South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 22
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A friend who has been drinking insists on driving home. What is the right thing to do?
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Answer B: Take the keys and arrange a sober ride, even if the friend objects
An impaired driver is dangerous on any street at any speed, and coffee does not lower blood alcohol. Keeping the keys and finding another way home is the only safe choice.
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2. A large truck is passing you on a two-lane road. What is the safest thing to do?
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Answer C: Keep right in your lane and ease off the gas a little
Staying in your own lane and easing off shortens the pass without forcing you onto a soft shoulder or into the truck's path.
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3. Which surfaces usually offer less grip than the pavement around them when wet?
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Answer B: Painted markings, metal plates and bridge decks
Paint, steel and bridge decks all shed grip when wet or cold, so brake before you reach them rather than on top of them.
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4. You see a shield for a three-digit Interstate whose first digit is even. What does that tell you about the route?
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Answer C: It loops around a city and rejoins its parent route
A three-digit Interstate beginning with an even digit is a loop or beltway that connects back to the main route at both ends, while an odd first digit marks a spur.
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5. You are turning right off a street into a parking lot driveway that crosses a bike lane and a sidewalk. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: Pedestrians on the sidewalk and riders in the bike lane
Turning into a driveway means crossing the paths of people who were already traveling straight, so you give way to both the bike lane and the sidewalk.
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6. You pass into a work zone with a reduced speed limit but you see no workers. What speed applies?
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Answer D: The posted work zone limit, whether or not workers are present
A posted work zone speed limit is a regulatory limit in force at all times, and narrow lanes and uneven surfaces remain dangerous when nobody is working.
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7. A small plate under a stop sign reads CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP. What is it telling you?
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Answer D: Traffic on the cross street is not required to stop at all
The plate warns that the other road is uncontrolled, so you must wait for a gap instead of expecting anyone to take turns with you.
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8. Your vehicle breaks down on a busy highway. What is the safest course of action?
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Answer D: Get it as far off the roadway as possible, switch on the hazard lights and keep clear of the traffic lanes
A vehicle left in or beside a travel lane is a hazard, so move it well off the road, make it conspicuous with hazard lights and keep yourself away from passing traffic.
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9. You are driving on a two-lane road approaching the crest of a hill. Where should you position your vehicle?
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Answer D: Toward the right side of your lane, in case an oncoming vehicle is over the center line
You cannot see what is beyond a crest, and oncoming drivers sometimes drift across the center. Keeping right and slowing gives you a margin.
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10. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?
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Answer D: Familiar roads let attention slip into routine
When a route is automatic the mind wanders and hazards get missed, which is why a well known road deserves the same attention as a strange one.
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11. Besides motorist services and tourist information, a blue sign background is also used for
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Answer B: evacuation route signing
Blue is assigned to road user services, tourist information and evacuation routes, so hurricane and other evacuation routes are signed in blue.
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12. On a two-lane South Carolina road that does not meet the four-lane threshold for the move-over lane change, what duty still applies when passing a stopped authorized emergency vehicle with lights flashing?
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Answer B: The driver must keep the vehicle under the control needed to protect the scene, even without changing lanes
Section 56-5-1538(F) requires a driver to keep the vehicle under control when approaching or passing an emergency scene, independent of the four-lane lane-change rule.
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13. You are stopped at a red light ready to turn right when a person pushing a stroller steps into the crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stay stopped until they have crossed your path
A turn on red gives way to every pedestrian in the crosswalk, and someone pushing a stroller has even less room to react.
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14. Your light is green but the traffic beyond the intersection is stopped and there is no room on the far side. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait behind the line until you can clear the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks the cross traffic when their signal turns green, so you wait behind the line.
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15. Why should heavy objects in the passenger compartment be secured?
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Answer A: Because loose objects fly forward in a crash and can injure the people
Anything loose keeps traveling at the speed of the vehicle when the vehicle stops, so it strikes the occupants with great force.
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16. When may a South Carolina beginner's permit holder practice with a licensed driver who is at least 21 and has a year of experience in the front seat?
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Answer A: From 6 a.m. to midnight
The Class D beginner's permit allows practice driving between 6 a.m. and midnight with that supervising driver; between midnight and 6 a.m. a person listed in SC Code 56-1-100(A)(1-7) must supervise.
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17. In a vehicle with automatic transmission, which foot should operate the brake and accelerator?
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Answer D: The right foot for both pedals
Using only the right foot prevents pressing both pedals at once and keeps the response the same in every vehicle you drive. The left foot rests on the floor or the footrest.
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18. You are waiting to pull out of a driveway when a bicyclist comes along the bike lane in front of you. What must you do?
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Answer D: Wait until the bicyclist has gone past
A driver leaving a driveway yields to everything already on the road, and a bike lane is part of the roadway.
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19. What is the maximum posted speed on the interstate highway system in South Carolina?
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Answer B: 70 miles per hour
State law sets 70 miles per hour as the maximum on the interstate system and other freeways where signs give notice of that speed.
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20. Which warning lights, beyond flashing red or blue, trigger South Carolina's move-over duty when displayed by a stationary authorized emergency vehicle?
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Answer B: Amber or yellow warning lights
Section 56-5-1538(G) extends the move-over duty to amber or yellow warning lights, which covers vehicles like tow trucks.
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21. You get into a heated argument with a passenger while driving. What should you do?
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Answer D: End the discussion or pull over to finish it
Anger narrows attention and encourages risk, and a conversation you cannot let go of is a passenger you should be parked to talk with.
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22. How much does South Carolina charge for a duplicate driver's license issued to replace a lost or damaged one?
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Answer C: 10 dollars
Section 56-1-200(A) sets the duplicate license fee at 10 dollars.
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23. A live power line is lying on your car and the car has caught fire, so you must get out. How should you leave it?
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Answer D: Jump clear without touching the car and ground at once, then shuffle away
Touching the vehicle and the ground together makes you the path to earth, and long strides can bridge the voltage spread through the ground.
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24. How much moving water is generally enough to float and carry away most passenger vehicles?
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Answer D: About one foot
About a foot of moving water will float most cars, and even less will stall an engine. That is why the rule is to turn around instead of judging the depth.
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25. The cars in front of and behind your parallel parked car have left you very little room. How do you get out?
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Answer D: Ease back and forth, turning the wheels each way, until you clear
Short movements with the wheels turned first one way and then the other walk the car out of a tight space without touching anything.
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26. What does a sign reading Slower Traffic Keep Right require?
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Answer C: Traffic moving slower than the general flow must use the right-hand lane
The sign applies to any vehicle traveling below the speed of the traffic around it, which must keep right so faster vehicles can use the lanes to the left.
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27. A sign on a freeway restricts trucks to the two right-hand lanes. What should a car driver expect in those lanes?
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Answer A: More heavy vehicles and slower changes of speed
A truck lane restriction concentrates heavy vehicles on the right, and those vehicles accelerate, brake and change lanes far more slowly than cars.
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28. Your light turns green, but a vehicle from the cross street is still finishing a turn inside the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until that vehicle has cleared the intersection
A green indication lets you proceed only after yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to vehicles already lawfully within the intersection.
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29. A pedestrian steps off the curb without looking your way. What should you assume?
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Answer B: That the person has not seen you at all, and be ready to stop for them
Defensive driving means assuming you have not been seen until there is clear evidence that you have.
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30. You find that your shoulder belt has some slack in it. Why does that matter?
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Answer D: You travel further before the belt restrains you, so injuries are worse
Slack lets your body build up speed before the belt takes hold, which increases the forces on you and the risk of hitting the interior.