District of Columbia Permit Practice Test 2
A second full-length District of Columbia practice test: 30 fresh multiple-choice questions with zero repeats from Test 1. Check the DMV site for the current question count and passing score.
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. A yellow diamond-shaped sign ahead shows a black walking figure. As you approach the marked crossing, what is the required response?
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Correct answer: B. A pedestrian crossing warning sign means people may be entering the roadway ahead, so reduce speed and prepare to stop. Pedestrians lose in a collision with a car. Treat the walking figure as a person already stepping off the curb.
2. An ambulance with flashing lights and a siren comes up behind you on a two-way street. What should you do?
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Correct answer: C. When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren, pull to the right edge of the road and stop, avoiding blocking intersections. A predictable move to the right opens a clear lane. Everyone right, everyone stopped, help gets through.
3. 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.
4. You turn onto a quiet District of Columbia street lined with houses and no speed sign. Unless a local rule posts something else, the usual default is:
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Correct answer: B. Unposted residential streets in District of Columbia are generally 20 mph. Watch for school and work-zone drops. When houses line the road and no sign argues otherwise, think 20 mph.
5. A yellow diamond shows a sideways wind-sock or windswept tree. What risk is ahead?
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Correct answer: A. Crosswind warnings mark bridges, cuts, and open plains where gusts shove vans, trucks, and empty trailers. Ease off the gas and keep both hands on the wheel. If you drive something tall, treat the sign as a speed cut.
6. A truck ahead signals a right turn but first swings out toward the left. What should you do?
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Correct answer: C. Long vehicles swing wide to make right turns, and the tempting gap on their right closes like a trap once the trailer comes around. Hold back and wait. Do not slide into the right side of a turning truck.
7. A bicyclist ahead of you in the District of Columbia rolls through a stop sign without fully stopping. What does the law say?
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Correct answer: C. Riders may pass a stop sign without stopping when moving at a safe speed, seeing no hazard, and yielding to pedestrians and traffic with the right of way. Expect it, and do not assume a full stop.
8. A friend in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia, 0.08% is the per-se limit for adults, and measurable impairment often shows up well before a driver reaches it.
9. A vehicle in front of you is stalled on railroad tracks and will not restart. The crossing lights start to flash. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. People beat cars. Evacuate at once and run toward the train at an angle so debris is less likely to hit you if the car is struck. Do not stand on the tracks. Restart attempts end when the lights start.
10. 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 does not belong there.
11. District of Columbia law defines being impaired by alcohol or drugs in which way?
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Correct answer: D. Impairment means your driving ability is noticeably affected, with no specific number required. You can be charged even below the numeric intoxication limits, so one drink before driving is still a real risk.
12. An officer in District of Columbia stops a driver who is 18. A test shows a very small amount of alcohol. The under-21 threshold that can trigger a violation is:
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Correct answer: C. Under-21 drivers in District of Columbia are not judged by the adult 0.08%-style line. The threshold is any detectable amount. That is why testers keep asking the youth number separately from the adult number.
13. You approach an intersection with no signs or signals, and another vehicle approaches from a cross street at about the same time. Who should yield?
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Correct answer: A. At an uncontrolled intersection, slow down and yield to any vehicle that reaches it at about the same time from your right. Without signs, this default rule sorts out conflicts. Same tiebreaker as a four-way stop: right goes first.
14. A District of Columbia driver approaches a blind pedestrian carrying a predominantly white or metallic cane, with or without a red tip, or a pedestrian using a dog guide. What does District law require?
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Correct answer: A. D.C. Code § 7-1004 says a District of Columbia driver approaching a blind pedestrian carrying a cane that is predominantly white or metallic (with or without a red tip), or a deaf pedestrian using a dog guide, shall take all necessary precautions to avoid injury. Failure can mean liability for damages.
15. You come to an intersection where the signal is flashing red. How should you treat it?
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Correct answer: D. A flashing red light works exactly like a stop sign: stop fully, yield to traffic and pedestrians, then proceed when the way is clear. Flashing red still means red, so a complete stop is required.
16. You are studying for the District of Columbia permit knowledge exam and want to schedule it as early as the law allows. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
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Correct answer: C. In District of Columbia, 16 is the earliest age for a learner's permit, so plan your knowledge exam around that date. Study the official handbook, since permit questions come from it, and arrive with the required documents ready.
17. How does the official NHTSA NDR code book label leaving a crash without aiding?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A lists B01 Hit and run—failure to stop and render aid after accident. Related codes cover fatal, injury, and property-damage hit-and-run. State penalties vary; this leftover uses that official national label.
18. At a BAC of .02, what typical effect does NHTSA list first?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says .02 Some loss of judgment; relaxation, slight body warmth, altered mood. Testers invent leftover first-skill folklore. Learn that official wording, then answer the knowledge test from those words.
19. Headed downhill 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 downhill: Turn your front wheels into the curb or right toward the side of the road. Remember to set the parking brake and leave the vehicle in park, or in gear for manual transmission.
20. Traffic ahead suddenly stacks up on a freeway. What is the safest speed choice?
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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.
21. You turn off a busy road into a quiet subdivision in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia, the limit drops to the default of 20 mph. Slow down as you turn in; the quiet look of a subdivision hides driveways, cyclists, and children near the pavement.
22. A 30-year-old driver in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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.
23. You are driving at night with high beams on when a vehicle approaches from the other direction. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. Dim to low beams for oncoming traffic so you do not blind another driver. If glare hits you, look toward the right edge of your lane to stay on course. Courtesy with light keeps everyone able to see.
24. Your younger sibling asks when they can get a learner's permit in District of Columbia. What age do you tell them?
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Correct answer: A. Tell them 16; that is when District of Columbia allows a learner's permit application. Until then, driving on public roads is off the table. Graduated licensing phases in privileges so new drivers gain experience under lower-risk conditions.
25. A brown sign with white recreation symbols appears beside the highway. What kind of information is it giving?
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Correct answer: B. Brown signs point to cultural and recreation destinations. They do not change the speed limit or right-of-way. Use them to find the park; keep obeying the white and yellow signs for the rules.
26. A yellow diamond sign ahead shows a plus symbol, like a small cross. What is this sign warning you about?
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Correct answer: A. The crossroad symbol warns that a full intersection is ahead, so vehicles may pull out or turn from the left or right. Slow down and scan both directions. Picture the plus sign as two roads meeting.
27. On a District of Columbia street next to a school, what is the speed limit during the hours shown on the official signs?
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Correct answer: B. Streets beside school buildings and grounds drop to 15 mph during posted times, and when no times appear, the limit applies at arrival, dismissal, and recess. Moving violation fines double in school zones.
28. An 18-year-old in District of Columbia has one beer at a graduation party and then drives. At what BAC could this driver already be violating the zero-tolerance law?
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Correct answer: C. One beer can push a young driver to any detectable amount, the level where District of Columbia'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.
29. A sign at an intersection shows a left-curving arrow inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What must you do there?
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Correct answer: D. A slashed left arrow forbids left turns at that intersection, often because turning across oncoming traffic there causes crashes or blocks flow. Plan another route, such as continuing straight and circling the block. The slash cancels only the movement shown.
30. A large truck ahead starts to turn right but swings left first. What should you do?
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Correct answer: B. Long vehicles off-track: the rear wheels take a tighter path, so drivers swing wide. The tempting gap on the right is a crush zone. If you cannot see the mirrors, the driver cannot see you. Wait behind the trailer.
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