Maine Road Signs Practice Test
Sharpen the skill the Knowledge Test leans on most: 25 questions on road sign shapes, colors, and meanings, each explained in plain English. The real BMV Knowledge Test has 30 questions, and you need 24 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 25
1. 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?
Show answer & explanation
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.
2. You are in the right lane when you see a yellow diamond sign showing the right lane narrowing into the left lane. What should you do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. A lane-ends sign warns your lane will disappear, so signal, match the other lane's speed, and merge before the pavement runs out. Drivers in the ending lane must yield to through traffic. Early, smooth merges prevent the last-second squeeze.
3. A yellow diamond sign shows a side lane curving in to join the main road ahead. You are on the main road. What does the sign mean?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A merge sign warns that another roadway joins yours ahead. Entering drivers must yield, but you should adjust your speed or change lanes when safe to open a gap. Merging works best when both drivers cooperate like a zipper.
4. An orange triangle with a red border is mounted on the back of a vehicle ahead. What is that vehicle doing?
Show answer & explanation
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.
5. Along a curb you see a white sign with a large letter P inside a red circle and slash. What does it tell you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A P covered by a red circle and slash is the international no-parking symbol, banning parking where the sign applies. It keeps curbs clear for visibility, hydrants, and traffic flow. Any symbol wearing the red slash is something you cannot do.
6. A white vertical rectangle reads SPEED LIMIT 55. What does that number legally mean?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A white rectangular speed limit sign is a regulatory sign, so the number is the maximum lawful speed in ideal conditions. Rain, fog, or heavy traffic can make even that speed illegal. Treat the posted number as a ceiling, not a target.
7. Leaving a one-way street, you see a yellow diamond sign with two vertical arrows pointing in opposite directions. What is it warning you about?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The two-way traffic sign warns that the one-way section is ending and vehicles will now come toward you. Keep to the right and use extra care when passing. Two opposite arrows mean the road now flows both ways.
8. On any road sign, what does the color red signal to drivers?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Red is reserved for the strongest commands: stop, yield, do not enter, and wrong way. It marks actions that are forbidden or must halt. When red appears, something about your movement has to change right now.
9. You reach a stop sign at an intersection that has a painted stop line. Where must you bring your vehicle to a complete stop?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. At a stop sign you must stop completely before the stop line; with no line, stop before the crosswalk or the intersection edge. Stopping short protects people in the crosswalk. If you need a better view, creep forward only after the full stop.
10. 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.
11. A yellow diamond sign ahead displays a bold T symbol. What does this sign mean you will have to do soon?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D. A T-symbol warning means your road dead-ends at a cross street, so you must slow, yield to crossing traffic, and turn left or right. The letter T shows exactly how the roads meet ahead.
12. You plan to leave the freeway at exit 12. How will you know which ramp is yours?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Freeway exits carry green guide signs topped with a numbered exit panel, and the number usually matches the nearest milepost. Match the posted number to your planned exit, then move into the exit lane early.
13. You see a yellow diamond sign showing an arrow that bends left, then right, then left again. What does this sign tell you about the road ahead?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A winding road sign warns of three or more curves in a row, while a single-bend arrow marks just one curve. Knowing the difference helps you hold a safe speed. Think: a wiggly arrow means the wiggles keep coming.
14. While driving, you notice a brown sign with white letters pointing toward a destination. What kind of place does a brown sign identify?
Show answer & explanation
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.
15. A solid white line, instead of a broken one, separates your lane from the next lane going the same way. What is it telling you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. A solid white line between same-direction lanes discourages lane changes, and it appears where drifting is risky, such as near intersections and ramps. The firmer the line looks, the firmer the message: hold your lane.
16. Only one road sign is shaped like a sideways pennant, a triangle with its point aimed to the right. Which sign is it?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The sideways yellow pennant is used for one message only: NO PASSING ZONE. It stands on the left side of the road where passing begins to be unsafe. One shape, one meaning makes it instantly recognizable.
17. A round yellow sign with a black X and the letters RR is posted well before a crossing. What does that advance sign tell you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The circular railroad advance sign gives you time to slow, scan both ways, and be ready to stop. Do not stop on the tracks. Circle plus X means rails are coming; the crossbuck at the tracks is the actual yield-to-train sign.
18. 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?
Show answer & explanation
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.
19. A sign at an intersection shows a left-curving arrow inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What must you do there?
Show answer & explanation
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.
20. At a railroad crossing you see a white X-shaped sign reading RAILROAD CROSSING, with no gates or flashing signals. How should you treat it?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The crossbuck is a regulatory sign that legally works like a yield sign at the tracks. Trains cannot swerve or stop quickly, so you must give way every time. At passive crossings, your eyes and ears are the only warning system.
21. A yellow diamond shows a bicycle and the words SHARE THE ROAD. What is it asking you to do?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Share-the-road warnings remind you that bicyclists are legal traffic. Slow, wait for a clear gap, and pass with generous space. The sign exists because drivers otherwise squeeze bikes toward the gutter.
22. On a multilane highway, white lines separate the lanes. What does the white color tell you about the traffic around you?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B. White lines divide lanes of traffic that flow the same way, while yellow divides opposing flows. Reading line color at a glance tells you instantly where oncoming cars can be. White means with you, yellow means toward you.
23. 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?
Show answer & explanation
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.
24. On a two-lane road, the center line nearest your lane is broken yellow, while the line on the far side is solid yellow. When may you cross it to pass?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A broken yellow line on your side means passing is permitted from your direction, but only when oncoming traffic is far enough away to pass safely. Broken means you may cross; solid means stay put.
25. One sign shape is so important that it is reserved for a single message: STOP. Which shape is it?
Show answer & explanation
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.
Enter or Space also advances.