Maine BMV Permit Practice Test 23
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A raised area crosses the roadway and carries a series of white markings on its face. What are those markings for?
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Answer A: To make the hump visible so drivers slow for it
Speed hump markings warn drivers that the pavement rises, which matters most at night or when the hump is in shadow.
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2. How should a long trip be broken up to keep the driver alert?
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Answer D: Stop for a break every couple of hours and share out the driving
Regular breaks and a change of driver are the only reliable answers to fatigue; caffeine only postpones it.
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3. The driver ahead of you is straddling the lane line and is not signaling. How should you respond?
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Answer B: Stay back until you can see which lane that driver will take
A vehicle astride the line could move either way, so the only safe place is behind it where both possibilities are still covered.
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4. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?
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Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed
A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.
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5. What is the minimum fine in Maine for failing to move over for a stopped emergency or public service vehicle?
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Answer D: 275 dollars
Maine makes the failure a traffic infraction with a minimum fine of 275 dollars.
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6. Besides its height, what else matters about a head restraint?
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Answer C: That it is close to the back of the head, and not far behind it
A restraint that sits far behind the head lets the head snap back before it is caught, so a small gap is important.
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7. The trailer you are towing begins to sway from side to side at highway speed. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel steady and let the speed drop
Sway grows with speed and with sudden inputs. Reducing speed gently while keeping the steering steady lets the trailer settle behind you.
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8. An orange sign showing the symbol of a person holding a flag or a sign paddle means that
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Answer D: a person is controlling traffic ahead and the driver must obey that person
The flagger sign warns that a trained flagger is directing traffic further on, and the flagger's instructions govern movement through the work zone.
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9. An arrow panel in a work zone shows four flashing lamps in caution mode instead of an arrow. What does that display mean?
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Answer A: Warning only, so pass the work area with caution in your current lane
Caution mode gives a general warning without directing a lane change, so drivers stay alert and pass the activity with care.
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10. 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.
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11. In a work zone, the flagger's instructions conflict with the pavement markings still visible on the road. Which do you follow?
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Answer B: The flagger, because a person directing traffic outranks the markings
An authorized flagger controlling a temporary traffic control zone overrides signs, signals and markings, and drivers must obey the flagger's signals.
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12. You reach a four-way stop after another driver has already stopped there. What should you do?
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Answer D: Let the driver who stopped first proceed before you go
At a four-way stop the vehicles proceed in the order they arrived, so a driver who stopped before you goes first.
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13. A fire truck with lights and siren has just passed you and is heading down the same road. How closely may you follow it?
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Answer B: Well back, because following a responding emergency vehicle closely is illegal
Following a responding emergency vehicle closely is prohibited; the exact minimum distance is set by each state, so stay far enough back to keep the scene and other responders clear.
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14. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road
The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.
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15. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?
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Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on
Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.
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16. What does Maine law say about driving unusually slowly?
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Answer A: A driver may not impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic
Maine forbids operating at a speed so slow that it impedes the normal and reasonable movement of traffic, except where reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or required by law.
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17. Apart from other vehicles, who else must a driver let go first at this sign?
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Answer A: Pedestrians and cyclists already in or entering the crossing
The duty to give way covers every road user who has the right of way at that point, including people walking or cycling across the driver's path.
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18. The signal turns green as you approach an intersection. What is the safest practice?
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Answer B: Look left, then right, then left again, and make sure the intersection is clear before entering
A green light gives permission but does not guarantee the intersection is empty, and a quick scan catches a vehicle running the red or a pedestrian still crossing.
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19. What is a driver being warned about here?
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Answer B: The pavement ahead carries vehicles traveling in the opposite direction
Beyond this point vehicles come the other way on the same pavement, which commonly happens where a one-way section or a separated stretch comes to an end.
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20. Under Maine law, how must a child who weighs less than 55 pounds be transported?
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Answer C: Properly secured in a child safety seat
Maine requires a child under 55 pounds to ride in a child safety seat, then a federally approved child restraint system for a child of 55 to 80 pounds who is under 8.
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21. What does Maine accept as evidence of a vehicle's speed in an enforcement proceeding?
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Answer D: Radar and electronic devices, and calculations of distance against time
Maine's speed statute makes radar, other electronic speed measuring devices, and calculations based on distance and elapsed time acceptable evidence of speed.
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22. Why should you stay out of an intersection you cannot clear, even on a green light?
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Answer B: Because you would block cross traffic when their signal turns green
A vehicle stranded in the intersection blocks the cross street when its light turns green, which stalls the whole junction and traps emergency vehicles.
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23. Your vehicle has antilock brakes. What should you never do in an emergency stop?
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Answer A: Pump the pedal up and down
The system already releases and reapplies the brakes many times a second. Pumping the pedal interrupts it and makes the stop longer.
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24. You are approaching a horse and rider on a country road. What about your horn?
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Answer C: Do not sound it at all, because the noise can frighten the animal
A startled horse is dangerous to its rider and to you, so pass wide and slow and leave the horn alone.
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25. What changes in Maine when driving to endanger causes serious bodily injury?
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Answer D: It becomes a Class C crime with a suspension of 180 days to 2 years
Serious bodily injury lifts driving to endanger from a Class E to a Class C crime and raises the suspension range to between 180 days and 2 years.
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26. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
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Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
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27. You are driving down a parking aisle and reach the main lane that runs along the front of the store. What is the usual rule?
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Answer C: The main through lane has the right of way over the vehicles leaving the aisles
In a parking lot the wide lane that runs across the ends of the aisles works like a through road, and drivers leaving an aisle yield to it.
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28. Red pavement markings are used on a roadway to show that
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Answer A: it must not be entered from that direction
Red markings identify a roadway that is not to be entered or used, and they also mark the pavement of truck escape ramps.
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29. A train has just passed a crossing that carries more than one set of tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until the warning devices stop and you can see clearly along every track
A passing train can hide a second one coming on another track, so wait for the signals to clear and check each track before moving.
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30. You see an open curb space on the opposite side of a two-way street. What should you do?
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Answer B: Drive on, turn around, and come back on that side
You must park on the right, facing the direction of travel, so reaching a space on the other side means going around rather than crossing into it.