South Carolina SCDMV Permit Practice Test 40
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. You are entering a marked work zone. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: A reduced posted speed, narrowed or shifted lanes, and traffic that may stop suddenly
Work zones change the geometry of the road and can bring traffic to a halt without warning, so the posted work zone speed and increased following distance both apply.
-
2. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?
Show answer
Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back
Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.
-
3. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead
A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.
-
4. Under South Carolina's emergency scene management law, who has authority over an emergency scene until fire or law enforcement officials arrive?
Show answer
Answer D: The first-arriving emergency personnel, including emergency medical services personnel
Section 56-5-1538(C) gives authority over the scene to the first-arriving emergency personnel until fire or law enforcement takes over.
-
5. An overhead sign shows that the right lane is EXIT ONLY. What does that mean if you intend to stay on the highway?
Show answer
Answer B: You have to move out of that lane before the exit
An exit only lane leaves the highway completely, so a driver continuing on the highway has to change lanes before it does.
-
6. Besides the traffic behind you, what else must you check before moving into the next lane?
Show answer
Answer D: That there is room ahead in the new lane for your normal following distance
Moving into a gap that is too short leaves you tailgating the vehicle ahead with a vehicle close behind you.
-
7. What most often starts a rear wheel skid?
Show answer
Answer A: Too much speed, braking or acceleration for the grip available
A skid begins when what you ask of the tires exceeds what the surface can give, which is usually a matter of speed and of how abruptly you use the controls.
-
8. You are waiting to turn and the traffic ahead has stopped. Where must you not come to rest?
Show answer
Answer D: On the crosswalk, which people need in order to cross the street
Stopping on a crosswalk forces pedestrians out into the traffic lanes to get around you, so you hold back before it instead.
-
9. When is a driver or rider most likely to need hand and arm signals instead of the vehicle turn signal lamps?
Show answer
Answer D: When the lamps have failed or cannot be seen because of glare or a load
Hand and arm signals replace or reinforce the lamps whenever the lamps do not work or cannot be seen clearly by other road users.
-
10. You are about to make a three-point turn on a narrow two-way street. What is the first step?
Show answer
Answer B: Pull close to the right edge, signal left and check traffic both ways
A three-point turn starts from a stop at the right edge with a left signal, and you only move once you have checked that both directions are clear.
-
11. A regulatory message is normally carried on a sign whose shape is
Show answer
Answer A: a rectangle standing taller than it is wide
Regulatory signs that state a law, such as speed limits and turn restrictions, use a vertical rectangle with a black legend on a white background.
-
12. You are driving on a road covered with a layer of wet fallen leaves. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: As little grip as on ice, plus hidden markings and hidden holes
Wet leaves are as slippery as ice and they hide the lane lines and any potholes underneath, so slow well before curves and stops.
-
13. From which lane should a permitted U-turn be started?
Show answer
Answer A: The lane nearest the center line, the same one used for a left turn
A U-turn is begun from the far left lane for your direction, the same position used for a left turn, so you do not cut across traffic beside you.
-
14. Why is heavy braking a poor idea while two wheels are still on a soft shoulder?
Show answer
Answer B: The two sides have different grip, so the vehicle can pull sharply
With one pair of wheels on pavement and the other on loose material, hard braking slows one side more than the other and swings the vehicle around.
-
15. A rear tire blows out on the highway. How does the vehicle usually behave?
Show answer
Answer C: The back end weaves or fishtails from side to side
A rear failure shows up as the tail wandering rather than a pull on the steering, so hold the wheel straight and let the speed drop gradually.
-
16. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic
When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.
-
17. You have turned onto a ramp at night and your headlights pick out large white arrows painted on the pavement pointing straight back at you. What do they mean?
Show answer
Answer C: You are traveling against the flow and must turn back
Wrong-way arrows are laid so that a driver going the correct way never sees them head on, so an arrow pointing at you means you are on the ramp backwards.
-
18. A line beside your lane is painted about twice the normal width. What does the extra width convey?
Show answer
Answer B: Greater emphasis on the restriction it carries
Width is part of the marking code: a wide line carries more emphasis than a normal one, which is why it is used at gores and channelizing lines.
-
19. The low sun is directly ahead and glare makes it hard to see. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down, use the sun visor or sunglasses, and increase following distance
Sun glare can hide pedestrians, brake lights and signals. Reducing speed and adding space gives you time to react to what you cannot yet see.
-
20. The sign over the leftmost lane reads LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT. You are in that lane and want to go straight. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Move out of the lane before the intersection if it is safe
A mandatory movement lane control sign makes the turn compulsory for that lane, so a driver who wants another movement must change lanes in advance.
-
21. What does the solid white line running along the right side of a highway mark?
Show answer
Answer A: The right edge of the traveled way
A solid white edge line shows where the traveled way ends on the right, which is particularly useful at night and in poor visibility.
-
22. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass
Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.
-
23. Why does this warning matter more on a motorcycle than in a car?
Show answer
Answer B: Because a sudden jolt can unsettle a two-wheeled machine and the rider can lose control
A jolt can push a motorcycle off line or lift a wheel, so a rider slows early, comes slightly off the seat and keeps a relaxed but firm hold on the handlebars.
-
24. What does a posted speed limit sign represent?
Show answer
Answer B: The maximum speed permitted under ideal conditions
A speed limit is an upper limit that assumes good weather, good visibility and light traffic, so the safe speed is often lower than the posted figure.
-
25. A sign shows a lane joining from the right with no merge required. What does that mean?
Show answer
Answer B: The joining traffic gets its own new lane, so nobody has to merge
An added lane means the roadway gains a lane at that point, so entering vehicles have somewhere to go without anyone changing lanes.
-
26. A driver's blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit, but the driver is visibly impaired. Can the driver be arrested?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, driving while impaired by alcohol is an offense at any concentration
The per se figure, 0.08 percent in most states and 0.05 percent in Utah, is the level at which impairment is presumed. Impairment shown by driving behavior and field tests is enough on its own, because alcohol affects skills well before that number.
-
27. Rain is heavy enough that you have your windshield wipers running. What else should you switch on?
Show answer
Answer A: Your headlights, so you can see and others can see you
Rain heavy enough to need wipers also cuts how far away you can be seen, so the headlights belong on. Many states write this into law as a wipers on, lights on rule.
-
28. A yellow lamp flashes above a warning sign at a sharp curve. What does it ask of a driver?
Show answer
Answer D: Slow down and pass the point with extra care
A warning beacon draws attention to the sign it is mounted with, and the message of the sign is what the driver must act on.
-
29. What should you do about snow and ice on your vehicle before driving?
Show answer
Answer C: Clear all glass, mirrors and lights, and the roof and hood as well
Snow left on the roof or hood slides onto your windshield when you brake and blows into the path of drivers behind you, and covered lights make your vehicle hard to see.
-
30. Why does even a small reduction in speed matter so much where people are walking?
Show answer
Answer D: Because a pedestrian struck at a lower speed is far more likely to survive
The chance that a pedestrian survives falls steeply as impact speed rises, so a few miles per hour can decide the outcome.