South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. What must you do before changing lanes, in addition to signaling and checking your mirrors?
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Answer D: Glance over your shoulder to check the blind spot the mirrors do not cover
Mirrors leave an area beside and behind the vehicle that they cannot show, so a quick head check is needed before the vehicle moves sideways.
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2. You have printed directions or paperwork you need to check. When should you read them?
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Answer C: Before you leave, or after you park
Reading takes eyes and mind off the road for far longer than any safe glance, and a light that changes while you read leaves you moving off blind.
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3. What belongs in a basic emergency kit carried in a car?
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Answer D: A flashlight, a first aid kit, jumper cables and some warning devices
A useful kit lets you see, be seen, treat an injury and restart the vehicle; carrying loose gasoline is a fire risk.
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4. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe
More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.
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5. At an intersection where turning right on red is permitted and no sign prohibits it, what must you do before turning?
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Answer A: Come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians and cross traffic
A right turn on red is allowed only after a full stop, and the turning driver must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to traffic already using the intersection.
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6. Your car begins to lose power on a freeway and you must stop. Where should you try to bring it to a halt?
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Answer A: As far off the right side of the road as you can get, beyond the edge line
A disabled vehicle should be moved completely clear of the travel lanes, on the right, so that traffic can pass without changing course.
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7. An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and a siren is approaching from behind on a two-way street. What should you do?
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Answer C: Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes
Clearing a path by pulling to the right and stopping gives the emergency vehicle a predictable route, while stopping in mid-lane or inside an intersection blocks that path.
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8. Under South Carolina law, may a conditional or special restricted license holder operate a farm truck used exclusively for agricultural purposes without an accompanying adult?
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Answer D: Yes, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., but never on a freeway
State law permits a conditional or special restricted license holder to operate a qualifying farm truck alone between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., excluding freeway use.
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9. A crossing guard steps into the roadway ahead of this sign with one hand raised. What must the driver do?
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Answer B: Stop and stay stopped until the guard waves traffic on
An adult guard is controlling traffic at that crossing, so the instruction given by that person governs and the driver waits to be released.
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10. What should you avoid when a hostile driver pulls alongside you?
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Answer A: Making eye contact, or answering the gestures in any way at all
Any response, including a look, encourages an aggressive driver, so give none and let the vehicle go.
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11. How many points does South Carolina add to a driving record for following another vehicle too closely?
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Answer C: Four points
Section 56-1-720 lists following too closely at four points, the same value used for unlawful passing.
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12. A freeway sign reads BUSES ONLY ON SHOULDER 6 AM TO 9 AM. Who may drive on the shoulder then?
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Answer A: Only the vehicles named on the sign, during the hours shown
Shoulder running is granted by the sign to the class of vehicle and the hours the sign names, and it does not turn the shoulder into a general travel lane.
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13. You are parking facing downhill on a street with a curb. Which way should the front wheels point?
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Answer A: Toward the curb, so the vehicle would roll into it if it moved
Turning the wheels toward the curb when facing downhill means a vehicle that starts to roll is stopped by the curb instead of entering the traffic lane.
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14. You are on a two-lane road where a broken yellow line runs on your side of the center. What does that pattern allow?
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Answer C: Passing when the way ahead is clear and it is otherwise legal
A broken yellow center line marks a stretch where passing is permitted for traffic on that side when it can be completed safely.
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15. What is the general minimum age for an unrestricted South Carolina driver's license, and what exception lets a driver qualify earlier?
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Answer C: The general minimum is 17, but a 16 year old may qualify after one year on a conditional license with no traffic conviction or at-fault crash
Section 56-1-40(1) sets 17 as the general minimum, while allowing a clean-record conditional license holder to receive a full license at 16.
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16. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?
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Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead
Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.
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17. Which warning sign keeps its yellow background even when it is used inside a work zone?
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Answer D: The grade crossing advance warning sign
The round grade crossing advance warning sign keeps its black legend on yellow inside temporary traffic control zones because the railroad hazard it describes is not temporary.
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18. What is the 'Uninsured Motorists Fund' established under South Carolina's motor vehicle financial security law?
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Answer C: A special state fund holding money collected under the chapter for use as the law provides, including administration of Title 38
Section 56-10-550 creates the Uninsured Motorists Fund, held by the State Treasurer for disbursement as provided by law, including administrative use under Title 38.
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19. Which of these makes you unpredictable to other drivers?
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Answer B: Changing lanes suddenly without signaling, to save a moment
An unsignalled, sudden lane change gives nobody time to react and is a common cause of sideswipe collisions.
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20. Below a speed limit sign is a smaller panel with white numbers on a black background and the word NIGHT. What does it show?
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Answer D: The limit that applies after dark
A night speed limit panel sets a separate legal maximum for the hours of darkness, and its reversed colors mark it as the night figure.
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21. You are backing a trailer and want its rear to move to the left. Which way should you turn the steering wheel?
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Answer A: Move the bottom of the wheel to the left, which turns the top to the right
A trailer moves opposite to the tow vehicle's steering when backing. Holding the wheel at the bottom and moving your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go makes this easier.
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22. What does South Carolina law require of a motor vehicle operator or owner involved in certain accidents, regarding insurance?
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Answer B: The operator or owner must handle a verification of insurance coverage form as required following the accident
Section 56-9-350 requires an operator or owner involved in certain accidents to be issued and respond to a verification of insurance coverage form.
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23. There is a stop sign but no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?
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Answer A: Before entering the intersection, where you can see cross traffic
With no line or crosswalk, stop before you enter the intersection at the point where you can see traffic on the cross street.
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24. Another driver takes a right of way that was legally yours. What should you do?
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Answer A: Give way to the other driver and avoid the crash, whatever the law says
Right of way is something you give, not something you take, and being in the right is no protection in a collision.
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25. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?
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Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street
Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.
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26. Your wiper blades smear the windshield instead of clearing it. What should you do?
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Answer C: Replace the blades, because smearing means that the rubber is worn
Worn or hardened rubber cannot wipe cleanly, and blades are cheap compared with driving without a clear view.
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27. You reach a stretch of road covered by moving flood water of unknown depth. What is the correct decision?
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Answer D: Turn around and take another route
About a foot of moving water is enough to carry away most cars, and the roadbed under the water may already be washed out, so the only safe choice is to turn around.
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28. A driver moves into the space you were keeping ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off and rebuild the gap in front of you
Losing a following gap is common in traffic; the answer is simply to drop back and recreate it rather than drive too close.
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29. You are behind a slow vehicle on a two-lane road and a marked passing lane begins a mile ahead. What is the sensible choice?
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Answer D: Wait for the passing lane rather than using the opposing lane
A passing lane lets you overtake without ever entering the lane used by oncoming traffic, which is far safer than a pass a minute earlier.
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30. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?
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Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you
A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.