New Hampshire NH DMV Permit Practice Test 22

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass32
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

Minimum age: 16 years, after an approved driver education program

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 32 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?

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    Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle

    High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.

  2. 2. What habit prevents the hood from flying up while you are driving?

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    Answer D: Press the hood down at the front and check that the latch has caught

    Most hoods fly up because they were left on the safety catch, so check that the main latch is fully closed after any work under the hood.

  3. 3. You approach an intersection where the signal is flashing yellow. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Slow down and cross the intersection with caution

    A flashing yellow signal warns you to slow down and cross with care; it does not require a stop, but it does not give you priority either.

  4. 4. How should a long trip be broken up to keep the driver alert?

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    Answer D: Stop for a break every couple of hours and share out the driving

    Regular breaks and a change of driver are the only reliable answers to fatigue; caffeine only postpones it.

  5. 5. What happens when alcohol is combined with another drug that also affects the nervous system?

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    Answer B: Impairment is often far greater than either one alone would produce

    Combined substances can multiply each other's effects, producing impairment well beyond what a driver would expect from either one taken separately.

  6. 6. 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.

  7. 7. About how far ahead do low beam headlights let you see on a dark road?

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    Answer B: About 250 feet

    Low beams light roughly 250 feet of road, and high beams roughly 350 to 500 feet, which sets the limit on a safe night speed.

  8. 8. Fog thickens until you can barely make out the vehicle ahead. What is the safest action?

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    Answer A: Slow right down and, if needed, leave the road at a safe place

    In heavy fog the only safe speed may be very low, and if it drops below what the road allows, the answer is to pull well clear of the traffic lanes.

  9. 9. An ambulance with lights and siren is coming toward you on an undivided two-lane road. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Pull to the right edge and stop until it passes

    On an undivided road, drivers in both directions clear the way, pulling to the right edge and stopping.

  10. 10. A yellow diamond shows two lanes narrowing into one. What does it require of a driver?

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    Answer D: Adjusting speed and merging before the lane disappears

    The lane ends sign gives notice that one lane will be dropped, so drivers should adjust speed and blend into the continuing lane in good time.

  11. 11. You are involved in a collision, even a minor one. What is your first legal duty?

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    Answer A: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic more than necessary

    Every driver involved in a crash must stop at the scene, and leaving before meeting that duty is a serious offense. Move the vehicles only as far as needed to clear the traffic lanes.

  12. 12. When is it appropriate to use cruise control?

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    Answer B: On a dry, open highway with light traffic

    Cruise control suits steady conditions where you rarely need to change speed. It is a poor choice in traffic, on curves, on slippery roads or when drowsy, because it removes you from the speed decision.

  13. 13. A 19-year-old holds a New Hampshire youth operator license. Which statement about the restrictions is correct?

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    Answer A: The night and passenger restrictions no longer apply to this driver

    RSA 263:14 states that the night and passenger restrictions on a youth operator license do not apply to drivers who are over 18, even though the license itself runs until 21.

  14. 14. 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.

  15. 15. You are entering a marked school zone during the posted hours. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow to the school zone limit and watch for children

    The school zone limit applies throughout the posted hours, whether or not you can see any children at that moment.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. What must you be sure of before you pull out to pass on a two-lane road?

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    Answer A: That the road ahead is clear far enough for the whole pass

    You need enough clear road to pull out, pass and return before any oncoming vehicle arrives, and you must judge that distance before you start.

  18. 18. Why is passing another vehicle a bad idea in dense fog?

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    Answer C: You cannot see far enough ahead to know the passing lane is clear

    A pass needs a clear view of the road well beyond the vehicle you are overtaking, and fog takes exactly that away.

  19. 19. An arrow panel at a work zone displays a flashing arrow pointing to the left. What does it require?

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    Answer C: Move out of the closed lane into the lane on the left

    A flashing or sequential arrow on an arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane and into the lane the arrow points to.

  20. 20. A bus stopped at the corner hides the crosswalk you are about to turn across. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Turn slowly, ready to stop for anyone stepping out in front of it

    People often step into the road from in front of a stopped bus, so approach the hidden crosswalk slowly and be ready to stop.

  21. 21. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?

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    Answer C: Not remembering the last few miles you drove

    Memory gaps, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids and drifting are the body signaling that sleep is winning, and they mean stop rather than push on.

  22. 22. The traffic signal is green, but the crossing lights on the tracks inside the intersection begin to flash. What must you do?

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    Answer C: Stop clear of the tracks and wait, even though the signal is green

    Active crossing warning devices outrank the green indication, so you stop short of the rails and wait until the warning stops.

  23. 23. Why should you dim the instrument panel and keep interior lights off when driving at night?

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    Answer C: Bright light inside the vehicle reduces your ability to see the dark road ahead

    Your eyes adapt to the brightest light they see. A bright cabin keeps them from adjusting to the darkness outside and creates reflections on the windshield.

  24. 24. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?

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    Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade

    A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.

  25. 25. Where should a rear-facing infant seat never be placed?

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    Answer C: In a front seat with an active passenger air bag

    A deploying front air bag strikes the back of a rear-facing seat with enormous force. Rear-facing seats belong in the back seat.

  26. 26. The green arrow protecting your turn changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is it telling you?

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    Answer A: The protected turn is ending and you should prepare to stop

    A steady yellow arrow warns that the arrow movement is being terminated and that a red indication will follow.

  27. 27. Another vehicle is passing you on a two-lane road. What should you do with your speed?

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    Answer A: Hold your speed or ease off slightly to shorten the pass

    Speeding up strands the passing driver in the oncoming lane, while a steady speed or a slight lift lets the pass finish quickly and safely.

  28. 28. 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.

  29. 29. A sign warns that your exit leaves from the left side of the freeway. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Move into the left lane in good time before you reach the exit

    Left-hand exits are unusual, which is exactly why they are signed well in advance and why the lane changes should be finished early.

  30. 30. You are clear of the tracks after your vehicle stalled on a crossing. Whom should you contact?

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    Answer C: The emergency number posted on the blue sign at the crossing, or 911

    Grade crossings carry an emergency notification sign with a railroad phone number and a crossing identification number so that approaching trains can be stopped, and 911 works if that sign is not visible.

  31. 31. What is the fine for a first conviction of failing to stop for a New Hampshire school bus that is loading or unloading children?

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    Answer C: $150 plus penalty assessment

    RSA 265:54 fines a first offense $150 plus penalty assessment and sets a fine of not less than $250 nor more than $1,000 for a subsequent offense, with a possible 30-day suspension for a repeat.

  32. 32. 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.

  33. 33. A bicycle symbol topped by two chevrons is painted in the middle of a travel lane. What does that marking indicate?

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    Answer D: Bicyclists share the lane with motor vehicles and may ride away from the curb

    A shared lane marking shows drivers where bicyclists are likely to ride in a lane used by both bicycles and motor vehicles.

  34. 34. You park on level ground in a lot. Where should the front wheels be pointing?

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    Answer C: Straight ahead, so the car would not veer if it moved

    On the level the wheels go straight so that the car stays in its own space, and so that a shunt from behind does not send it across a lane.

  35. 35. The lights at a highway-rail grade crossing begin to flash red as you approach. What must you do?

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    Answer B: Stop short of the tracks and wait until the lights stop and no train is near

    Flashing red lights at a crossing require a stop clear of the tracks, and you may proceed only once the lights have stopped, any gates are fully raised and no train is approaching.

  36. 36. Rain is heavy enough that you have your windshield wipers running. What else should you switch on?

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    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.

  37. 37. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long

    Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.

  38. 38. The center line beside your lane is a broken yellow line. What does it allow?

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    Answer D: You may cross into the opposing lane to pass when it is safe and clear

    A broken yellow center line marks a passing zone where traffic in that direction may cross into the opposing lane to pass when the way ahead is clear.

  39. 39. Heavy rain has left standing water on the road where this sign is posted. What does the law expect of the driver?

    A white vertical rectangle with a black border and black legend
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    Answer C: Driving below the posted figure, at a speed that suits the conditions

    Drivers must adapt to conditions, so in rain, fog, snow or dense traffic the safe speed falls below the posted maximum and keeping to that maximum can itself be an offense.

  40. 40. You have fitted small convex blind spot mirrors to the door mirrors. What is true of them?

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    Answer A: They help a good deal, but you should still look over your shoulder as well

    Add-on mirrors reduce but do not remove the blind spot, and they make vehicles look smaller and further away.