Massachusetts RMV Permit Practice Test 32

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass18
  • Passing score72%
  • Minimum age16 years

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 18 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. May you park at the curb immediately next to a railroad crossing?

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    Answer A: No, you must leave the crossing and its approach clear

    Parking beside a crossing hides the tracks and the signals from approaching drivers and leaves no room for a vehicle that has to clear the rails.

  2. 2. What is the Personal Injury Protection limit required on a Massachusetts auto policy?

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    Answer D: 8,000 dollars

    Personal Injury Protection stayed where it was when the liability minimums rose, and it covers medical expenses plus up to 75 percent of lost wages.

  3. 3. You are parking facing downhill on a street with a curb. Which way should the front wheels point?

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    Answer A: Toward the curb, so the vehicle would roll into it if it moved

    Turning the wheels toward the curb when facing downhill means a vehicle that starts to roll is stopped by the curb instead of entering the traffic lane.

  4. 4. A friend who has been drinking insists on driving home. What is the right thing to do?

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    Answer B: Take the keys and arrange a sober ride, even if the friend objects

    An impaired driver is dangerous on any street at any speed, and coffee does not lower blood alcohol. Keeping the keys and finding another way home is the only safe choice.

  5. 5. What should you do before you back out of your own driveway at home?

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    Answer A: Walk around the vehicle and check behind it for children or objects

    A small child, a bicycle or a toy can sit entirely inside the blind area behind a vehicle, and a walk-around is the only way to be sure it is clear.

  6. 6. You are parked legally, but a police officer tells you to move the vehicle. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Move it as directed, because an officer overrides the signs

    Directions from a police officer or a firefighter take precedence over signs and markings, whether they are directing traffic or clearing a street.

  7. 7. A Massachusetts driver over 21 who fails a chemical test faces what immediate administrative suspension?

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    Answer A: 30 days, or less if the case ends sooner

    An adult who fails the test loses the license for 30 days or until the court case concludes, whichever comes first.

  8. 8. What is the first thing to do once your disabled vehicle is stopped on the shoulder?

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    Answer A: Switch on the hazard warning lights so other drivers can see the vehicle

    Hazard lights are the fastest way to make a stopped vehicle visible, and everything else can follow once traffic has been warned.

  9. 9. You want to turn left across the oncoming lane into a shopping center driveway. Who must you yield to?

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    Answer B: Oncoming traffic and anyone using the sidewalk

    A left turn into a driveway crosses both the oncoming lane and the sidewalk, so you give way to traffic and to pedestrians before completing it.

  10. 10. A driver disregards this sign and turns so as to travel against the direction it establishes. What is the immediate danger?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer D: The driver will face traffic head on, because every lane comes the other way

    Turning against the established direction puts the vehicle nose to nose with all the traffic on that street, which is why the mistake has to be corrected at once.

  11. 11. Why should the washer reservoir hold proper washer fluid rather than plain water in winter?

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    Answer D: Water freezes and it leaves you with no way at all to clean the glass

    Washer fluid contains antifreeze, so it still works in the cold, whereas water freezes in the reservoir and the lines.

  12. 12. What do two solid yellow lines down the middle of a two-way road mean?

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    Answer D: Passing is prohibited for traffic in both directions

    A double solid yellow line marks a two-direction no-passing zone, so neither direction may cross it to overtake another vehicle.

  13. 13. A yellow lamp flashes above a warning sign at a sharp curve. What does it ask of a driver?

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    Answer D: Slow down and pass the point with extra care

    A warning beacon draws attention to the sign it is mounted with, and the message of the sign is what the driver must act on.

  14. 14. How long is a standard Massachusetts driver's license valid?

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    Answer C: Five years

    A Massachusetts driver's license runs for a maximum of five years and normally expires on the holder's birthday.

  15. 15. What minimum speed applies in the Callahan, Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels?

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    Answer B: 20 mph

    The Boston Harbor tunnels carry a minimum speed of 20 mph.

  16. 16. What does the implied consent law mean for drivers?

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    Answer D: By driving, you have agreed to a chemical test if lawfully arrested for impaired driving

    Holding a license and driving on public roads is treated as consent to breath, blood or urine testing when an officer has grounds to arrest you. Refusing normally brings its own license penalties.

  17. 17. In Massachusetts, three speeding violations within a 12 month period trigger which automatic action?

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    Answer A: A 30 day license suspension

    Three speeding violations inside a 12 month window, counted from the first citation, cause an automatic 30 day suspension.

  18. 18. On an overhead guide sign, the small exit number panel sits above the left-hand end rather than the right. What does that placement tell you?

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    Answer A: The exit leaves from the left side of the roadway

    The exit number plaque is placed on the side from which the ramp leaves, which gives advance notice of the unusual left-hand exit.

  19. 19. What most often starts a rear wheel skid?

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    Answer A: Too much speed, braking or acceleration for the grip available

    A skid begins when what you ask of the tires exceeds what the surface can give, which is usually a matter of speed and of how abruptly you use the controls.

  20. 20. A turn restriction sign at the corner shows a range of times below the symbol. What does that mean?

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    Answer A: The turn is banned only during the hours shown on the sign

    Times posted under a regulatory symbol set the period during which the restriction applies; outside those hours the movement is permitted.

  21. 21. A preferential lane sign reads HOV 2+ and lists the hours it applies. During those hours, which vehicles may use the lane?

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    Answer A: Vehicles carrying at least two people, counting the driver

    The number on an HOV sign is the minimum number of occupants, driver included, that a vehicle must carry to use the lane while the restriction is in effect.

  22. 22. Two solid white lines are painted between your lane and the lane beside it. What do they mean?

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    Answer D: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited

    Double solid white lines separate lanes of traffic going the same way and may not be crossed.

  23. 23. A steady green downward arrow is displayed above the lane you are in. What does it tell you?

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    Answer A: You may drive in that lane

    A green downward arrow means the lane beneath it is open for travel in your direction.

  24. 24. Why is it often safer to back into a parking space than to back out of one?

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    Answer D: Because you leave the space going forward, with a clear view

    Backing into the space puts the difficult maneuver where you are stopped and looking around, and lets you drive out facing the traffic and pedestrians.

  25. 25. Is it a good idea to shift into neutral and coast down a long hill to save fuel?

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    Answer B: No, you lose engine braking and some control of the vehicle

    In neutral the engine cannot help slow the vehicle, so the brakes do all the work and can overheat. Stay in gear so the drivetrain helps hold your speed.