Oregon DMV Permit Practice Test 10

Test 10 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 28 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Oregon test.

A coastal highway with sea stacks and evergreen forests, a typical landscape of Oregon
  1. 1. 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.

  2. 2. What is the what if habit of a defensive driver?

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    Answer C: Thinking through what you would do if a hazard ahead of you turned bad

    Rehearsing an answer before the hazard develops means you act at once instead of spending time deciding.

  3. 3. When is a child ready to use a vehicle seat belt without a booster seat?

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    Answer A: When the lap belt lies across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the chest

    Belt fit, not age, decides readiness. Until the child is tall enough for the lap belt to sit on the thighs and the shoulder belt on the chest, a booster is needed.

  4. 4. On the Interstate system, what do the odd-numbered one and two digit routes have in common?

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    Answer D: They run mainly north and south

    Odd numbers are given to north and south Interstates and even numbers to east and west ones, with the numbers rising toward the north and the east.

  5. 5. What is the correct order of steps as you finish parking an automatic on a grade?

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    Answer C: Turn the wheels, set the parking brake, then select park

    Setting the parking brake before shifting into park lets the brake take the load, instead of leaving the whole weight of the car on the parking pawl.

  6. 6. The accelerator sticks open while you are driving. What is the first thing to do?

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    Answer A: Shift into neutral and brake while steering off the road

    Neutral disconnects the engine from the wheels so the vehicle can be braked normally, while shutting off the ignition may lock the steering and remove power assistance.

  7. 7. You are turning left at an intersection just beyond the crest of a hill. What is the added risk?

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    Answer B: Oncoming vehicles appear with very little warning and close quickly

    A crest hides approaching traffic until it is close, so the gap you thought was empty can fill in the time the turn takes.

  8. 8. When no speed is posted, what speed is prima facie evidence of a basic speed rule violation in a public park in Oregon?

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    Answer D: 25 miles per hour

    ORS 811.105 sets 25 miles per hour as the prima facie evidence speed for a public park when no other speed is posted.

  9. 9. On a narrow two-lane road a line of vehicles has built up behind you. What is the safe and courteous action?

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    Answer D: Pull into a turnout or a safe wide spot and let them go by

    A slow vehicle holding up a queue invites risky passing; using a turnout clears the road without anyone having to take a chance.

  10. 10. Which ability does alcohol usually affect first?

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    Answer A: Judgment and self control

    Alcohol reduces judgment and inhibition before a drinker notices any clumsiness, which is why an impaired driver often feels perfectly capable while already driving worse.

  11. 11. Oregon's provisional-license passenger restriction does not apply to a 16- or 17-year-old employed by a farmer, rancher, or orchardist under which condition?

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    Answer D: The driver carries no more passengers than available seat belts and has a signed employer statement in the vehicle

    ORS 807.122 excuses this passenger restriction only if the driver carries no more passengers than there are seat belts and has a written statement signed by the employer certifying the employment and lack of other transport options.

  12. 12. 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.

  13. 13. You brake hard on a wet road and need to steer around a stalled car. How do antilock brakes help you do that?

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    Answer B: They stop the wheels locking, so the tires can still turn the vehicle

    Locked wheels slide and cannot change direction. By preventing lockup the system lets you brake at full force and steer at the same time.

  14. 14. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long

    Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.

  15. 15. On a multi-lane street, a yield line is painted well back from an unsignalized crosswalk rather than right at it. Why?

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    Answer D: So drivers in the other lanes can see the pedestrian

    Setting the yield line back keeps a stopped vehicle from hiding a crossing pedestrian from drivers in the next lane, which is a common cause of these crashes.

  16. 16. You hear a bang and one of the front tires deflates while you are on the highway. What happens to the vehicle?

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    Answer D: It pulls strongly toward the side that failed

    The collapsed tire drags heavily on that corner, so the vehicle veers toward it. Hold the wheel firmly, keep your line and let the speed fall before leaving the road.

  17. 17. The traffic signal is green, but the crossing lights on the tracks inside the intersection begin to flash. What must you do?

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    Answer C: Stop clear of the tracks and wait, even though the signal is green

    Active crossing warning devices outrank the green indication, so you stop short of the rails and wait until the warning stops.

  18. 18. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?

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    Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations

    Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.

  19. 19. An officer directing traffic faces you and holds one hand up with the open palm toward your vehicle. What does the gesture mean?

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    Answer D: Stop before reaching the officer

    A raised open palm shown toward a driver is the standard signal to stop.

  20. 20. The vehicle ahead of you has pulled out to pass a truck. May you follow it out and pass as well?

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    Answer B: No, wait until it is done and judge the road for yourself

    You cannot see past the vehicle ahead of you, and if it has to abort the pass there is nowhere for either of you to go.

  21. 21. You will leave your vehicle for several hours after dark. Where is the best place to park it?

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    Answer D: In a well-lit spot with people and cameras nearby

    Light, passing people and cameras all discourage theft and make your own return to the vehicle safer.

  22. 22. This sign is still standing late at night, and nobody is working. What should the driver assume?

    An orange diamond with black lettering
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    Answer B: The layout may still be altered, so the same care and reduced speed apply

    Narrowed lanes, shifted alignments, dropped pavement edges and parked equipment remain overnight, so the hazard does not end when the crew goes home.

  23. 23. How do stimulant drugs such as amphetamines or cocaine typically affect driving?

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    Answer D: They can make the driver overconfident and more willing to take risks

    Stimulants create a false sense of alertness and encourage aggressive, risky driving. When they wear off, sudden fatigue can follow.

  24. 24. When are the hazard warning lights properly used?

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    Answer A: When your vehicle is stopped or barely moving and is a hazard

    Hazard lights warn that your vehicle is an obstruction; they do not authorize illegal parking and they hide your turn signals while driving.

  25. 25. You are passing a tractor-trailer on a wet freeway and its wheels throw heavy spray. What is the best technique?

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    Answer B: Increase your wipers and pass steadily without hesitating

    Spray blinds you for as long as you stay beside the truck, so prepare the wipers first and then spend as little time in the spray as possible.

  26. 26. 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.

  27. 27. The route marker used for an Interstate highway is a shield with

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    Answer A: white numerals on a blue field under a red band carrying the word INTERSTATE

    The Interstate route marker is a cutout shield with a white border, the word INTERSTATE in white on red across the top and the route number in white on blue.

  28. 28. Absent any prior convictions, what class of offense is a first DUII conviction under Oregon law?

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    Answer A: A Class A misdemeanor

    ORS 813.010 makes driving under the influence of intoxicants a Class A misdemeanor unless the enhanced felony provisions apply.

  29. 29. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor and the vehicle does not slow down. What is a reasonable sequence of actions?

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    Answer C: Pump the pedal, shift to a lower gear and apply the parking brake gradually while steering to a safe spot

    Pumping can rebuild pressure in a partly failed system, a lower gear adds engine braking, and easing on the parking brake slows the vehicle without locking the wheels.

  30. 30. A small plaque mounted under this sign shows a numeral such as 2 or 3. What does that numeral report?

    Two white crossed boards forming an X, with black lettering along each board
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    Answer A: How many sets of tracks the crossing carries

    The plaque states the number of tracks at that location, which is a warning that a second train may be running on another track behind the first.

  31. 31. You realize you have just gone past your exit on a freeway. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Carry on to the next exit and turn around there

    A missed exit costs a few minutes, while backing up or cutting across the striped gore area puts you in the path of traffic that is not expecting it.

  32. 32. In Oregon, must traffic stop for a school bus with red lights flashing when the roadway is separated only by a painted median or a turn lane?

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    Answer D: Yes, all lanes of traffic must stop because a painted median does not create two separate roads

    Oregon treats a painted median strip or a turn lane as part of a single roadway, so all lanes must stop; only an unpaved median or barrier splits the road into two.

  33. 33. Freeway traffic ahead of you has come to a stop. Besides braking early, how can you warn the drivers behind you?

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    Answer B: By switching on the hazard lights for a few seconds

    A short burst of hazard lights is a recognized way to tell following traffic that the queue ahead has stopped, and it carries much further back than brake lights. Some states restrict hazard lights on a moving vehicle, so use them only for the moment you are slowing.

  34. 34. Two solid yellow lines are painted down the center of a two-way road. What do they mean?

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    Answer B: Traffic in neither direction may cross them to pass

    A double solid yellow line marks a no-passing zone that applies to traffic traveling in either direction.

  35. 35. Where is the best place in the car for a child safety seat?

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    Answer A: In the rear seat, secured either with the belt or with the lower anchors

    The rear seat is furthest from most impacts and from the front airbags, and the seat must be locked in with the belt or the anchors.