District of Columbia Permit Practice Test 1
This free District of Columbia practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the DMV tests. 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. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in District of Columbia. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
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Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in District of Columbia carry a default limit of 20 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.
2. Do automated driver-assistance features remove your duty to watch the road, according to NHTSA?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA automated-vehicle guidance says Every vehicle currently for sale in the United States requires the full attention of the driver at all times for safe operation. Even the highest level of driving automation available to consumers requires the full engagement and undivided attention of drivers.
3. If your tire drops off the edge of the pavement onto the shoulder, what does official ND driver-manual wording (nationally taught drop-off technique) tell you?
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Correct answer: A. Official North Dakota Noncommercial Driver’s Manual wording — taught the same way in many state manuals — says If your tire drops off the edge of the pavement onto the shoulder, do not try to swerve back onto the pavement because you may lose control of your vehicle. Grip the steering wheel and ease up on the accelerator. After you have slowed down and are in complete control, look for traffic behind you, signal, and turn gently back onto the pavement.
4. Orange signs, cones, and barrels suddenly appear along the highway. What does the color orange tell you?
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Correct answer: B. Orange is reserved for temporary traffic control, meaning construction and maintenance zones. Workers, machines, and lane shifts may appear with little warning, so slow down and stay alert. When you see orange, think people at work.
5. A 19-year-old is pulled over in District of Columbia after a party. Under the zero-tolerance law, what BAC is enough for an underage drinking-and-driving violation?
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Correct answer: D. For drivers under 21 in District of Columbia, a violation begins at any detectable amount. Zero-tolerance laws exist because young, inexperienced drivers face high crash risk with any alcohol. If you are underage, the only legal amount is none.
6. After two drinks at a barbecue in District of Columbia, 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 District of Columbia 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.
7. An ice-cream truck is stopped ahead and children are gathered around it. How should you drive past?
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Correct answer: C. Slow way down and cover your brake near children or a stopped ice-cream truck, because kids chase treats and forget traffic completely. Expect someone small to dart out. Around children, drive as if one already has.
8. While driving, you notice a brown sign with white letters pointing toward a destination. What kind of place does a brown sign identify?
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Correct answer: A. Brown signs guide you to recreational and cultural spots such as parks, campgrounds, monuments, and historic sites. The earthy brown color hints at outdoor places. When you are hunting for scenery or history, follow the brown signs.
9. A diamond-shaped orange sign with black markings is posted ahead of a lane shift. What class of message is that?
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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.
10. In District of Columbia, a driver who is 21 or older commits a per-se drunk-driving offense once their blood alcohol concentration reaches which level?
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Correct answer: B. 'Per se' means the number alone proves the offense. In District of Columbia, that number is 0.08%. No other proof of bad driving is needed at that level, and alcohol can still impair you below it.
11. Your car starts to skid on a wet curve. What is the first correct response?
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Correct answer: B. In a skid you need the tires to grip again: ease off the gas, avoid a hard stab at the brake if you can, and steer toward your intended path. Sudden inputs make the slide worse. Slow hands, slow feet, look where you want to go.
12. What first responsible-driver step does NHTSA list if you plan to drink?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says Plan your safe ride home before you start the party, choose a non-drinking friend as a designated driver. If you drink, do not drive for any reason.
13. You must park on a hill where the road has no curb. Which way should you turn your wheels?
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Correct answer: A. With no curb to catch the car, always turn your wheels toward the road's edge, uphill or downhill. A runaway car then rolls off the travel lanes instead of into traffic. No curb: aim for the shoulder.
14. If your vehicle catches fire, what first steps does the U.S. Fire Administration list?
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Correct answer: A. Official USFA vehicle-fire guidance says Pull over as quickly as you can when it is safe. Once you have stopped, turn off the engine. Get everyone out of the vehicle. Never return to a burning vehicle. Move everyone at least 100 feet from the burning vehicle and well away from traffic. Call 911.
15. Can prescription or over-the-counter medicine make driving illegal, according to NHTSA?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drug-impaired-driving guidance says it’s illegal everywhere in America to drive under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, opioids, methamphetamines, or any potentially impairing drug–prescribed or over the counter.
16. Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise. When else should you turn them on?
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Correct answer: B. Wipers on, lights on is the rule many states write down and testers repeat. Lights help others see you as much as they help you see. If the sky is gray or the glass is wet, flip them on.
17. During a practice drive in District of Columbia, your mom asks: 'No sign here, so how fast can you legally go on this residential street?' What is the correct answer?
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Correct answer: B. With no sign posted, the residential default in District of Columbia is 20 mph. A good habit for new drivers: entering any neighborhood, assume the default, scan for signs, and let posted limits override it whenever they appear.
18. What is the maximum lawful speed when you drive through an alley in the District of Columbia?
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Correct answer: D. Alleys carry a 15 mph maximum because they are narrow, with blind corners, pedestrians, and cars backing out of garages. Treat every alley as a place where something could step out suddenly.
19. In a work zone, an orange sign warns of a flagger ahead. The flagger signals you to stop, even though the traffic light beyond is green. What should you do?
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Correct answer: C. Flaggers control traffic through work zones, and you must obey their directions even when they conflict with posted signs or signals. They can see hazards you cannot. Remember: in a work zone, the person outranks the light.
20. You are making a study calendar for the District of Columbia knowledge test. You can hold a learner's permit beginning at which age?
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Correct answer: B. Put 16 on the calendar for District of Columbia. That is the first legal day for a learner's permit, after you pass the knowledge and vision screens the DMV requires.
21. District of Columbia enforces 'zero tolerance' for underage drinking and driving. In practice, a driver under 21 violates this law at what BAC?
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Correct answer: A. Zero tolerance in District of Columbia means the under-21 line sits at any detectable amount, so even one drink can end in a suspended license. The memory hook is simple: under 21 means zero drinks before you drive.
22. Unless a sign posts another limit, the usual residential or city default in District of Columbia is:
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Correct answer: A. District of Columbia's typical unposted residential / city default is 20 mph. School zones and work zones drop lower. If houses line the street and no sign argues, start at 20 mph and watch the next plaque.
23. A pedestrian is in a marked District of Columbia crosswalk, or in an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, in your lane or the lane you are turning into. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. D.C. Code § 50-2201.28 requires a District of Columbia driver to stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross within any marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, when the pedestrian is upon the lane — or within one lane approaching the lane — on which the vehicle is traveling or onto which it is turning.
24. A classmate insists everyone must wait until 18 to start driving in District of Columbia. The real minimum age for a learner's permit is which of these?
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Correct answer: D. Your classmate is wrong: District of Columbia grants learner's permits at 16. Starting earlier gives you months of supervised practice while risk is lowest. When rules feel fuzzy, confirm them in the official state driver handbook.
25. 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 not 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.
26. You are on a through street. A driver on a driveway to your right is waiting to enter. Who must yield?
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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.
27. A traffic light turns steady yellow as you approach the intersection. What does this signal tell you?
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Correct answer: A. A steady yellow light warns that the signal is about to turn red. Stop if you can do it safely; if you are too close to stop smoothly, continue through with caution. Yellow means prepare, not race.
28. Where is the official District of Columbia driver handbook published?
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Correct answer: A. The DMV publishes the District of Columbia handbook for free. That book is the source the knowledge test is written from. Our questions are original study items grounded in those rules, not a substitute for reading the handbook.
29. What is double parking, and why is it against the rules?
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Correct answer: D. Double parking means standing or parking in the roadway alongside a vehicle already parked at the curb. It blocks a travel lane, hides pedestrians, and pins in the parked car, so the practice is prohibited on public streets.
30. One sign shape is so important that it is reserved for a single message: STOP. Which shape is it?
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Correct answer: B. The eight-sided octagon belongs to the stop sign alone, so you can recognize a stop even when the face is snow-covered or faded. Count eight sides, prepare to stop. No other sign may borrow this shape.
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