Maine BMV Permit Practice Test 37

  • 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. What fines does Maine set for using a handheld telephone or electronic device while driving?

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    Answer B: 50 dollars for a first offense and 250 dollars afterwards

    Maine sets a 50 dollar fine for a first handheld device offense and 250 dollars for subsequent offenses, with the money going to the Supplemental Transportation Fund.

  2. 2. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead

    A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.

  3. 3. How should a pregnant driver or passenger wear a seat belt?

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    Answer A: Lap belt below the belly across the hips, shoulder belt across the chest

    A properly worn belt protects both mother and baby. The lap portion goes low under the belly, snug across the hip bones, and the shoulder belt crosses between the breasts.

  4. 4. You come back to find that your parked car has rolled out into the street. What most likely went wrong?

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    Answer C: The parking brake was not set and the wheels were not turned

    The parking brake, a gear or park, and turned front wheels are three separate safeguards, and a runaway means at least the first two were missing.

  5. 5. A truck ahead of you is spreading salt or grit on the road. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Drop back so the material does not reach your car

    Spreaders throw material backward and sideways, and following close means stone chips and a screen full of spray, so leave extra distance.

  6. 6. You are the first driver on a road just after a storm. What should you plan for?

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    Answer B: Branches, mud and other debris hidden around the next bend

    Storm debris lands where nobody has cleared it yet, often just beyond a curve or a crest, so reduce speed and look much further ahead.

  7. 7. What does this sign warn a driver about?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lines joining into one as they go up
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    Answer A: Traffic from another roadway will enter the same lane ahead

    Two traffic streams come together into one lane beyond this point, so drivers on both roadways have to adjust speed and spacing to fit together.

  8. 8. A driver in the left lane of a freeway realizes only when level with this sign that the ramp beside it is the one they need. What is the correct action?

    A green rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer A: Carry on to the next interchange and turn back from there

    There is no safe way back to a ramp once it has been reached from the wrong lane, so the driver keeps going to the next interchange, where the ramps are built for that movement.

  9. 9. You turn from asphalt onto a loose gravel road. What should you do about your speed?

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    Answer D: Lower it, since grip is reduced and stopping takes longer

    Loose gravel gives far less grip than pavement, so speed must come down for both steering and stopping.

  10. 10. What does Maine charge for the examination for a noncommercial Class C license?

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    Answer D: 35 dollars, which includes the first road test

    Maine charges 35 dollars for the noncommercial Class C examination and that fee covers the first road test; a reexamination costs the same amount again.

  11. 11. How does a wet road change the distance you need to stop?

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    Answer C: It lengthens it, so you need a much bigger gap ahead

    Water between the tire and the road cuts grip, so braking distance grows and the gap that works on dry pavement is no longer enough.

  12. 12. The cars in front of and behind your parallel parked car have left you very little room. How do you get out?

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    Answer D: Ease back and forth, turning the wheels each way, until you clear

    Short movements with the wheels turned first one way and then the other walk the car out of a tight space without touching anything.

  13. 13. You have strapped luggage to the roof rack for a long trip. What should you expect?

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    Answer D: A higher center of gravity, so take the curves and lane changes gently

    Weight on the roof raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicle lean and respond more slowly to steering.

  14. 14. You are waiting to turn and the traffic ahead has stopped. Where must you not come to rest?

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    Answer D: On the crosswalk, which people need in order to cross the street

    Stopping on a crosswalk forces pedestrians out into the traffic lanes to get around you, so you hold back before it instead.

  15. 15. When is it appropriate to use cruise control?

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    Answer B: On a dry, open highway with light traffic

    Cruise control suits steady conditions where you rarely need to change speed. It is a poor choice in traffic, on curves, on slippery roads or when drowsy, because it removes you from the speed decision.

  16. 16. You are turning right where a paved trail crosses the road just past the corner. What should you look for?

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    Answer B: Cyclists and walkers arriving from either direction on the trail

    A shared use path carries two-way traffic on foot and on bicycles, so scan both directions along the trail before crossing it.

  17. 17. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes

    On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.

  18. 18. You have started to pass and you see the no-passing zone beginning ahead. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Ease off, drop back and return to your own lane

    A pass must be completed before the no-passing zone starts. If it will not fit, abandon it and slot back in behind.

  19. 19. A freeway sign shows a minimum speed limit. What does it require?

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    Answer B: That you keep up with it unless conditions make that unsafe

    A minimum speed limit keeps very slow vehicles off the highway, but weather, traffic or a mechanical problem may make a lower speed necessary and lawful.

  20. 20. What is the correct order of steps as you finish parking an automatic on a grade?

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    Answer C: Turn the wheels, set the parking brake, then select park

    Setting the parking brake before shifting into park lets the brake take the load, instead of leaving the whole weight of the car on the parking pawl.

  21. 21. As a general rule, how far should you travel along a center two-way left-turn lane before you turn?

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    Answer C: Only a short distance, just enough to slow down and wait for a gap

    The center lane is for making or preparing a left turn, so you enter it only shortly before the turn and never travel along it as a through lane; several states set a specific limit such as 200 or 300 feet.

  22. 22. At what demerit point totals does the Maine Secretary of State send a warning and then suspend a license?

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    Answer C: A warning at 6 points and a suspension at 12 points

    Maine issues a warning once a driver reaches 6 points and suspends the license when the total reaches 12 points or more.

  23. 23. Why should you make sure your turn signal has stopped flashing after a lane change?

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    Answer A: A signal left flashing tells other drivers that you intend to move again

    Other drivers act on your signals, so one that is left on gives them false information about what you are about to do.

  24. 24. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?

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    Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed

    A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.

  25. 25. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?

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    Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street

    Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.

  26. 26. A pedestrian signal changes to a flashing upraised hand. What does that indication mean?

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    Answer C: Do not start crossing, but finish a crossing already begun

    The flashing upraised hand is the pedestrian change interval: nobody may start to cross, but a pedestrian already in the crosswalk may continue to the far side or to a median.

  27. 27. You are turning onto a street that has two lanes going your way. Which lane should you enter?

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    Answer B: The lane closest to you, changing lanes later if you need to

    Turn into the nearest lane going your direction and make any lane change afterwards, when you have signaled and checked that it is clear.

  28. 28. The lane control signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Prepare to leave the lane, because it is about to be closed

    A steady yellow X is the warning that the lane below it is about to close, giving drivers time to move over before the red X appears.

  29. 29. How does Maine classify operating a vehicle at 30 miles per hour or more above the speed limit?

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    Answer A: As a Class E crime

    Maine's rates of speed statute makes driving 30 mph or more over the limit a Class E crime, which is why it also carries a license suspension.

  30. 30. If you must abandon a vehicle stuck on the tracks with a train coming, why do you move toward the train and away at an angle?

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    Answer D: Because debris from the impact is thrown forward, away from the train

    A train pushes wreckage down the track ahead of it, so walking toward the train and off to the side keeps you out of the debris path.