WV Permit Practice Test 8

All 20 questions in test 8

Every question below comes from the West Virginia 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. On an interstate, which lane should slower traffic normally use?

   1. The right-hand lane
   2. The left-hand lane
   3. The shoulder whenever traffic is heavy
   4. Any lane selected without signaling
   Show answer

   The right-hand lane. The handbook directs slower interstate traffic to the right-hand lane, except when a driver is passing another vehicle. Staying right gives faster traffic a predictable passing path and reduces abrupt lane changes. The left lane is not the normal place for slower traffic, and the shoulder is reserved for disabled vehicles rather than routine travel. Choosing any lane without signaling ignores the need to communicate and check surrounding traffic. Watch the signs, maintain a steady legal speed, and move left only for a lawful pass.

2. 2. Who may be in the room during a West Virginia knowledge test?

   1. The applicant and one support person
   2. The applicant and a DMV employee who reads every question
   3. Any applicant who has a phone turned off
   4. Only the applicant taking the test
   Show answer

   Only the applicant taking the test. The handbook limits the exam room to the applicant who is taking the test. That means a friend, parent, or other support person cannot sit in the room as a companion. The choice “The applicant and one support person” adds a support person, but the rule does not create that exception. A DMV employee may administer the test, yet the employee is not a second applicant or a personal helper. Before entering, leave phones and other electronics outside and expect to take the examination alone. This distinction is especially useful when a young applicant arrives with a parent, because the parent may provide consent for a permit without joining the testing room.

3. 3. An oncoming vehicle enters your lane. What should you do first?

   1. Move right, slow down, sound the horn, and flash the headlights
   2. Turn left into the lane the other vehicle left
   3. Accelerate toward the vehicle to make it move over
   4. Stop in the center of the roadway without warning
   Show answer

   Move right, slow down, sound the horn, and flash the headlights. The handbook's response creates space and alerts the other driver: move right, reduce speed, sound the horn, and flash the headlights. Turning into the lane the vehicle abandoned could place both vehicles together if the other driver corrects course. Accelerating reduces reaction time, and stopping in the center can expose the vehicle to a rear-end or side collision. Keep control, avoid the opposing path, and use warning signals while looking for a safe place away from the immediate conflict.

4. 4. What is a useful general rule about the signs a driver will encounter?

   1. Sign shapes and colors provide no useful information
   2. Every road sign contains a paragraph explaining the rule
   3. Only signs shown in the handbook have legal meaning
   4. Most signs are self-explanatory, but drivers should still observe their shapes and colors
   Show answer

   Most signs are self-explanatory, but drivers should still observe their shapes and colors. The handbook notes that many signs are self-explanatory and that shapes and colors help indicate their message. That makes observation useful even when a driver has not memorized every individual sign. The paragraph choice is wrong because signs often communicate with short words or symbols. A sign does not lose meaning simply because it is absent from the handbook, and shapes and colors are not random. Slow down when a warning sign appears and read the entire message before acting.

5. 5. At an intersection, what movement does a NO LEFT TURN sign prohibit?

   
   1. Continuing straight
   2. Turning right
   3. Turning left
   4. Changing lanes after the intersection
   Show answer

   Turning left. The pictured left-turn movement is the one restricted at the intersection. A driver may not substitute a right turn, straight movement, or a later lane change for the prohibited action. Check for another lawful route and obey any separate signal or pavement marking that controls the remaining movements. The red diagonal bar over the directional arrow helps distinguish this sign from a no U-turn sign.

6. 6. What does a lane-direction sign at a divided highway opening remind you?

   
   1. Which side of the divider you belong on
   2. That both sides of the divider are interchangeable
   3. That the median is a passing lane
   4. That traffic may cross the divider at any time
   Show answer

   Which side of the divider you belong on. Lane-direction signs placed at divider openings help a driver remain on the proper side of a divided highway. The median is not an extra passing lane, and the two sides cannot be used interchangeably. Crossing the divider whenever convenient creates a conflict with opposing or crossing traffic. Follow the arrow, stay within the roadway assigned to your direction, and use an authorized opening when changing routes.

7. 7. What is the minimum age for a West Virginia Level 3 GDL license?

   1. 17
   2. 16
   3. 18
   4. 21
   Show answer

   17. A West Virginia driver can move to the Level 3 GDL at 17, after 12 months of conviction free driving on a Level 2 license and all other requirements. Sixteen is the earliest age for Level 2, not Level 3. Eighteen is when the Level 2 restrictions end anyway for a driver who chooses to stay at Level 2. Twenty one is the age of a supervising adult and the change to the horizontal license format.

8. 8. In West Virginia, is an insurance card shown on your phone valid proof of insurance?

   1. No, only a paper certificate is accepted
   2. Yes, an image on a wireless device is valid proof
   3. Only if it is also printed within 24 hours
   4. Only during a vehicle inspection
   Show answer

   Yes, an image on a wireless device is valid proof. West Virginia accepts an image displayed on a wireless communication device as valid proof of insurance, alongside the paper certificate that must otherwise be carried in the vehicle with the registration card. A paper only rule is therefore wrong, and the handbook adds no printing deadline. Proof must be shown to an officer after a crash or a moving violation stop and at every vehicle inspection, not only at inspections.

9. 9. A blind pedestrian carrying a white cane is crossing outside a marked crosswalk. What is the driver's duty?

   1. Sound the horn and pass before the pedestrian reaches the lane
   2. Continue because right-of-way exists only inside painted lines
   3. Yield because the pedestrian has the right-of-way regardless of the crosswalk
   4. Yield only if a guide dog is also present
   Show answer

   Yield because the pedestrian has the right-of-way regardless of the crosswalk. The handbook gives a blind pedestrian using a white cane or walking stick the right-of-way on a highway, street, or road whether or not the person is in a crosswalk. Painted lines are not the condition that creates this protection. A guide dog is one possible aid, not a requirement when the cane is present. Sounding the horn does not authorize passing through the person's path. Slow early, stop when needed, and allow the pedestrian to clear the roadway before continuing.

10. 10. What following distance method does the handbook recommend for normal driving?

    
    1. Keep two seconds in all weather and road conditions
    2. Stay exactly one car length behind at every speed
    3. Use a three-to-four second gap behind the vehicle ahead
    4. Follow closely enough to prevent another vehicle from merging
    Show answer

    Use a three-to-four second gap behind the vehicle ahead. The handbook recommends the three-to-four second rule for maintaining a useful space cushion. Pick a fixed object such as a signpost, begin counting after the vehicle ahead passes it, and check whether your vehicle reaches that object before the count is complete. A one-car-length rule changes meaning as speed changes, so it is not dependable. The two-second choice is too short for the handbook's general method. Darkness or rain calls for at least four seconds, while ice or snow calls for at least six.

11. 11. When does a Level 1 GDL instruction permit expire under the handbook's stated schedule?

    1. On the applicant's 18th birthday
    2. On the applicant's 16th birthday
    3. Five years after issuance
    4. At the end of the calendar year
    Show answer

    On the applicant's 18th birthday. The Level 1 GDL instruction permit expires on the applicant's 18th birthday, although the handbook allows a 30-day grace period to provide time for the road skills examination. The 16th birthday is associated with eligibility for the next graduated stage, not expiration of the first permit. A five-year term and a calendar-year deadline are not the stated schedule. Track the birthday rather than counting a fixed number of months from issuance, and remember that the grace period is limited to completing the road skills process.

12. 12. What should a driver do on an Interstate when a lane is closed in a construction zone?

    1. Use the median crossover to avoid the work area
    2. Maintain normal speed because construction signs are only advisory
    3. Obey the special signs, speed limits, and flagger directions
    4. Stop on the shoulder until all construction equipment leaves
    Show answer

    Obey the special signs, speed limits, and flagger directions. Interstate construction zones may close lanes and cause traffic to slow or stop. Drivers must observe special speed limits, traffic-control signs, and flaggers, then merge to the open lane when directed. The normal speed choice ignores the changed roadway and leaves less time to react around workers and equipment. Median crossovers are not a general detour, and the shoulder is not a waiting area for ordinary construction delays. Treat the work zone as an active safety area, scan ahead, and make each adjustment early.

13. 13. At a West Virginia stop sign or red light, must you come to a complete stop when you are only turning right?

    1. Only at night
    2. No, a rolling stop is allowed when no cross traffic is visible
    3. Only when a police officer is present
    4. Yes, a complete stop is required regardless of traffic, even for a right turn
    Show answer

    Yes, a complete stop is required regardless of traffic, even for a right turn. The handbook lists impatience as a bad habit that causes crashes, and the example it gives is the rolling stop. Regardless of traffic, you must come to a complete stop at a stop sign or red light, even when you are only turning right. Pressure from vehicles behind you and an empty cross street can tempt you to slow down instead of stopping, but the absence of visible traffic is not the test; the law requires the full stop. Stop behind the line or crosswalk, look both ways, and then make the turn.

14. 14. You need to turn around while driving on a West Virginia interstate. What does the handbook say to do?

    1. Make a U-turn through the median crossover
    2. Never make a U-turn; go to the next exit and turn around before re-entering
    3. Back up on the shoulder to the last exit
    4. Stop in the left lane and turn across the median
    Show answer

    Never make a U-turn; go to the next exit and turn around before re-entering. Interstates are designed for one-way, high-speed travel, so a U-turn there puts you head-on with traffic that has no reason to expect you. The handbook says never to make a U-turn on an interstate: continue to the next exit, turn around on the surface street, and re-enter in the other direction. Median crossovers are for emergency and maintenance vehicles, backing up on the shoulder is illegal and deadly, and stopping in a travel lane invites a rear-end crash.

15. 15. What BAC range is relevant evidence that a driver's ability to drive is impaired in West Virginia?

    1. More than 0.01 percent and less than 0.03 percent
    2. More than 0.05 percent and less than 0.08 percent
    3. Exactly 0.08 percent only
    4. More than 0.10 percent and less than 0.12 percent
    Show answer

    More than 0.05 percent and less than 0.08 percent. The handbook identifies a BAC above 0.05 percent and below 0.08 percent as relevant evidence for presuming impaired driving ability. The range is not limited to exactly 0.08, and it does not begin at 0.01. A BAC of 0.08 percent or more is addressed separately as a presumption of driving under the influence. Keep the two thresholds distinct: the lower range can support an impairment presumption, while 0.08 or more triggers the DUI presumption described in the same section. Do not treat the lower range as permission to drive.

16. 16. What hazard should a driver expect when traveling through a rural area?

    1. Traffic moving only at the posted minimum speed
    2. Only marked pedestrian crossings
    3. Slow farm machinery, stray livestock, or game animals
    4. No unusual hazards if the road is straight
    Show answer

    Slow farm machinery, stray livestock, or game animals. Rural driving can combine slow farm machinery with animals that wander onto or near the roadway, while other motorists may be traveling quickly. The choice about marked pedestrian crossings is too narrow because it omits the hazards the handbook specifically associates with rural areas. A straight stretch does not remove the need to scan ahead and around the road. Reduce speed when sight distance is limited, watch the shoulders and fields, and be ready for an animal or equipment to enter your path without much warning.

17. 17. Where should you stop when yielding to an emergency vehicle using a siren and flashing lights?

    
    1. On the shoulder only after the emergency vehicle stops
    2. At the left edge of the road, inside the intersection
    3. In the nearest travel lane without braking
    4. At the right edge of the road, outside the intersection
    Show answer

    At the right edge of the road, outside the intersection. The safest response is a deliberate three-part action: yield, move right, and stop clear of the intersection. That positioning gives the emergency vehicle a usable corridor and keeps cross traffic from trapping it. The left edge is opposite the handbook's direction, and stopping in the intersection leaves the most complicated conflict point occupied. Waiting for the emergency vehicle to stop is also backwards because your move should create room before it reaches you. Expect another emergency vehicle before reentering traffic.

18. 18. What should a driver know when fading light or weather makes sign lettering difficult to see?

    1. That the driver should stop in the travel lane
    2. That every sign may be ignored until lettering is readable
    3. That only a police officer can identify the sign
    4. How to recognize and respond to the sign from its shape and color
    Show answer

    How to recognize and respond to the sign from its shape and color. The handbook expects applicants to recognize signs even when fading light, fog, rain, snow, or darkness obscures the lettering. Shape and color provide the first usable clues, allowing a driver to anticipate the sign's category and respond cautiously. The choice “That every sign may be ignored until lettering is readable” wrongly treats unreadable text as permission to ignore a sign. Waiting for an officer or stopping in the travel lane creates unnecessary danger. Reduce speed if visibility is poor, identify the outline and color, and continue looking for the symbol or wording as you approach.

19. 19. Which pair of actions requires a driver to use a turn signal beforehand?

    1. Braking for a yellow light or stopping at a stop sign
    2. Changing lanes or turning at an intersection
    3. Driving below the speed limit or entering a school zone
    4. Passing a parked vehicle or approaching a railroad crossing
    Show answer

    Changing lanes or turning at an intersection. The handbook specifically lists changing lanes and turning at an intersection among the maneuvers that require a signal before the action. Signaling gives other road users time to understand where your vehicle intends to go. Braking at a light, driving below the limit, and approaching a railroad crossing may require careful driving, but those choices do not identify the listed pair. Signal early enough to communicate the plan, check the surrounding traffic, and then complete the maneuver smoothly.

20. 20. Before turning, changing lanes, or pulling away from the curb in West Virginia, what must you always do?

    1. Sound your horn
    2. Signal your intention
    3. Flash your high beams
    4. Come to a complete stop
    Show answer

    Signal your intention. The handbook's rule is simple: always signal your intention before turning, changing lanes, or driving away from the curb. Other drivers expect you to keep going the way you are, and the signal is the only warning they get. Horns and high beams are not substitutes for a signal, and a full stop is not required before every lane change. Signal early enough for others to react, but not so early that drivers think you are turning at the wrong place, and cancel the signal once the move is complete.