TN Permit Practice Test 21

All 20 questions in test 21

Every question below comes from the Tennessee 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 does Tennessee law phrase the duty when following another vehicle?

   1. Do not follow more closely than is reasonable and prudent for speed, traffic, and highway condition
   2. Stay one car length back for every 10 mph
   3. Maintain exactly two seconds at all times by statute
   4. Keep 100 feet behind every vehicle on highways
   Show answer

   Do not follow more closely than is reasonable and prudent for speed, traffic, and highway condition. Tennessee law says not to follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, considering vehicle speed, traffic, and highway condition. The two-second rule is guidance for assessing following distance, with increased spacing advised for the conditions described on page 49. Car length formulas are not the statutory wording. Two seconds is guidance, not the statute text. No universal hundred foot rule is stated.

   Study this in the handbook: Braking, following distance and required stops

2. 2. How much moving water can make a driver lose control, and how much will carry most cars downstream?

   1. Two feet only causes loss of control; five feet carries cars away
   2. Three inches carries most cars downstream
   3. Cars cannot float, so depth does not matter
   4. Six to twelve inches can cause loss of control; two feet will carry most cars downstream
   Show answer

   Six to twelve inches can cause loss of control; two feet will carry most cars downstream. The manual says as little as six to twelve inches of water may cause loss of vehicle control and two feet will carry most cars downstream. Vehicles can float because of buoyancy, and moving water can push a vehicle sideways even while its wheels still touch the pavement. Floodwater may hide washed-out roadbeds; the manual instructs drivers to stay out of flooded roadways.

3. 3. For which vehicles are Tennessee interstate HOV lanes designated?

   1. Vehicles with two or more occupants
   2. Solo drivers who maintain the speed limit
   3. Only buses and emergency vehicles
   4. Any vehicle during weekend hours only
   Show answer

   Vehicles with two or more occupants. The manual describes HOV lanes as specially marked far-inside lanes designated for vehicles with two or more occupants to encourage ridesharing. During operating hours it also expressly allows buses with at least two occupants, motorcycles with one rider, and emergency vehicles. On weekends and during non-peak weekday times, the lane serves as a general-purpose lane. Maintaining the speed limit does not qualify an ordinary car with only its driver for HOV use during operating hours; the manual separately allows one-rider motorcycles and emergency vehicles.

   Study this in the handbook: Interstate driving

4. 4. Children under 16 are not properly restrained in a Tennessee car, and no parent or legal guardian of the children is present. What may happen to the driver?

   1. Nothing, because restraint duties end at age 12
   2. The driver may be charged and fined $50 for violating the law
   3. The passengers are fined instead of the driver in all cases
   4. The vehicle is impounded on a first offense
   Show answer

   The driver may be charged and fined $50 for violating the law. The manual makes the driver responsible for properly restraining children under 16 and says the driver may be charged and fined $50 for a violation. If a child’s parent or legal guardian is present but not driving, that adult is responsible and may be fined. Violations involving required car seats or booster seats can carry greater penalties. The driver's duty covers children under 16, not only up to age 12.

   Study this in the handbook: Safety belts, child seats and air bags

5. 5. Which center-line marking prohibits crossing the center line to pass another vehicle?

   1. When an oncoming car is far but visible
   2. When approaching a railroad crossing with no train in sight
   3. Whenever your horn has been tapped twice
   4. Never when the solid yellow line is on your side of the center marking
   Show answer

   Never when the solid yellow line is on your side of the center marking. Do not cross the center line to pass when the solid yellow line is on your side of the center marking. The manual also lists separate no-passing situations, including oncoming traffic and approaching intersections, railroad crossings, narrow bridges, viaducts, or tunnels. Oncoming traffic is a separate no-passing condition in the manual; it is not a center-line marking. Approaching a railroad crossing is another no-passing condition, even without a train in sight; it is not a center-line marking.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane use, passing and parking

6. 6. What minimum gap does Tennessee defensive guidance require when changing lanes or merging?

   1. A minimum four second gap
   2. A two second gap in all situations
   3. Any gap the vehicle can fit into
   4. A ten second gap for every lane change
   Show answer

   A minimum four second gap. Lateral moves need more room than simply following the car ahead. Tennessee defensive guidance requires a minimum four second gap whenever a driver changes lanes, enters a roadway, or merges with another traffic lane. The two second figure is the basic following rule, not the merging standard. Squeezing into any physical opening ignores the time based margin entirely. Ten seconds describes the passing gap needed at 55 mph, a different maneuver. Crossing several lanes should happen one lane at a time, never in a single sweeping cut across traffic.

   Study this in the handbook: Defensive driving and road rage

7. 7. An Intermediate Restricted driver is convicted of using a forged parental permission letter for driving outside allowed hours. What happens?

   1. The Intermediate Restricted License is revoked and only a learner permit is reissued until age 18
   2. A $50 fine with no license change
   3. Ninety days are added to the restricted year
   4. A driver education course restores full status
   Show answer

   The Intermediate Restricted License is revoked and only a learner permit is reissued until age 18. A conviction for a forged or fraudulent permission letter revokes the Intermediate Restricted License. Only a learner permit may be reissued until age 18. The manual specifies revocation and learner-permit reissuance until age 18, not just a fine. A 90-day extension applies to the listed point accumulation, contributing to a crash, or a second seat-belt conviction. Driver education follows a second moving violation.

   Study this in the handbook: The learner permit

8. 8. Parking downhill on a road without a curb, which way should the front wheels point?

   1. Away from the edge, toward traffic
   2. Straight ahead with the brake set
   3. Toward the edge of the roadway (right)
   4. Toward the center line of the road
   Show answer

   Toward the edge of the roadway (right). When parking downhill without a curb, turn the front wheels toward the edge of the roadway, to the right. The manual says this prevents the vehicle from rolling into traffic if the brake fails. Always set the parking brake when parked. Traffic facing wheels aim roll into lanes. The manual requires the front wheels to be turned toward the roadway edge; setting the brake does not replace that instruction.

   Study this in the handbook: Lane use, passing and parking

9. 9. Under the manual’s school-zone-specific phone rule, when is phone use by a driver age 18 or older an offense?

   1. At any time of day, even with flashers off
   2. Only when children are visible in a crosswalk
   3. While the vehicle is in motion in the zone when warning flashers are in operation, unless used in hands free mode
   4. Only during morning arrival hours
   Show answer

   While the vehicle is in motion in the zone when warning flashers are in operation, unless used in hands free mode. The offense needs three pieces together: a hand-held phone, a moving vehicle inside a marked school zone, and operating warning flashers, with a hands free mode exception for adults. Flashers off removes the trigger even though general distraction law still matters. Visible children are not an element; the flasher defines the protected period. No morning only limit exists. Drivers under eighteen get no hands free exception, and for them the same act is treated as a delinquent act.

   Study this in the handbook: Seat, mirrors, steering and the hands free law

10. 10. When applying for an Intermediate Class D license, a Class PD holder must repeat the knowledge test if the permit expired how long before the driving skills test?

    1. More than 1 month prior
    2. More than 6 months prior
    3. More than 24 months prior
    4. More than 12 months prior
    Show answer

    More than 12 months prior. When a Class PD holder applies for an Intermediate Class D license, the knowledge test need not be repeated unless the permit expired more than 12 months before the driving skills test. One month is far shorter than the stated gap. Six months halves the period that matters here. Twenty-four months doubles the stated threshold. The manual passage behind this item states: "the license permit expired more than 12 months prior to the driving skills test."

    Study this in the handbook: Getting a license and taking the tests

11. 11. What free phone entry connects a Tennessee driver to the nearest Highway Patrol Dispatch Center in a highway emergency?

    1. Dial 911 and ask for a transfer fee waiver
    2. Dial *55 and pay standard rates
    3. Dial *THP (*847) on a wireless phone at no charge
    4. Call the county sheriff non-emergency line
    Show answer

    Dial *THP (*847) on a wireless phone at no charge. Dial *THP (*847) on a wireless phone at no charge to connect directly with the nearest Tennessee Highway Patrol dispatcher. The manual recommends this for highway emergencies or reporting a driver violating the rules of the road. That is not the direct patrol connection. Star five five appears nowhere here. The direct, free Highway Patrol connection described in the manual is *THP (*847).

12. 12. If a vehicle starts to hydroplane, what should the driver do first?

    1. Slow down gradually by letting up on the gas
    2. Slam on the brakes immediately
    3. Accelerate to force the tires through the water
    4. Turn sharply toward the shoulder
    Show answer

    Slow down gradually by letting up on the gas. Hydroplaning means the tires have lost contact with the roadway because of water. The manual advises slowing down gradually by letting up on the gas, and it warns not to slam on the brakes. When hydroplaning occurs there is a loss of the traction needed to steer and brake safely, so slamming the brakes can worsen the loss of control, acceleration increases the hazard, and a sharp steering movement can start a skid or spin. Reduce speed smoothly, and remember that tires can hydroplane under certain conditions at any speed.

    Study this in the handbook: Headlights, night driving and bad weather

13. 13. According to the manual’s body-weight-and-fat comparison, if other factors are equal and two people weigh the same and drink the same amount, which one shows signs of intoxication first?

    1. The one with less body fat
    2. The one with more body fat
    3. Whichever one ate most recently in all cases
    4. Body fat makes no difference at equal weight
    Show answer

    The one with more body fat. The manual says alcohol is absorbed in water, not fat. People with less body fat have more water in which to dilute alcohol. In its comparison of people of the same weight drinking the same amount, the person with more body fat shows signs of intoxication first. Food separately slows alcohol absorption; it is not the basis of the body-fat comparison. Less body fat means more water for dilution, delaying signs longer.

    Study this in the handbook: How alcohol and drugs affect driving

14. 14. At a BAC of .10 percent, how much more likely is a driver to cause a crash than when sober?

    1. Twice as likely
    2. Twenty five times more likely
    3. Fifty times more likely
    4. Seven times more likely
    Show answer

    Seven times more likely. The Tennessee manual ties rising blood alcohol to sharply rising crash risk. At a BAC of .10 percent, a driver is seven times more likely to cause a crash than a sober driver. Twice as likely badly understates the jump at a level above the .08 legal line. Twenty five times belongs to the .15 percent level, and fifty times belongs to .17 percent. Memorizing which multiplier attaches to which level shows why risk climbs so steeply after only a few drinks. Nobody at .10 is fit to drive, whatever the comparison figure.

    Study this in the handbook: How alcohol and drugs affect driving

15. 15. What does Tennessee law say about standing on a roadway to solicit a ride?

    1. It is legal outside city limits only
    2. It is illegal to stand on a roadway to solicit a ride
    3. It is allowed when the pedestrian stays on the shoulder line
    4. It is permitted during daylight hours only
    Show answer

    It is illegal to stand on a roadway to solicit a ride. It is illegal in Tennessee to stand on a roadway to solicit a ride. The manual warns that hitchhiking is dangerous for both the pedestrian and the driver who stops to pick up a stranger. No outside city limits exception exists. The manual does not give a shoulder-line exception to the prohibition on standing on a roadway to solicit a ride. Daylight hours create no permission.

    Study this in the handbook: Sign colors, shapes and regulatory signs

16. 16. What should a Tennessee interstate driver do when missing a planned exit?

    1. Back up on the shoulder to the exit
    2. Continue to the next exit and turn around safely
    3. Cut across the gore area at the last second
    4. Make a U-turn across the median
    Show answer

    Continue to the next exit and turn around safely. If you miss an interstate exit, continue to the next exit. Do not back up, cut across the median, or use emergency crossovers to turn around. Backing on an interstate shoulder is extremely dangerous. The manual says to continue to the next exit when you miss yours. The manual prohibits cutting across the median and directs you to the next exit. The manual passage behind this item states: "If you miss your turn or exit, do NOT back up, but go on to the next turn or exit or where you can safely and legally turn around. It is illegal to back up on the interstate"

17. 17. When does the manual say a Tennessee driver must produce evidence of financial responsibility?

    1. Insurance only after the first crash
    2. Coverage only for financed vehicles
    3. Proof of insurance or other accepted financial responsibility when charged with a violation or involved in a crash
    4. No proof is ever required in Tennessee
    Show answer

    Proof of insurance or other accepted financial responsibility when charged with a violation or involved in a crash. The manual requires evidence of financial responsibility when a driver is charged with any violation or is involved in a motor vehicle crash, regardless of apparent or actual fault. Accepted evidence includes specified insurance documents, a certificate for a qualifying cash deposit or bond, or proof of qualification as a self-insurer. The manual requires evidence when charged with any violation as well as when involved in a crash.

    Study this in the handbook: Points, suspensions and keeping your license

18. 18. What special care must a driver show near a blind pedestrian carrying a white cane or using a guide dog?

    1. Pass quickly before the pedestrian steps off the curb
    2. Yield and take all reasonable care to avoid a collision
    3. Assume the guide dog will stop all traffic
    4. Continue normally because the pedestrian cannot see the car
    Show answer

    Yield and take all reasonable care to avoid a collision. Always yield to blind pedestrians carrying a white, metallic, or red-tipped white cane or using a guide dog. The manual requires great care and extreme caution to avoid striking pedestrians. The manual says always to yield to blind pedestrians using a cane or guide dog. A guide dog does not remove the driver’s duty to yield to the pedestrian. The driver must yield to a blind pedestrian using a cane or guide dog.

    Study this in the handbook: Pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles and slow vehicles

19. 19. What does Tennessee assign to a driver record for moving traffic violations under its point system?

    1. Reward points for safe years only
    2. Points that accumulate and can lead to license action
    3. Points that reduce insurance rates automatically
    4. Points that expire the same day
    Show answer

    Points that accumulate and can lead to license action. Moving traffic violations add points to the driver record. Adults who accumulate 12 or more points within 12 months receive a notice of proposed suspension; drivers under 18 receive that notice at 6 or more points within 12 months. Violation points penalize rather than reward conduct. The manual connects accumulated points to possible license suspension, not an automatic reduction in insurance rates.

    Study this in the handbook: Points, suspensions and keeping your license

20. 20. What does the manual say about texting while driving in Tennessee?

    1. Texting is allowed below 30 mph
    2. Texting is allowed while moving if traffic is light.
    3. Texting while driving is prohibited and dangerously distracting
    4. Only reading texts is prohibited, sending is fine
    Show answer

    Texting while driving is prohibited and dangerously distracting. The manual prohibits teenage and adult drivers from using a hand-held telephone or personal digital assistant to transmit or read a written message while the motor vehicle is in motion. Texting takes attention away from driving. Low speed does not make texting lawful or safe. The manual prohibits reading or transmitting written messages while the vehicle is in motion; light traffic does not change that rule.

    Study this in the handbook: Teen penalties, phones and school rules