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.
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. Why is it illegal to park on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk?
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Correct answer: B. Sidewalks and crosswalks are reserved walking space; a parked car there pushes pedestrians, strollers, and wheelchairs out into traffic lanes. The law keeps walking paths continuous and safe. If people walk there, your car never belongs there.
3. Your headlights suddenly go dark while you are driving at night. What should you do first?
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Correct answer: C. First flick the headlight switch and dimmer, since the problem may be a loose connection; then use parking, hazard, or turn lights to stay visible while you leave the road. Never keep driving blind hoping the lights return.
4. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in California. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
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Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in California 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.
5. 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, always.
6. In California, an intersection is 'blind' when no corner has a stop sign and you can't see cross traffic. The speed limit there is:
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Correct answer: B. California's limit at a blind intersection is 15 mph. With no stop signs and blocked sightlines, cross traffic can appear with no warning, so you must be slow enough to stop instantly. Blind corners: crawl at 15.
7. After two drinks at a barbecue in California, you consider driving home. For a driver 21 or older, that becomes illegal starting at which BAC?
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Correct answer: A. Driving in California becomes a per-se DUI at a BAC of 0.08%. Drinks affect people differently, so you cannot reliably guess your number. When you have been drinking, the smart decision is simply to skip driving.
8. A 16-year-old with a new California provisional license generally may NOT drive alone during which hours?
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Correct answer: B. California's provisional license bans driving between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. during the first 12 months unless a qualifying licensed adult rides along or a documented exception applies. Late-night hours combine darkness and fatigue — the deadliest mix for new drivers.
9. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor and the car barely slows. What should you do?
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Correct answer: A. Pump the pedal quickly to build pressure back, shift to a lower gear, and ease on the parking brake while steering toward safety. Work through the list calmly: pump, downshift, parking brake, and pick your escape path.
10. A 15½-year-old gets a California provisional instruction permit. When does it actually become valid for practice driving?
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Correct answer: C. A California minor's permit isn't valid until behind-the-wheel training begins and the instructor signs it — or the holder turns 17½. California wants professional instruction first, so your earliest practice happens with a trained teacher, not a nervous parent.
11. While planning a road trip across California, you look up the fastest speed any of its highways allow. What is that statewide maximum?
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Correct answer: A. California's top speed limit is 70 mph, found only on its fastest designated highways. Expect lower posted limits on most stretches, and remember signs always control: the maximum applies only where a sign actually posts it.
12. The posted limit is unchanged, but traffic, weather, and light have all gotten worse. What does the basic speed rule require?
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Correct answer: C. The basic speed rule says you may never drive faster than conditions safely allow, no matter what the sign posts. Rain, darkness, and crowds shrink your margin for error. Conditions set the real limit; the sign sets the ceiling.
13. What do financial responsibility laws require of you before you drive?
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Correct answer: D. Every state requires drivers to show they can pay for harm they cause, and auto insurance is the usual proof. Crashes create huge bills in seconds, so the rule protects victims. Simple memory hook: no coverage, no keys.
14. You are parking facing uphill on a street with a curb. Which way should you turn your front wheels?
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Correct answer: B. When parking uphill with a curb, turn the wheels away from the curb and let the car roll back until a tire rests against it. The curb then works as a block. Up and away is the memory cue.
15. You are pulling out of a driveway onto a public street. What must you do?
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Correct answer: D. A driver entering a road from a driveway, alley, or private road must yield to sidewalk pedestrians and to all traffic already on the roadway. Public-road users cannot predict your exit, so the burden is on the driver emerging.
16. The vehicle ahead displays an orange triangle with a red border on its rear. What does that tell you?
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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.
17. You are low on fuel on a long highway drive. Signs of which color point you to services such as gas, food, lodging, and hospitals?
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Correct answer: B. Blue signs mark motorist services, including fuel, food, lodging, rest areas, and hospitals. They let travelers plan a stop before leaving the highway. When your body or your car needs something, look for blue.
18. What is a reliable way to judge whether you are following the vehicle ahead too closely?
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Correct answer: A. Pick a fixed marker like a pole or shadow; when the vehicle ahead passes it, count seconds until you arrive. Counting seconds works at any speed, unlike guessing car lengths. The road itself becomes your measuring tape.
19. What is the difference between a suspended license and a revoked license?
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Correct answer: A. A suspension parks your driving privilege for a set time or until you meet conditions, while a revocation cancels it entirely, usually forcing you to reapply later. Think of suspension as paused and revocation as erased.
20. You are 17 and driving in California after one drink. A test shows your BAC is 0.01%. Under California law, you are:
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Correct answer: B. California sets a zero-tolerance BAC of 0.01% for drivers under 21 — far below the 0.08% adult limit. Young drivers face license loss for any measurable alcohol. Remember: under 21, the practical limit is zero drinks.
21. Many regulatory signs show a picture inside a red circle crossed by a red diagonal slash. In general, what does that design mean?
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Correct answer: D. In the MUTCD symbol system, a red circle with a diagonal slash over any picture means that action is not allowed, such as no trucks or no bicycles. It works without words, so drivers of any language understand instantly. Slash means stop doing it.
22. Which sign shape and color combination marks an interstate route?
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Correct answer: D. Interstate routes are marked by a shield split into a red band on top and a blue field below, with white numbers. Spotting the shield quickly helps you follow or avoid a freeway. Shield equals interstate.
23. A teen walks into a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in California to apply for a first learner's permit. The office can accept the application once the teen is what age?
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Correct answer: B. The DMV accepts learner's permit applications at age 15½ in California. Bring proof of identity, residency, and usually a parent's signature, then pass the knowledge and vision screenings. Age is simply the first box to check.
24. At the top of a ramp you see a square sign with a red circle and a white horizontal bar reading DO NOT ENTER. What does it mean?
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Correct answer: A. DO NOT ENTER marks a roadway where traffic flows toward you, such as an exit ramp or one-way street. Entering it risks a head-on crash. If you have already turned in and see WRONG WAY, pull over and turn around safely.
25. A 17-year-old in California claims, 'I only need to stay under the adult limit.' Under zero tolerance, the BAC that actually applies to under-21 drivers is what?
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Correct answer: C. The adult limit is irrelevant for minors. California's zero-tolerance law applies at 0.01% for drivers under 21, because any alcohol raises a new driver's crash risk. If you are under 21, drinking and driving simply never mix.
26. Why do speed limits drop in highway work zones?
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Correct answer: A. Work zones squeeze traffic past workers, machinery, narrowed lanes, and sudden stops, so limits drop to give everyone more reaction time. Many places also raise fines there. Slow down where people are standing next to moving traffic.
27. You are lawfully arrested for impaired driving and refuse the chemical test. What should you expect?
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Correct answer: C. Refusing the test triggers its own penalty: license suspension under implied-consent laws, separate from any court case. Refusal does not make the problem disappear. Remember, saying no to the test means saying goodbye to your license.
28. A horizontal black sign with a white arrow and the words ONE WAY points to the left at an intersection. What does it tell you?
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Correct answer: C. A ONE WAY sign means every vehicle on that street must travel in the arrow's direction. Driving against it puts you head-on into traffic. Before turning onto any city street, glance for the arrow and follow where it points.
29. An officer stops an adult driver in California and a breath test is given. At what BAC reading can that driver be charged with driving under the influence, even if their driving looked steady?
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Correct answer: C. A BAC of 0.08% or more is enough by itself for a DUI charge in California. The law uses a fixed number because alcohol impairs everyone, and drivers are poor judges of their own impairment behind the wheel.
30. While you wait to turn, the green arrow changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is the signal telling you?
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Correct answer: D. A steady yellow arrow warns that the protected turning phase is about to end. Stop if you can do so safely; drivers already at the point of no return may finish the turn cautiously. Yellow arrow means wrap up, not speed up.
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