Maine BMV Permit Practice Test 26
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Two vehicles meet on a steep, narrow mountain road with no room to pass. Which driver should back up?
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Answer C: The driver heading downhill, who has more control while reversing
On a narrow mountain road the vehicle facing downhill yields, because backing uphill gives better control than reversing down a grade.
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2. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?
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Answer B: The traffic already traveling on the freeway
The sign places the duty on the entering driver, who must adjust speed and fit into a gap without forcing through traffic to brake or swerve.
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3. The brake pedal goes to the floor and the vehicle does not slow. What should you try first?
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Answer C: Pump the pedal quickly to try to build pressure
Most vehicles have a split braking system, so rapid pumping can often build enough pressure to slow you. If it does not, use the parking brake gradually.
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4. Where is passing prohibited even when no line is visible?
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Answer D: On a curve or near the crest of a hill, at intersections and at railroad crossings
Passing is prohibited wherever your view of oncoming traffic is blocked or where vehicles may cross your path, which includes hills, curves, intersections and rail crossings.
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5. An orange sign reads RIGHT LANE CLOSED AHEAD. What is the correct response?
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Answer A: Move left in good time and keep a steady pace
The sign is placed well before the taper so that drivers can merge smoothly rather than braking hard where the lane actually closes.
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6. You are stopped in traffic at a red light when an ambulance comes up behind you with its siren on. What is the correct action?
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Answer D: Stay put until you can move aside legally and safely
You must not run a red light or make an unsafe move to yield; wait, then pull to the side once the way ahead lets you do it safely.
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7. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above your lane. What does it mean?
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Answer B: You may not use that lane and must move out of it
A steady red X means the lane below it is closed to you, while a steady yellow X is the warning to prepare to vacate the lane and a downward green arrow means the lane is open.
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8. Halfway through a curve you realize you are going too fast. What is the best response?
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Answer C: Ease off the gas gently and look where you want to go
Easing off transfers a little weight to the front tires without upsetting the balance, and looking through the curve keeps your steering smooth.
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9. The light ahead is green but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait behind the intersection until there is room to clear it completely
You may not enter an intersection unless you can get completely through it, because stopping inside blocks cross traffic when the signal changes.
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10. You are following a large truck on a two-lane road and cannot see past it. What should you do before deciding to pass?
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Answer D: Drop back so that your view of the road ahead opens up
Distance is what buys you a view around a large vehicle, and no decision to pass can be made from a position where you cannot see.
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11. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did
A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.
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12. You are driving on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What is the safest adjustment?
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Answer A: Reduce speed and keep a firm grip, expecting gusts on bridges and beside large vehicles
Gusts hit hardest in open gaps, on bridges and when passing high-sided vehicles, so a lower speed and a firm grip let you correct before you are pushed out of your lane.
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13. You are about to change lanes to the left when you notice a vehicle already overtaking you in that lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Hold your lane and your speed, and change only after that vehicle has gone by
A signal asks for space but does not create it, and the overtaking driver has nowhere to go if you move across.
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14. On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center while a broken yellow line runs on the other side. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, although oncoming drivers may
Passing restrictions are read from the line closest to your own lane, so a solid yellow line on your side creates a no-passing zone for you alone.
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15. Which statement best describes what the basic speed law requires of you?
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Answer C: That you never drive faster than is reasonable and safe for the conditions
Nearly every state has a basic speed law that makes the conditions the real limit: weather, traffic, light and road surface can all require a speed well below the posted number.
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16. Which of these makes you unpredictable to other drivers?
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Answer B: Changing lanes suddenly without signaling, to save a moment
An unsignalled, sudden lane change gives nobody time to react and is a common cause of sideswipe collisions.
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17. A driver stopped on suspicion of impaired driving refuses to take a chemical test. What happens?
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Answer D: A license penalty follows for the refusal itself
Under implied consent, holding a license means agreeing to testing, so a refusal brings its own suspension separately from anything the court decides.
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18. Your light is green but the traffic beyond the intersection is stopped and there is no room on the far side. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait behind the line until you can clear the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks the cross traffic when their signal turns green, so you wait behind the line.
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19. When may you stop on the shoulder of a freeway?
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Answer A: Only in an emergency, moving completely off the travel lanes and switching on your hazard lights
The freeway shoulder is reserved for emergencies and for disabled vehicles, and a vehicle stopped there must be clear of the travel lanes with hazard lights on.
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20. A driver passes this sign on an open road. Over what stretch does the figure it sets stay in force?
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Answer A: From the sign onward, in every lane, until another sign sets a different figure
The figure governs the road from the sign onward and binds every lane, and it stays in force until a later sign sets a different one.
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21. A school crossing guard steps into the roadway and holds up a stop paddle. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop and stay stopped until the guard and the children have left the road
A crossing guard directs traffic with legal authority; you must remain stopped until both the guard and the children are clear of the roadway.
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22. Traffic ahead of you has stopped in your lane while the next lane is still moving. What is the first thing to do?
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Answer C: Slow down first and check the next lane before moving over
Braking is the action that keeps you from hitting the stopped traffic, and the lane change is only safe once you have looked.
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23. A yellow diamond shows an arrow bent into a series of reversing turns. What does it warn about?
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Answer A: Three or more changes of direction close together
The winding road sign replaces a string of separate curve signs where several bends follow one another with only short straights between them.
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24. A steady downward green arrow is displayed over a lane. What does it indicate?
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Answer C: The lane is open to traffic in your direction
A steady downward green arrow means the lane it points to is open to traffic traveling in your direction.
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25. The driver of a slow farm vehicle moves partly onto the shoulder and waves you past. Who is responsible for the pass?
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Answer A: You are, so pass only if you can see that the road is clear
A courtesy wave is not a traffic control, and the driver who changes lanes is the one answerable for the maneuver.
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26. What is the purpose of carrying a first aid kit in your vehicle?
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Answer D: It lets you treat cuts and bleeding while the help is on its way
A kit is for simple first aid such as controlling bleeding until trained help arrives, not a substitute for calling for that help.
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27. You are waiting to turn left at a solid green light with no green arrow. Oncoming traffic is approaching. What should you do?
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Answer A: Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when there is a safe gap
A solid green light permits the left turn but does not protect it, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians before turning.
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28. A yellow diamond showing the silhouette of a deer warns that
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Answer D: large animals may cross the road in that area
The sign marks a stretch where animals are known to cross, so drivers should reduce speed and scan both roadsides, especially around dawn and dusk.
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29. How does Maine treat a failure to yield to an approaching emergency vehicle using lights and siren?
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Answer B: As a Class E crime with a fine of at least 250 dollars for a first offense
Maine makes failure to yield to an approaching emergency vehicle a Class E crime with a minimum fine of 250 dollars on a first offense.
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30. At night you are waiting to turn left and can see only the headlights of an approaching vehicle. Why should you allow a bigger margin?
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Answer D: Because lights alone make speed and distance hard to judge
With no other visual cues, two points of light give you very little information about how fast the vehicle is closing, so leave extra margin.