South Dakota Permit Practice Test 4
A fourth full-length South Dakota practice test: 30 more questions with zero repeats from Tests 1–3 — including extra South Dakota-specific rules. You need 80% correct to pass the real DPS Knowledge Test.
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 25 and had wine at a dinner party in South Dakota. Before driving home, you check the law. At what BAC does driving become illegal for you?
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Correct answer: D. For adult drivers in South Dakota, driving is illegal at a BAC of 0.08% or above. Because impairment starts before the limit, the safest plan after drinking is a ride share, taxi, or sober designated driver.
2. Until what age does NHTSA say to keep a child in the back seat?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA car-seat guidance says Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12. All children under 13 ride in the back seat for maximum safety. Rear-facing is required under age 1.
3. What driving does NHTSA say a learner’s permit allows?
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Correct answer: A. Official NHTSA GDL guidance says A learner’s permit allows driving only while supervised by a fully licensed driver. An intermediate license allows unsupervised driving under certain restrictions. The leftover solo-practice claim is not on that page.
4. Small green signs with numbers appear every mile along the edge of the highway. What are these mile markers mainly used for?
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Correct answer: C. Mile markers count the distance across a route, letting you track your progress, judge how far your exit is, and give an exact location when you call for help. Note the nearest marker whenever trouble starts.
5. Signs on South Dakota 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, 80 mph is the fastest any South Dakota 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.
6. 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.
7. Which pair of official NHTSA NDR codes records driving while a license is revoked versus suspended?
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Correct answer: A. Official 23 CFR 1327 Appendix A (NHTSA NDR) lists B25 Driving while license revoked and B26 Driving while license suspended as separate codes. The leftover temporary-versus-erased definition is state terminology; this nearby official national code pair is.
8. During a practice drive in South Dakota, 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 South Dakota is 25 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.
9. 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?
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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.
10. A friend in South Dakota 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 South Dakota, 0.08% is the per-se limit for adults, and measurable impairment often shows up well before a driver reaches it.
11. Drivers under 21 in South Dakota are held to a stricter alcohol standard than adults. What is the BAC threshold for these younger drivers?
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Correct answer: B. Adults have a higher per-se number, but the under-21 standard in South Dakota is 0.02%. Alcohol is already off-limits for minors, so the driving rule matches: for young drivers, the practical limit is zero drinks.
12. On its fastest highways, South Dakota allows a top posted speed limit of which value?
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Correct answer: A. The highest speed limit in South Dakota is 80 mph, and only certain highways are posted that high. Most roads carry lower limits, so drive by the signs in front of you, and slow down when conditions worsen.
13. Your street ends at a T-intersection with a through road. Who has the right-of-way?
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Correct answer: B. When your road ends at a T-intersection, traffic on the continuing through road has the right-of-way, and you must yield before turning onto it. The road that ends waits; picture the through road as the main current.
14. At a crosswalk signal, what is the difference between the walking-person symbol and the raised-hand symbol?
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Correct answer: C. The walking-person symbol invites pedestrians to begin crossing, while the raised hand warns them not to start; a flashing hand means finish crossing if already in the street. Drivers should expect people in the crosswalk during these phases.
15. 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.
16. A South Dakota funeral procession is moving through an intersection. Which vehicles must obey the traffic signal?
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Correct answer: A. South Dakota says only the first vehicle in a funeral procession must obey traffic signs and signals. Vehicles in the procession must have headlights on. Do not cut into or interfere with the procession.
17. A pedestrian with a white cane or dog guide is near a South Dakota crossing. What should you do?
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Correct answer: A. South Dakota lists pedestrians with white canes and dog guides among people who need extra room even when they can be seen. Yield early. A horn startles someone using sound to navigate.
18. You are on an entrance ramp about to merge onto a freeway. Who is responsible for yielding?
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Correct answer: A. Drivers merging onto a freeway must yield to traffic already on it, using the ramp to match speed and slide into a gap. Through traffic cannot stop safely at highway speeds, so the entering driver adapts.
19. You are driving through a residential district in South Dakota and see no speed limit signs. What is the default speed limit?
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Correct answer: C. Where no sign is posted, South Dakota's default residential limit is 25 mph. Homes mean driveways, pets, and kids near the road, so the default stays low. A posted sign overrides the default, so watch for one.
20. What passing score does the DPS publish for the South Dakota Knowledge Test?
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Correct answer: A. You need 80% to pass the South Dakota Knowledge Test. Percentages feel abstract until you miss a cluster of signs. Train above the line so test-day nerves do not drop you under 80%.
21. How far before a South Dakota turn should you signal?
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Correct answer: A. South Dakota tells drivers to signal 100 feet before the intended turn, but not so early that streets, driveways, or entrances between you and the turn look like your destination. If another vehicle is about to enter there, wait until you have passed it to signal.
22. Unless a local sign posts a different number, how far must you stay from a fire hydrant when you park?
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Correct answer: B. Most state handbooks use a 15-foot keep-clear zone at hydrants so firefighters can hook up hoses without moving cars. Fifteen is the number social-study threads keep missing. If you can touch the hydrant from the door, you are too close.
23. A yellow diamond sign shows a small red stop sign symbol with an upward arrow. What should you do when you see it?
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Correct answer: C. A stop-ahead warning is used where the actual stop sign is hidden by a curve, hill, or trees. Start braking as soon as you see it, since the real stop will appear with little warning.
24. Which MUTCD warning-sign group includes the Deer sign W11-3?
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Correct answer: A. Official MUTCD 2009 Part 2C lists Non-Vehicular 2C.50, 51 Pedestrian, Deer, Cattle, Snowmobile, Equestrian, Wheelchair, Large Animals, Playground as W11-2,3 and related signs. Testers invent leftover dusk-group folklore. Learn that official wording, then answer the knowledge test from those words.
25. 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.
26. Graduated driver licensing (GDL) in South Dakota moves teens through permit, intermediate, and full-license stages. Entry into the first stage, the learner's permit, begins at what age?
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Correct answer: A. GDL entry in South Dakota starts with a learner's permit at 14. Each stage lifts restrictions as skill grows, because crash risk is highest in a driver's first solo months. The ladder starts at 14; climb it patiently.
27. 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.
28. You are towing a small trailer on a highway posted 70 mph. What should you assume about a safe speed?
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Correct answer: B. Added weight and sway stretch your stopping distance, and some states post a lower tow limit. Even when the big number is legal, the safe number is often lower. If it sways, you are already too fast.
29. 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?
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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.
30. 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.
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