WA Permit Practice Test 1

All 20 questions in test 1

Every question below comes from the Washington 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. Which locations are examples of services shown by Washington service signs?

   1. Hiking trails, picnic spaces, and ski areas
   2. Hospitals, electric vehicle charging stations, and rest areas
   3. Cities, airports, and state lines
   4. Curves, hills, and slippery pavement
   Show answer

   Hospitals, electric vehicle charging stations, and rest areas. Service signs point to facilities that help motorists during a trip. The guide names hospitals, electric vehicle charging stations, and rest areas. Hiking trails belong to recreation signs, cities and airports are examples of destination information, and curves or slippery pavement are roadway warnings. Identify the sign category before choosing a route or stopping place, and continue obeying any speed or lane controls nearby.

2. 2. What does a dashed white line between lanes mean?

   1. The lanes carry traffic in opposite directions
   2. You may cross it to change lanes if safe
   3. You must remain in the lane until it ends
   4. It marks a railroad crossing
   Show answer

   You may cross it to change lanes if safe. A dashed white line separates lanes moving in the same direction and may be crossed for a lane change when the movement is safe. Yellow lines separate opposing traffic, so the dashed white marking is not a centerline or a railroad warning. The solid-line rule is more restrictive because it tells you to stay in the lane unless a special situation requires a change. Before moving, check mirrors and the blind zone, signal, and confirm that another vehicle is not entering the same space. The broken white pattern permits, but does not force, a change.

3. 3. A traffic signal in Washington is flashing red. What must you do?

   1. Slow down and continue without stopping
   2. Stop only if a pedestrian is visible
   3. Treat it as a stop sign, stop fully, then proceed when it is your turn
   4. Turn left immediately if the intersection looks empty
   Show answer

   Treat it as a stop sign, stop fully, then proceed when it is your turn. A flashing red light has the same meaning as a stop sign. Come to a full stop, then proceed when it is your turn and the intersection is safe. Merely slowing down does not meet the requirement, and an empty-looking intersection does not remove the duty to stop. The cue is red plus flashing: stop at the line, crosswalk, or corner, check all directions, and yield before moving.

4. 4. What should you do when a traffic signal is not working?

   1. Wait for a police officer before moving under any circumstance
   2. Continue through because the signal gives no instruction
   3. Treat the intersection like a four way stop and yield to traffic on your right
   4. Use the intersection as though you have a green light
   Show answer

   Treat the intersection like a four way stop and yield to traffic on your right. A dark or malfunctioning signal does not give any driver priority. Washington tells you to make a complete stop, then yield to traffic approaching from your right and proceed cautiously when it is safe. The green light choice would turn a missing control into permission to enter, which is exactly the risk this rule prevents. Scan every approach, including bicycles and pedestrians, before moving. The key cue is four way stop behavior: stop first, then resolve right of way rather than guessing what the signal intended.

5. 5. After pulling right for an emergency vehicle, how should you reenter traffic?

   1. Wait until it passes, then reenter in the order you were traveling
   2. Back into the lane before signaling
   3. Reenter immediately behind the emergency vehicle
   4. Use the left lane first regardless of traffic
   Show answer

   Wait until it passes, then reenter in the order you were traveling. After yielding to an emergency vehicle, wait until it has passed before signaling and reentering traffic. Return in the order you were traveling, which avoids cutting across vehicles that stopped with you or creating a new conflict. Following the emergency vehicle closely can interfere with its route, and backing into traffic is unpredictable. The left lane is not automatically the correct reentry path. Pull right, stop, watch the entire scene, and resume only after the emergency movement is complete and a safe gap is available.

6. 6. A Washington license has been expired for 8 years. What must the driver do?

   1. Pay only the regular renewal fee
   2. Retake the skills and knowledge tests
   3. Take only a vision screening
   4. Wait one year before renewing
   Show answer

   Retake the skills and knowledge tests. If a license is 8 or more years expired, the driver must retake the skills and knowledge tests. A shorter lapse may only add a fee to the renewal. A vision screening alone does not cover this case, and there is no one-year waiting period. Renewing up to one year before the expiration date, which is printed near the bottom of the license, avoids both the extra fee and the retesting.

7. 7. How close to a fire hydrant may you park in Washington?

   1. No closer than 5 feet
   2. No closer than 10 feet
   3. No closer than 20 feet
   4. No closer than 15 feet
   Show answer

   No closer than 15 feet. Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant is prohibited in Washington. Five feet is the driveway and alley rule, and 20 feet is the distance from a pedestrian safety zone. Ten feet is shorter than the Washington rule. Keeping the space clear gives firefighters room to connect hoses quickly. Painted curbs can add limits: white allows only short stops, and yellow or red marks a loading zone or another restriction.

8. 8. What does a One Way sign identify?

   
   1. Only buses may use the road
   2. Passing is required in the arrow's direction
   3. The road has two opposing travel lanes
   4. Traffic flows only in the direction of the arrow
   Show answer

   Traffic flows only in the direction of the arrow. A One Way sign identifies the permitted flow of traffic, which is only the direction shown by its arrow. It does not authorize passing, describe a two way road, or reserve the street for buses. The guide also warns never to drive the wrong way on a one way street. Follow the arrow when entering or continuing along the street, and pay attention to other signs that govern turns or lane use. The arrow is the key visual cue.

9. 9. What minimum bodily injury coverage does Washington require for one person injured or killed in a collision?

   1. $10,000
   2. $25,000
   3. $15,000
   4. $50,000
   Show answer

   $25,000. The Washington minimum is $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person, $50,000 when two or more people are hurt or killed in one collision, and $10,000 for property damage. So $50,000 is the per collision figure for multiple people and $10,000 is the property figure. Fifteen thousand dollars is below the Washington minimum. Proof of this insurance must be carried in the vehicle.

10. 10. What THC level makes a Washington driver under 21 subject to DUI consequences?

    1. More than 5 nanograms
    2. More than 2 nanograms
    3. Anything more than 0 nanograms of active THC
    4. Only a level that visibly impairs driving
    Show answer

    Anything more than 0 nanograms of active THC. Drivers under 21 face the same potential consequences as adults for anything more than 0 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. The 5 nanogram figure is the threshold for drivers 21 and older. Two nanograms is not a Washington limit, and the rule does not wait for visible impairment. The same zero tolerance approach appears in the 0.02 percent BAC limit for drivers under 21.

11. 11. Which trip is an exception allowing a Washington intermediate license holder to drive at any hour with passengers?

    1. Agricultural purposes
    2. A late restaurant visit
    3. A recreational movie trip
    4. A shopping trip across town
    Show answer

    Agricultural purposes. Agricultural purposes are one named exception to the intermediate-license time and passenger restrictions. The guide does not extend that exception to ordinary recreation, dining, or shopping, even when a parent knows about the trip. The purpose of the journey matters, not simply the driver's desire to travel late. Before relying on an exception, compare the actual trip with the limited agricultural activity described in the manual.

12. 12. When enrolled in a driver training course, how early may a Washington teen apply for an instruction permit?

    1. At age 15
    2. At age 14
    3. At age 15 and one half
    4. At age 16
    Show answer

    At age 15. Enrollment in a driver training course permits an application as early as age 15. The age 15 and one-half figure applies when the applicant is not enrolling in a driver training course, so moving that number into the course scenario changes the condition. Fourteen is below the stated minimum, and waiting until 16 is unnecessarily late. Check the course start timing too, because the guide says the application is made one to ten days before the course starts.

13. 13. Where does the Washington guide say to place your hands for hand-to-hand steering?

    1. At 12 and 6
    2. One hand at 12 o'clock
    3. At 9 and 3 or 10 and 2, keeping them there through the turn
    4. Both hands at the bottom of the wheel
    Show answer

    At 9 and 3 or 10 and 2, keeping them there through the turn. Imagine the steering wheel as a clock. For hand to hand steering, also called pull and push, your hands should be at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2, and they stay in that position as you turn. Because the hands never cross over the wheel, there is less risk of an arm being struck by a deploying airbag, and the grip on the top half of the wheel gives the best control.

14. 14. When must a Washington driver yield to a transit bus?

    1. Never, buses yield to cars
    2. Only at bus stops with a red curb
    3. Only when the bus is stopped
    4. When a bus traveling in the same direction has signaled and is pulling back onto the roadway
    Show answer

    When a bus traveling in the same direction has signaled and is pulling back onto the roadway. Yield to any transit vehicle traveling in the same direction as you that has signaled and is pulling back onto the roadway. Buses need a gap to rejoin traffic from a stop, and the law gives them the right of way once they signal. Slow and let the bus in rather than accelerating to pass it, and expect pedestrians near the stop.

15. 15. What is the Washington response when a roadside response vehicle displays flashing lights?

    1. Move over into a farther lane or slow at least 10 mph below the limit
    2. Pass without changing speed
    3. Drive no faster than 70 mph
    4. Stop in the lane beside the vehicle
    Show answer

    Move over into a farther lane or slow at least 10 mph below the limit. An emergency zone requires drivers to create a safer buffer around a roadside response vehicle. Move over into a farther lane when possible. If that cannot be done safely, slow to 10 mph or more under the posted speed limit, and never exceed 50 mph in the emergency zone. Stopping in the adjacent lane can expose both vehicles to a collision, while passing at the same speed leaves too little protection. Identify the flashing lights early, check for an open lane, and reduce speed before reaching the scene.

16. 16. What additional signs can a Washington roundabout have?

    1. Only signs assigning parking spaces
    2. Only signs setting freeway ramp speeds
    3. Only signs marking county boundaries
    4. Yield, pedestrian warning, and directional arrow signs
    Show answer

    Yield, pedestrian warning, and directional arrow signs. Washington notes that roundabouts can have yield signs, pedestrian warning signs, and directional arrow signs. These controls help drivers determine who must wait, where people may cross, and which way traffic moves around the circle. The other choices invent restrictions about parking, freeway ramp speeds, or county boundaries that are not the listed roundabout controls. As you approach, slow down, read each sign, watch for pedestrians, and follow the lane arrows. Yield when required and enter only after checking the traffic already circulating in the roundabout.

17. 17. What do Washington regulatory signs with a red circle and slash indicate?

    
    1. A pictured action is not allowed
    2. The roadway is reserved for passing
    3. The pictured action is required
    4. Only trucks may perform the action
    Show answer

    A pictured action is not allowed. A red circle with a slash marks a prohibited action shown by the symbol. The guide gives left turns, right turns, and U-turns as examples, so the driver must identify the pictured movement rather than assume every movement is banned. The sign does not require the action or create a passing lane. Read the symbol under the slash and follow any alternate route or lane instruction.

18. 18. In a Washington highway construction or maintenance work zone, what must motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists do?

    1. Yield only to pedestrians crossing at a marked crosswalk
    2. Continue without yielding if the posted speed limit has not changed
    3. Stop only for service vehicles displaying blue lights
    4. Yield to highway construction personnel, flashing-yellow-light vehicles, or work-zone equipment
    Show answer

    Yield to highway construction personnel, flashing-yellow-light vehicles, or work-zone equipment. In a highway construction or maintenance work zone, motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists must yield to construction personnel, vehicles with flashing yellow lights, and equipment inside the work zone. A posted speed limit does not remove that duty, and the rule is broader than stopping for service vehicles or marked-crosswalk users. Watch for workers, equipment, and flashing yellow lights whenever work-zone signs are present. Reduce risk by yielding promptly and following the temporary traffic controls around the active work area.

19. 19. What does the Washington guide say about corrective lenses?

    1. Wear them only for the vision test
    2. Wear them only on the freeway
    3. Always wear them when driving and avoid dark or tinted lenses at night
    4. Tinted lenses are best at night
    Show answer

    Always wear them when driving and avoid dark or tinted lenses at night. If you are required to wear corrective lenses, always wear them when driving and avoid using dark or tinted corrective lenses at night. Seeing well covers peripheral vision, judging distance and speed, and night vision. The licensing office records a corrective lens requirement on the license after the vision screening, and driving without them violates that restriction. Have your eyes checked regularly.

20. 20. When road conditions are poor, how should a Washington driver use the posted speed limit?

    1. Treat it as a minimum and accelerate to reach it
    2. Treat it as a maximum and reduce speed when conditions require
    3. Ignore it completely whenever rain begins
    4. Use it unchanged because conditions never affect legal speed
    Show answer

    Treat it as a maximum and reduce speed when conditions require. Washington describes a speed limit as the maximum legal speed under ideal conditions, while also requiring a speed that is safe for current conditions. Rain, snow, fog, traffic, and limited visibility can require a slower pace. The choice calling the limit a minimum reverses its meaning, and completely ignoring the sign is unnecessary. The practical cue is maximum under ideal conditions, then adjust downward. A driver can be below the posted number and still be traveling too fast if the roadway or visibility makes stopping difficult.