North Carolina Permit Practice Test 4
A fourth full-length North Carolina practice test: 30 more questions with zero repeats from Tests 1–3 — including extra North Carolina-specific rules. You need 80% correct to pass the real NCDMV Knowledge test (written test covering traffic laws and safe driving practices; oral versions available on request).
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 in a left-turn lane facing oncoming traffic, and the signal shows a steady red arrow. What does the arrow mean?
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Correct answer: A. A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points toward; you must stop and stay put until the signal changes. It shields turning drivers from crossing busy oncoming lanes. Think of a red arrow as a closed gate.
2. How does official NHTSA impaired-driving guidance define zero tolerance for underage drivers?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs list Zero Tolerance for underage drivers, making it illegal “per se” for people under age 21 to drive with any measurable amount of alcohol in their system (i.e., .02 BAC or greater). State numbers still vary; this leftover uses that official national guideline sentence.
3. 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.
4. You have signaled and checked your mirrors before a lane change. What is the one step left before you move over?
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Correct answer: C. Mirrors leave blind spots big enough to hide a whole car, so turn your head for a quick over-the-shoulder check before moving over. Signal, mirrors, head check: the lane change is not done until your neck moves.
5. 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.
6. A friend says every US interstate is 80 mph. In North Carolina, the highest posted highway limit is actually:
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Correct answer: A. Interstate limits vary. North Carolina 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.
7. Unless a different limit is posted, what is the speed limit on North Carolina highways outside municipal corporate limits?
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Correct answer: B. Outside city and town limits, North Carolina's default speed limit is 55 mph unless signs say otherwise. Higher limits exist only where posted after engineering studies. No sign outside town? Treat it as fifty-five.
8. You fail the written knowledge test for a regular Class C license at a North Carolina driver license office. When can you try again?
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Correct answer: D. North Carolina makes applicants who fail the knowledge or driving test for a regular Class C license wait seven calendar days to retest. Use the week to restudy the handbook — one week, one better attempt.
9. In North Carolina, what is the youngest age at which you can apply for a learner's permit?
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Correct answer: B. North Carolina issues learner's permits starting at age 15. The permit opens the first stage of graduated licensing, where you build skills with a supervising adult before earning fuller privileges. Know your state's number; it varies nationwide.
10. A North Carolina signal shows a flashing yellow arrow for your turn. What may you do?
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Correct answer: A. North Carolina’s flashing-yellow-arrow head means the indicated turn is allowed, but you must first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. A solid green arrow is the protected movement. A solid red arrow means stop; no turns are allowed until it changes.
11. A 19-year-old driver in North Carolina says a single sip cannot matter. Under the under-21 rule, the limit is which of these?
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Correct answer: B. North Carolina applies a zero-tolerance rule for drivers under 21: any detectable amount. A sip can be enough. If you are under 21, the only safe plan is no alcohol before driving.
12. In which situations should you add extra following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
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Correct answer: C. Add following distance whenever stopping gets harder or seeing gets worse: slick roads, tailgaters behind you, big trucks blocking your view, or motorcycles that can stop quickly. More risk calls for more room ahead of you.
13. 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.
14. You are driving in a lane with a large white arrow painted on the pavement curving to the right. What does this marking require?
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Correct answer: B. A curved lane-use arrow makes that lane turn-only: follow the arrow or change lanes before the intersection. The arrows sort traffic early so drivers do not swerve at the last second. The pavement is telling you your path.
15. An officer stops an adult driver in North Carolina 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 North Carolina. The law uses a fixed number because alcohol impairs everyone, and drivers are poor judges of their own impairment behind the wheel.
16. You park facing downhill on a street with a curb. Where should your front wheels point?
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Correct answer: C. When parking downhill with a curb, turn your front wheels toward the curb; if the car rolls, the tire wedges against the curb instead of drifting into traffic. Think downhill, dive toward the curb, and set the brake.
17. A pedestrian is crossing your half of the street in a crosswalk at an intersection without signals. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and crosswalks legally exist at intersections even when no lines are painted. People on foot have no protection in a collision, so treat every corner as a possible crosswalk.
18. A white sign with a black arrow bending left and the word ONLY is over your lane. What does it require?
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Correct answer: B. A black arrow plus ONLY assigns that lane to one movement. If you need to go straight, change lanes before the marking. Lane-control signs win over habit; follow the arrow you are sitting under.
19. If your car stalls on a railroad track, what does NHTSA say to do first?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA railroad-crossing guidance says If your car stalls on a track, quickly get everyone out — even if you don’t see a train coming. Run away from the tracks and your car to avoid being hit by flying debris. Call the number on the blue emergency notification system sign.
20. 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.
21. Without reading any words, what does a yellow, diamond-shaped sign tell you?
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Correct answer: C. Yellow diamonds are warning signs: they alert you to hazards or changing conditions such as curves, intersections, or merging traffic. They advise rather than order. Shape and color alone should make you lift off the gas.
22. What license penalty does NHTSA list among impaired-driving consequences?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA drunk-driving guidance says penalties for impaired driving can include driver’s license revocation, fines, and jail time. The leftover implied-consent wording is not on that page; this nearby official penalty list is.
23. A parent in North Carolina 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. North Carolina opens the learner's-permit door at 15. Starting then, with a supervising adult, is how GDL is supposed to work. Younger than that, the answer is still wait.
24. Before turning left across oncoming traffic, why should you look twice for motorcycles?
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Correct answer: A. A motorcycle's narrow profile fools your eyes: it looks farther away and slower than it really is. Many rider deaths happen when cars turn left across their path. Look twice and judge twice before you commit.
25. Children are playing near the curb on an unposted neighborhood street in North Carolina. Unless a sign says otherwise, the fastest you may legally drive here is which speed?
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Correct answer: A. The default residential limit in North Carolina is 35 mph (inside municipal corporate limits unless otherwise posted) unless otherwise posted. With children nearby, you should often go slower still, because stopping distance grows quickly with speed and kids can dart into the street without warning.
26. Signs on North Carolina highways vary from road to road, but the law sets one absolute top limit for the fastest routes. That limit is which value?
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Correct answer: D. By statute, 70 mph is the fastest any North Carolina road can be posted. Below that ceiling, engineers set each road's limit for its design and traffic, which is why the posted sign on your road governs.
27. A classmate in North Carolina claims the adult DUI line is 0.10%. The official per-se BAC for drivers 21 and older is which value?
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Correct answer: C. Your classmate is using an outdated number. North Carolina treats 0.08% as the adult per-se line. Memorize the current figure from the official handbook, not a rumor from an older relative.
28. 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.
29. You are passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane road. May you go over the speed limit to finish the pass quickly?
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Correct answer: D. The speed limit applies at all times, including while passing another vehicle. If you cannot complete a pass legally and safely, do not start it. Passing is a choice; speeding is not the tool that makes it legal.
30. How close to a fire hydrant or fire-station entrance may you park in North Carolina?
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Correct answer: A. North Carolina forbids parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or an entrance to a fire station, and also bans parking on a crosswalk, sidewalk, or bridge and on the paved travel portion of a highway. Fifteen feet covers both the hydrant and the firehouse drive.
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