South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 12
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?
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Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it
Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.
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2. A yellow curve warning sign carries a yellow plaque showing a speed. What does that number mean?
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Answer D: The recommended maximum safe speed for the curve under ideal conditions
An advisory speed plaque on a yellow warning sign gives the recommended maximum speed for the hazard ahead when conditions are good.
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3. Your left-turn lane faces a steady green ball and oncoming traffic is heavy. What are you allowed to do?
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Answer C: Move into the intersection and turn when a safe gap appears
A green ball permits the turn but gives no priority, so you may move into the intersection and wait there for a gap in the oncoming traffic.
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4. The steering suddenly becomes very heavy while you are driving. What has happened and what should you do?
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Answer C: The power steering has failed, so steer with more effort and pull over
Loss of power assistance leaves the steering usable but very heavy. Keep both hands on the wheel, slow gradually and pull off the road to check it.
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5. What does this sign warn a driver about?
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Answer A: Traffic from another roadway will enter the same lane ahead
Two traffic streams come together into one lane beyond this point, so drivers on both roadways have to adjust speed and spacing to fit together.
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6. You are hosting a party and a guest who has been drinking wants to drive home. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop serving and arrange a ride or a bed
Only time removes alcohol, so a host who wants to prevent a crash has to remove the driving, not try to speed up sobering that cannot be sped up.
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7. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?
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Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on
Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.
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8. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?
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Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance
Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.
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9. What should you do as you approach your exit from a roundabout?
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Answer A: Signal right and check the crosswalk for pedestrians before leaving
A right signal tells following drivers and waiting drivers that you are leaving, and pedestrians cross at the exit leg, so the crosswalk must be checked.
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10. Where should you be looking as you back into a parallel parking space?
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Answer B: Over your shoulder through the rear window, glancing all around
Mirrors and cameras leave blind areas, so turn and look through the rear window while checking the front of your car and both sides as it swings.
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11. Where is a three-point turn most clearly a bad idea?
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Answer A: On a busy street near a curve, where approaching drivers cannot see you
The maneuver leaves you blocking the road for several seconds, so it needs light traffic and a long clear view; a blind curve gives neither.
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12. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?
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Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path
When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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13. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?
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Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations
Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.
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14. You brake hard on a wet road and need to steer around a stalled car. How do antilock brakes help you do that?
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Answer B: They stop the wheels locking, so the tires can still turn the vehicle
Locked wheels slide and cannot change direction. By preventing lockup the system lets you brake at full force and steer at the same time.
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15. At an intersection the signal flashes red toward you and flashes yellow toward the cross street. Who must yield?
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Answer D: You must, because the flashing red faces your road
A flashing red means stop and yield like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow lets the other road proceed with caution.
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16. The stability control warning light flashes while you are driving through a curve. What does it mean?
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Answer A: The system is actively working to keep the vehicle under control, so slow down
A flashing stability control light means the system is braking individual wheels because you are near the limit of grip. Ease off and drive more gently.
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17. You are backing out of a home driveway onto a street with a sidewalk. Who must you yield to?
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Answer D: All traffic on the street and everyone on the sidewalk
A driver entering the roadway from private property yields to everyone already using the sidewalk and the street.
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18. Where signs give notice of it, what is the South Carolina maximum speed on multilane divided primary highways?
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Answer C: 60 miles per hour
The statute lists 60 miles per hour for multilane divided primary highways, below the 70 allowed on freeways and above the 55 used elsewhere.
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19. May you park across the entrance to a fire station?
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Answer D: No, an emergency exit must never be blocked
Emergency vehicles must be able to leave the moment a call comes in, so their entrances and exits are kept clear at all hours.
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20. The queue for an exit ramp has backed up into the right lane of the highway. What should you do if you want that exit?
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Answer B: Join the back of the queue in the lane instead of cutting in later
Passing a queue and forcing in at the front stops the whole line, and using the shoulder puts you where broken-down vehicles are expected to be.
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21. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane
A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.
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22. You are stopped at a stop sign where your road ends at a two-way through street and you plan to turn left. What must you yield to?
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Answer B: Traffic from both directions and any pedestrians crossing
A left turn from the stem of a T crosses the near lane and joins the far one, so you give way to traffic in both directions and to pedestrians.
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23. What do two solid yellow lines down the middle of a two-way road mean?
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Answer D: Passing is prohibited for traffic in both directions
A double solid yellow line marks a two-direction no-passing zone, so neither direction may cross it to overtake another vehicle.
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24. Once a driver has joined the route this sign begins, how is the rest of the way marked?
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Answer B: By further markers of the same kind at each turn, until the original road is rejoined
The alternate route is signed continuously, with a marker at every turn, so a driver with no local knowledge can follow it back to the original road.
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25. At an intersection that uses a lagging left turn, when is the left-turn arrow displayed?
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Answer B: After the through movement has run
A lagging left turn phase runs at the end of the green rather than the start, so a driver waiting to turn should not assume the arrow has been missed.
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26. The route marker used for an Interstate highway is a shield with
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Answer A: white numerals on a blue field under a red band carrying the word INTERSTATE
The Interstate route marker is a cutout shield with a white border, the word INTERSTATE in white on red across the top and the route number in white on blue.
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27. Does using a hands free device remove the risk of distraction?
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Answer A: No, the conversation still takes attention away from driving
Hands free equipment removes the manual part of the distraction but not the mental part, and a driver deep in conversation can look straight at a hazard without registering it.
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28. What counts as a complete stop at a stop sign?
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Answer C: The wheels stop turning before the stop line
A legal stop means the vehicle is no longer moving, made at the stop line or before entering the crosswalk or intersection.
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29. What is the safest way to handle an unrestrained pet or a child who needs attention while you are driving?
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Answer D: Secure pets before the trip and pull over safely before attending to a child
A loose animal or an urgent situation in the back seat can capture a driver's attention completely, so restrain pets beforehand and stop in a safe place when someone needs help.
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30. A blue motorist service sign showing a fuel symbol and an arrow means that
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Answer D: fuel is available in the direction shown, and the sign imposes no obligation
Service signs are informational: they tell the driver what is available and in which direction, but they create no requirement.