Alaska Permit Practice Test 1
This free Alaska practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the DMV tests. The real DMV General Knowledge Test has 20 questions, and you need 16 correct (80%) to pass.
Tap an answer. The explanation opens so you can learn it, then go on. Keyboard: A–D or 1–4 to answer, then Enter or Space.
Question 1 of 30
1. It is late at night and the unposted residential streets in your Alaska neighborhood are empty. The legal maximum for these streets remains which speed?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Empty or busy, day or night, the default limit on unposted residential streets in Alaska stays 25 mph. Darkness actually cuts how far you can see and react, so conditions may call for less, not more, than the limit.
2. What is the highest posted highway speed limit in Alaska?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Alaska's highest posted highway limit is 65 mph. Most stretches are lower, and work zones or weather can cut it further. Do not assume every freeway in Alaska is signed at the state maximum.
3. You want to turn left on a circular green light with no arrow. Oncoming cars are coming straight through. Who goes first?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. A circular green lets you turn left only after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians. It is not a protected green arrow. Wait in the intersection if your state allows, then complete the turn without cutting anyone off.
4. You are on a through street. A driver on a driveway to your right is waiting to enter. Who must yield?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Drivers leaving a driveway, alley, or parking lot yield to all traffic on the street, including bikes and people walking. The street already has the flow. Think: entering traffic waits; through traffic keeps moving unless a sign says otherwise.
5. A moose steps in front of your car on an Alaska road at dusk. What does the Alaska Driver Manual say to do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Alaska advises braking firmly without swerving, because swerving can send you into oncoming traffic, a pedestrian, or a tree. Most moose collisions happen at dawn and dusk, so scan the roadsides and slow down when the light is low.
6. What does official NHTSA Move Over guidance tell you to do when flashing lights are stopped on the shoulder?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Move Over guidance says All states require drivers to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles with flashing lights. Drivers approaching the vehicle should change into a lane not immediately adjacent to the vehicle, or slow down to a reasonable speed if you’re unable to safely make a lane change.
7. Traffic ahead suddenly stacks up on a freeway. What is the safest speed choice?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The posted limit is a maximum, not a target. In dense or slowing traffic you must drop to a speed that lets you stop in the space you can see. Basic speed law: do not drive faster than conditions allow.
8. What penalty does official NHTSA impaired-driving guidance say the laws should establish for failing or refusing a BAC test?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs say The laws should establish effective penalties that include Administrative license suspension or revocation for failing or refusing to submit to a BAC or other drug test. The leftover implied-consent mnemonic is not on that page; this nearby official national refusal-penalty sentence is.
9. A white sign shows a black number 25 inside a red circle. In the US, what does that usually indicate?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A red circle around a number is the international speed-limit format, used in some US areas to show kilometers per hour. Do not treat it as 25 mph unless a miles-per-hour plaque says so. Check the unit before you match the number.
10. When may an Alaska provisional driver carry passengers under 21 who are not siblings?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Provisional drivers may not drive between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and may not carry passengers under 21 other than siblings unless a parent, guardian, or licensed person 21 or older is along or the trip is work by the most direct route.
11. You are 25 and had wine at a dinner party in Alaska. Before driving home, you check the law. At what BAC does driving become illegal for you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. For adult drivers in Alaska, driving is illegal at a BAC of 0.08% or above. Because impairment starts before the limit, the safest plan after drinking is a ride share, taxi, or sober designated driver.
12. In which situations should you add extra following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Add following distance whenever stopping gets harder or seeing gets worse: slick roads, tailgaters behind you, big trucks blocking your view, or motorcycles that can stop quickly. More risk calls for more room ahead of you.
13. Where does modern guidance tell you to place your hands on the steering wheel?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Hold the wheel near the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, level on each side. This grip gives balanced control and keeps your arms out of the path of a deploying airbag. Think low and wide, clear of the bag.
14. What license penalty does NHTSA list among impaired-driving consequences?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. The leftover implied-consent wording is not on that page; this nearby official penalty list is.
15. An 18-year-old in Alaska has one beer at a graduation party and then drives. At what BAC could this driver already be violating the zero-tolerance law?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. One beer can push a young driver to any detectable amount, the level where Alaska's zero-tolerance law kicks in. The rule protects new drivers, whose crash risk rises quickly with alcohol. Skip every drink if you plan to drive.
16. You are passing a slow truck on a Alaska highway posted at the state's maximum limit. Even while passing, your legal ceiling stays at which speed?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Passing grants zero extra speed allowance; in Alaska the ceiling on those top-posted highways stays 65 mph. If you cannot complete the pass within the limit, wait for a better gap. The limit binds every maneuver.
17. Why does Ready.gov say to disable cruise control on slippery roads?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official Ready.gov car-safety guidance says Disable your vehicle’s cruise control when driving on slippery, icy or snowy roads. That’s because if you lose traction or start to skid, the cruise control will accelerate to maintain your vehicle’s speed, causing your wheels to spin even faster.
18. What driving does NHTSA say a learner’s permit allows?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA GDL guidance says A learner’s permit allows driving only while supervised by a fully licensed driver. An intermediate license allows unsupervised driving under certain restrictions. The leftover solo-practice claim is not on that page.
19. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in Alaska. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in Alaska carry a default limit of 25 mph. The rule exists so drivers can stop for the unexpected, like a car backing out of a driveway. When a sign is posted, obey the sign instead.
20. You are towing a small trailer on a highway posted 70 mph. What should you assume about a safe speed?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Added weight and sway stretch your stopping distance, and some states post a lower tow limit. Even when the big number is legal, the safe number is often lower. If it sways, you are already too fast.
21. A diamond-shaped orange sign with black markings is posted ahead of a lane shift. What class of message is that?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Orange diamonds are reserved for temporary traffic-control in work zones. They warn that the road, lanes, or workers ahead are not in their usual place. When the background turns orange, expect cones, narrowed lanes, and people on foot.
22. A pentagon-shaped fluorescent yellow-green sign shows two walking children. What is it warning you about?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The five-sided shape is reserved for school and school-crossing signs. Slow down and watch for children who may step off the curb without looking. Pentagon plus kids means school.
23. A center lane is bordered on each side by a solid yellow line with a broken yellow line inside it, and white left-turn arrows are painted for both directions. How may you use this lane?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. A two-way left-turn lane is shared by both directions for left turns only. Enter just before your turn, watch for opposing drivers using the same lane, and never travel or pass in it. Turn, do not cruise.
24. You are making a study calendar for the Alaska knowledge test. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Put 14 on the calendar for Alaska. That is the first legal day for a learner's permit, after you pass the knowledge and vision screens the DMV requires.
25. In Alaska, a driver who is 21 or older commits a per-se drunk-driving offense once their blood alcohol concentration reaches which level?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. 'Per se' means the number alone proves the offense. In Alaska, that number is 0.08%. No other proof of bad driving is needed at that level, and alcohol can still impair you below it.
26. The vehicle ahead displays an orange triangle with a red border on its rear. What does that tell you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. The orange triangle is the slow-moving vehicle emblem, common on farm equipment and horse-drawn wagons. You close in on these vehicles faster than you expect, so back off early and pass only with a clear, legal gap.
27. A white rectangular sign reads WRONG WAY. You have just entered a ramp. What is the safest first move?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. WRONG WAY means you are driving toward oncoming traffic. Stop without blocking others if you can, then leave the roadway the way you came or wait for help. Continuing forward is how head-on crashes start.
28. You want to park on a street just before a crosswalk. What minimum clearance do most handbooks require?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. A common handbook rule is 20 feet from a crosswalk so turning drivers and pedestrians can see each other. Parking closer hides people in the stripes. Twenty before the walk, then the hydrant's fifteen, is the pair testers expect.
29. You are driving through a stretch of Alaska highway marked as a traffic safety corridor. What is different there?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Alaska designates certain highway segments as traffic safety corridors because of their crash history, and fines for offenses there are doubled. Treat the corridor signs as a warning that one mistake costs twice as much.
30. You merge onto an interstate in Alaska posted at the state's maximum speed limit. The fastest you may legally drive there is which speed?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Alaska caps highway speed at 65 mph, its statewide maximum. Even on wide-open pavement, the posted number is the ceiling, and rain, fog, or traffic can make a much lower speed the only safe and legal choice.
Enter or Space also advances.