Ohio BMV Permit Practice Test 12

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass30
  • Passing score75%
  • Minimum age15 years 6 months

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 30 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. A signal stands part way up a freeway entrance ramp and turns green briefly again and again. How many vehicles does such a signal normally release on each green?

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    Answer A: One for each lane of the ramp

    A ramp control signal releases a single vehicle per lane on each green so that vehicles reach the merge one at a time instead of in a bunch.

  2. 2. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing

    Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.

  3. 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.

  4. 4. What happens when tires are driven underinflated for a long time?

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    Answer D: They wear at the edges, they run hot and they are more likely to fail

    An underinflated tire flexes too much, which wears the shoulders and builds up heat that can destroy the tire.

  5. 5. A deer crosses the road in front of you and disappears into the trees. What should you expect?

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    Answer B: That other deer are likely to follow it across the very same stretch of road

    Deer usually move in groups, so one crossing the road is a warning that more may follow.

  6. 6. Visibility drops suddenly and you decide to leave the highway. What is the safest way to do it?

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    Answer A: Take the next exit or a wide pull off, well clear of the traffic lanes

    Get right off the traveled way, and off the shoulder too if you can, because vehicles in poor visibility often drift onto the shoulder.

  7. 7. You are stopped at a red light ready to turn right when a person pushing a stroller steps into the crosswalk. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Stay stopped until they have crossed your path

    A turn on red gives way to every pedestrian in the crosswalk, and someone pushing a stroller has even less room to react.

  8. 8. Your light turns green and a driver on the cross street enters against a red. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold back and let that vehicle go through

    Giving up a right of way you are entitled to is the only way to avoid a crash with a driver who has already failed to yield.

  9. 9. 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.

  10. 10. A sign with a brown background and a white legend guides road users to

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    Answer B: parks, campgrounds and other recreational or cultural sites

    Brown is reserved for recreational and cultural interest area signing, such as parks, historic sites and scenic areas.

  11. 11. What does a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 mean for the driver of a car?

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    Answer B: It is the level almost every state treats as legally intoxicated

    In almost every state a driver at 0.08 or above is legally intoxicated whatever the driver seems like, but impairment starts well before that level is reached.

  12. 12. You are leaving a private driveway and entering a public street. What are you required to do?

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    Answer B: Stop and yield to traffic on the street and to pedestrians on the sidewalk

    A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley or private road must stop and yield to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk being crossed.

  13. 13. Fog thickens until you can barely make out the vehicle ahead. What is the safest action?

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    Answer A: Slow right down and, if needed, leave the road at a safe place

    In heavy fog the only safe speed may be very low, and if it drops below what the road allows, the answer is to pull well clear of the traffic lanes.

  14. 14. 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.

  15. 15. 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.

  16. 16. You are entering an angle parking space on your right. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stay a little left of the space, then turn in between the lines

    Keeping a little left of the space gives the front wheels the room to turn in cleanly and leaves your car centered between the lines.

  17. 17. Besides school signing, which warning signs may also use a fluorescent yellow-green background?

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    Answer C: Pedestrian and bicycle warning signs

    Pedestrian crossing, bicycle and playground warning signs may use either the standard yellow or the fluorescent yellow-green background, which draws extra attention where people outside vehicles are present.

  18. 18. 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.

  19. 19. Which vehicles does Ohio's Move Over law cover when they are stopped with warning lights activated?

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    Answer C: Police, other emergency, road service, waste collection, highway maintenance and public utility commission vehicles

    Ohio extends the Move Over duty to stopped police and emergency vehicles and also to road service, waste collection, highway maintenance and public utility commission vehicles with warning lights on.

  20. 20. The traffic signal is green, but the crossing lights on the tracks inside the intersection begin to flash. What must you do?

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    Answer C: Stop clear of the tracks and wait, even though the signal is green

    Active crossing warning devices outrank the green indication, so you stop short of the rails and wait until the warning stops.

  21. 21. You find that your shoulder belt has some slack in it. Why does that matter?

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    Answer D: You travel further before the belt restrains you, so injuries are worse

    Slack lets your body build up speed before the belt takes hold, which increases the forces on you and the risk of hitting the interior.

  22. 22. 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.

  23. 23. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?

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    Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care

    The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.

  24. 24. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to use?

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    Answer D: The full width of the lane

    A motorcycle is entitled to the full lane, and riders move within it to stay visible and to avoid surface hazards, so drivers should never try to share a lane with one.

  25. 25. Besides motorist services and tourist information, a blue sign background is also used for

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    Answer B: evacuation route signing

    Blue is assigned to road user services, tourist information and evacuation routes, so hurricane and other evacuation routes are signed in blue.

  26. 26. What is the maximum fine for a second distracted-driving offense within two years in Ohio?

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    Answer D: $250

    Ohio law raises the maximum fine to $250 for a second distracted-driving offense committed within two years of the first.

  27. 27. Once a driver has joined the route this sign begins, how is the rest of the way marked?

    An orange rectangle with black lettering and a black arrow
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    Answer B: By further markers of the same kind at each turn, until the original road is rejoined

    The alternate route is signed continuously, with a marker at every turn, so a driver with no local knowledge can follow it back to the original road.

  28. 28. Your power steering fails while you are driving. What happens and what should you do?

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    Answer B: Steering becomes much harder but still works, so slow down and pull off the road

    Without power assistance the steering still works, but it takes much more effort, especially at low speed. Keep both hands on the wheel and get off the road.

  29. 29. You are stopped in a shared through and right-turn lane with your right signal on, and a bicyclist rides up along your right side. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Let the bicyclist clear the intersection or move ahead before you turn

    A cyclist alongside your right side is in the path your turn will sweep across, so wait until that space is clear before turning.

  30. 30. 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.

  31. 31. You are circulating in the inner lane of a two-lane roundabout, your exit is next, and a vehicle is beside you in the outer lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Keep circulating around the island and take that same exit on your next time around

    You may not cut across a vehicle in the outer lane; if you cannot exit safely, continue around the circle and try again.

  32. 32. An Ohio moped license holder is 15 years old. When may this probationary moped licensee legally ride?

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    Answer B: Only during daylight hours

    Ohio restricts probationary moped license holders who are 14 or 15 years old to daylight driving only.

  33. 33. A driver slows to walking pace at this sign, never stops rolling and eases into the intersection. How is that treated?

    A red eight sided sign with a white border and white lettering
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    Answer B: It is a violation, because the vehicle never came to a complete halt

    What is required is a full halt with the wheels no longer turning, so slowing down, however carefully, does not satisfy it.

  34. 34. Your vehicle does not have antilock brakes and you must stop quickly on a slippery road. What is the correct technique?

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    Answer B: Apply the brakes firmly without locking the wheels, releasing slightly if they lock

    Locked wheels slide and cannot steer. Squeezing the brakes to just short of lockup, and easing off if they lock, gives the shortest stop with control.

  35. 35. Where is a U-turn most clearly unsafe and generally prohibited?

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    Answer D: On a curve or near a hill crest, where other drivers cannot see you

    U-turns are barred where approaching drivers cannot see you in time, such as on a curve or near the top of a hill.

  36. 36. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?

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    Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back

    Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.

  37. 37. A train has just cleared a crossing that carries two sets of tracks. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait and look both ways for a second train

    A passing train hides a second train on the other track, so wait until the signals stop and you can see that both tracks are clear.

  38. 38. You are pulling out of a farm entrance onto a rural highway. What is your obligation?

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    Answer C: Yield to every vehicle already on the highway before you enter the roadway

    A driver entering a highway from a private road or driveway yields to every vehicle already on the highway.

  39. 39. A yellow horizontal rectangular sign showing one large arrow pointing left or right, facing traffic on the far side of a sharp bend, tells the driver

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    Answer C: which way the roadway turns at that point

    The large arrow sign is mounted on the outside of a sharp change in alignment so that a driver approaching head on immediately sees which way the road goes.

  40. 40. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?

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    Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly

    Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.