Oregon DMV Permit Practice Test 17

  • Questions35
  • Correct to pass28
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

35 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 28 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. A pedestrian signal displays a steady walking person symbol. What does it mean for a pedestrian at that corner?

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    Answer B: The pedestrian may start crossing in the direction of the signal

    The steady walking person permits a pedestrian to begin the crossing, while still yielding to vehicles already lawfully in the intersection.

  2. 2. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?

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    Answer C: At the opening before the solid line begins

    The solid line marks where lane changes are no longer intended, so you move into the turn bay at its opening rather than cutting across the line later.

  3. 3. There is a stop sign but no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?

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    Answer A: Before entering the intersection, where you can see cross traffic

    With no line or crosswalk, stop before you enter the intersection at the point where you can see traffic on the cross street.

  4. 4. How can you tell a tire has reached its wear limit without measuring it?

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    Answer C: The wear bars across the grooves become level with the tread

    Molded bars sit at the bottom of the grooves. Once the surrounding tread has worn down to them, the tire has reached the end of its safe life.

  5. 5. A sign at the curb reads Tow-Away Zone. What does it mean for you?

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    Answer C: That a vehicle left there can be removed at the owner's expense

    In a tow-away zone the vehicle can be removed immediately and the owner pays the towing and storage charges to get it back.

  6. 6. How does a full load of passengers and luggage affect your braking?

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    Answer B: It lengthens the stopping distance, so you should brake earlier

    More weight means more energy to get rid of, so a loaded vehicle takes longer to stop and needs earlier, gentler braking.

  7. 7. A driver's blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit, but the driver is visibly impaired. Can the driver be arrested?

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    Answer C: Yes, driving while impaired by alcohol is an offense at any concentration

    The per se figure, 0.08 percent in most states and 0.05 percent in Utah, is the level at which impairment is presumed. Impairment shown by driving behavior and field tests is enough on its own, because alcohol affects skills well before that number.

  8. 8. You are stopped inside an intersection waiting for a gap to turn left. How should your front wheels be positioned?

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    Answer C: Pointing straight ahead until you actually begin the turn

    If your wheels are already turned left and another vehicle strikes you from behind, you would be pushed into oncoming traffic.

  9. 9. A set of reversible express lanes is closed off with gates and signs while it runs the other way. What must you never do?

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    Answer C: Enter past a closed gate or a sign showing the lanes are closed

    When reversible lanes are closed they may already be carrying traffic in the opposite direction, so entering past a gate can put you head-on into that traffic.

  10. 10. In Oregon, knowingly giving a police officer false information about your motor vehicle liability insurance coverage is classified as what?

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    Answer B: A Class B misdemeanor

    ORS 806.055 makes knowingly giving false information about liability insurance coverage to a police officer a separate Class B misdemeanor, a criminal offense rather than a traffic violation.

  11. 11. In the code that governs pavement markings, what does a double line stand for?

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    Answer B: A maximum restriction

    The marking code is consistent: a double line means the strongest restriction, a solid line discourages or forbids crossing, and a broken line is permissive.

  12. 12. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?

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    Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear

    A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.

  13. 13. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it

    The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.

  14. 14. How can you keep space at the sides of your vehicle in heavy traffic?

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    Answer D: Drive in the gaps between the other vehicles rather than beside them

    Travelling in the open spaces rather than alongside others keeps a way out open on at least one side.

  15. 15. Why should you make sure your turn signal has stopped flashing after a lane change?

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    Answer A: A signal left flashing tells other drivers that you intend to move again

    Other drivers act on your signals, so one that is left on gives them false information about what you are about to do.

  16. 16. Another driver has pulled out to pass you. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Stay in your lane, keep your speed steady or ease off, and let the pass finish

    Accelerating while being passed forces the other driver to stay in the opposing lane longer, so the safe response is to hold or slightly reduce speed and stay right.

  17. 17. A city transit bus at a stop ahead of you switches on its left signal. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Slow and let the bus pull back into traffic

    A bus needs a long gap to rejoin traffic, and yielding to a signaling transit bus keeps the whole line of traffic moving safely.

  18. 18. Which common non-prescription medicine is most likely to make a driver drowsy?

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    Answer C: A cold or allergy remedy containing an antihistamine

    Antihistamines in cold and allergy remedies are a leading cause of drowsiness behind the wheel, which is why the label carries a warning.

  19. 19. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning

    A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.

  20. 20. A bicyclist ahead of you extends the left arm out with the forearm bent upward. What does that signal mean?

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    Answer A: The bicyclist intends to turn right

    Bicyclists use the same hand signals as drivers: left arm straight out means left, left arm bent up means right, and left arm bent down means stop or slow.

  21. 21. A marked accessible space is signed as van accessible. What is different about it?

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    Answer B: It has a wider aisle for a ramp or a lift to come out

    The extra width beside the space is there so a side ramp or lift can deploy and a wheelchair can get clear of the vehicle.

  22. 22. How much supervised driving experience does Oregon require of an applicant under 18?

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    Answer D: 100 hours, or 50 hours with an approved traffic safety education course

    Oregon requires 100 hours of supervised driving experience, reduced to 50 hours if the applicant completes an approved traffic safety education course.

  23. 23. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?

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    Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast

    After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.

  24. 24. How can you tell that a child safety seat is installed tightly enough?

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    Answer C: It moves less than an inch side to side or front to back at the belt path

    A correctly installed seat is nearly immovable where the belt or lower anchors pass through it. Excess movement lets the child's body travel farther in a crash.

  25. 25. Every signal head at an intersection is flashing red in all directions. How should you treat the intersection?

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    Answer C: As an all-way stop, stopping and then going in turn

    Red flashing in every direction means each approach must stop, so the intersection works exactly like an all-way stop.

  26. 26. You come upon a crash that has just happened and decide to help. Where should you stop your vehicle?

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    Answer A: Well beyond the scene, completely off the road, with the hazard lights on

    Stopping past the crash and off the pavement keeps you from becoming another victim and leaves the approach clear for emergency vehicles.

  27. 27. Two lanes at the corner are marked for right turns. What does that require of you?

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    Answer A: Keep your own lane through the turn and into the matching new lane

    Dual turn lanes work only if each vehicle stays in its own lane all the way round and finishes in the corresponding lane of the new street.

  28. 28. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop

    Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.

  29. 29. You are turning left out of a driveway onto a busy two-way street. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Wait for a gap in both directions before you start to move

    The turn crosses one direction of traffic and joins the other, so you need a gap in both before leaving the driveway rather than stopping across a lane.

  30. 30. You are parking on a one-way street where parking is allowed on both sides. What must still be true?

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    Answer D: The vehicle must face the direction the traffic flows

    Either curb may be used on a one-way street where signs allow it, but the vehicle must always be headed in the direction traffic moves.

  31. 31. What does a posted speed limit sign represent?

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    Answer B: The maximum speed permitted under ideal conditions

    A speed limit is an upper limit that assumes good weather, good visibility and light traffic, so the safe speed is often lower than the posted figure.

  32. 32. An arrow panel at a work zone displays a flashing arrow pointing to the left. What does it require?

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    Answer C: Move out of the closed lane into the lane on the left

    A flashing or sequential arrow on an arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane and into the lane the arrow points to.

  33. 33. You are about to slow down sharply for a turn. Which check comes first?

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    Answer A: A look in the mirror to see how close the traffic behind you is

    Any hard slowing needs a mirror check first, because the driver behind is the one who has to react to it.

  34. 34. What must a driver be ready for beyond this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lanes merging into one around a central island
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    Answer C: Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction in the next lane over

    The separation between the two directions runs out, so from that point oncoming vehicles share the same pavement and the driver has to keep right.

  35. 35. The stability control warning light flashes while you are driving through a curve. What does it mean?

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    Answer A: The system is actively working to keep the vehicle under control, so slow down

    A flashing stability control light means the system is braking individual wheels because you are near the limit of grip. Ease off and drive more gently.