing the wheel does not match that advice. That is how you gain control again.

   Study this in the handbook: Avoiding collisions and vehicle malfunctions

9. 9. You park facing uphill next to a curb. If your brakes failed, what should keep the car from rolling back?

   1. The back of the front tire resting against the curb
   2. The parking brake alone, with the wheels straight
   3. The front of the front tire pointed into the curb
   4. The rear tire jammed against the edge of the sidewalk
   Show answer

   The back of the front tire resting against the curb. Headed uphill with a curb, the manual says to turn your wheels toward the center of the street with the back of the front tire against the curb. If the car starts to roll backward, the curb catches the tire. Straight wheels give no backup, and pointing the front of the tire into the curb is the downhill position. In every case, also set the parking brake, put the vehicle in the proper gear or park, and turn off the engine.

   Study this in the handbook: Turnabouts, parking, lane changes and passing

10. 10. You see this fluorescent yellow-green sign on a city street on a weekday morning. What should you expect?

    
    1. A hospital emergency entrance just ahead on the right
    2. A school zone or school crossing with children
    3. A city park with walking trails nearby
    4. A bus stop for riders of public transit
    Show answer

    A school zone or school crossing with children. This five-sided fluorescent yellow-green sign with two walking figures marks a school zone or school crossing. The manual notes that some warning signs are fluorescent yellow, such as school zones, school crossings, and pedestrian crossings. In a school zone, you must obey a slower speed limit when the lights are flashing or children are present, and at a crossing with traffic patrol, stop and yield if signaled. Hospitals and parks use guide signs instead.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights

11. 11. You have just passed a large truck on the interstate. When may you move back into the lane in front of it?

    1. When you see the truck's whole front in your rearview mirror
    2. As soon as your rear bumper is past its front bumper
    3. When the truck driver flashes the headlights at you
    4. After you slow down to let the truck catch up
    Show answer

    When you see the truck's whole front in your rearview mirror. Large vehicles take longer to stop than cars, so the manual warns against pulling in front of them too soon. When passing a large vehicle, look for its whole front in your rearview mirror before pulling in front, and be sure to maintain your speed. Cutting in as soon as you clear its bumper, or slowing after you move over, takes away the stopping space the truck needs. Do not wait for a signal from the truck driver.

    Study this in the handbook: Motorcycles and commercial vehicles

12. 12. A ball rolls into the street ahead of you. How long does an alert driver usually take just to recognize the need to stop?

    1. About one quarter of a second
    2. About two to three full seconds
    3. Three quarters of a second to 1 second
    4. Four to five seconds in most cases
    Show answer

    Three quarters of a second to 1 second. Perception time is the time and distance it takes you to recognize that you must stop. For an alert driver it averages three quarters of a second to 1 second. Reaction time, moving your foot from the gas pedal to the brake, adds about the same again before braking even begins. That is why total stopping distance is measured from the moment you realize you must stop until the vehicle actually stops.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping distance, following distance and signaling

13. 13. A loaded truck with good tires and brakes needs at least 335 feet to stop under ideal conditions. At what speed does that figure apply?

    1. 55 mph
    2. 35 mph
    3. 45 mph
    4. 70 mph
    Show answer

    55 mph. Front no zones exist because large vehicles take longer to stop. The manual says a loaded truck with good tires and properly adjusted brakes, traveling at 55 mph under ideal conditions, needs a minimum of 335 feet to stop, more than one and a half times a car's stopping distance. That is why you should not enter the roadway or change lanes in front of a large vehicle, and should see its whole front in your rearview mirror before pulling in after passing.

    Study this in the handbook: Motorcycles and commercial vehicles

14. 14. Thinking of the steering wheel as a clock face, where does South Carolina recommend placing your hands for normal driving?

    1. Left hand at 10 o'clock and right hand at 2 o'clock
    2. Both hands together at the 12 o'clock position
    3. Left hand at 11 o'clock and right hand at 1 o'clock
    4. Left hand at 7 to 9 o'clock, right hand at 3 to 5 o'clock
    Show answer

    Left hand at 7 to 9 o'clock, right hand at 3 to 5 o'clock. The manual places the left hand in the 7 to 9 o'clock area and the right hand in the 3 to 5 o'clock area, with a grip that is firm but not too tight. The familiar 10 and 2 position is not recommended because it can be dangerous in vehicles equipped with airbags. With your arms next to your body there is less muscle stress and less weaving in the lane. The 12 o'clock position is recommended only when backing while turned in the seat to see the path behind.

15. 15. How should the interior rearview mirror be adjusted?

    1. So you can see the back seat and passengers
    2. So it shows the left lane and your blind spot there
    3. Tilted toward the passenger side window
    4. So it frames the whole rear window behind you
    Show answer

    So it frames the whole rear window behind you. The interior rearview mirror is the primary mirror for viewing the rear, and the manual says to adjust it so it frames the rear window. Set this way, it shows the traffic flow behind your vehicle. Watching passengers or the lane beside you is not its job; the outside mirrors are adjusted to reduce blind spots at the sides. If your mirror has a day and night setting, make sure it is set for the time of day you are driving.

16. 16. A car ahead is waiting to turn left, and the paved shoulder on the right is wide and empty. May you use the shoulder to get around it?

    1. No, the shoulder is an emergency stopping lane
    2. Yes, if the shoulder is paved and clear
    3. Yes, if you signal and keep under 25 mph
    4. Yes, but just during daylight hours
    Show answer

    No, the shoulder is an emergency stopping lane. The manual says never to pass on the shoulder, whether it is paved or not. The shoulder is a hard surface on the right side of the roadway meant as an emergency stopping lane, not for through traffic. A paved, empty shoulder, a turn signal, low speed, or daylight does not change that. When a vehicle ahead is stopped to turn left, wait behind it, or pass in a legal travel lane when it is safe to do so.

    Study this in the handbook: Turnabouts, parking, lane changes and passing

17. 17. On a horizontal traffic signal, where is the red light?

    1. On the right, with green on the left
    2. In the middle, between yellow and green
    3. On the left, with yellow on the right
    4. On the left, with green on the right
    Show answer

    On the left, with green on the right. Vertical signals light red, yellow, and green from top to bottom. Some metropolitan areas mount signals horizontally instead, and the manual gives that order too: red on the left, yellow in the middle, green on the right. Whether the signal hangs vertically or horizontally, each color keeps its meaning. Green means you may go if the intersection is clear, yellow warns that the signal is about to change to red, and red means stop before entering the intersection.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights

18. 18. At night, a person jaywalks across the middle of the street in front of you. Crossing there is illegal. What must you do?

    1. Keep going, since the person is breaking the law
    2. Stop and let the pedestrian cross
    3. Honk and swerve around the person
    4. Slow down only if the person is in your lane
    Show answer

    Stop and let the pedestrian cross. The manual's sample test answers this directly: if a pedestrian is crossing in the middle of the street, not at a crosswalk, even if it is illegal, you must stop for them. The manual also tells drivers to always be prepared to yield to pedestrians even when they are not in a crosswalk. A pedestrian breaking the law does not give you permission to hit them, and honking or swerving adds risk at night.

19. 19. While driving, you balance your phone on your knee so you can glance at a map. What does South Carolina's Hands-Free Act say?

    1. It is legal, since your hands are on the wheel
    2. It breaks the law: the phone is supported by your body
    3. It is legal if the map app was opened before driving
    4. It is legal on any road with a speed limit under 45 mph
    Show answer

    It breaks the law: the phone is supported by your body. The Hands-Free and Distracted Driving Act says a driver on a public road must not physically hold or support a mobile electronic device with any part of the body. A phone resting on your knee is being supported by your body, so keeping your hands on the wheel does not make it legal. The Act also bans reading information from applications while driving, and it has no speed or timing exceptions. Voice calls through an earpiece or wrist-worn device remain allowed.

    Study this in the handbook: Fatigue, distraction and the hands free law

20. 20. School zone lights are flashing as you drive past a school at 7:45 a.m., but you see no children. What must you do?

    1. Obey the slower school zone speed limit
    2. Keep the regular limit unless children are visible
    3. Stop completely until the lights turn off
    4. Slow down if a crossing guard waves at you
    Show answer

    Obey the slower school zone speed limit. In a school zone, the manual says you must obey a slower speed limit when the lights are flashing or children are present. Either condition is enough, so flashing lights alone require the slower limit even if you see no children. The lights do not require a full stop. At a school crossing with a traffic patrol, stop and yield if you are signaled to do so.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, school zones and speed