Massachusetts RMV Permit Practice Test 13
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. Which statement best describes what the basic speed law requires of you?
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Answer C: That you never drive faster than is reasonable and safe for the conditions
Nearly every state has a basic speed law that makes the conditions the real limit: weather, traffic, light and road surface can all require a speed well below the posted number.
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2. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane
A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.
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3. When should headlights be switched on besides during the hours of darkness?
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Answer C: Whenever rain, fog, snow or dust makes it harder to see or to be seen
Headlights are as much about being seen as about seeing, so they go on whenever visibility drops.
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4. You are following another vehicle down a long, steep grade. What should you do about the gap?
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Answer D: Make it longer, because both of you need more room to stop
Everything takes longer to stop on a downgrade, including the vehicle ahead, so the gap that works on the flat is no longer enough.
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5. Which equipment falls outside the Massachusetts statutory definition of a mobile electronic device?
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Answer B: Navigation gear built into the vehicle
The statute excludes equipment installed or affixed in the vehicle for navigation or emergency assistance, and rear seat video entertainment, from the definition.
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6. You have a green light and are turning right. Pedestrians are stepping off the curb into the crosswalk you are about to cross. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait and let them cross before completing your turn
A green light does not release a turning driver from yielding to pedestrians already in the crosswalk of the street being entered.
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7. You are turning left across tracks that run along the center of the street. What should you do before crossing them?
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Answer B: Look along the tracks in both directions and cross only when clear
Rail vehicles running in the street can arrive from either direction and cannot stop quickly, so look along the tracks before you turn across them.
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8. Two people drink the same amount of alcohol at the same time. Why might their blood alcohol concentrations differ?
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Answer C: Body weight, gender and food in the stomach affect the concentration
Smaller people and, on average, women reach higher concentrations from the same amount of alcohol, and an empty stomach speeds absorption. Counting drinks alone does not tell you your level.
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9. Something rolls off the seat onto the floor while you are driving. What should you do?
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Answer C: Leave it where it is and pick it up after you stop somewhere safe
Reaching for an object pulls your eyes and your body away from the controls at exactly the wrong moment, and nothing on the floor is worth that risk.
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10. What does a steady yellow traffic light tell the driver facing it?
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Answer A: The green movement is ending and a red indication is about to appear
A steady yellow warns that the related green movement is being terminated and that red will follow, so you should stop if you can do so safely.
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11. An angry driver is following you closely and gesturing at you. What is the safe response?
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Answer B: Drive to a police station or to a busy public place and call for help
Never stop to confront an aggressive driver and never lead one home; go somewhere public and get the police involved.
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12. What is the benefit of looking far down the road rather than just ahead of the hood?
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Answer A: You steer with smaller corrections and you see trouble in plenty of time
A distant view steadies your steering and gives you time to plan, because you meet hazards after you have already seen them.
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13. You are on an entrance ramp joining a busy freeway. What should you do with your speed in the acceleration lane?
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Answer D: Build it up to about the speed of the traffic you are joining
Merging works when your speed matches the traffic stream, because a large speed difference forces the drivers already on the freeway to brake or swerve.
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14. A hands free phone conversation is which kind of distraction?
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Answer C: Cognitive, because your mind leaves the road
Hands free equipment removes the manual and visual parts of a call but not the mental load, and it is the mental load that makes a driver miss hazards.
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15. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?
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Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on
Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.
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16. Beyond the hours around sunset and sunrise, when does Massachusetts law require headlights?
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Answer A: Whenever the windshield wipers are in use
Headlights and taillights are required whenever the windshield wipers are being used, and daytime running lights do not satisfy the rule.
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17. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signals are completely dark after a power failure. What should you do?
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Answer A: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop and take turns
When a signal is dark or out of order, drivers on every approach must stop and proceed in turn, exactly as at a four-way stop.
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18. How should a turn at an intersection be taken on a wet road?
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Answer C: Slow earlier than usual and steer smoothly through the corner
Wet pavement leaves less grip, so the speed must come off before the turn and the steering must be gentle enough not to break traction.
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19. How should you follow a school bus in traffic?
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Answer A: Far enough back to see its lights and stop in time
A school bus stops often and with little warning, so a longer following distance gives you time to see the lights come on and stop clear of it.
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20. What is the minimum Damage to Someone Else's Property limit on a Massachusetts auto policy?
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Answer A: 30,000 dollars
The compulsory property damage limit is 30,000 dollars per accident under the minimums that took effect for policies written or renewed on or after July 1, 2025.
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21. A regulatory sign reads TURN ON HEADLIGHTS NEXT 15 MILES. What does it require?
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Answer C: Low beam headlights on for that stretch, day or night
Such a section is signed where a road is hard to see along, and the requirement is to run headlights, not just daytime running lamps, through the whole stretch even in bright daylight.
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22. You are circulating in a roundabout and a vehicle is waiting to enter ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep going, because circulating traffic does not stop for entering vehicles
Stopping in the circle to be polite surprises the drivers behind you and defeats the design; entering traffic is the side that waits.
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23. A Massachusetts suspension of what length forces the driver to pass the permit exam and the road test again before reinstatement?
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Answer D: Two years or more
Any suspension of two years or more requires the driver to pass both a learner's permit exam and a road test before the license is reinstated.
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24. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?
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Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you
White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.
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25. Why are tall vehicles such as SUVs and vans at extra risk in sudden steering maneuvers?
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Answer B: Their higher center of gravity makes them more likely to roll over
The higher a vehicle's mass sits, the more it leans in an abrupt turn, and a sharp swerve can tip it over. Smooth, gradual steering inputs are essential in tall vehicles.