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. Where should drivers use extreme care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian?

   1. Only at gas stations
   2. Only on empty rural roads
   3. In school zones, bus stops, playgrounds, and parks
   4. Only in a vehicle inspection lane
   Show answer

   In school zones, bus stops, playgrounds, and parks. Pedestrian collisions are especially dangerous in places where people may enter the roadway unexpectedly. The handbook names school zones, bus stops, playgrounds, and parks as locations requiring extreme care. These areas can have children, people crossing between vehicles, or limited sight distance. The choice naming only rural roads misses the listed hazards, while a gas station or inspection lane is not the handbook's specific warning. Reduce speed, scan both sides, and be ready to stop whenever a pedestrian may move into your path.

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. What should a driver expect when entering an interstate construction zone?

   1. Lanes may close and traffic may slow or stop
   2. All lanes will remain open at the normal speed
   3. Only the shoulder may be closed, so lane changes are unnecessary
   4. Construction zones permit drivers to ignore posted controls
   Show answer

   Lanes may close and traffic may slow or stop. Interstate construction zones can change the normal path of travel. A lane may close, and traffic may slow or stop, so the driver needs to watch signs, special speed limits, and flaggers. Assuming every lane stays open encourages a last-second maneuver. The shoulder-only choice understates the risk because the travel lanes themselves may be affected. Posted controls still apply inside the work area. Scan ahead, move into an open lane early, and leave extra space around equipment and workers.

4. 4. What does an octagon-shaped traffic sign require?

   1. A warning to increase speed
   2. A yield without stopping
   3. A complete stop before proceeding
   4. A lane change to the left
   Show answer

   A complete stop before proceeding. An octagon is reserved for stop signs, and this shape requires the driver to stop completely before moving again. Yielding without stopping describes a different control, while increasing speed or changing lanes has no connection to the sign. After stopping, check the crossing area and all approaching traffic, then proceed only when the way is safe and right-of-way has been given as required. The useful visual cue is the eight-sided outline, which remains recognizable even when distance, darkness, or weather makes the lettering hard to read.

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 is the West Virginia penalty for letting someone else use your driver's license?

   1. A 90 day suspension
   2. A $25 fine and no suspension
   3. A 30 day suspension
   4. A one year revocation
   Show answer

   A 90 day suspension. Letting someone else use your license, using another person's license, lending identity documents to get a license, or displaying a fictitious license all carry a 90 day suspension. A small fine with no suspension understates it. Thirty days is shorter than the stated penalty, and a one year revocation is not the listed penalty. Giving false information on a license application is also illegal.

7. 7. At how many points is a West Virginia driver's license subject to suspension?

   1. 12 points
   2. 6 points
   3. 8 points
   4. 18 points
   Show answer

   12 points. A West Virginia license is subject to suspension when the driver accumulates 12 points. Six points brings only a letter of caution. Eight points is the value of a single fleeing from an officer conviction on the point scale, not the suspension level. Eighteen points is not a threshold in the handbook. Since points last two years, the 12 point total is counted from the points still on the record.

8. 8. On a West Virginia interstate, which lane should you normally drive in?

   1. The left lane, so you can keep up with fast traffic
   2. The right hand lane, unless you are passing another vehicle
   3. The center lane at all times
   4. Whichever lane has the least traffic
   Show answer

   The right hand lane, unless you are passing another vehicle. Interstate traffic flows best when slower vehicles keep right and the left lanes are used for passing. The handbook says to always drive in the right hand lane unless you are passing another vehicle, and it warns that driving much slower than other traffic creates a hazard because other drivers may be forced to change lanes abruptly. Camping in the left or center lane blocks passing traffic, and choosing a lane by traffic volume alone ignores the rule. Move left to pass, then return to the right.

9. 9. Under West Virginia Code 17C-4-6, when must the driver give notice of a crash that causes injury, death, or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more?

   1. Within 24 hours by mail
   2. Within 10 days
   3. Within 30 days
   4. Immediately, by the quickest means of communication
   Show answer

   Immediately, by the quickest means of communication. This question is about the driver's immediate notice duty in West Virginia Code 17C-4-6: give notice immediately, by the quickest means of communication, to the local police inside a municipality, or otherwise to the county sheriff or the nearest State Police office. The written crash report is a separate duty that 17C-4-7 places on the investigating officer, who files it within 24 hours of finishing the investigation. The printed handbook says such crashes must be reported within five days, but the statute governing the driver's notice says immediately. Mailing a letter or waiting days does not meet this duty.

10. 10. How should following distance change when driving in darkness or rain?

    1. Increase it to at least four seconds
    2. Reduce it to two seconds to keep traffic moving
    3. Keep the same three-second gap regardless of visibility
    4. Use one car length because headlights show the road
    Show answer

    Increase it to at least four seconds. The handbook raises the minimum following interval to at least four seconds when it is dark or raining. Reduced visibility and changing pavement conditions make it harder to detect a hazard and bring the vehicle to a stop, so the extra space creates time for recognition and braking. The ordinary three-to-four second rule is not a reason to shorten the gap in poor conditions. A one-car-length measure varies with speed and gives no reliable time margin. If ice or snow is present, the handbook calls for at least six seconds.

11. 11. What information do square and rectangular traffic signs generally provide?

    1. A guarantee that the lane ahead is free of hazards
    2. A warning that a train is approaching the crossing
    3. Traffic regulations and guidance about speed or direction
    4. A marker showing only the name of a nearby town
    Show answer

    Traffic regulations and guidance about speed or direction. Square and rectangular signs are used to show traffic regulations and guide a driver's speed and direction. They can communicate speed limits, lane directions, or other road rules. The circular or crossbuck railroad signs serve a different purpose, while a guide sign can identify a place without defining all traffic requirements. No sign shape guarantees that a roadway is hazard-free. Read the words and symbols, then combine the instruction with the actual traffic and road conditions around the vehicle.

12. 12. 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.

13. 13. If smoke comes from under the hood, what should the driver do first?

    1. Get off the roadway and turn off the ignition
    2. Open the radiator cap immediately
    3. Pour water over the engine while moving
    4. Continue driving until the smoke disappears
    Show answer

    Get off the roadway and turn off the ignition. Smoke under the hood calls for immediate separation from traffic and removal of the ignition source. The handbook directs the driver to get off the roadway and turn off the ignition. Opening a hot radiator cap can cause serious burns, and water is unsafe on a gasoline fire because burning gasoline can float and spread. Continuing to drive allows the problem to worsen. Once stopped safely, use dirt or sand if appropriate and move at least 100 feet away if the fire becomes uncontrollable.

14. 14. What happens when a driver refuses the designated Breathalyzer after a DUI arrest?

    1. The driver must wait 24 hours before testing
    2. Only the vehicle registration is renewed
    3. The driver receives a warning with no license action
    4. The driving privilege is revoked for one year and up to life
    Show answer

    The driving privilege is revoked for one year and up to life. Under implied consent, a driver is treated as having agreed to the designated Breathalyzer after a DUI arrest. Refusing it can revoke the privilege to operate a motor vehicle for one year and up to life. The registration-only response ignores the license consequence, and a warning does not match the stated penalty. Waiting a day is not the remedy described by the handbook. The useful cue is the event that activates the rule: this consequence follows a refusal after arrest, not merely noticing alcohol on a driver's breath during an ordinary stop.

15. 15. In West Virginia, what happens when the driver who passed a stopped school bus cannot be identified?

    1. No one can be charged
    2. The vehicle's owner or lessee is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fines
    3. The bus driver is fined
    4. The vehicle is impounded for 60 days
    Show answer

    The vehicle's owner or lessee is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fines. West Virginia does not let a school bus violation go unpunished when the driver cannot be named. If the identity of the driver of a vehicle that passes a stopped school bus cannot be ascertained, the owner or lessee of the vehicle is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, subject to fines. An identified driver faces at least a 60 day suspension and a $500 fine or up to six months in jail. Lending a vehicle carries that responsibility.

16. 16. 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. Approaching a railroad crossing or crossing a bridge
    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 turn signal beforehand, along with entering or leaving an interstate, pulling away from the curb, and pulling over to the side of the road. 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 at least 100 feet before a turn, check traffic, and then complete the maneuver smoothly.

17. 17. How should a driver respond to an aggressive motorist?

    1. Compete with the driver to establish control of the road
    2. Follow closely to prevent the driver from getting ahead
    3. Avoid becoming involved in competition with that driver
    4. Use the horn continuously until the driver stops
    Show answer

    Avoid becoming involved in competition with that driver. An aggressive motorist may try to turn ordinary traffic into a contest. The handbook describes the arrogant or aggressive driver as someone who competes with the vehicle as an extension of the ego, with little or no respect for traffic laws or the rights of others, and it tells drivers not to become involved in competition with that person. Competing, following closely, or sounding the horn continuously can intensify the encounter and distract from steering and traffic conditions. Keep your distance and let the other vehicle move away when possible, while maintaining a safe, lawful path.

18. 18. 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. Signaling tells other drivers that you intend to turn or change lanes. 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, since the road test guidance warns against signaling too early or too late, and cancel the signal once the move is complete.

19. 19. What roadway condition does the skidding-car warning identify?

    
    1. The road is designed for racing
    2. This section is more slippery when wet
    3. Loose gravel is guaranteed ahead
    4. A bridge has a low clearance
    Show answer

    This section is more slippery when wet. The warning identifies a section that becomes more slippery than other roads when wet. Slow down before reaching it and keep steering and braking smooth. The symbol does not invite racing, guarantee loose gravel, or describe bridge clearance. Increase following space because a wet surface reduces available traction, and avoid abrupt inputs that could make the vehicle slide. Let the tires regain grip gradually.

20. 20. When does West Virginia's rule to pull off at the first safe turnout for faster traffic apply?

    1. On every interstate, at all times
    2. Only when five or more vehicles are behind you
    3. Only at night
    4. On a road with one lane in each direction when overtaking traffic has no clear lane to pass
    Show answer

    On a road with one lane in each direction when overtaking traffic has no clear lane to pass. The turnout rule applies when you must drive slower than the designated speed on a road with one lane in each direction and overtaking traffic has no clear passing lane. Interstates have extra lanes, so the rule is not about them. The handbook sets no vehicle count and no time of day for this rule. Slower drivers should also keep as close as possible to the right edge of the road.