TN Permit Practice Test 7

All 20 questions in test 7

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. At an all-way stop, two vehicles arrive at different times. Who should proceed first?

   
   1. The vehicle approaching from the widest road
   2. The vehicle that arrived second
   3. The vehicle with more passengers
   4. The vehicle that reached the intersection first
   Show answer

   The vehicle that reached the intersection first. At an all-way stop, every vehicle must stop, and the first vehicle to reach the intersection gets to go first. The order of arrival controls the normal sequence, not the number of occupants or the width of the road. If two vehicles stop at the same time, the vehicle on the right has priority instead. The tempting second-arrival choice is backward because it would ignore the manual's arrival-order rule. Stop fully, observe the other vehicles, and move only when the intersection is safe.

2. 2. What maximum speed may Tennessee law set for interstate highways?

   1. 65 mph
   2. 55 mph
   3. 70 mph
   4. 80 mph
   Show answer

   70 mph. Tennessee law permits a maximum interstate speed of 70 mph. That figure is the ceiling authorized by the passage, not a guarantee that every interstate segment displays 70. Variable limits can reduce the number, particularly in congested urban areas, and the driver must still adjust for conditions. The 55 mph choice describes some urban sections rather than the statewide legal maximum. Check the sign where you are driving, then reduce further when weather, traffic, visibility, or roadway conditions make the maximum unsafe.

3. 3. What information do black and white regulatory signs provide?

   1. Only directions to parks and cultural attractions
   2. Selected traffic laws, regulations, or instructions
   3. Temporary warnings about construction workers
   4. Motorist service locations such as rest areas
   Show answer

   Selected traffic laws, regulations, or instructions. Black and white regulatory signs communicate selected traffic laws or regulations and may instruct drivers about matters such as speed limits or lane use. They are not limited to recreation, construction, or services. The background and message help identify the sign category, but the driver must still read the instruction shown. Treating a regulatory sign as optional can lead directly to an illegal lane movement or speed choice.

4. 4. A school bus is stopped with red warning lights flashing and its stop arm extended. What must approaching drivers do?

   
   1. Slow down and pass carefully on the left
   2. Pass if no children are visible
   3. Stop only when approaching from behind
   4. Come to a complete stop and remain stopped until the arm is pulled back and the bus moves
   Show answer

   Come to a complete stop and remain stopped until the arm is pulled back and the bus moves. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm mean the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Drivers must stop and remain stopped until the arm is withdrawn and the bus resumes motion. Visibility of children does not change the obligation, and passing on either side is unsafe. On a divided highway with a suitable median or barrier, the opposite roadway may be treated differently, but a center turn lane is not such a barrier. Watch the bus signals, not just the roadway around it.

5. 5. What does a crossbuck sign show at a railroad grade crossing?

   1. The maximum speed for vehicles crossing the tracks
   2. Exactly where the tracks are located
   3. The distance to the nearest service station
   4. The direction of the next highway exit
   Show answer

   Exactly where the tracks are located. The broad X-shaped crossbuck is placed at railroad grade crossings and marks the precise location of the tracks. Smaller signs below it may state how many tracks are present, an important warning because one train can hide another. It does not post a vehicle speed, identify services, or guide drivers toward an exit. On approach, slow down, look and listen in both directions, and make sure every track is clear before crossing.

6. 6. How often has Tennessee placed interstate reference markers along heavily traveled urban interstates?

   1. Every 1,000 feet
   2. Every mile
   3. Every 600 feet
   4. Every five miles
   Show answer

   Every 1,000 feet. On busy urban stretches of interstate, Tennessee added reference markers every 1,000 feet so a stranded driver can tell a dispatcher exactly where the vehicle is. Ordinary mile markers are a mile apart, which can leave emergency crews searching a long stretch of highway. The 600 foot figure belongs to the reverse turn sign, and five mile spacing describes nothing in the manual. When you call for help, read the nearest marker aloud before anything else.

7. 7. When must a Tennessee driver stop at a railroad crossing?

   
   1. When a train is approaching, stopping 15 to 50 feet from the tracks
   2. Only when a police officer is present at the crossing
   3. After entering the crossing, if the train horn sounds
   4. Within 5 feet of the nearest rail before looking
   Show answer

   When a train is approaching, stopping 15 to 50 feet from the tracks. When a train is coming, stop between 15 and 50 feet from the railroad tracks and wait until it has passed and the crossing is safe. Stopping on the tracks creates a severe hazard, and waiting for an officer or entering before reacting gives the driver too little room. Watch for lights, gates, flaggers, and the train itself. The distance range gives a clear stopping zone away from the rails.

8. 8. A Tennessee learner permit holder is driving with a licensed adult. Which action remains prohibited while the vehicle is moving?

   1. Checking the rearview mirror
   2. Watching the roadway ahead
   3. Signaling before changing lanes
   4. Using a handheld cell phone
   Show answer

   Using a handheld cell phone. A licensed adult in the front seat satisfies the supervision requirement, but it does not remove the handheld-device restriction. A learner permit holder must not use a handheld cell phone while operating the vehicle. Mirrors, signals, and visual attention are part of safe driving and remain necessary. The practical habit is to secure the phone before moving and pull over safely if communication or navigation needs attention.

9. 9. What should a pedestrian do when a signal displays DON'T WALK or a raised hand?

   1. Begin crossing if the nearest lane is clear
   2. Wait until the signal permits crossing
   3. Stand in the roadway until the next green light
   4. Cross only after waving to approaching drivers
   Show answer

   Wait until the signal permits crossing. A DON'T WALK message or raised hand means it is not safe to begin crossing the street or intersection. The choice allowing a crossing merely because one lane appears empty ignores traffic that may arrive from another direction. Wait for the pedestrian indication that permits movement, then check traffic while crossing. The raised hand is the visual cue that the crossing phase has ended for people who have not started.

10. 10. What are the consequences for a Tennessee teen with a learner permit convicted of using a cell phone while driving?

    1. A warning only
    2. A $500 fine and jail
    3. Only a letter to the parents
    4. A Class C misdemeanor, a $50 fine, 6 points and a 90-day delay in eligibility
    Show answer

    A Class C misdemeanor, a $50 fine, 6 points and a 90-day delay in eligibility. Tennessee bans any learner permit or intermediate license holder from using a cell phone while driving. A conviction is a Class C misdemeanor with a $50 fine, 6 points on the minor's record, and a 90-day delay in eligibility for the Intermediate Restricted License. Six points is also the level that triggers a proposed suspension for juvenile drivers. A warning or letter understates the penalty, and $500 with jail overstates it.

11. 11. A 19-year-old in Tennessee is convicted of trying to buy beer. What happens to the driving privilege?

    1. It is lost for one year
    2. Nothing, because the person was not driving
    3. It is lost for 30 days
    4. It is lost until age 21
    Show answer

    It is lost for one year. Drivers 18, 19 or 20 convicted of purchasing, attempting to purchase, or possessing alcohol lose the privilege to drive for one year, and a second time brings two years. The law applies to any alcohol-related conviction whether or not the person was driving or even in a vehicle. Thirty days is too short, and the loss is not tied to turning 21.

12. 12. What is the minimum age for a Tennessee learner permit?

    1. 14
    2. 15 and a half
    3. 16
    4. 15
    Show answer

    15. A Tennessee learner permit requires the applicant to be 15 years old and pass the written exams and a vision screening. Fourteen is the minimum age for a Class H hardship license, which is a different license. Sixteen is the age for the Intermediate Restricted License, and 15 and a half is not a Tennessee threshold. The permit must then be held for 180 days before moving up.

13. 13. During what period are car headlights required at night?

    1. Only between midnight and dawn
    2. From one hour after sunset until one hour before sunrise
    3. From 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise
    4. Only when another vehicle is within 500 feet
    Show answer

    From 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise. The manual gives a specific night-use period: headlights must be on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise. The one-hour and midnight choices change the stated boundaries, while the 500-foot distance concerns dimming high beams around other vehicles. Drivers may need headlights outside this period when visibility or weather requires them, but the required night-use window remains the half-hour rule.

14. 14. Under Tennessee's Implied Consent Law, a driver under arrest for DUI refuses the officer's request for a test. What suspension does the handbook say is the likely result?

    1. Twelve months
    2. 30 days
    3. 90 days
    4. Six months
    Show answer

    Twelve months. The handbook says that if you are placed under arrest and refuse an officer's request to take the test, it will likely result in the court suspending your driving privileges for twelve months. Thirty days, ninety days and six months are all shorter than that stated period. By driving in Tennessee you have already given consent to be tested. The No Refusal law, passed in 2012, also lets officers seek search warrants for blood samples, so refusing may not prevent a test.

15. 15. What is the smaller speed plate mounted beneath a Tennessee warning sign?

    1. A regulatory speed limit enforceable by ticket
    2. A minimum speed for the curve
    3. An advisory speed plate that supplements the warning sign
    4. A truck only speed restriction
    Show answer

    An advisory speed plate that supplements the warning sign. The little sign under a curve or turn warning is an advisory speed plate. It supplements the warning above it by telling you the speed at which the hazard can be handled comfortably in good conditions. It is not a posted regulatory limit, so it does not replace the black and white speed limit sign, and it is certainly not a minimum. It applies to every vehicle, not only trucks. In rain or at night the advisory number is the ceiling, not the target, and heavier or top heavy vehicles should go below it.

16. 16. Who has the right-of-way when a driver approaches railroad tracks?

    1. The vehicle that reaches the crossing first
    2. The vehicle traveling faster
    3. The train
    4. The driver closest to the center line
    Show answer

    The train. Tennessee requires drivers to yield the right-of-way to trains because a train cannot stop or swerve like a passenger vehicle. Reaching the crossing first, traveling faster, or being positioned near the center line does not change that priority. Slow well before the tracks, look and listen, and never race a train to the crossing. The large difference in stopping ability is the safety reason behind the rule, not a suggestion to negotiate.

17. 17. According to the Tennessee manual, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for at least how long?

    1. About 1 second
    2. A minimum of 5 seconds
    3. About 2 seconds
    4. At least 10 seconds
    Show answer

    A minimum of 5 seconds. The manual puts a hard number on texting so drivers stop guessing. Reading or sending a text takes your eyes off the road for a minimum of five seconds, and at highway speed that is longer than a football field covered blind. One or two seconds is what most people believe, which is exactly why the manual states the real figure. Ten seconds overstates it. The practical lesson is that no message is short enough to be safe while the vehicle is moving, so the phone stays down until you are stopped somewhere off the travel lanes.

18. 18. On a Tennessee interstate, how far behind the vehicle ahead should you stay, and how does that change in bad weather or at night?

    1. At least one second, doubled in rain
    2. Exactly one car length per 10 mph
    3. At least two seconds, increased to a minimum of four seconds
    4. At least ten seconds at all times
    Show answer

    At least two seconds, increased to a minimum of four seconds. Tennessee measures following distance in time, not car lengths. Two seconds is the floor on the interstate in good conditions, and the manual raises it to at least four seconds in bad weather, at night and on the faster rural sections. One second leaves no room for reaction, the car length rule is an old habit the manual does not use, and ten seconds is more than traffic will tolerate. Count from the moment the vehicle ahead passes a fixed object; if you reach it before the count ends, drop back.

19. 19. What action should a driver prepare for when approaching the pedestrian-crossing warning sign?

    
    1. Slow down and watch for people crossing
    2. Move onto the shoulder to bypass the crossing
    3. Accelerate before pedestrians reach the road
    4. Ignore the sign unless a signal is present
    Show answer

    Slow down and watch for people crossing. A pedestrian warning sign alerts you to people who may be crossing ahead. Slow down, scan the crossing and be prepared to yield or stop. Accelerating reduces the time available to react, while using the shoulder creates a separate hazard and may endanger people outside the travel lane. A traffic signal is not required for the warning to matter. Look for pedestrians, bicycles, and children near the roadway before continuing.

20. 20. What does the sharp right-angle arrow warn you to prepare for?

    
    1. A T-intersection controlled by a stop sign
    2. A rather sharp turn with a recommended speed of 30 mph or less
    3. A one-way street beginning at the next block
    4. A lane reserved for turning trucks
    Show answer

    A rather sharp turn with a recommended speed of 30 mph or less. The turn sign is used for a sharper change in direction than an ordinary curve and carries a recommended speed of 30 mph or less. Slow before the turn and follow any advisory speed plaque. It does not itself identify a T-intersection, one-way street, or truck-only lane. The tight arrow is the visual cue to enter with reduced speed, controlled steering, and enough room for the roadway alignment.