Massachusetts RMV Permit Practice Test 16
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. A school bus ahead of you has its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended. What are you required to do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus starts moving
Flashing red lights and an extended stop arm mean children are getting on or off, so traffic must stop and wait until the bus withdraws the signals and moves again.
-
2. Within what period must an applicant appeal after receiving a written denial of a Massachusetts permit, license or ID application?
Show answer
Answer D: Within ten days
An appeal must be filed within ten days of the written denial, and the time an informal review takes does not extend that period.
-
3. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?
Show answer
Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed
A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.
-
4. A flashing red lamp is mounted above a stop sign at a rural intersection. What does it add?
Show answer
Answer C: Emphasis, while the required stop stays the same
A stop beacon makes an easily missed stop sign more visible, but it neither adds to nor takes away from the obligation the sign already imposes.
-
5. Why is parking too close to a street corner prohibited?
Show answer
Answer D: Because it hides approaching traffic and pedestrians
A vehicle parked at a corner blocks the view that both drivers and pedestrians need before entering the intersection.
-
6. In slow summer traffic the temperature gauge climbs into the red. What should you do first?
Show answer
Answer A: Turn off the air conditioner and turn on the heater to draw heat from the engine
The heater core acts as an extra radiator, and shutting off the air conditioner reduces engine load. If the gauge keeps climbing, pull over and shut off the engine, and never open a hot radiator cap.
-
7. A Massachusetts driver travels 40 mph in heavy rain on a road posted at 50 mph. What does state law say?
Show answer
Answer C: The driver can still be cited for the conditions
The fundamental speed law requires a speed that is safe for actual conditions, so a citation is possible in heavy rain even below the posted limit.
-
8. Which of these is true of the roadway a driver is being sent onto here?
Show answer
Answer D: Its own signs, signals and speed limits govern for the whole way around
The alternate route is an ordinary public road, so every control posted on it governs as usual; being sent that way grants no extra priority and no relief from the limits in force there.
-
9. According to the Massachusetts Driver's Manual, what is the highest speed limit posted on the state's smaller highways?
Show answer
Answer D: 55 mph
Smaller highways in Massachusetts are posted at 55 mph or lower, while limited-access highways run from 50 up to 65 mph.
-
10. You are towing a loaded trailer for the first time. How should you drive?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow earlier and keep a longer following gap
A trailer adds weight and length, so stopping takes longer and every maneuver needs more room and more warning.
-
11. There is a driveway and a side street between you and the corner where you will turn right. When should you signal?
Show answer
Answer C: After passing the openings, so nobody pulls out in front of you
A signal switched on before an opening tells drivers waiting there that you are turning in, and they may pull out into your path.
-
12. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?
Show answer
Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it
A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.
-
13. You turn left onto a road that has a center two-way left-turn lane. In which lane should you be traveling once the turn is finished?
Show answer
Answer D: The first through lane to the right of the center turn lane
The shared center lane is only for turning movements, so even where a state lets you pause in it to merge you must end up in the first ordinary travel lane beside it.
-
14. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?
Show answer
Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it
A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.
-
15. How does a NO OUTLET sign differ from a DEAD END sign?
Show answer
Answer B: It warns that a whole group of streets has no way out
No Outlet is posted where the road leads into a network of streets from which there is no through route, while Dead End refers to the single street itself.
-
16. An orange background with a black legend on a sign indicates
Show answer
Answer B: a temporary traffic control or work zone situation
Orange is reserved for temporary traffic control signing, so an orange sign means conditions have been altered for work or another temporary operation.
-
17. Why is it risky to brake hard and steer sharply at the same moment?
Show answer
Answer C: The tires have a limited amount of grip that braking and turning must share
Each tire can deliver only so much grip, and asking it to slow the vehicle and change direction at once can exceed that limit and start a skid.
-
18. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?
Show answer
Answer C: A left turn
The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.
-
19. Which sign tells you that the vehicles ahead are part of a funeral procession?
Show answer
Answer C: Headlights burning in daylight, with small flags or markers on the vehicles
Processions are normally identified by daytime headlights, hazard lights and flags or windshield markers, not by emergency lights or sirens.
-
20. When should you arrange your way home if you plan to drink?
Show answer
Answer C: Before the first drink
Judgment is the first thing alcohol weakens, so the plan has to be made while you can still make a good one.
-
21. You are towing a trailer and turning right at an intersection. What must you allow for?
Show answer
Answer D: The trailer cuts the corner, so swing wider than usual
A trailer follows a shorter path than the towing vehicle, so its wheels track inside your line and can mount the curb unless you take the turn wide.
-
22. You are following a large truck on a two-lane road and cannot see past it. What should you do before deciding to pass?
Show answer
Answer D: Drop back so that your view of the road ahead opens up
Distance is what buys you a view around a large vehicle, and no decision to pass can be made from a position where you cannot see.
-
23. A sign with a yellow background and a black legend generally conveys
Show answer
Answer B: a general warning
Yellow is the background color used for general warning signs, so a yellow sign tells the driver to expect something ahead rather than to obey a rule.
-
24. Can a driver be charged with impaired driving after taking a legal over the counter medicine?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, if the medicine impairs the ability to drive safely
Impaired driving laws cover any substance that affects driving, including cold remedies, allergy pills and sleep aids sold without a prescription.
-
25. A yellow pennant-shaped sign is posted on the left side of a two-lane road facing you. What is it telling you?
Show answer
Answer B: You are entering a no-passing zone and may not start a pass
The pennant is placed on the left so that it faces the driver who might pull out, and it marks the beginning of a no-passing zone.