California Permit Practice Test 2
A second full-length California practice test: 30 fresh multiple-choice questions with zero repeats from Test 1. You need 80% correct to pass the real DMV knowledge test.
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. You turn off a busy road into a quiet subdivision in California and see no speed limit sign on the new street. Your maximum legal speed is now which value?
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Correct answer: D. Once you enter an unposted residential street in California, the limit drops to the default of 25 mph. Slow down as you turn in; the quiet look of a subdivision hides driveways, cyclists, and children near the pavement.
2. What space does NHTSA tell you to give a speeding driver?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA speeding guidance says Give speeding drivers plenty of space. Speeding drivers may lose control of their vehicle more easily. The leftover slow-vehicle-blocks-flow sentence is not on that page; this nearby official space rule is.
3. What does NHTSA say is the only true way to protect yourself against drowsy driving?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drowsy-driving guidance says Getting adequate sleep on a daily basis is the only true way to protect yourself against the risks of driving when you’re drowsy. Coffee and energy drinks last only a short time.
4. It is late at night and the unposted residential streets in your California neighborhood are empty. The legal maximum for these streets remains which speed?
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Correct answer: C. Empty or busy, day or night, the default limit on unposted residential streets in California stays 25 mph. Darkness actually cuts how far you can see and react, so conditions may call for less, not more, than the limit.
5. A 19-year-old driver in California says a single sip cannot matter. Under the under-21 rule, the limit is which of these?
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Correct answer: B. California applies a zero-tolerance rule for drivers under 21: 0.01%. A sip can be enough. If you are under 21, the only safe plan is no alcohol before driving.
6. You need to confirm a California permit rule you saw on a practice site. What is the authoritative place to check?
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Correct answer: A. Practice sites, including this one, can be wrong or out of date. California's DMV publishes the handbook and the current rule. If two sources disagree, the official California page wins. Date-stamp what you read.
7. A 30-year-old driver in California takes a chemical test after a crash. Prosecutors can prove DUI from the test result alone once the BAC is at least which value?
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Correct answer: D. A test showing 0.08% or higher proves per-se DUI in California without any other evidence of impairment. Lawmakers chose that threshold because crash risk climbs sharply near it, though alcohol degrades driving skills at lower levels too.
8. You reach a California T-intersection with no STOP or YIELD signs. Who has the right-of-way?
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Correct answer: A. California says at T-intersections without STOP or YIELD signs, vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians on the through road — the one continuing straight — have the right-of-way. The driver on the stem of the T yields, then turns or enters when the way is clear.
9. Until what age does NHTSA say to keep a child in the back seat?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA car-seat guidance says Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12. All children under 13 ride in the back seat for maximum safety. Rear-facing is required under age 1.
10. You want to turn right in California and the signal shows a red arrow. What must you do?
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Correct answer: B. California treats a red arrow as a hard stop with no turn allowed until a green circular light or green arrow appears. A circular red is different: a right turn after a stop can be legal unless a sign forbids it. Arrow red means wait.
11. A friend says every US interstate is 80 mph. In California, the highest posted highway limit is actually:
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Correct answer: A. Interstate limits vary. California tops out at 70 mph where posted. Learn the number for your state, then obey the sign in front of you, which is often lower.
12. You are on an entrance ramp about to merge onto a freeway. Who is responsible for yielding?
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Correct answer: A. Drivers merging onto a freeway must yield to traffic already on it, using the ramp to match speed and slide into a gap. Through traffic cannot stop safely at highway speeds, so the entering driver adapts.
13. You want to turn left on a circular green light with no arrow. Oncoming cars are coming straight through. Who goes first?
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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.
14. A work zone is posted 45 mph with workers on foot beside the cones. Why should you treat that number as a hard ceiling?
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Correct answer: A. Work-zone limits protect people standing inches from traffic, and many states double the fine. Slow to the posted number before the first cone. Orange zone, orange alert: the speed is real and the penalty is steeper.
15. Headed uphill at a curb, which way does the official CA handbook (nationally taught hill technique) turn the front wheels?
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Correct answer: A. Official California Driver Handbook parking technique — taught the same way nationwide — says Headed uphill: Turn your front wheels away from the curb (left-towards the center of the road) and let your vehicle roll back a few inches. The wheel should gently touch the curb.
16. How does NHTSA describe the graduated driver licensing system?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA GDL guidance says GDL is a three-phase system for beginning drivers, consisting of a learner’s permit, an intermediate license, and a full license. GDL allows beginning drivers to acquire driving experience in less-risky situations and under direct supervision during the learner’s permit phase.
17. A yellow diamond sign shows a small red stop sign symbol with an upward arrow. What should you do when you see it?
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Correct answer: C. A stop-ahead warning is used where the actual stop sign is hidden by a curve, hill, or trees. Start braking as soon as you see it, since the real stop will appear with little warning.
18. Why does Ready.gov say to disable cruise control on slippery roads?
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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.
19. At a crosswalk signal, what is the difference between the walking-person symbol and the raised-hand symbol?
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Correct answer: C. The walking-person symbol invites pedestrians to begin crossing, while the raised hand warns them not to start; a flashing hand means finish crossing if already in the street. Drivers should expect people in the crosswalk during these phases.
20. In California, you must slow to 15 mph within 100 feet of a railroad crossing when:
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Correct answer: A. California requires 15 mph within 100 feet of a rail crossing when you can't see 400 feet of track both ways. Poor visibility means a train could be seconds away. Crossings with gates, signals, or a flagman allow normal speeds.
21. You are driving at night and can only make out the eight-sided outline of a sign ahead. Even before reading it, what does that shape tell you to do?
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Correct answer: C. The octagon is reserved for stop signs alone, so the shape itself orders a full stop. This lets you obey the sign even when snow, glare, or darkness hides the word. Eight sides always equals stop.
22. An orange triangle with a red border is mounted on the back of a vehicle ahead. What is that vehicle doing?
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Correct answer: B. The slow-moving-vehicle emblem marks farm and other equipment that usually travels 25 mph or less. Give it a wide berth and pass only when you can see far enough ahead. Orange triangle equals slow vehicle.
23. A parent in California wants to start permit practice as soon as the law allows. The earliest learner's-permit age is:
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Correct answer: C. California opens the learner's-permit door at 15½. Starting then, with a supervising adult, is how GDL is supposed to work. Younger than that, the answer is still wait.
24. You have been driving through a no-passing zone. Which sign tells you the zone has ended and passing is allowed again when safe?
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Correct answer: D. A white regulatory sign reading PASS WITH CARE marks the end of a no-passing zone. You may pass again, but only when the road ahead is clear. The word CARE reminds you the choice is still yours to judge.
25. Under California's zero-tolerance law, what BAC level counts as a violation for a driver under 21?
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Correct answer: B. California's zero-tolerance law sets the under-21 threshold at 0.01%, far stricter than the adult standard. Underage drinking is illegal to begin with, so the safest and simplest rule is zero alcohol before driving.
26. A school bus ahead stops with its red lights flashing on a two-lane road with no median. Which vehicles must stop?
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Correct answer: D. On a road without a dividing median, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights and remain stopped until the lights turn off. Children may cross from either side, so every lane freezes.
27. What do open-container laws prohibit, according to NHTSA?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA open-container guidance says Open container laws prohibit the possession of any open alcoholic beverage container and the consumption of any alcoholic beverage by motor vehicle drivers or passengers. Those laws typically exempt passengers in buses, taxis, and the living quarters of mobile homes.
28. Small green signs with numbers appear every mile along the edge of the highway. What are these mile markers mainly used for?
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Correct answer: C. Mile markers count the distance across a route, letting you track your progress, judge how far your exit is, and give an exact location when you call for help. Note the nearest marker whenever trouble starts.
29. A friend in California says, 'I feel fine, so I can drive.' Feelings aside, the law sets the illegal BAC for drivers 21 and older at which number?
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Correct answer: B. Feeling fine proves nothing; alcohol dulls the very judgment you use to check yourself. In California, 0.08% is the per-se limit for adults, and measurable impairment often shows up well before a driver reaches it.
30. When a vehicle with flashing lights is stopped on or next to a roadway, what does official NHTSA Move Over guidance say drivers should do?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Move Over guidance says all 50 states have Move Over laws. When a vehicle with flashing lights is stopped on or next to a roadway, 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.
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