New Hampshire NH DMV Permit Practice Test 33

  • 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. You are driving on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What is the safest adjustment?

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    Answer A: Reduce speed and keep a firm grip, expecting gusts on bridges and beside large vehicles

    Gusts hit hardest in open gaps, on bridges and when passing high-sided vehicles, so a lower speed and a firm grip let you correct before you are pushed out of your lane.

  2. 2. What is a driver being warned about here?

    A yellow diamond showing two black arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down
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    Answer B: The pavement ahead carries vehicles traveling in the opposite direction

    Beyond this point vehicles come the other way on the same pavement, which commonly happens where a one-way section or a separated stretch comes to an end.

  3. 3. Is it acceptable to drive far below the flow of traffic on an open highway?

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    Answer B: No, driving too slowly can obstruct traffic and create a hazard

    Traffic that is much slower than the surrounding flow forces other drivers into sudden braking and unnecessary passing maneuvers, and impeding traffic is itself a violation.

  4. 4. What does this sign require of the driver?

    A yellow diamond showing a traffic signal with three stacked lights
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    Answer D: Reducing speed and being ready to stop at the intersection ahead

    The advance notice asks the driver to slow and be ready to stop, while whether a stop is actually needed depends on the indication displayed on arrival.

  5. 5. A driver behind you on a two-lane road clearly wants to pass. Why should you not wave that driver past?

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    Answer B: You cannot see the whole road ahead for them and they may rely on your signal

    Waving another driver out invites them to trust your judgment of a road you cannot see well enough, and the decision to pass belongs to the driver making it.

  6. 6. Which of these is part of preparing a vehicle for winter driving?

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    Answer A: Fitting good tires and using washer fluid that will not freeze

    Winter readiness means tread, battery, wipers, antifreeze and washer fluid rated for the cold, plus a reasonable amount of fuel in the tank.

  7. 7. Why does safety guidance say a child should ride in the back seat rather than in front of an active passenger airbag?

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    Answer D: Because the airbag inflates with enough force to injure a small child badly

    Airbags deploy at very high speed and are sized for adults, so a child seated close to one can be badly hurt by the bag itself, which is why the back seat is recommended for children.

  8. 8. Where is the best place in the car for a child safety seat?

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    Answer A: In the rear seat, secured either with the belt or with the lower anchors

    The rear seat is furthest from most impacts and from the front airbags, and the seat must be locked in with the belt or the anchors.

  9. 9. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?

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    Answer A: Branches, dust and loose objects blown into your path

    High wind strips branches, litter and dust onto the roadway and can push other vehicles out of their lane, so scan much further ahead than usual.

  10. 10. For how long after the injury do New Hampshire medical payments benefits apply?

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    Answer A: For medical costs incurred during the 3 years following the injury

    RSA 264:16 limits medical payments coverage to reasonable medical costs incurred during the three years following the date the injuries were sustained.

  11. 11. You have strapped luggage to the roof rack for a long trip. What should you expect?

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    Answer D: A higher center of gravity, so take the curves and lane changes gently

    Weight on the roof raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicle lean and respond more slowly to steering.

  12. 12. What does a broken line indicate, whatever color it is painted?

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    Answer C: That crossing it is permitted

    A broken line always describes a permissive condition, and the color then tells the driver whether the traffic beyond it runs the same way or the opposite way.

  13. 13. Which steering method gives the most control when you must turn the wheel a long way at low speed?

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    Answer C: Hand over hand, feeding the wheel from one hand to the other

    Hand over hand keeps both hands on the wheel through a large turn, so you never lose the ability to correct quickly.

  14. 14. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back

    A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.

  15. 15. Where is the safest place for children under 13 to ride?

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    Answer C: In the back seat

    The back seat keeps children away from the force of a deploying front air bag and is farther from the most common impact area, which is why it is recommended through at least age 12.

  16. 16. You hear a bang and one of the front tires deflates while you are on the highway. What happens to the vehicle?

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    Answer D: It pulls strongly toward the side that failed

    The collapsed tire drags heavily on that corner, so the vehicle veers toward it. Hold the wheel firmly, keep your line and let the speed fall before leaving the road.

  17. 17. What does New Hampshire law allow in the way of aftermarket window tinting?

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    Answer C: No windshield tint except a top strip, and at least 70 percent transmittance beside the driver

    RSA 266:58-a bars aftermarket tinting on the windshield apart from a strip no wider than 6 inches at the top, requires at least 70 percent light transmittance on windows beside the driver and at least 35 percent on rear windows where tint is allowed.

  18. 18. A driver ahead brakes for no reason you can see, again and again. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Increase your following distance and be ready for yet another stop

    Unexplained braking tells you the driver is unsure or distracted, so the safe answer is more room, not less.

  19. 19. Your right-turn lane shows a green arrow while the through lanes face a red ball. What does that mean?

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    Answer C: Only the right turn is allowed, and it is protected while the arrow lasts

    A green arrow gives a protected movement in that direction only; the red ball still stops the through traffic in the other lanes.

  20. 20. A city transit bus at a stop ahead of you switches on its left signal. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Slow and let the bus pull back into traffic

    A bus needs a long gap to rejoin traffic, and yielding to a signaling transit bus keeps the whole line of traffic moving safely.

  21. 21. You are in a passing zone that continues over the crest of a hill ahead. May you start a pass?

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    Answer B: Only if you can finish it well before the crest

    Beyond the crest you cannot see oncoming traffic, so any part of the pass that happens there is being made blind.

  22. 22. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Try to find the owner, or leave a note with your name and contact details, and report the crash

    Hitting an unattended vehicle carries the same duties as any crash. Leaving without identifying yourself is a hit-and-run offense.

  23. 23. Your light turns green and a driver on the cross street enters against a red. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold back and let that vehicle go through

    Giving up a right of way you are entitled to is the only way to avoid a crash with a driver who has already failed to yield.

  24. 24. Why is repeatedly changing lanes to work through heavy traffic a poor idea?

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    Answer A: It raises the crash risk and saves almost no time

    Each lane change adds a conflict with another vehicle, and in congestion the lanes move at similar average speeds, so the gain is negligible.

  25. 25. Traffic is entering the freeway from a ramp ahead of you and you are in the right lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Move to another lane if it is safe, or adjust your speed to make room

    Merging drivers may have little room to adjust. Helping them in by changing lanes or easing your speed prevents conflicts even though they must legally yield to you.

  26. 26. Why is it useful to watch the vehicle two or three places ahead of you?

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    Answer C: You get an earlier warning of slowing traffic than brake lights give

    Trouble travels back through a line of traffic, so seeing it start several vehicles ahead gives you a head start on braking.

  27. 27. Your headlights suddenly go out while you are driving at night. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Try the dimmer switch and the headlight switch, turn on the hazard lights and pull off the road

    Switching between high and low beams or cycling the light switch sometimes restores the lights. If not, use the hazard and parking lights to get off the road safely.

  28. 28. What is the purpose of carrying a first aid kit in your vehicle?

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    Answer D: It lets you treat cuts and bleeding while the help is on its way

    A kit is for simple first aid such as controlling bleeding until trained help arrives, not a substitute for calling for that help.

  29. 29. 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.

  30. 30. You feel drowsy, so you open a window and turn the radio up. What does that achieve?

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    Answer B: Very little, because the drowsiness comes back

    Cold air and loud music are not sleep, so the alerting effect lasts a minute or two and the driver is soon just as sleepy and closer to a lapse.

  31. 31. You see an open curb space on the opposite side of a two-way street. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Drive on, turn around, and come back on that side

    You must park on the right, facing the direction of travel, so reaching a space on the other side means going around rather than crossing into it.

  32. 32. How many demerit points does New Hampshire assess for a conviction of reckless driving under RSA 265:79?

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    Answer D: 6 points

    Reckless driving sits in the six-point band of the New Hampshire schedule, alongside racing, driving after revocation and driving while intoxicated.

  33. 33. You are approaching a narrow bridge where the road has one lane in each direction and no shoulder. What should you do about passing?

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    Answer B: Do not pass on or near the bridge

    A narrow bridge gives neither vehicle anywhere to go, so passing is prohibited there in the same way as on a hill or in a tunnel.

  34. 34. What does a sign showing a bicycle inside a red circle with a diagonal slash prohibit?

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    Answer D: Riding a bicycle on that roadway

    This is a selective exclusion sign, used where bicycles are banned from a road such as a freeway or a tunnel.

  35. 35. How much more energy must your brakes absorb if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: About four times as much, since energy rises with the square of speed

    Kinetic energy grows with the square of speed, so twice the speed means about four times the energy and a far longer braking distance.

  36. 36. What is true about an airbag once it has inflated in a crash?

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    Answer B: It must be replaced by a technician before the car is driven any further

    An airbag is a single use device, and the module and often the belts must be replaced before the vehicle protects anyone again.

  37. 37. How much following distance should you keep behind a motorcycle?

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    Answer C: At least three to four seconds

    A motorcycle can slow or stop very quickly and is easily upset by a surprise, so allow three to four seconds instead of the usual car gap.

  38. 38. In a work zone the temporary lane lines conflict with the old lines still visible on the pavement. Which do you follow?

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    Answer C: The temporary markings, which show the current traffic pattern

    Temporary markings define the traffic pattern in force, and the old lines are simply the layout that no longer applies.

  39. 39. As a driver keeps drinking, in what order are driving abilities usually lost?

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    Answer C: Judgment, then vision, reaction time and coordination

    Alcohol reaches the parts of the brain that handle judgment first, and only later does it visibly affect sight, reactions and muscle control.

  40. 40. How many demerit points does New Hampshire assess for a conviction under RSA 265:79-c, use of a mobile electronic device while driving?

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    Answer B: 4 points

    New Hampshire assigns 4 demerit points for using a mobile electronic device while driving, the same value it gives to improper passing and to speeding 25 mph or more over the limit.