TN Permit Practice Test 8

All 20 questions in test 8

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. What fine does Tennessee list for an underage driving while impaired conviction?

   1. $50
   2. $250
   3. $350
   4. $1,000
   Show answer

   $250. A driver at least 16 but under 21 found driving with a BAC of .02 percent, or under the influence of alcohol or another intoxicant, is convicted of underage driving while impaired. The penalties are a one-year loss of license, a $250 fine, and sometimes public service work. Three hundred fifty dollars is the low end of the adult first DUI fine. Fifty dollars is the teen cell phone fine, and $1,000 is the child endangerment minimum.

2. 2. How often may a Tennessee driver use a Defensive Driving Course to avoid or shorten a suspension?

   1. Once a year
   2. As often as needed
   3. Only once in a lifetime
   4. Only once in any five-year period
   Show answer

   Only once in any five-year period. Drivers facing suspension may attend a Defensive Driving Course to avoid it or shorten it, but the option is available only once in any five-year period. Once a year and as often as needed are too generous, and once in a lifetime is too strict. A driver who used the course four years ago cannot use it again yet. If education, re-examination, restrictions and probation fail, the department suspends the driving privilege.

3. 3. What fine range does Tennessee list for a first DUI conviction?

   1. $350 to $1,500
   2. $50 to $250
   3. $600 to $3,500
   4. $3,000 to $15,000
   Show answer

   $350 to $1,500. The first DUI conviction fine ranges from $350 to $1,500, with at least 48 hours in jail and a one-year license revocation. The $600 to $3,500 range belongs to a second conviction, and $3,000 to $15,000 to a fourth or later conviction, a Class E felony. Fifty to 250 dollars is far below the law. Court costs, bond, attorney fees and higher insurance add thousands more.

4. 4. What license consequence does the Tennessee manual list for an under-21 impaired driving conviction?

   1. Losing the license for one month
   2. Losing the license for one year
   3. Receiving only a written warning
   4. Receiving a permanent lifetime revocation
   Show answer

   Losing the license for one year. For the under-21 impaired driving conviction described in the manual, the listed license consequence is loss of the license for one year. The same passage also names a $250 fine and sometimes public service work. A one-month suspension is too short, while a warning does not reflect the stated penalty. The manual does not describe this provision as an automatic lifetime revocation. Remember the one-year period together with the lower .02 BAC trigger, since the combination distinguishes this youth offense from the ordinary adult threshold.

5. 5. Under normal conditions, what minimum speed does Tennessee identify for the right interstate lanes?

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

   45 mph. The manual identifies 45 mph as the minimum speed limit in the right interstate lane or lanes under normal driving conditions. This is different from the 55 mph minimum mentioned for the leftmost lane and from the 70 mph maximum allowed on some interstate sections. Traffic congestion and safe flow can change what is practical, so the number should not be treated as a demand to drive too fast for conditions. If you cannot safely maintain the applicable minimum, the manual advises using another road.

6. 6. When a Tennessee driver license is suspended or revoked, within how many days must it be turned in to the Department of Safety?

   1. Within 90 days
   2. Within 48 hours
   3. Within 20 days
   4. It never has to be surrendered
   Show answer

   Within 20 days. A suspension or revocation is not complete until the physical card is back with the state. Tennessee gives the driver 20 days to turn the license in to the Department of Safety. Forty eight hours is the kind of window used for crash reporting elsewhere, and ninety days is far longer than the state allows. Keeping the card is not an option; holding a suspended license invites an additional charge if you are stopped. Send it in promptly and keep proof of the date.

7. 7. How many passengers may a Tennessee Intermediate Restricted License holder normally carry?

   1. No passengers at all
   2. Only one other passenger
   3. Up to two passengers
   4. Up to three passengers under 21
   Show answer

   Only one other passenger. An Intermediate Restricted driver may have only one other passenger unless one or more passengers is 21 or older with a valid unrestricted license, or the passengers are siblings living in the same home and the driver carries a parent's letter for school trips. No passengers at all is stricter than the law. Two or three passengers exceed the limit without an exception. The passenger rule lifts at the Intermediate Unrestricted level.

8. 8. On a multi-lane road, where can a stationary vehicle covered by Tennessee’s Move Over Law be located?

   1. Along either the left or right roadside in the driver’s direction
   2. Only on the left shoulder
   3. Only on the right shoulder
   4. Only in the median, never along the roadside
   Show answer

   Along either the left or right roadside in the driver’s direction. The Move Over requirement applies to stationary vehicles along the roadside in the direction the driver is traveling. That wording covers either side of a multi-lane roadway, so limiting the rule to the left shoulder is incorrect. A median-only interpretation also misses the roadside condition. The driver still needs two or more lanes moving in the same direction and must respond to flashing lights. Look for the stationary vehicle and its warning lights on either roadside, then change lanes or slow safely.

9. 9. Why should a driver maintain a space cushion around the vehicle?

   1. It guarantees that the vehicle ahead cannot change lanes
   2. It permits the driver to ignore the posted speed limit
   3. It provides room and time to brake or avoid hazards
   4. It allows the driver to use a phone without distraction
   Show answer

   It provides room and time to brake or avoid hazards. A space cushion gives a driver more time to see and react when another driver makes a mistake or a hazard develops. Following closely blocks the view of traffic and road conditions and leaves less room for braking. The cushion does not control the vehicle ahead, excuse speeding, or make phone use safe. The practical cue is to increase the gap whenever speed, weather, visibility, or traffic makes stopping more difficult.

10. 10. What condition does the skidding-car warning sign identify?

    
    1. A racing area begins ahead
    2. Loose gravel is guaranteed across the lane
    3. The pavement may be slippery when wet
    4. A tire inspection station is nearby
    Show answer

    The pavement may be slippery when wet. The skidding-car symbol warns that wet pavement may be slippery. Reduce speed smoothly, increase your following space, and avoid abrupt steering or braking. It does not mark a racing area, guarantee gravel, or identify a service station. Fresh rain can make roadway oils especially hazardous, so use the warning before the surface looks dangerous. The sign is a prompt to preserve traction, not a signal to stop in the lane.

11. 11. How should a Tennessee intersection be handled when its traffic signal is not working?

    1. Treat it as an uncontrolled intersection without stopping
    2. Give priority to vehicles going straight
    3. Proceed at the normal signal speed
    4. Treat it as an all-way stop intersection
    Show answer

    Treat it as an all-way stop intersection. A nonworking signal must be treated as an all-way stop intersection in Tennessee. Drivers should stop as they would at stop signs in every direction and wait until it is safe to proceed. The absence of lights does not turn the crossing into a free-flowing uncontrolled intersection, and straight-moving vehicles do not receive automatic priority. Reduce speed as you approach, make a complete stop, then apply the normal all-way-stop order. The important visual cue is the dark or malfunctioning signal, which changes the intersection procedure immediately.

12. 12. What phone rule applies to a Tennessee driver with a learner permit or intermediate license?

    1. The driver may not use a cell phone while driving
    2. The driver may use any phone after dark
    3. The driver may make hands-free calls without restriction
    4. The driver may text when traffic is stopped
    Show answer

    The driver may not use a cell phone while driving. Tennessee prohibits a learner permit or intermediate license holder from using a cell phone while driving on any Tennessee roadway. The manual's teen rule is broader than a ban on holding the device, so switching to hands-free calling does not create the unrestricted exception offered by one choice. Darkness and stopped traffic do not authorize texting. The cue is the license category: permit and intermediate drivers should keep the phone unused while the vehicle is being driven, regardless of the particular phone function.

13. 13. When does a Tennessee driver have a duty to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk?

    1. Only when the crosswalk has painted stripes
    2. Only when a crossing guard is present
    3. Only after the pedestrian reaches the center line
    4. When the pedestrian is in a marked or unmarked crosswalk
    Show answer

    When the pedestrian is in a marked or unmarked crosswalk. Tennessee's pedestrian rule applies when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk, whether that crossing is marked or unmarked. Painted lines are not the only cue, so the painted-stripes-only answer would leave people unprotected at lawful but unpainted crossings. A crossing guard and the pedestrian's location at the center line are not prerequisites. Slow early, watch both sides of the roadway, and be prepared to stop before the crosswalk. The driver must also account for pedestrians approaching closely enough from the opposite half of the road to be in danger.

14. 14. How many crashes each year are linked to cell phone use while driving, according to the Tennessee manual?

    1. 1.6 million
    2. About 100
    3. About 50 million
    4. About 10,000
    Show answer

    1.6 million. Cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes every year, and distracted driving killed 3,142 people in 2019. In Tennessee a distracted driving crash happens every 26 minutes and 13 seconds. The state's Hands Free law makes holding a phone a primary offense, and teens with learner or intermediate licenses may not use a phone at all. Sending a text takes the eyes off the road for several seconds at a time.

15. 15. Which Tennessee signs use red as their background color?

    1. All regulatory signs
    2. Guide signs to parks and services
    3. Warning signs for curves
    4. STOP, DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY signs and Interstate route markers
    Show answer

    STOP, DO NOT ENTER and WRONG WAY signs and Interstate route markers. Red backgrounds are reserved for a short list of high consequence messages: STOP, the FOUR WAY and ALL WAY plates under it, DO NOT ENTER, WRONG WAY, and the shield shape on Interstate route markers. Most regulatory signs use a white background with black or red legend, curve warnings are yellow, and park and service guide signs are brown or blue. When a red field appears in your headlights at night, the manual wants an immediate reaction, because it usually means you are about to enter a road the wrong way.

16. 16. What background color does Tennessee use for warning signs and school signs?

    1. White
    2. Green
    3. Blue
    4. Yellow, except where orange is specified
    Show answer

    Yellow, except where orange is specified. Yellow is the warning color. Curve, intersection, pedestrian and animal crossing signs sit on a yellow field, and school signs use yellow or its fluorescent yellow green variant. Orange replaces yellow only in construction and maintenance zones. White backgrounds belong to regulatory signs, green to guide signs with directions and distances, and blue to motorist services. Reading color first lets you sort a sign into warn, command or inform from far away.

17. 17. A traffic officer directs you to stop while your signal is green. What must you do?

    1. Proceed because the green signal has priority
    2. Stop and follow the officer's direction
    3. Ignore the officer if no warning sign is present
    4. Stop only if another vehicle also stops
    Show answer

    Stop and follow the officer's direction. Drivers must obey a traffic officer's direction even when it conflicts with the displayed signal. The officer may be managing a crash, work zone, special event, blocked lane, or another condition the signal cannot address. A green light does not give permission to disregard that instruction. Stop where directed without blocking a crosswalk or intersection, then proceed only when the officer signals that it is safe. The practical cue is to treat the person actively controlling traffic as the immediate authority.

18. 18. Before entering a reversible lane, a driver should first:

    1. Enter only when the lane has a solid white line
    2. Assume the lane is always open in both directions
    3. Check which lanes are open for that direction at that time
    4. Use the lane to pass traffic traveling in either direction
    Show answer

    Check which lanes are open for that direction at that time. A reversible lane changes its permitted direction at different times. Drivers must check the signs, overhead signals, or other controls to determine whether the lane is available for their direction before entering. Assuming it is always open or using it for passing ignores the time-specific control. If the indication is unclear, remain in a regular lane until the direction of travel is plainly established.

19. 19. When should a driver use a turn signal even if no other vehicle is visible?

    1. Only when turning across a traffic lane
    2. Only after another driver begins to approach
    3. Whenever changing direction, including a lane change or turn
    4. Only at intersections controlled by traffic lights
    Show answer

    Whenever changing direction, including a lane change or turn. Tennessee’s defensive driving guidance says to signal whenever you plan to change directions. That includes changing lanes, turning, entering an interstate, pulling away from a curb, or moving off the side of the road. Waiting until another vehicle appears defeats the warning purpose because a cyclist, pedestrian, or driver may be outside the first glance. Signal early enough for others to understand the intended movement.

20. 20. What does the red circle and slash over the left-turn arrow tell a Tennessee driver?

    
    1. Left turns are prohibited where the sign is posted
    2. Left turns are required at the next intersection
    3. Only trucks may turn left there
    4. The left lane ends ahead
    Show answer

    Left turns are prohibited where the sign is posted. A red circle with a diagonal slash marks the pictured action as prohibited, so this sign bars a left turn at its location. It does not require a turn, reserve the maneuver for trucks, or announce a lane ending. Treat the restriction as applying to the movement shown by the arrow, and continue only in a permitted direction. A useful roadside cue is to read the symbol inside the slash before reacting to the sign’s color or shape.