SC Permit Practice Test 3

All 20 questions in test 3

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. What is the purpose of the South Carolina Driver's Manual?

   1. To explain only the process for renewing a license
   2. To replace every driving lesson with a printed checklist
   3. To help drivers learn traffic devices, signs, markings, and proper highway behavior
   4. To provide a complete copy of every motor vehicle statute
   Show answer

   To help drivers learn traffic devices, signs, markings, and proper highway behavior. The manual is a learning guide for people preparing to drive. It covers traffic control devices, signs, pavement markings, and behavior expected on the highway. The option about replacing driving lessons goes beyond what the book promises, while the renewal-only choice ignores its road-safety instruction. The statute option is also too broad because the manual says it does not reproduce every law in full. A useful study cue is to treat the book as preparation for recognizing roadway information and making lawful driving decisions.

2. 2. Which school requirement must a South Carolina 15 or 16 year old meet to get a first driver's license?

   1. Have a B average or better
   2. Have graduated from middle school with honors
   3. No school requirement applies
   4. Be enrolled in school, not suspended or expelled, with satisfactory attendance
   Show answer

   Be enrolled in school, not suspended or expelled, with satisfactory attendance. South Carolina ties a young driver's first license to school. The applicant must be enrolled in school, not suspended or expelled, with satisfactory attendance, and the driver's education program provides the certification form (PDLA) covering school attendance, driver education and practice. The manual sets no grade point average and no honors requirement. Saying no school rule applies ignores this listed condition.

3. 3. What might a warning sign notify a driver about?

   
   1. A hazard or special situation on the roadway ahead
   2. The exact amount of a parking fee
   3. The registered owner of a nearby vehicle
   4. The vehicle manufacturer warranty
   Show answer

   A hazard or special situation on the roadway ahead. Warning signs can notify drivers of a hazard or special situation on the roadway ahead. That message may concern a curve, a crossing, a lane change, or another condition requiring attention. A parking fee belongs to a payment notice, vehicle ownership is not conveyed by a warning sign, and a warranty is unrelated to traffic control. Treat the warning as advance information: scan beyond the sign, reduce speed when appropriate, and prepare for the roadway condition it identifies.

4. 4. Which South Carolina teen is eligible for a special restricted license?

   1. A 15 and a half year old
   2. A 17 year old with a permit
   3. An 18 year old first-time driver
   4. A 16 year old who is not yet 17 and meets the requirements
   Show answer

   A 16 year old who is not yet 17 and meets the requirements. A special restricted license is for someone who is 16 but less than 17, has met the requirements and passed the vision and skills tests, or who is 16 and already holds a conditional license. A 15 and a half year old gets a conditional license instead. Full driving privileges are earned at 17, so a 17 year old is past this stage. An 18 year old follows the adult route after holding a beginner's permit at least 30 days.

5. 5. In which direction do vehicles travel in a roundabout?

   1. In either direction depending on the exit
   2. Clockwise around the raised center island
   3. Straight across the center island
   4. Counterclockwise around the raised center island
   Show answer

   Counterclockwise around the raised center island. Vehicles in a roundabout travel counterclockwise around a raised center island. Entering traffic yields before joining that flow, and the driver proceeds to the appropriate exit after circulating in the marked direction. Clockwise travel would put the vehicle against the movement described by the manual. Driving across the center island is not a roundabout maneuver, and the direction does not change based on the chosen exit. Look for the central island, slow before entry, yield to circulating traffic, and maintain the counterclockwise path until the exit.

6. 6. At a red signal, what must happen before a South Carolina driver turns right where no sign forbids the turn?

   1. Only after the signal changes to green
   2. Stop first, check that no sign prohibits the turn, and yield before turning
   3. Whenever the driver sounds the horn first
   4. Only when another vehicle is turning left
   Show answer

   Stop first, check that no sign prohibits the turn, and yield before turning. A right turn on red is permitted after the driver stops, unless a sign prohibits the turn, and the driver must yield to pedestrians and other traffic lawfully using the intersection. Waiting for green is unnecessarily restrictive, while a horn or an opposing left turn does not create permission. The stop must occur before the near-side crosswalk, stop line, or intersection as applicable. The quick cue is stop, check the prohibition sign, then yield before turning, rather than treating red as an automatic green for right turns.

7. 7. Before making a turn, what should a driver search for?

   1. A clear space behind the vehicle without checking ahead
   2. Only vehicles approaching from the left
   3. Only pedestrians already in the crosswalk
   4. Traffic controls, pedestrians, and other vehicles at all corners
   Show answer

   Traffic controls, pedestrians, and other vehicles at all corners. The manual's turning guidance starts with a search of all corners for traffic controls, pedestrians, and other vehicles. It also tells the driver to signal the intended maneuver. Checking only the left side or only people already in a crosswalk leaves out hazards that can enter from other corners. Looking behind the vehicle alone does not prepare the driver for the path of the turn. Use the all-corners cue before moving: scan, identify the controls and road users, signal, and then turn into the proper lane when safe.

8. 8. How should a driver use the parking brake during brake failure?

   1. Pull it slowly so the rear wheels do not lock
   2. Pull it suddenly as hard as possible
   3. Ignore it and turn off the engine first
   4. Use it only after steering into oncoming traffic
   Show answer

   Pull it slowly so the rear wheels do not lock. The parking brake can help slow the vehicle, but applying it abruptly may lock the rear wheels and cause a skid. A slow pull preserves the driver’s ability to release it if the vehicle begins to slide. Turning off the engine first is not the stated first technique, and steering into opposing traffic creates a separate danger. The cue is parking brake gently, monitor the vehicle, and release pressure if a skid starts.

9. 9. What identification must be affixed to a South Carolina golf cart before it is used on a public road?

   1. A commercial vehicle inspection sticker
   2. A school-zone placard
   3. An SCDMV-issued permit or registration decal
   4. A county route number sign
   Show answer

   An SCDMV-issued permit or registration decal. The cart needs an SCDMV-issued permit or registration decal attached to it. A school-zone placard describes a traffic area, not cart registration. A commercial inspection sticker and a county route marker serve different purposes and do not meet this requirement. The decal is one checkpoint in a larger set of rules, so the driver should also verify the license, minimum age, daytime operation, distance from the registered address or gated-community entrance, and the road's posted speed limit.

10. 10. What does a South Carolina Class D license allow you to drive?

    1. Any vehicle including tractor trailers
    2. Motorcycles of any size
    3. Non commercial passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks not exceeding 26,000 pounds GVW, plus a moped or three wheel vehicle
    4. Only vehicles under 10,000 pounds
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    Non commercial passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks not exceeding 26,000 pounds GVW, plus a moped or three wheel vehicle. A Class D license allows you to drive non commercial passenger vehicles such as cars and trucks that do not exceed 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight, and you may also operate a moped or a three wheel vehicle other than a two wheel motorcycle with a detachable sidecar. Class E covers non commercial single unit vehicles over 26,000 pounds, and Class F covers non commercial combinations over that weight.

11. 11. How far ahead does South Carolina law require you to signal before changing lanes, turning or merging?

    1. 50 feet
    2. 500 feet
    3. As soon as you begin to turn
    4. 100 feet or more
    Show answer

    100 feet or more. It is state law in South Carolina that you must use a turn signal 100 feet or more before changing lanes, turning left or right, or merging into traffic, and cancel the signal once the move is complete. Fifty feet is too short, and signaling as you begin the turn gives others no warning. Five hundred feet is the distance for dimming high beams, not signaling. The same 100 foot figure applies before passing.

12. 12. What can guide signs help a driver find along a South Carolina highway?

    1. Hospitals, service stations, restaurants, and hotels
    2. Only a no-passing restriction
    3. Only a sharp-curve warning
    4. The legal age for a beginner's permit
    Show answer

    Hospitals, service stations, restaurants, and hotels. Guide signs can help drivers find roadway services, including hospitals, service stations, restaurants, and hotels. A no-passing restriction is regulatory, a sharp curve is warning information, and a permit age is licensing information. The sign color is a useful first cue, but read the wording and symbol for the exact service or destination. When a guide sign appears, use it to make a safe navigation decision without confusing it with a hazard warning.

13. 13. When approaching a South Carolina work zone, which action is required even if no workers are visible?

    1. Maintain the normal roadway speed until a worker waves you down
    2. Reduce speed because narrowed lanes and rough pavement can create hazards
    3. Use the shoulder to bypass cones and construction equipment
    4. Follow the vehicle ahead more closely to limit merging
    Show answer

    Reduce speed because narrowed lanes and rough pavement can create hazards. The manual specifically says to reduce speed in a work zone even when workers are absent. Narrower lanes, rough pavement, cones, barrels, large vehicles, and changing traffic patterns can still create danger. Keeping normal speed ignores those conditions, using the shoulder bypasses the controlled path, and tailgating removes the time needed to react. Treat the work-zone signs as active instructions throughout the area. Slow early, increase following space, watch adjacent traffic, and be prepared for a sudden stop or lane shift.

14. 14. In what program must a South Carolina driver be enrolled to receive a provisional license after a DUI?

    1. A defensive driving course
    2. The Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, ADSAP
    3. Traffic school
    4. No program is required
    Show answer

    The Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, ADSAP. A provisional license after a DUI or DUAC requires enrollment in the Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program, known as ADSAP, along with a $100 fee, a BAC of 0.14 percent or less for offenses since October 2014, and no other unrelated suspensions. The provisional license is not available for any DUI or DUAC that takes place on or after May 19, 2024, so newer cases follow different rules.

15. 15. What features help a driver identify the kind of information a traffic sign provides?

    
    1. The size and make of the vehicle approaching it
    2. Only the distance from the nearest intersection
    3. Its shape, color, symbols, and words
    4. Whether the road surface is wet or dry
    Show answer

    Its shape, color, symbols, and words. The manual says drivers can use a sign's shape, color, symbols, and words to identify the information it provides. Those features work together, so a driver should read the message and recognize the sign form rather than rely on one visual detail. Distance from an intersection, the approaching vehicle's characteristics, and pavement condition do not classify the sign. A practical cue is to scan the whole sign before acting, then match its warning, direction, service, or rule to the roadway situation.

16. 16. At a flashing red traffic light, what must a driver do before entering the intersection?

    1. Slow down without stopping if no vehicle is immediately visible
    2. Come to a complete stop, then look both ways and yield when applicable
    3. Continue through because flashing red means the signal is inactive
    4. Stop only if a pedestrian is already in the crosswalk
    Show answer

    Come to a complete stop, then look both ways and yield when applicable. A flashing red signal requires the same basic procedure as a stop sign. Stop behind the stop line, crosswalk, or intersection before entering, then check both directions and yield right-of-way when another road user has priority. Merely slowing is the treatment for flashing yellow, not flashing red. The signal remains meaningful even when the intersection appears empty, and waiting for a pedestrian is not the only condition that triggers the stop. Make the full stop first, then proceed only after the path is safe.

17. 17. What must a person who has never held a driver's license obtain first in South Carolina?

    1. A beginner’s permit
    2. A regular Class D license without testing
    3. A special restricted license
    4. A commercial learner credential
    Show answer

    A beginner’s permit. A first-time driver begins with a beginner’s permit rather than moving directly to a full license. The regular Class D choice skips the required starting stage, and a special restricted license belongs to a later graduated licensing step. A commercial learner credential concerns commercial driving and is unrelated to this first-license rule. When studying the sequence, connect no prior license with beginner’s permit first, then review the testing, supervision, and practice conditions that follow.

18. 18. If the pictured WRONG WAY sign faces you, what should you do?

    
    1. Recognize that you are traveling against the permitted direction and safely turn around
    2. Continue slowly because the sign applies only to commercial vehicles
    3. Use the shoulder to pass vehicles traveling correctly
    4. Stop in the lane and wait for a green signal
    Show answer

    Recognize that you are traveling against the permitted direction and safely turn around. A WRONG WAY sign is an immediate warning that the vehicle is moving opposite the permitted traffic direction. Continuing, even slowly, increases the chance of meeting vehicles head-on. The sign is not limited to trucks, and using the shoulder does not correct the direction problem. The safest response is to stop or pull over only where doing so is safe, then leave the roadway or turn around without crossing into moving traffic. Treat the red warning as urgent information.

19. 19. How is a South Carolina conviction for driving under the influence of drugs treated?

    1. Like a parking violation
    2. Like a DUI or DUAC conviction
    3. Like a license renewal error
    4. Like a civil equipment warning
    Show answer

    Like a DUI or DUAC conviction. A conviction in South Carolina for driving under the influence of drugs is treated like a DUI or DUAC conviction. The other choices minimize the legal and licensing significance by recasting the offense as parking, paperwork, or equipment conduct. The manual places prescription, over-the-counter, and illegal drugs in its impairment discussion, so the rule is not limited to alcohol. When a drug affects driving, do not assume the absence of alcohol makes the consequences minor.

20. 20. Before turning right on red in South Carolina, what pedestrian-related duty applies?

    
    1. Proceed without checking because red permits the turn
    2. Pedestrians must always yield to the turning vehicle
    3. Be prepared to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians
    4. Yield only to pedestrians behind the vehicle
    Show answer

    Be prepared to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. A right turn on red does not remove the driver's obligation to watch for pedestrians and be prepared to yield. The turning vehicle does not gain automatic priority, and the driver must not treat the red signal as permission to skip the scan. The rule covers pedestrians in the turn area, not only someone behind the vehicle. Before moving, stop as required, check the crosswalk and intersection, then yield and turn only when clear.