Rhode Island Permit Practice Test 4
A fourth full-length Rhode Island practice test: 30 more questions with zero repeats from Tests 1–3 — including extra Rhode Island-specific rules. The real DMV Computerized knowledge exam has 40 questions.
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. In Rhode Island, state law sets a default limit for residential districts that applies wherever no speed limit sign is posted. That default is which of the following?
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Correct answer: B. Rhode Island law fixes the unposted residential default at 25 mph. Lawmakers keep it low because residential streets are full of crossings, parked cars, and pedestrians. Remember: no sign means the default applies, and posted signs override it.
2. You are entering a roundabout. Which statement describes the correct way to use it?
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Correct answer: B. Entering drivers yield to vehicles already circulating in the roundabout, then merge and travel counterclockwise to the exit. Because everyone flows one way and entries wait, roundabouts avoid head-on conflicts. Traffic already in the circle goes first.
3. During which hours must a Rhode Island limited provisional license holder have a supervising driver in the car?
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Correct answer: D. Rhode Island bars unsupervised provisional driving between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., the hours when fatigue and impaired drivers peak. Narrow exceptions cover work and volunteer emergency duty. Picture the road closing at one.
4. What space does NHTSA tell you to give a speeding driver?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA speeding guidance says Give speeding drivers plenty of space. Speeding drivers may lose control of their vehicle more easily. The leftover slow-vehicle-blocks-flow sentence is not on that page; this nearby official space rule is.
5. Who may legally park in a space reserved for people with disabilities?
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Correct answer: C. Reserved accessible spaces are only for vehicles showing a valid disability placard or plate, used when the person it was issued to is aboard. These wide, close-in spots are essential access, which is why enforcement is strict everywhere.
6. In Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island, that number is 0.08%. No other proof of bad driving is needed at that level, and alcohol can still impair you below it.
7. When must Rhode Island headlights be on?
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Correct answer: A. Rhode Island requires headlights from sunset to sunrise, any time you cannot see 500 feet ahead, and when windshield wipers are in use because of rain, sleet, or snow. Use low beams in snow, rain, or fog.
8. 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.
9. A 17-year-old in Rhode Island 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. Rhode Island's zero-tolerance law applies at 0.02% for drivers under 21, because any alcohol raises a new driver's crash risk. If you are under 21, drinking and driving do not mix.
10. Your GPS routes you through a Rhode Island neighborhood of homes and parked cars with no posted speed limit. State law caps your speed there at what value?
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Correct answer: D. State law gives unposted residential areas in Rhode Island a default cap of 25 mph. Parked cars shrink your view of crossing pedestrians, which is exactly why the cap is low. Posted signs, where present, replace the default.
11. A Rhode Island flashing red traffic light is showing. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. Rhode Island says when you near a flashing red traffic light you must make a full stop and yield to vehicles on your right and left. Treat the flash as a stop sign. A flashing red signal is not a broken green.
12. What does official NHTSA Move Over guidance tell you to do when flashing lights are stopped on the shoulder?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Move Over guidance says All states require drivers to move over and slow down for emergency vehicles with flashing lights. 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.
13. What penalty does official NHTSA impaired-driving guidance say the laws should establish for failing or refusing a BAC test?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA Uniform Guidelines for State Highway Safety Programs say The laws should establish effective penalties that include Administrative license suspension or revocation for failing or refusing to submit to a BAC or other drug test. The leftover implied-consent mnemonic is not on that page; this nearby official national refusal-penalty sentence is.
14. How close to a crosswalk at a Rhode Island intersection may you park?
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Correct answer: A. Rhode Island forbids parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, and also within 30 feet of a flashing red or yellow light, stop sign, or traffic light. Twenty is the crosswalk number; eight is the hydrant number.
15. 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.
16. On a highway, you look for the way to your destination city. What kind of information do signs with a green background give you?
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Correct answer: D. Green guide signs point the way, listing destinations, how many miles remain, and which exits to take. They inform rather than command, so no action is required. Think of green as the color that says go this way.
17. In Rhode Island, a driver who is 21 or older breaks the law by driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above what level?
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Correct answer: A. Rhode Island law makes it illegal to drive with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. Alcohol slows judgment and reaction time, and impairment can begin well below that number. Treat 0.08% as a legal line, not a safe target.
18. 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.
19. A white regulatory sign reads NO TURN ON RED. You have a circular red light and want to go right. What must you do?
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Correct answer: B. NO TURN ON RED cancels the usual after-stop right turn. Wait for green. Cities post this where pedestrians or poor sightlines make a red-light turn dangerous. The sign overrules the general permission.
20. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to use?
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Correct answer: D. A motorcycle is entitled to a complete traffic lane, and you may not squeeze past one inside that lane. Riders need the full width to dodge hazards. Treat a motorcycle's lane like a car's lane: whole and off-limits.
21. 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.
22. A school bus on a two-lane road has stopped with red lights flashing and the stop arm out. You are coming the other way. What do you do?
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Correct answer: B. On an undivided road, both directions stop for a loading school bus. Children can run from either side. The only common exception is the far side of a divided highway with a real median. Red lights plus arm equals freeze.
23. What does NHTSA say texting does to your eyes on the road?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA distracted-driving guidance says Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving.
24. Setting cruise control on a rural Rhode Island interstate posted at the state maximum, you should set it no higher than which speed?
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Correct answer: B. The state maximum in Rhode Island is 65 mph, so cruise control should not be set above it where that limit is posted. Think of the posted limit as a ceiling for ideal conditions, not a required speed.
25. 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.
26. On a multilane highway, white lines separate the lanes. What does the white color tell you about the traffic around you?
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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.
27. You are passing a slow truck on a Rhode Island highway posted at the state's maximum limit. Even while passing, your legal ceiling stays at which speed?
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Correct answer: B. Passing grants zero extra speed allowance; in Rhode Island the ceiling on those top-posted highways stays 65 mph. If you cannot complete the pass within the limit, wait for a better gap. The limit binds every maneuver.
28. An orange triangle with a red border is mounted on the back of a vehicle ahead. What is that vehicle doing?
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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.
29. 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.
30. You are counting down the days until you can start driving in Rhode Island. The earliest age you can hold a learner's permit is which of these?
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Correct answer: D. The countdown ends at 16, the minimum learner's permit age in Rhode Island. Starting at the minimum is smart: more months of supervised practice before licensure means more experience with traffic, weather, and night driving while coached.
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