VT Permit Practice Test 9

All 20 questions in test 9

Every question below comes from the Vermont 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. You notice a dangerous condition at a railroad crossing. What does Vermont tell you to do with the emergency sign posted there?

   1. Ignore it, because only railroad workers may use it
   2. Drive across quickly, then report it later
   3. Call the number listed on the sign
   4. Report it to the next police officer you happen to see
   Show answer

   Call the number listed on the sign. Vermont says that if a dangerous condition exists at a rail crossing, you should call the number listed on the emergency sign. This lets the rail company stop or reroute approaching rail traffic until the hazard is removed. When you call, be sure to give the posted crossing number so the hazard can be identified correctly. Waiting to tell someone later leaves trains heading toward the hazard, and a vehicle may be driven across the tracks only when it is safe to do so.

   Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

2. 2. How early should you signal before a turn or lane change to meet Vermont’s timing guidance?

   1. Only after entering the intersection
   2. Three to five seconds before the action
   3. One second before moving the wheel
   4. After the lane change is complete
   Show answer

   Three to five seconds before the action. The manual explains that signaling three to five seconds before a turn or lane change covers Vermont’s not-less-than-100-foot requirement. Signaling after entry or after the maneuver gives surrounding road users little useful warning, and one second may not provide enough notice at ordinary speed. Begin the signal early, confirm mirrors and blind spots, and keep watching traffic while preparing to turn or move over. The timing cue is a short count of several seconds before the maneuver begins.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping, braking and following distance

3. 3. How much following distance should a Vermont driver keep behind a horse and rider or herded animals?

   1. At least a 4 second following distance
   2. At least 1 second
   3. At least 10 seconds
   4. No set distance, just a car length
   Show answer

   At least a 4 second following distance. When following a horse with a rider, a horse and wagon, or herded animals, leave at least a four second following distance. The manual asks drivers to reduce speed, and possibly stop, so the animals are not frightened. Never blow the horn or rev the engine near them, use the full traffic lane to pass completely, and never cut quickly back into your lane. Careless driving around such animals can bring a fine or imprisonment for negligent operation.

   Study this in the handbook: Bicyclists, motorcycles, trucks and animals

4. 4. Where should you stop when a police vehicle is stopping you?

   1. In the left lane beside the police vehicle
   2. In the center median of a divided highway
   3. In the intersection so the officer has a clear view
   4. As close as safely possible to the right side, outside an intersection
   Show answer

   As close as safely possible to the right side, outside an intersection. The police-stop procedure calls for moving as close as safely possible to the right side of the road. It also specifically says not to stop in an intersection or pull into the center median of a divided highway. Those locations can obstruct traffic or expose both vehicles to unnecessary danger. Choose a visible, safe position at the right edge, keep your belt fastened, limit movement, and wait for the officer’s instructions. The roadway position is part of handling the stop safely.

   Study this in the handbook: Emergency vehicles, Move Over and police stops

5. 5. Before entering an intersection, what must a Vermont driver do?

   1. Enter first whenever the vehicle is traveling on the wider road
   2. Search in all directions and make sure there is a clear path
   3. Look only left because traffic from the right must yield
   4. Accelerate through without checking if the signal is green
   Show answer

   Search in all directions and make sure there is a clear path. The manual calls for a complete visual search before entering any intersection and requires a clear path. A wider road does not automatically grant priority, and looking only one way can miss a vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist. Even a green signal does not remove the need to observe conditions before proceeding. Build the habit at every crossing: scan left, right, and ahead, verify that the intended path is open, and then move at a controlled speed. The all-directions check is the key safety cue.

   Study this in the handbook: Stopping, braking and following distance

6. 6. A tow truck is stopped on the roadside with amber flashing lights. How should you approach it?

   1. Keep your speed because amber lights are only a warning
   2. Stop behind it until it leaves
   3. Use your horn to alert the driver
   4. Use the same caution as for a stopped police or emergency vehicle
   Show answer

   Use the same caution as for a stopped police or emergency vehicle. Vermont's Move Over Law is not only for police and emergency vehicles. The manual notes that towing and repair vehicles usually have amber colored flashing lights, and you must use the same caution and procedures when you approach them stopped. That means you proceed with caution and slow down, and on a four lane highway such as an Interstate, you change lanes if you can do so safely. Keeping full speed ignores the rule, and stopping behind the truck is not the required procedure. A horn does not replace slowing down and moving over.

   Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights, arrows and roundabouts

7. 7. Where can a person take Vermont's learner permit test?

   1. Only at a DMV office
   2. Online through the DMV website
   3. Only through a private driving school
   4. At a town clerk's office
   Show answer

   Online through the DMV website. The learner permit test is administered online through Vermont DMV's website, so an applicant should plan for an online test rather than an office appointment for that step. A DMV office visit is not the route described for taking the permit test. The manual also distinguishes this test from the road test, which still involves an examiner and a vehicle. A useful planning cue is to review the online testing instructions at mydmv.vermont.gov before beginning the application process.

8. 8. How many points does Vermont assess for failing to stop for a stop sign or red light?

   1. 8 points
   2. 4 points
   3. 5 points
   4. 2 points
   Show answer

   2 points. Vermont assesses 2 points for failure to stop for a stop sign or red light, the same as driving without a license. Four points is for failing to obey a police officer or to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and five points is for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle or failing to stop for a school bus. Eight points is the top of the speeding range.

   Study this in the handbook: Insurance, points and phone laws

9. 9. What does this school sign warn you that you are approaching?

   
   1. A school bus garage
   2. A playground with no crossing
   3. A school or school crossing
   4. A zone where children may not cross
   Show answer

   A school or school crossing. Vermont tells drivers to be particularly alert at all times for children and pedestrians in a school zone, and to watch for school buses arriving and departing. Signs or flashing lights warn you that you are approaching a school or school crossing. Many school zones have lower speed limits. Regular school hours are not the only time children are present, because after school and weekend activities often take place at schools.

   Study this in the handbook: Right of way rules

10. 10. A school bus ahead turns on alternately flashing yellow lights and begins slowing down. What does this mean?

    1. The bus is about to stop for students, so prepare to stop
    2. You should pass the bus quickly before it stops
    3. The bus has broken down and needs help
    4. The bus has finished loading and will speed up
    Show answer

    The bus is about to stop for students, so prepare to stop. Vermont school buses use two sets of warning lights. When a bus is about to pick up or discharge students, the driver turns on the alternately flashing yellow lights and begins slowing down. That is your signal to prepare to stop. After the bus stops, the driver turns on the alternately flashing red lights, and then you must stop and not pass. Speeding up to get around the bus during the yellow lights ignores the warning to prepare to stop. The yellow lights do not mean the bus has broken down or finished loading.

    Study this in the handbook: School buses and railroad crossings

11. 11. A Vermont license has been expired for more than three years. What must the driver do to get a new one?

    1. Pay a late fee only
    2. Take the vision, written and road tests
    3. Take the written test only
    4. Renew online
    Show answer

    Take the vision, written and road tests. If your license has been expired for more than three years, or you do not have an out of state license, you will have to take the vision, written and road tests. The renewal section says the same thing for a Vermont license: once it has been expired more than three years, you must be tested again to obtain a new license. Separately, a Vermont license expired for more than 14 days is not valid for driving, so a lapsed driver should not get behind the wheel.

12. 12. When may a driver enter a Vermont roundabout?

    
    1. When there is a safe gap in circulating traffic
    2. Only after stopping for every vehicle already inside
    3. Whenever the vehicle has reached the entrance line
    4. Only when a traffic signal gives permission
    Show answer

    When there is a safe gap in circulating traffic. Drivers must yield to traffic already in the roundabout and enter only when a safe gap exists. Reaching the entrance line is not automatic permission to go. The manual frames entry around yielding and finding a safe opening, not stopping for each vehicle inside. It does not describe a traffic signal granting entry; the safe gap is the cue. Slow before entering, scan for users inside, and signal when preparing to exit.

    Study this in the handbook: Traffic lights, arrows and roundabouts

13. 13. Before receiving a Vermont junior driver's license, how many classroom hours must an approved driver education course include?

    1. 40 hours
    2. 10 hours
    3. 20 hours
    4. 30 hours
    Show answer

    30 hours. Applicants who are 16 or 17 must complete an approved driver education course with 30 hours of classroom study, plus six hours behind the wheel and six hours of observation. The 40-hour figure belongs to additional driving practice, not classroom instruction. A study plan should keep those requirements separate because course hours do not replace the required practice log. The cue is the category attached to the number: classroom study is 30 hours, while practice behind the wheel is a different requirement.

    Study this in the handbook: Learner's Permit and Junior Driver's License

14. 14. What is the purpose of highway markings in Vermont?

    1. They help position vehicles, direct traffic, and show when passing is allowed
    2. They replace every traffic sign at an intersection
    3. They authorize drivers to ignore posted speed limits
    4. They identify only locations where emergency vehicles park
    Show answer

    They help position vehicles, direct traffic, and show when passing is allowed. Highway markings provide several kinds of guidance: they help position a vehicle, direct it through situations, show when passing is allowed, and warn of upcoming conditions. They do not replace every sign, cancel a posted limit, or serve only as emergency-vehicle parking markers. A concrete cue is to read pavement as traffic information. Check the color, whether a line is solid or broken, and which side of the marking you occupy before passing or changing lanes.

    Study this in the handbook: Turn signals and turning

15. 15. How often must a Vermont vehicle be inspected?

    1. Every six months
    2. Once in five years
    3. Once in two years
    4. Once a year
    Show answer

    Once a year. Vermont requires a vehicle inspection once a year. The inspection checks the vehicle at least annually, but the owner must continue keeping it in working condition between inspections. A two-year or five-year cycle would leave a vehicle unchecked for too long. The manual also provides a registration cue: motor vehicles must be inspected within 15 days of registration unless they already carry a valid Vermont inspection sticker.

    Study this in the handbook: Equipment, inspection and maintenance

16. 16. What does Vermont's implied consent law mean for a licensed driver?

    1. The driver agrees to have the vehicle searched when an officer asks at a traffic stop
    2. The driver agrees that a license can never be suspended for refusing a test
    3. The driver agrees to take an alcohol or drug test when an officer asks based on suspected impairment
    4. The driver agrees to take a driving skills test again after any crash
    Show answer

    The driver agrees to take an alcohol or drug test when an officer asks based on suspected impairment. By accepting a license, a driver is treated as agreeing to say yes to a test when a police officer thinks alcohol or other drugs may be affecting driving. Refusal is not consequence-free: the manual says the license will be lost for at least six months. The rule concerns alcohol or drug testing, not a vehicle search or a repeat driving test, and it does not wait for a criminal conviction. The key cue is license possession carries this testing obligation.

    Study this in the handbook: Alcohol, drugs and implied consent

17. 17. How does a wet, icy, or gravel road affect a vehicle's braking distance?

    1. It makes the braking distance much longer
    2. It makes the braking distance shorter
    3. It has no effect if the tires are new
    4. It changes only the reaction distance
    Show answer

    It makes the braking distance much longer. The manual warns that on wet, icy, or gravel roads the braking distance will be much longer. Braking distance is the travel from the moment the brakes are applied until the vehicle stops, and it varies with road conditions. Reaction distance is the travel that happens before the brake is applied, and it grows with speed. New tires are not described as removing the effect of a slippery surface. When rain first starts, oil, rubber, dirt, and water combine to make roads especially slippery. Slow down early and leave extra room before a stop.

    Study this in the handbook: Stopping, braking and following distance

18. 18. During the first three months of a Vermont Junior Driver's License, the teen drives with a licensed, unimpaired 30-year-old in the front seat. How many passengers may ride?

    1. None besides the adult
    2. Only one
    3. No set number, but no more than there are safety belts
    4. Only immediate family
    Show answer

    No set number, but no more than there are safety belts. In the first three months, a junior operator is restricted to driving alone unless a qualified person rides in the front seat: a licensed unimpaired parent or guardian, a driver education instructor, or a licensed unimpaired person 25 or older. When one of them is in the vehicle, there is no restriction on the number of passengers, but the driver may not carry more passengers than there are safety belts. Family-only is the rule for the second three months.

    Study this in the handbook: Junior license passenger rules and recalls

19. 19. At a Vermont four-way stop, the first vehicle to arrive should have:

    
    1. Priority only after honking
    2. The duty to reverse before proceeding
    3. The right-of-way
    4. No priority unless a signal is green
    Show answer

    The right-of-way. At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to arrive should have the right-of-way. The reverse-before-proceeding and honking choices invent procedures that do not decide priority, while a green signal is not part of a four-way stop. If two vehicles arrive at approximately the same time from different directions, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. A concrete cue is arrival order first, right-side priority for a tie. Stop fully, observe the sequence, and let the rule settle the movement before entering.

    Study this in the handbook: Right of way rules

20. 20. Which example does Vermont give for a warning sign that includes a distance?

    1. “Stop here for 15 seconds”
    2. “Deer Crossing, next 3 miles”
    3. “Parking allowed for 2 hours”
    4. “Passing lane begins in 1 mile”
    Show answer

    “Deer Crossing, next 3 miles”. Vermont uses “Deer Crossing, next 3 miles” as an example of a warning sign that supplies distance information. The message tells the driver that the hazard may continue through the stated stretch, so attention and speed control should continue beyond the sign itself. The other phrases are not the example given in the manual and describe unrelated stopping, parking, or passing ideas. When a distance appears with a warning, keep scanning for the named condition for the full indicated area rather than assuming it ends at the sign.

    Study this in the handbook: Road signs