Maine BMV Permit Practice Test 31

  • 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. You are on a four-lane divided highway and a vehicle in your lane is stopped waiting to turn left across the median. What is the normal way past?

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    Answer D: Slow down and go by in the lane to the right when it is clear

    On a multilane road the free lane beside you is the lawful place to go past a vehicle waiting to turn, and the median is not part of the roadway.

  2. 2. When should you enter a destination into a navigation device?

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    Answer B: Before you start driving, or after parking in a safe place

    Programming a route is a visual, manual and mental task at the same time, so it belongs to the moments before the vehicle moves rather than to any point in traffic.

  3. 3. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?

    A white square showing an arrow turning left inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods

    A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.

  4. 4. What do the grooves in a tire tread do on a flooded road surface?

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    Answer B: They give the water a way to escape so the tread can touch the road

    Tread grooves pump water out from under the tire so rubber can meet pavement. A worn tread moves less water, so hydroplaning starts sooner.

  5. 5. How long is a Maine license conditional after an OUI conviction?

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    Answer B: One year after a first conviction and ten years after a second or subsequent conviction

    A reinstated Maine license is conditional for one year after a first OUI and for ten years after a second or subsequent OUI, and driving with any alcohol during that time triggers another suspension.

  6. 6. What extra suspension does Maine add when a passenger under 21 was in the vehicle during an OUI or a test refusal?

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    Answer B: An additional 275 days

    Maine adds a 275 day suspension period on top of the OUI or refusal suspension when a passenger under 21 was in the vehicle.

  7. 7. How long is a Maine noncommercial driver's license valid for a holder under 65?

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    Answer A: Six years

    A Maine noncommercial license expires at midnight on the holder's sixth birthday following the date of issue, while a commercial license runs five years.

  8. 8. What happens to your field of vision as your speed increases?

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    Answer C: It narrows, so you notice less at the sides of the road

    The faster you travel, the more your useful field of view narrows toward the center, so a hazard coming from the side is seen late or missed altogether.

  9. 9. A driver is following you far too closely and you have a turn coming up. How should you slow down for it?

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    Answer B: Signal early and slow gradually well before the turn

    Early signals and gentle braking give a tailgater the time and distance they have failed to leave for themselves.

  10. 10. You have stopped at a stop line but parked cars hide the cross street. What comes next?

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    Answer C: Edge forward to where you can see, stopping again if needed

    The legal stop at the line is only the first stop; you then move up slowly to a point where you can see, and stop again if traffic requires it.

  11. 11. When may a Maine driver use a handheld device despite the general ban?

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    Answer C: To contact law enforcement or emergency services about an immediate threat

    Maine's exception covers communication with a law enforcement agency or an emergency service when the circumstances present an immediate threat to the health or well-being of a person.

  12. 12. A curb sign reads 2 Hour Parking, 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Saturday. When may you stay longer than two hours?

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    Answer A: Outside those hours and on Sundays

    A time limit applies only during the days and hours printed on the sign; outside them the ordinary parking rules apply.

  13. 13. You are overtaking in a short passing lane on a two-lane road and it is about to end. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Finish the pass and move back to the right before it ends

    The added lane ends and the traffic returns to a single lane in each direction, so the pass has to be complete before the pavement runs out.

  14. 14. A large X with the letters R and R beside it is painted across your lane. What does it mean?

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    Answer A: A railroad crossing lies a short distance ahead

    The pavement marking repeats the advance warning for a grade crossing, and it is used on paved approaches where speeds are high or where gates are installed.

  15. 15. A pedestrian is crossing at a corner where no crosswalk is painted on the pavement. What is your duty?

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    Answer A: Yield, because a legal crosswalk exists at the corner even without paint

    Every intersection has a crosswalk whether or not it is marked, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there.

  16. 16. The rear of your vehicle begins to slide sideways on a slippery surface. What is the correct correction?

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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to go

    Looking and steering toward your intended path lines the front wheels up with the direction of travel, while sudden braking or a sharp opposite input usually makes the slide worse.

  17. 17. What is the minimum age to obtain a learner's permit in Maine?

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    Answer D: 15 years old

    Maine issues the learner's permit at 15, and an applicant under 18 must also complete an approved driver education course.

  18. 18. You are towing a loaded trailer for the first time. How should you drive?

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    Answer A: Slow earlier and keep a longer following gap

    A trailer adds weight and length, so stopping takes longer and every maneuver needs more room and more warning.

  19. 19. A freeway sign reads BUSES ONLY ON SHOULDER 6 AM TO 9 AM. Who may drive on the shoulder then?

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    Answer A: Only the vehicles named on the sign, during the hours shown

    Shoulder running is granted by the sign to the class of vehicle and the hours the sign names, and it does not turn the shoulder into a general travel lane.

  20. 20. A yellow diamond showing two vertical arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down, warns that

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    Answer A: the road ahead carries traffic in both directions

    The two-way traffic sign warns that the roadway ahead is not divided and that vehicles will be coming from the opposite direction.

  21. 21. A driver has to stop for a train at this sign. How far back from the nearest rail should the vehicle be held?

    Two white crossed boards forming an X, with black lettering along each board
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    Answer C: No closer than roughly fifteen feet

    A train and its load overhang the rails, so stopping no closer than about fifteen feet keeps the vehicle outside the space the train actually sweeps.

  22. 22. When is switching traction control off sometimes useful?

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    Answer A: When you need spinning wheels to rock out of deep snow or mud

    Rocking a stuck vehicle free needs the wheel spin that the system normally prevents. Switch it back on as soon as you are moving again.

  23. 23. On a highway with mileage-based exit numbering, you have just passed exit 42 and are looking for exit 55. About how far is it?

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    Answer B: Thirteen miles

    With mileage-based numbering each exit takes the number of the nearest milepost, so subtracting one exit number from another gives the distance in miles.

  24. 24. You want to turn right at a steady red light and no sign prohibits the turn. What is required?

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    Answer B: Come to a complete stop, then yield to traffic and pedestrians before turning

    A right turn on a steady red is permitted only after a complete stop and only after yielding to cross traffic and to pedestrians, and a posted sign can prohibit it entirely.

  25. 25. Which surfaces usually offer less grip than the pavement around them when wet?

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    Answer B: Painted markings, metal plates and bridge decks

    Paint, steel and bridge decks all shed grip when wet or cold, so brake before you reach them rather than on top of them.

  26. 26. You have just driven through a deep puddle and your brakes feel weak. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Drive slowly while lightly applying the brakes until they dry and work normally

    Wet brakes grip poorly and may pull to one side. Gentle braking at low speed generates heat that dries the pads and discs quickly.

  27. 27. A yellow curve warning sign carries a yellow plaque showing a speed. What does that number mean?

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    Answer D: The recommended maximum safe speed for the curve under ideal conditions

    An advisory speed plaque on a yellow warning sign gives the recommended maximum speed for the hazard ahead when conditions are good.

  28. 28. A law enforcement officer is directing traffic and waves you forward while the signal facing you shows red. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Follow the officer's direction and proceed

    Directions given by an officer controlling traffic take priority over signals, signs and pavement markings.

  29. 29. On a narrow residential street, why does parking tight against the curb matter so much?

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    Answer C: Because fire trucks and ambulances need the width to get through

    Cars parked even a foot out from the curb on both sides can narrow a street until a fire truck or ambulance cannot pass.

  30. 30. A yellow sign reading DEAD END is posted at the entrance to a street. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: The street ends and there is no way through

    A dead end street stops at its far end, so a driver who enters must come back out the same way.