Massachusetts RMV Permit Practice Test 25
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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2. You must stop for a train at a highway-rail crossing. Where should you stop?
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Answer B: Behind the stop line, gate or signal and well clear of the nearest rail
Stop behind the stop line, gate or flashing-light signal and well clear of the nearest rail, because a train overhangs its track by several feet on each side.
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3. A yellow diamond showing the silhouette of a deer warns that
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Answer D: large animals may cross the road in that area
The sign marks a stretch where animals are known to cross, so drivers should reduce speed and scan both roadsides, especially around dawn and dusk.
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4. In most states, when are headlights required apart from times of poor visibility?
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Answer A: From about half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
Most states require lights from about half an hour after sunset until about half an hour before sunrise, and some simply say sunset to sunrise; lights are also required whenever visibility is poor.
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5. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?
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Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you
A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.
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6. Where is this sign installed in relation to the hazard it announces?
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Answer A: Far enough before the hazard that a driver can slow down and stop short of it
This is an advance warning sign, placed on the approach so a driver has time to react before reaching a crossing that a curve or a crest may be hiding.
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7. Why does a long downhill grade lengthen the distance you need to stop?
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Answer C: Because gravity keeps pulling the vehicle forward as you brake
On a downgrade gravity works with the vehicle and against the brakes, so the same speed needs noticeably more distance than it would on level ground.
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8. A driver who wants to reverse direction arrives at this sign. What is allowed?
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Answer C: Going on and reversing direction only where the maneuver is permitted
The restriction removes that maneuver at that spot entirely, so the driver has to continue and turn the vehicle around at a place where it is not prohibited.
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9. At a railroad crossing with no gates and no flashing lights, the crossbuck is normally combined with which sign?
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Answer C: A yield sign, or a stop sign where an engineering study calls for one
At a passive crossing the crossbuck forms an assembly with a yield sign, or with a stop sign when an engineering study or engineering judgment supports it, so the driver knows who must give way to the train.
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10. A driver holds a steady highway speed into the section this sign warns about. What is the most likely result?
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Answer B: The vehicle runs wide toward the outside and can cross into another lane or leave the pavement
Holding speed into a change of alignment asks the tires for more side grip than they can supply, so the vehicle runs wide and the driver is left with less room to correct.
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11. You find that the road surface has turned to sheet ice. What speed is appropriate?
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Answer A: A crawl, slow enough that you could stop without braking hard
Ice can cut grip to a fraction of normal, so stopping takes many times the usual distance and only a crawl leaves any margin.
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12. A short driver cannot get ten inches between the chest and the steering wheel airbag. What is the answer?
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Answer D: Move the seat back and tilt the wheel downward, or fit pedal extenders
Distance from the airbag is gained by moving the seat back and aiming the wheel at the chest, using pedal extenders if the pedals are then out of reach.
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13. At night you are waiting to turn left and can see only the headlights of an approaching vehicle. Why should you allow a bigger margin?
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Answer D: Because lights alone make speed and distance hard to judge
With no other visual cues, two points of light give you very little information about how fast the vehicle is closing, so leave extra margin.
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14. Which sequence describes a well-made turn?
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Answer A: Signal, move into the correct lane, slow down, check, then turn
Tell others first, take your position, lose the speed before the corner, take a final look, and only then steer through the turn.
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15. What filing fee must a Massachusetts driver pay the RMV to contest a civil motor vehicle citation?
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Answer C: 25 dollars
Requesting a hearing costs a 25 dollar filing fee, refunded only if the court finds the driver not responsible for every violation on the citation.
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16. A speed limit sign carries a second panel reading TRUCKS 55. What does that panel do?
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Answer B: It sets a lower legal limit for trucks
A truck speed limit panel is regulatory, so trucks are bound by the lower figure while other traffic keeps to the main limit.
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17. You are driving through a long curve on a road with two lanes in your direction. What is correct?
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Answer A: Stay within your own lane all the way through, adjusting speed before you enter
Wandering out of your lane in a curve puts you into the path of a vehicle you cannot see, and the slowing belongs before the curve rather than in it.
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18. You have a green light at a school crossing, but the crossing guard steps out and holds up a stop sign toward you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop, because the crossing guard controls this crossing and outranks the signal
Directions from a crossing guard or a police officer take priority over signals and signs.
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19. An arrow panel in a work zone shows four flashing lamps in caution mode instead of an arrow. What does that display mean?
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Answer A: Warning only, so pass the work area with caution in your current lane
Caution mode gives a general warning without directing a lane change, so drivers stay alert and pass the activity with care.
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20. A sign reads MINIMUM SPEED 40. What does it require of a driver?
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Answer C: Not to drive below that speed when conditions allow
A minimum speed limit keeps unnecessarily slow vehicles from obstructing traffic, but it never overrides the duty to slow down for weather or congestion.
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21. In plain words, what is oversteer?
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Answer C: The rear of the vehicle slides out and the car turns too sharply
Oversteer means the rear tires have lost grip first, so the tail swings out and the vehicle turns more than you asked it to.
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22. What is threshold braking?
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Answer C: Braking hard but staying just short of locking the wheels
A rolling tire grips better than a sliding one, so the shortest stop comes from pressure held just below the point where the wheels lock.
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23. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing
Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.
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24. A funeral procession with headlights on is crossing an intersection when your light turns green. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait and let the whole procession go through
Most states let a funeral procession stay together once the lead vehicle has lawfully entered an intersection, and in every state you must yield to vehicles already in the intersection, so wait until the line has passed.
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25. Some drivers believe they can multitask while driving. What does research show?
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Answer C: The brain switches rapidly between tasks and driving performance suffers
The brain does not truly do two attention-demanding tasks at once; it alternates between them, and the driving task gets less attention each time.