TX Permit Practice Test 5

All 20 questions in test 5

Every question below comes from the Texas 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 closely may you follow a fire truck answering an alarm with flashing red lights?

   1. You may follow within 100 feet if traffic is light
   2. You must stay at least 500 feet behind it
   3. You may follow closely after changing lanes
   4. There is no stated following restriction
   Show answer

   You must stay at least 500 feet behind it. Texas prohibits following within 500 feet of a fire truck answering an alarm when its flashing red lights are on. The distance protects emergency operations and gives the truck room to maneuver, stop, or change direction without a civilian vehicle crowding it. The smaller 100-foot option is not the handbook rule, and changing lanes does not remove the restriction. Use the flashing red lights as the cue to create substantial space and choose another route or speed until the emergency vehicle is well ahead.

2. 2. What must a driver do when bad weather or low visibility affects normal driving conditions?

   1. Adjust speed and following distance to help avoid crashes
   2. Use the posted maximum as a required speed
   3. Stop in the travel lane whenever clouds appear
   4. Keep the posted speed and shorten the gap ahead
   Show answer

   Adjust speed and following distance to help avoid crashes. Posted limits are designed for normal conditions, so heavy traffic, bad weather, and low visibility require a driver to adjust both speed and following distance. The point is to preserve time and traction when hazards are harder to see or a vehicle needs more room to stop. Holding the maximum speed or shortening the gap removes that safety margin. A driver does not need to stop merely because clouds appear, but should make a deliberate reduction whenever conditions make ordinary speed unsafe.

3. 3. What do regulatory traffic signs help protect?

   1. Only the appearance of road surfaces
   2. Only vehicles traveling after dark
   3. The age of every licensed driver
   4. The safety of all road users
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   The safety of all road users. Regulatory signs communicate rules that guide driver behavior, and the handbook notes that these signs help protect the safety of all road users. Their purpose is broader than road appearance, driver age, or nighttime travel. Read the sign as an instruction that applies to the traffic situation around you, then obey the required or prohibited movement. A sign may control turning, lane use, parking, or another action, so do not assume its message is limited to one type of vehicle or one time of day.

4. 4. Why are traffic control devices used in construction and maintenance work zones?

   1. To replace every permanent traffic law in the state
   2. To allow drivers to ignore workers when no lane is closed
   3. To mark only locations where tolls are collected
   4. To direct road users safely through the work zone and protect workers
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   To direct road users safely through the work zone and protect workers. Work-zone traffic control devices direct drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians safely through the work zone and provide for worker safety. Their purpose is broader than replacing permanent laws, excusing caution when a lane remains open, or identifying toll collection points. Signs, barricades, panels, drums, cones, arrow panels, and flag individuals can guide traffic through changing conditions. Orange devices are an early cue to slow down, read temporary directions, and watch for workers or equipment.

5. 5. What does a posted speed limit represent during normal driving conditions?

   1. A recommendation that applies only to new drivers
   2. A speed that may be ignored during clear weather
   3. The maximum or minimum speed drivers are required to obey
   4. A guaranteed safe speed for every road condition
   Show answer

   The maximum or minimum speed drivers are required to obey. Texas requires drivers to obey posted minimum and maximum speed limits, and those limits are designed for orderly traffic under normal conditions. They are not optional recommendations, and a posted maximum is not a promise that the speed is safe during rain, congestion, or poor visibility. The useful cue is to read the sign together with the road conditions: obey its legal limit, then adjust speed and following distance when the environment demands more caution. That adjustment does not turn the sign into a suggestion.

6. 6. What should drivers expect from mail, delivery, and trash-collection vehicles?

   1. They always remain in the far-left lane
   2. They may be passed only on a railroad crossing
   3. They must use a siren before stopping
   4. They may make frequent stops in the roadway
   Show answer

   They may make frequent stops in the roadway. Mail, delivery, and trash-collection vehicles often stop in the roadway as they serve different addresses. A driver should anticipate repeated interruptions rather than assuming the lane will remain clear. The far-left-lane choice invents a lane rule, and the railroad-crossing choice attaches an unrelated restriction. A siren is not required for these service stops. When one appears ahead, reduce speed, scan for workers and equipment, and prepare for a safe lane change or cautious pass when conditions permit.

7. 7. Which situations can a Texas warning sign announce?

   1. Only a posted speed limit change
   2. Only a service facility at the next exit
   3. A road hazard, change in direction, or another situation ahead
   4. Only a railroad crossing
   Show answer

   A road hazard, change in direction, or another situation ahead. Warning signs alert drivers to conditions immediately ahead and tell them what to look for. Examples include road hazards, changes in direction, or another situation requiring attention. A service facility, speed limit change, or railroad crossing may have its own sign, but none describes the general purpose of every warning sign. Read the symbol early, scan for the condition, and prepare to adjust speed or position before reaching it.

8. 8. What should you do if an emergency vehicle approaches and you cannot pull to the right edge?

   1. Slow down and leave a clear path for it
   2. Speed up until the emergency vehicle turns away
   3. Stop across both lanes immediately
   4. Continue at the same speed in the center of the road
   Show answer

   Slow down and leave a clear path for it. Texas directs drivers who cannot pull to the right to slow down and leave a clear path for the approaching emergency vehicle. The goal is to make room for the police car, fire truck, ambulance, or other responder without creating a second obstruction. Stopping across lanes or holding speed can trap the emergency vehicle, while accelerating does not guarantee that its path will open. Watch the vehicle's approach, reduce speed smoothly, and keep the available route unobstructed until it passes.

9. 9. When may a driver cross a broken line on a two-way road?

   1. Whenever the driver wants to avoid traffic
   2. Only after stopping for ten seconds
   3. When passing another vehicle or when the right half is closed, if safe
   4. Never under any circumstance
   Show answer

   When passing another vehicle or when the right half is closed, if safe. On a two-way rural road, a driver may cross a broken line when passing another vehicle or when the right half of the road is closed, provided the maneuver is safe. The marking creates a possible crossing opportunity, not a blanket invitation to move across whenever traffic is inconvenient. A ten-second stop is not required, and saying never ignores the handbook's listed situations. Check oncoming traffic, sight distance, roadway condition, and the line itself before crossing, then return to the proper side when the maneuver is complete.

10. 10. When a railroad signal warns of an approaching train, where must a Texas driver stop?

    1. Within 5 feet of the rail
    2. At least 100 feet from the crossing
    3. Between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail
    4. Anywhere behind the crossbuck
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    Between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail. When approaching a railroad grade crossing, stop between 15 and 50 feet from the nearest rail if a clearly visible railroad signal warns of an approaching train, a crossing gate is lowered or a flag person warns of a train, a driver is required to stop by an official traffic control device, or a train is approaching. Five feet is too close and 100 feet is outside the window. Stay stopped until the train has cleared and the signals stop.

11. 11. What does a steady yellow traffic light warn drivers about?

    1. The intersection must remain closed
    2. A protected turn is active
    3. The signal grants unlimited passage
    4. The light is about to change to red
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    The light is about to change to red. A steady yellow light warns drivers to use caution and alerts them that the signal is about to change to red. When a safe stop can be made, the driver must stop before entering the nearest crosswalk. The yellow display is not a protected-turn indication, does not grant unlimited passage, and does not mean the intersection is permanently closed. Watch the distance to the stop line and the traffic behind you, then decide whether stopping can be completed safely. If it cannot, proceed cautiously before the light turns red.

12. 12. A green arrow appears at the same time as a red light. What may the driver do?

    1. Proceed without checking because the arrow grants absolute priority
    2. Remain stopped until every signal turns green
    3. Turn in any direction permitted by the lane
    4. Proceed in the arrow's direction after yielding to traffic and pedestrians
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    Proceed in the arrow's direction after yielding to traffic and pedestrians. A green arrow shown with a red light permits movement in the arrow's direction, but the driver must proceed carefully after yielding to other vehicles and pedestrians. The arrow controls the permitted direction; it does not erase the duty to check the intersection. Remaining stopped until every signal changes would ignore the protected movement, while turning elsewhere exceeds what the arrow authorizes. The visual cue is the combination of signals: follow the arrow, scan the path, yield as required, and then complete only that movement.

13. 13. What do white crosswalk lines indicate?

    1. A lane reserved for buses
    2. Pedestrian crossing areas
    3. A no-passing zone
    4. A railroad stopping distance
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    Pedestrian crossing areas. White crosswalk lines identify areas where pedestrians cross the road. A driver should scan the marked space, watch for people entering it, and be ready to stop when the surrounding traffic control requires it. The marking is not a bus lane, a center-line passing restriction, or a railroad measurement. The most useful roadside cue is the pair or set of white lines across the lane: reduce distractions near the crossing and give a person in the marked area the attention and space needed to cross safely.

14. 14. What must a driver do at a steady red light before making an otherwise permitted right turn?

    1. Stop before the crosswalk or intersection and yield
    2. Turn immediately without yielding to pedestrians
    3. Roll through if no cross traffic is visible
    4. Wait for a green arrow in every case
    Show answer

    Stop before the crosswalk or intersection and yield. At a steady red light, the driver must stop before entering the crosswalk or intersection. A right turn may be made unless prohibited by law, but the driver must yield to pedestrians and other traffic lawfully using the intersection. Rolling through fails the required stop, and an empty-looking roadway does not remove the duty to check. A green arrow is not required for every permitted right turn. The cue is red first: stop at the proper point, confirm the turn is allowed, then yield before moving.

15. 15. How should you treat right-of-way when another driver does not follow the expected rule?

    1. Insist on proceeding because the rule favors you
    2. Give that driver the right-of-way to avoid a conflict
    3. Sound the horn and accelerate through first
    4. Stop forever until the other driver leaves
    Show answer

    Give that driver the right-of-way to avoid a conflict. Texas explains that right-of-way is something given, not taken. Even when a rule appears to favor your movement, another driver may misunderstand, fail to see you, or act unpredictably. Giving way can prevent a collision and is more important than proving that your vehicle was entitled to proceed. Accelerating or using the horn to force priority can turn a small mistake into a crash, while waiting forever is unnecessary. The cue is uncertainty: reduce speed, make the conflict predictable, and continue once the path is clearly safe.

16. 16. What should you do when vision is limited by darkness or bad weather?

    1. Keep your speed within the distance you can see ahead
    2. Follow closely so another vehicle guides you
    3. Use the shoulder as extra stopping room
    4. Drive faster than the visible distance to clear the area
    Show answer

    Keep your speed within the distance you can see ahead. The handbook says a driver should always be able to stop within the distance visible ahead. Darkness, rain, fog, or another visibility problem shortens that usable distance, so speed and following distance must be reduced instead of driving beyond what the eyes can detect. Following closely does not make hazards visible and can eliminate your braking margin. The shoulder is not a substitute for planning. Use the visible roadway as your limit, scan farther ahead, and slow before the available sight distance becomes too short.

17. 17. What does the Texas Standard Colors table explain?

    1. How to calculate a driver’s BAC
    2. What commonly used road-sign colors mean
    3. When a vehicle inspection expires
    4. Which lane a bicycle must use
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    What commonly used road-sign colors mean. The Standard Colors table explains the meanings of colors commonly used on road signs. Color gives a driver quick context, but the full sign message, shape, and roadway situation still determine the needed response. The table is not a guide to BAC calculations, inspection expiration, or bicycle lane placement. When a color appears ahead, use it as an initial cue, then read the sign and check the surrounding traffic condition before acting.

18. 18. What should drivers do when they see vehicles stopped on the road?

    1. Assume every stopped vehicle is legally parked
    2. Pass without checking adjacent traffic
    3. Be observant and proceed with caution
    4. Stop in the opposing lane
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    Be observant and proceed with caution. Drivers should be observant of vehicles stopped on the road and proceed with caution. Mail, delivery, and trash-collection vehicles may stop frequently, creating a changing hazard that requires a careful pass. The other choices either assume safety, remove the needed traffic check, or place the driver in an opposing lane. Scan ahead, check mirrors and surrounding traffic, then change lanes only if the path is clear and the maneuver can be completed safely.

19. 19. When a school bus displays alternately flashing red lights, what must approaching drivers do?

    1. Slow down and pass if no child is visible
    2. Stop and wait until the bus resumes, signals, or stops flashing red
    3. Stop only when approaching from behind the bus
    4. Pass after the first red flash
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    Stop and wait until the bus resumes, signals, or stops flashing red. Drivers approaching a school bus from either direction must stop when its alternately flashing red lights are displayed. They may not pass until the bus resumes motion, the driver signals them to proceed, or the red lights are no longer flashing. Visibility of children does not change the rule, and stopping applies from either direction unless the handbook's separate controlled-access exception applies. The cue is the alternating red display: stop before reaching the bus, remain stopped, and wait for one of the listed release conditions.

20. 20. Which vehicles must display the slow-moving vehicle emblem?

    1. Vehicles designed to operate at 25 mph or less
    2. Every vehicle traveling below the posted speed
    3. Only passenger cars on rural roads
    4. Vehicles traveling above 45 mph
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    Vehicles designed to operate at 25 mph or less. The slow-moving vehicle emblem is required for vehicles designed to operate at a maximum speed of 25 mph or less. That category includes farm, construction, and other machinery, not every ordinary vehicle that happens to be traveling slowly in traffic. The emblem warns approaching drivers that the vehicle's normal operating speed is limited, so they should identify it early and pass only when the roadway allows. Use the 25 mph design limit as the cue, rather than the vehicle's temporary speed at one moment.