Maine BMV Permit Practice Test 13

  • Questions30
  • Correct to pass24
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

Minimum age: 15 years for a learner's permit, 16 years for a license with driver education

30 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 24 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. Why is passing another vehicle a bad idea in dense fog?

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    Answer C: You cannot see far enough ahead to know the passing lane is clear

    A pass needs a clear view of the road well beyond the vehicle you are overtaking, and fog takes exactly that away.

  2. 2. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?

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    Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer

    Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.

  3. 3. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time

    Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.

  4. 4. How long does a habitual offender revocation last in Maine?

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    Answer D: It is indefinite

    Maine revokes a habitual offender's license indefinitely and without a preliminary hearing, and no new license may issue until the statutory waiting period for relief has passed.

  5. 5. How often should you check your mirrors while driving?

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    Answer C: Every few seconds, so you always know what is around you

    Traffic behind and beside you changes constantly. Frequent, brief mirror checks keep a picture of your surroundings current so nothing surprises you.

  6. 6. An overhead sign shows that the right lane is EXIT ONLY. What does that mean if you intend to stay on the highway?

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    Answer B: You have to move out of that lane before the exit

    An exit only lane leaves the highway completely, so a driver continuing on the highway has to change lanes before it does.

  7. 7. This sign comes into view ahead of a driver who has already started along a ramp. What should the driver do?

    A red rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer B: Pull clear where it is safe, then turn around and leave the ramp traveling properly

    The driver is traveling against the legal flow, so the safest response is to stop clear of the lanes, turn the vehicle around and get off the ramp before meeting traffic head on.

  8. 8. You are on a country road with no sidewalk and two people are walking toward you on your side of the shoulder. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down and move over to give them room

    Where there is no sidewalk, people are expected to walk on the shoulder facing traffic, and drivers must slow and give them space.

  9. 9. What makes a left turn protected rather than permissive?

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    Answer B: Oncoming traffic is held by a red signal while you have a green arrow

    A protected turn is one where the conflicting movements are stopped by their own signal, which is what the green arrow indicates.

  10. 10. As a center two-way left-turn lane reaches an intersection, the markings change into a single left-turn lane. What does that mean for you?

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    Answer D: From that point it serves one direction only, so use it just to turn left

    Where the shared lane becomes a marked turn bay it belongs to one direction of travel, and only vehicles making that left turn may occupy it.

  11. 11. What does it mean to cover the brake, and when should you do it?

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    Answer B: Hold your foot over the brake pedal without pressing it when a hazard seems likely

    Covering the brake cuts reaction time when you expect trouble, such as near children, parked cars or a vehicle that may pull out. Riding the brake wears it out and confuses drivers behind you.

  12. 12. What does a traction control system do?

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    Answer A: It limits wheel spin when you accelerate

    Traction control cuts power or brakes a spinning wheel so the tires can grip when you pull away or accelerate on a slippery surface.

  13. 13. A wide crosswalk you are turning across has a refuge island in the middle. What should you assume about people standing on it?

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    Answer D: They may step off the island into your path at any moment

    An island is a pause in a crossing, not the end of one, so treat anyone on it as a pedestrian who is still crossing.

  14. 14. What is wrong with steering through a turn using the palm of one hand on the wheel?

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    Answer D: You have less control and cannot correct quickly if something goes wrong

    One-handed palming gives poor leverage and slow response. Use hand-to-hand or hand-over-hand steering with both hands so you can react instantly.

  15. 15. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?

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    Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade

    A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.

  16. 16. You have a small extinguisher and a fire has started under the hood. What is the safe way to use it?

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    Answer B: Release the latch and spray through the gap without raising the hood at all

    Opening the hood feeds the fire a rush of air, so spraying through the gap at the base of the flames is both safer and more effective.

  17. 17. How does alcohol typically affect a driver's vision?

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    Answer D: It blurs vision, weakens night vision and narrows attention to the sides

    Alcohol slows the eye muscles and the brain's processing of what is seen, degrading focus, night vision, depth perception and awareness of movement at the edges of the field of view.

  18. 18. Does Maine's handheld device ban apply to a driver stopped at a red light?

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    Answer D: Yes, the ban covers a vehicle temporarily stopped in traffic

    Maine's ban reaches a driver who is temporarily stationary because of traffic, a traffic light or a stop sign; the driver must pull off the way and stop to use the device lawfully.

  19. 19. You reach an uncontrolled intersection at the same moment as a vehicle approaching from your left. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Proceed, but only once you see that driver slowing

    You have the right of way over the vehicle on your left, but a right of way is something the other driver has to give, so confirm it before you commit.

  20. 20. Four vehicles reach a four-way stop from all four directions at the same instant. How is the deadlock resolved?

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    Answer C: Each driver yields to the vehicle on the right and they go one by one

    Yielding to the right applies to every driver, so the group untangles itself as drivers take turns rather than moving together.

  21. 21. You are stopped at a red light waiting to turn right where the turn is allowed. Besides traffic from the left, what must you check?

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    Answer D: Both crosswalks, and anyone approaching along your right side

    A right turn on red crosses the crosswalk in front of you and enters the one on the cross street, and cyclists often approach along your right.

  22. 22. Your tires drop into deep slush that has built up between the travel lanes. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Ease off the accelerator and grip the wheel, since slush tugs the vehicle

    Slush grabs at the tires and can pull the vehicle sideways. Reduce power gently, hold the wheel firmly and avoid sudden steering or braking.

  23. 23. Some states allow a left turn against a red light. Which movement is it?

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    Answer A: A left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street

    The movement generally allowed on red is one-way to one-way, because the turn does not cross any lane of oncoming traffic; a few states also extend it to a two-way street turning onto a one-way street.

  24. 24. What should a driver do first after passing this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lanes merging into one around a central island
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    Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and stay there

    Traffic returns to two-way operation, so the driver keeps to the right of the centerline and stops treating the left side as available.

  25. 25. What are painted curb markings mainly used for?

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    Answer D: Conveying parking and stopping regulations

    Colored curbs tell drivers where waiting or parking is restricted, and because the exact color meanings are set locally a driver should also read the posted signs.

  26. 26. At an intersection where turning right on red is permitted and no sign prohibits it, what must you do before turning?

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    Answer A: Come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians and cross traffic

    A right turn on red is allowed only after a full stop, and the turning driver must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to traffic already using the intersection.

  27. 27. 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.

  28. 28. What does this sign require of the driver?

    A yellow diamond showing a traffic signal with three stacked lights
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    Answer D: Reducing speed and being ready to stop at the intersection ahead

    The advance notice asks the driver to slow and be ready to stop, while whether a stop is actually needed depends on the indication displayed on arrival.

  29. 29. How much of the suspension must a Maine driver with one OUI offense serve before reinstatement with an ignition interlock device?

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    Answer A: 30 days

    Maine allows reinstatement with an approved ignition interlock device once 30 days of the suspension period have been served for a single OUI offense.

  30. 30. A square sign with a red field, a wide white horizontal bar and the words DO NOT ENTER tells a driver that

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    Answer B: the roadway ahead must not be entered from that point

    The do not enter sign is posted at the end of a one-way roadway or ramp to keep traffic from driving into it against the flow.