Maine BMV Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A yellow diamond shows a horse with a rider. Besides slowing down, what else should a driver do?
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Answer C: Avoid using the horn or revving the engine
The equestrian crossing sign warns of horses on or across the road, and a sudden noise can startle an animal into the traffic lane.
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2. A sign warns that the right lane ends ahead, and traffic is still flowing freely. What should you do if you are in that lane?
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Answer C: Signal, adjust your speed and move left in good time before the lane ends
When traffic is moving freely there is room to merge early and smoothly, which avoids the last-second lane change at the closure point.
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3. You have parked a manual transmission car facing downhill. Which gear should you leave it in?
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Answer D: Reverse, along with the parking brake set firmly
Facing downhill the car would roll forward, so reverse gear opposes that movement while the parking brake and turned wheels back it up.
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4. An overhead lane signal shows a flashing yellow X above your lane. What does it mean?
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Answer D: The lane may be used only for a left turn
A flashing yellow X marks a lane that may be used only to make a left turn; a steady yellow X is the one that warns you to leave the lane.
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5. How should tire pressure be checked and set?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer
Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.
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6. What is the correct first step when parallel parking behind an empty space?
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Answer D: Signal, pull up alongside the vehicle in front of the space, then back slowly into it
Parallel parking is done in reverse from a position alongside the vehicle ahead of the space, because backing in lets the rear wheels guide the vehicle to the curb.
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7. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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8. You realize you have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street. What should you do?
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Answer A: Pull to the right, stop, and back into the street you came from when clear
Get out of the traffic stream first: pull right and stop, then back out into the street you came from once you can see it is safe.
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9. A police officer is directing traffic at an intersection and waves you through a red light. What should you do?
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Answer C: Follow the officer, whose directions come before signs and signals
Directions given by a police officer or an authorized flagger override signs, signals and pavement markings.
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10. What does Maine impose on a driver who operates a vehicle without the required ignition interlock device installed?
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Answer B: A Class E crime with at least 7 days of imprisonment and a 500 dollar fine
Operating without the device or tampering with it is a Class E crime in Maine, carrying a mandatory minimum of 7 days of imprisonment and a 500 dollar fine.
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11. What is the safest way to leave a perpendicular parking space in a busy lot?
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Answer B: Back out slowly, checking both ways and yielding
Backing out gives you the poorest view of any maneuver, so it must be done slowly, with checks in both directions and with yielding to whoever is already there.
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12. Your steering suddenly feels light and unresponsive as you drive through standing water. What should you do first?
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Answer A: Ease off the accelerator and keep the steering wheel pointed straight
Those symptoms mean the tires are riding on a film of water, and gently lifting off the accelerator lets them settle back onto the pavement. Hard braking or sudden steering while hydroplaning can start a skid.
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13. A stop sign at a busy corner has a stop line and a crosswalk, but buildings block your view of the cross street. What is the correct sequence?
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Answer C: Stop at the line first, then edge forward and stop again to see
The first stop is required at the line or before the crosswalk, and a second stop farther forward is what actually lets you yield safely.
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14. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
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Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
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15. You are in the acceleration lane and the gap you were aiming for is now beside you. What is the best adjustment?
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Answer A: Change your speed a little to line up with a gap, then merge smoothly
The acceleration lane is for matching both the speed and the position of a gap, and small speed adjustments are what line the two up.
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16. You are making a legal U-turn at an intersection. Who has the right of way?
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Answer C: Everyone else, until your turn is complete
A U-turn crosses several paths at once, so you yield to oncoming vehicles, to crossing traffic and to pedestrians before starting it.
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17. A live power line is lying on your car and the car has caught fire, so you must get out. How should you leave it?
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Answer D: Jump clear without touching the car and ground at once, then shuffle away
Touching the vehicle and the ground together makes you the path to earth, and long strides can bridge the voltage spread through the ground.
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18. What must a driver be ready for beyond this sign?
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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.
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19. You are on a two-lane road where a broken yellow line runs on your side of the center. What does that pattern allow?
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Answer C: Passing when the way ahead is clear and it is otherwise legal
A broken yellow center line marks a stretch where passing is permitted for traffic on that side when it can be completed safely.
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20. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?
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Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it
Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.
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21. A mixed drink is made with two shots of spirits. How much alcohol is that?
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Answer C: About two standard drinks
A standard drink is a fixed amount of pure alcohol, so a glass poured with two measures counts as two drinks however it is served.
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22. You have stopped on an uphill grade close behind a large truck at a traffic signal. What is the risk?
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Answer B: The truck may roll back into you when it starts to move
Heavy vehicles can roll backward a short distance when the driver moves from the brake to the accelerator on a hill. Leave extra room when stopped behind a truck on a grade.
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23. Traffic in a work zone is down to one lane in each direction, separated by a temporary double yellow line. May you pass?
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Answer C: No, temporary markings prohibit passing just as permanent ones do
A temporary marking has the same legal force as a permanent one, and a work zone is the last place with room to spare for an overtaking vehicle.
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24. You are driving at night on an unlit road using low beams. How should you choose your speed?
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Answer C: So you could stop within the distance your headlights light up
Driving faster than you can stop within the lit area is called overdriving your headlights. Anything beyond the beam is invisible until it is too late to react.
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25. You are in the right-hand of two left-turn lanes and the vehicle beside you starts to drift toward your lane during the turn. What should you do?
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Answer B: Slow slightly, keep to your own lane and give the other vehicle room
Drivers commonly drift wide in dual turn lanes, so hold your own line, ease off and leave space rather than racing or crowding the other vehicle.
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26. In a work zone a flagger signals you to stop, but the sign beside the road says the lane is open. What should you do?
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Answer C: Obey the flagger
A flagger controls the work zone in real time and the instruction outranks the signs and markings, which cannot reflect what is happening at that moment.
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27. You hold steady pressure on the brake pedal for the whole of a long descent. What is likely to happen?
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Answer B: The brakes overheat and fade, so they slow you less and less
Continuous braking heats the brakes until they fade and lose effectiveness; use a lower gear and short, firm applications instead.
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28. How much moving water is generally enough to float and carry away most passenger vehicles?
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Answer D: About one foot
About a foot of moving water will float most cars, and even less will stall an engine. That is why the rule is to turn around instead of judging the depth.
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29. You realize your tires are running on ice. Which set of inputs is safest?
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Answer C: Gentle steering, no sudden braking, and no sudden acceleration
Whatever grip is left is used up at once by any sudden input, so every movement of wheel, brake and accelerator must be slow and small.
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30. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?
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Answer C: Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway
The acceleration lane exists so you can match the speed of freeway traffic before merging, and drivers already on the freeway have the right-of-way.