SD Permit Practice Test 12

All 20 questions in test 12

Every question below comes from the South Dakota 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. How do drivers who are deaf or have hearing problems adjust to drive safely?

   1. They rely more on vision and stay more alert
   2. They drive only with a hearing passenger
   3. They use louder horns than other drivers
   4. They avoid roads above 35 mph
   Show answer

   They rely more on vision and stay more alert. The handbook says drivers with hearing problems learn to rely more on their vision and tend to stay more alert. It does not require a hearing passenger, a louder horn, or a speed ceiling based on hearing ability. The adjustment is about gathering more information visually and maintaining attention to the road. Check mirrors, scan carefully, and remain alert to the same roadway hazards as any other driver.

   Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue, distraction and aggressive driving

2. 2. What does the handbook say frequent sudden stopping usually reveals about a driver?

   1. The brakes need immediate replacement
   2. The roadway has too many intersections
   3. Other traffic is moving too slowly
   4. The driver was not paying attention
   Show answer

   The driver was not paying attention. Sudden stops usually point to a driver who was not paying attention, because hazards were spotted late rather than read early. Brakes can be healthy and still get slammed by a surprised foot. Slow traffic ahead is visible far in advance to someone scanning properly. Intersections announce themselves with signs and markings long before arrival. The fix is a longer visual lead: read the road well ahead, cover the brake when clues gather, and most stops become gradual squeezes instead of panicked jabs that endanger drivers behind you.

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

3. 3. On a standard vertical traffic signal, how are the lights ordered?

   1. Green, yellow, and red from top to bottom
   2. Red, yellow, and green from top to bottom
   3. Yellow on top with red at the bottom only
   4. Red and green side by side above yellow
   Show answer

   Red, yellow, and green from top to bottom. Vertical signals stack red on top, then yellow, then green at the bottom, a fixed order that lets drivers read the lamp by position even in glare. Green at the top would invert the pattern every driver expects. Yellow never crowns the stack, and red sits above it, not below. Side-by-side red and green describes a horizontal mounting instead. Learn the stack once and position confirms color when sun washes the lenses; the top lamp always means stop, whatever the weather does to visibility.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and arrows

4. 4. A front tire suddenly blows out at highway speed. How will the vehicle react?

   1. It will wobble gently at the rear of the vehicle and do little else
   2. It will drift slowly toward the side opposite the blowout
   3. It will straighten itself automatically
   4. It will pull sharply in the direction of the blowout
   Show answer

   It will pull sharply in the direction of the blowout. A front blowout drags the vehicle sharply toward the failed tire, because the flat corner loses rolling shape and steering geometry pulls that way. Rear failures produce the wobble and shake instead, a different signature. No self straightening exists; your firm grip supplies the correction. Drifting away from the failed side reverses the direction of that pull, so expect the nose to tug toward the flat tire itself. Hold the wheel straight against the pull, let speed bleed off gradually, and resist the braking urge until the vehicle settles, then work toward a safe place off the road.

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

5. 5. What happens if a driver fails to file required proof of financial responsibility in South Dakota?

   1. Only a reminder letter is mailed to the driver
   2. The vehicle registration, plates, and driver license are suspended
   3. The insurance company pays a late fee to the state instead
   4. Registration renews normally for one more year
   Show answer

   The vehicle registration, plates, and driver license are suspended. Filing is not optional paperwork: missing proof suspends the vehicle registration, the plates, and the driver license together. No reminder only outcome and no insurer paid substitute keeps you legal. Renewal does not glide forward for a grace year either. Confirm the filing reached the state before driving, and keep your insurer's confirmation number until the suspension risk has fully passed.

   Study this in the handbook: License rules, insurance and the point system

6. 6. Your brakes make noise, smell odd, feel wrong, or the pedal sinks toward the floor. What should you do?

   1. Drive gently until the symptoms disappear
   2. Have a mechanic check the brakes out
   3. Turn the radio up to mask the noise
   4. Add brake fluid and keep driving
   Show answer

   Have a mechanic check the brakes out. Brake symptoms like noise, strange smells, odd feel, or a pedal heading for the floor mean a mechanic checks the system, because only the brakes can stop your vehicle. Gentle driving on failing brakes still ends at an intersection. Masking noise with music hides the earliest warning you will get. Topping fluid without finding why it dropped treats a leak as a refill. Brakes are the one system with no backup plan; professional eyes on them now cost less than the alternative later.

7. 7. A large truck swings left before making a right turn. What should you do?

   1. Move between the truck and curb as it starts turning right.
   2. Follow closely behind the truck through the turn.
   3. Wait until the truck or bus has completed its turn.
   4. Turn beside the truck before its rear clears the corner.
   Show answer

   Wait until the truck or bus has completed its turn.. A large truck or bus may swing left to clear the curb or another obstruction before turning right. Do not try to pass or turn between the vehicle and the curb while it is maneuvering. The manual says to wait until the truck or bus has completed its turn, because moving alongside it can leave your vehicle squeezed against the corner. Moving between the truck and curb places you in that danger space. Following closely leaves too little room for the truck's wide turning movement, and turning beside it before the rear clears the corner risks being squeezed as the truck completes the turn. Give the truck room and let the full turn finish.

   Study this in the handbook: Following distance, passing and large vehicles

8. 8. What unpaid obligation from a traffic case can cost you your South Dakota driver license?

   1. An unpaid parking meter receipt from another city
   2. Failure to pay a fine from a traffic violation conviction
   3. A late library fine owed to a city library
   4. An unpaid toll charged by another state
   Show answer

   Failure to pay a fine from a traffic violation conviction. The fine that follows a traffic violation conviction is tied directly to your driving record, so leaving it unpaid can take the license. Meter receipts, library charges, and out of state tolls do not carry that licensing link in this rule. Pay the court amount by its deadline or contact the court before it lapses. Keep the payment receipt with your registration papers until the record clears.

   Study this in the handbook: License rules, insurance and the point system

9. 9. You are angry or excited before a necessary drive. What should you do first?

   1. Give yourself time to cool off, perhaps a short walk, staying off the road until calm
   2. Drive slowly around the block to vent
   3. Turn the radio loud to drown feelings
   4. Start driving right away once you feel even slightly calmer than before
   Show answer

   Give yourself time to cool off, perhaps a short walk, staying off the road until calm. Cooling off comes before driving: give anger or excitement time to drain, take a short walk if it helps, and stay off the road until calm returns. Venting behind the wheel exports the emotion into traffic decisions. Loud radio covers feelings without processing them. Starting while only slightly calmer still sends an unsettled mind into traffic that can add fresh provocations. The walk is not wasted time, it is the repair stop that keeps a mood from becoming a maneuver someone else pays for.

   Study this in the handbook: Vision, fatigue, distraction and aggressive driving

10. 10. Why should a pass be completed as quickly and safely as possible?

    1. Faster passing always uses less fuel
    2. Staying alongside helps the other driver see you
    3. Other drivers expect passes under five seconds
    4. More time alongside means more risk from lane drift
    Show answer

    More time alongside means more risk from lane drift. Every second beside another vehicle is a second its driver can drift, swerve for debris, or turn into your lane, so a decisive pass shrinks exposure instead of touring in the danger zone. Fuel savings are a side effect, not the safety logic. No five second expectation exists in law or courtesy. Lingering alongside actually hides you in the blind spot rather than displaying you. Plan the pass before starting: gap confirmed, speed difference ready, then execute and rejoin, because the middle of a pass is the wrong place to deliberate.

    Study this in the handbook: Crashes, emergency vehicles and traffic stops

11. 11. How should speed and following distance change on gravel or dirt roads?

    1. Reduce speed and increase the following distance
    2. Increase both for momentum on gravel
    3. Keep the same gap you would use on pavement
    4. Speed matters but distance does not
    Show answer

    Reduce speed and increase the following distance. Gravel and dirt reduce traction, so the manual pairs two actions: reduce speed and increase following distance. Increasing speed would make a skid more likely. Keeping a pavement-sized gap ignores the longer stopping distance on a loose surface. Saying distance does not matter removes one half of the stated response. The question asks about both speed and space, and the manual gives the same two-part adjustment.

    Study this in the handbook: Night, winter, deer and work zones

12. 12. When entering a perpendicular or angle parking space, how should you move into it?

    1. Back in quickly until the rear reaches the middle
    2. Turn sharply at speed toward the space center
    3. Move forward slowly until the vehicle reaches the middle
    4. Enter straight ahead without turning the steering wheel
    Show answer

    Move forward slowly until the vehicle reaches the middle. Ease forward slowly into a perpendicular or angle space, turning the wheel left or right as needed until your vehicle reaches the middle of the space. Backing in quickly, as one choice describes, sends the rear toward parked cars with poor view and little time to correct. Turning at speed has the same problem in the forward direction. Approach slowly, signal first, watch both sides, and settle centered with room to open doors on each side.

13. 13. When parking along a roadway with no parking lane, where should the vehicle sit?

    1. Half in the travel lane so others see it sooner
    2. As far from the flow of traffic as possible
    3. Close to the center line for quicker departure
    4. Wherever the shoulder surface feels smoothest
    Show answer

    As far from the flow of traffic as possible. Along a roadway, park as far away from the moving flow as the shoulder allows, shrinking the chance that a passing vehicle clips yours. Half in the lane invites the exact sideswipe the rule guards against. The center line is the farthest point from safety, placing you beside oncoming traffic. A smooth patch means nothing if it still narrows the road for others. Distance from the lane is the protection: the wider the buffer between parked steel and moving steel, the safer both become.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and school buses

14. 14. When should you reduce speed for a curve?

    1. After the curve begins to tighten
    2. Only if the road is wet
    3. Before you enter the curve
    4. While accelerating through the apex
    Show answer

    Before you enter the curve. Speed should come down while the car is still straight, because braking after the tires are already turning can break traction. The handbook wants a pace that lets you apply slight, constant acceleration from the start of the curve to the exit. Waiting until the bend tightens is too late, and delaying the change to wet weather misses dry-road curves that are still too fast for the posted number. Enter slower than you think you need, then ease on the throttle as the road opens.

    Study this in the handbook: Controlling speed

15. 15. What is a first Zero Tolerance offense for a driver under 21 classified as, with its license penalty?

    1. A Class 1 misdemeanor with a one year loss
    2. A Class 6 felony with a 30-day loss of the license
    3. A petty offense with a warning letter only
    4. A Class 2 misdemeanor with a 30-day loss of driver license
    Show answer

    A Class 2 misdemeanor with a 30-day loss of driver license. A first Zero Tolerance offense, testing at 0.02 percent or more while under twenty one, is a Class 2 misdemeanor carrying a fine plus a thirty day loss of the driver license. Class 1 with a full year describes heavier DWI territory, not this entry level youth offense. A warning letter understates a crime that takes the license for a month. Felony classification belongs to a third full DWI. Even the lightest alcohol conviction on the chart costs a young driver both money and mobility.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, zero tolerance and implied consent

16. 16. A friend or relative has been drinking and reaches for the car keys. What does the handbook direct?

    1. Never let a friend or relative drive after drinking
    2. Let them drive slowly on familiar streets
    3. Ride along in the passenger seat to watch their driving for them
    4. Let them drive if the trip is under two miles
    Show answer

    Never let a friend or relative drive after drinking. The instruction leaves no loopholes: never let a friend or relative drive after drinking, full stop. Slow speeds on familiar streets still place an impaired brain in moving traffic. Riding along as a spotter adds a passenger to the crash without adding a sober driver. Short distances contain intersections, pedestrians, and surprises like any other route. Take the keys, call a ride, or drive them yourself sober. The awkward minute of insisting is the cheapest intervention in traffic safety, and it works before sirens enter the story.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, zero tolerance and implied consent

17. 17. Where is a truck's larger side blind spot located?

    1. On the right side, starting behind the cab and extending up to the length of the truck
    2. On the left side only, in the narrow strip beside the driver's cab door
    3. Directly in front of the front bumper only
    4. Behind the trailer doors for ten feet
    Show answer

    On the right side, starting behind the cab and extending up to the length of the truck. The bigger side No-Zone sits on the truck's right, beginning behind the cab and running the length of the vehicle, which is why passing on the right lingers in invisibility. The left side has a blind area too, but the larger one is the right side stretch. The front zone is a separate stopping distance problem, not this side area. Ten feet behind the doors understates a rear zone measured far longer. If the trailer fills your whole side window, assume the driver has no idea you exist.

    Study this in the handbook: Following distance, passing and large vehicles

18. 18. A stop sign has both a stop line and a marked crosswalk. Which one do you stop behind?

    1. The near edge of the marked crosswalk
    2. The sign post at the intersection corner
    3. The curb ramp beside the sidewalk
    4. The stop line before the crosswalk
    Show answer

    The stop line before the crosswalk. When both markings are present, the stop line comes first and controls where the front of the vehicle belongs. Stopping at the crosswalk edge leaves the nose of the car past that line and closer to crossing pedestrians than the law expects. The sign post is only a fallback location when no pavement line exists, and a curb ramp is not a stopping boundary at all. Use the white bar as your target and stop with the bumper behind it, then look both ways before edging forward for a view.

    Study this in the handbook: Pavement markings and signaling

19. 19. What should you expect in the path of a green arrow while it is lit?

    1. Pedestrians may be ignored while you turn
    2. The entire intersection is closed to other traffic
    3. There should be no oncoming or crossing traffic in your path
    4. You must stop before turning in the arrow direction
    Show answer

    There should be no oncoming or crossing traffic in your path. A green arrow tells you that the arrow direction is protected from oncoming and crossing traffic while the arrow is green. The protection covers the movement shown by the arrow, not every part of the intersection. It also does not remove your duty to watch for pedestrians or respond to a hazard that has entered your path. The whole-intersection choice overstates the signal, and the stop choice reverses what the arrow permits. Scan the crosswalk and the turn path before moving, even when the signal appears favorable.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic signals and arrows

20. 20. What rules of the road must bicyclists follow when riding on roadways?

    1. Only the rules posted on bicycle route signs along designated bike routes
    2. No rules until they reach a marked bike lane
    3. The same rules of the road as motorized vehicles
    4. Rules set by each city block they enter
    Show answer

    The same rules of the road as motorized vehicles. Bicyclists on roadways carry the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as drivers, and they are required to follow the same rules of the road as motorized vehicles. Route signs supplement those rules rather than replacing them. A missing bike lane never suspends the code for a rider already in traffic. Rules do not change block by block either. For you as a driver, that sameness is useful: expect signals, lane discipline, and right-of-way behavior from riders, while still allowing for the skill differences the road actually shows.

    Study this in the handbook: Controlling speed