Indiana BMV Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A wide solid white line separates the through lanes from an exit lane. What does it tell drivers?
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Answer B: The choice of lane should already have been made
A channelizing line marks where the paths separate and crossing it is discouraged or prohibited, so the lane change has to happen upstream.
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2. Traffic in your lane is backed up and the paved shoulder looks clear. May you drive along it to get past?
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Answer C: No, the shoulder is not a travel lane
Passing must be done within the roadway; driving on the shoulder to get around traffic is prohibited and surprises anyone entering from the right.
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3. You have just passed a vehicle on a two-lane road. When may you return to your lane?
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Answer B: When you can see the whole vehicle in your inside mirror
Seeing the entire vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror shows there is room to pull back in without cutting it off.
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4. A high truck ahead of you hides the traffic signal as you approach the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer A: Drop back so you can see the signal and the truck's brake lights
Extra following distance restores your view of the signal, so you are reacting to the light yourself rather than copying the truck driver.
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5. 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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6. Which color scheme is standard for the drums and barricades that channel traffic through a work zone?
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Answer C: Alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes
Drums and barricades carry alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes, and the traffic cones used in the same zones are predominantly orange.
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7. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signals are completely dark after a power failure. What should you do?
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Answer A: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop and take turns
When a signal is dark or out of order, drivers on every approach must stop and proceed in turn, exactly as at a four-way stop.
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8. A sign showing a walking figure carries a plaque below it with an arrow slanting down to the right. What does the plaque add?
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Answer B: The crossing is at that very spot
A downward-slanting arrow plaque marks the crossing itself, whereas an AHEAD or distance plaque would place it further along the road.
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9. May you park across the entrance to a fire station?
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Answer D: No, an emergency exit must never be blocked
Emergency vehicles must be able to leave the moment a call comes in, so their entrances and exits are kept clear at all hours.
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10. What does the traffic law actually say about the right of way?
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Answer B: It says who must yield; no driver is ever entitled to take the right of way
The law describes who must yield. Right of way is something you give; insisting on it when another driver does not yield causes crashes.
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11. You are leaving a freeway on an exit ramp posted with an advisory speed of 25 mph. Where should you slow to that speed?
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Answer A: In the deceleration lane, before you reach the curve of the ramp
Slowing belongs in the deceleration lane so you arrive at the curve already at the advisory speed and do not hold up traffic still in the through lanes.
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12. Before making a right turn at an intersection, what should you check besides oncoming traffic?
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Answer B: Your right blind spot and the crosswalk, for cyclists and pedestrians
Right turns often catch a cyclist or a pedestrian coming up on the right, so check the blind spot and the crosswalk before you turn.
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13. You are in a minor collision on a busy road. No one is hurt and both vehicles can be driven. What is the recommended thing to do?
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Answer C: Move the vehicles out of the travel lanes to a safe spot before exchanging information
Vehicles left in traffic after a minor crash invite a second, often worse, collision. Clearing the lane protects everyone, and you still exchange details and report as required.
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14. How should you follow a school bus in traffic?
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Answer A: Far enough back to see its lights and stop in time
A school bus stops often and with little warning, so a longer following distance gives you time to see the lights come on and stop clear of it.
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15. A farm implement ahead of you on a two-lane road is wider than its own lane. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hang back until you can see past it and pass only with a clear road
Wide equipment hides the road ahead and may extend farther across the center line than it appears, so the pass needs more room and a much better view.
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16. On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center while a broken yellow line runs on the other side. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, although oncoming drivers may
Passing restrictions are read from the line closest to your own lane, so a solid yellow line on your side creates a no-passing zone for you alone.
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17. 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.
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18. You are waiting in a center two-way left-turn lane. What should you expect from oncoming traffic?
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Answer A: Oncoming drivers may enter the same lane to prepare their own left turns
Both directions share a two-way left-turn lane, so an oncoming vehicle may be waiting in it and you must never treat it as yours alone.
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19. The light ahead is green, but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up so far that you could not clear it. What is the correct action?
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Answer D: Wait behind the stop line until there is room on the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks cross traffic and pedestrians, so you should hold your position until space opens on the other side.
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20. The vehicle you want to pass is traveling close to the speed limit. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay behind, because a pass may not take you over the limit
The speed limit applies while passing too. If you cannot complete the pass without exceeding it, do not start the pass.
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21. How many points does Indiana assess for following another vehicle too closely?
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Answer C: Six points
Following another vehicle too closely is a six point violation on the BMV point schedule.
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22. You are entering an angle parking space on your right. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay a little left of the space, then turn in between the lines
Keeping a little left of the space gives the front wheels the room to turn in cleanly and leaves your car centered between the lines.
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23. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?
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Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it
The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.
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24. You are driving in fog so thick that you can barely see the vehicle ahead. Which pavement marking is the best guide for staying in your lane?
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Answer A: The white edge line on the right side of the road
The right edge line keeps you positioned away from oncoming traffic and is easy to follow at low speed. Following tail lights closely tempts you to drive faster than you can see.
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25. The street you are turning right onto has a bike lane along its right edge. Where should your vehicle end up?
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Answer B: In the first traffic lane to the left of the bike lane
A bike lane is not a travel lane for motor vehicles, so the nearest lane you may finish a right turn in is the first general traffic lane beside it.
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26. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane
A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.
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27. When may you stop on the shoulder of a freeway?
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Answer A: Only in an emergency, moving completely off the travel lanes and switching on your hazard lights
The freeway shoulder is reserved for emergencies and for disabled vehicles, and a vehicle stopped there must be clear of the travel lanes with hazard lights on.
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28. You are driving on a rural road with no sidewalk. Where should you expect to meet pedestrians?
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Answer A: Walking toward you on your side of the road
Where there is no sidewalk, pedestrians are taught to walk facing traffic, so they appear on your side of the road coming toward you.
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29. What injury does a correctly set head restraint help prevent?
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Answer A: A neck injury of the kind caused when your vehicle is struck from behind
In a rear impact the body is pushed forward and the head restraint stops the head from whipping backward.
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30. When should headlights be switched on besides during the hours of darkness?
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Answer C: Whenever rain, fog, snow or dust makes it harder to see or to be seen
Headlights are as much about being seen as about seeing, so they go on whenever visibility drops.
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31. How should a driver respond to this sign?
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Answer C: Slow down before reaching the rough spot and cross it at a steady, low speed
Losing speed before a sharp rise in the pavement keeps the vehicle settled, while braking or accelerating on top of it unsettles the suspension and costs grip.
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32. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?
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Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it
A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.
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33. On a two-way street, where and how should you park at the curb?
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Answer C: On the right side, facing the way traffic moves
On a two-way street you must park on the right, headed in the direction of travel; parking facing traffic is prohibited.
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34. A driver's blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit, but the driver is visibly impaired. Can the driver be arrested?
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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.
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35. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signal is completely dark because of a power failure. How should you proceed?
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Answer C: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop
When a signal shows no indication at all, drivers on every approach must stop and then take turns, exactly as at an all-way stop.
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36. You reach a one-lane bridge and a vehicle is already partway across it coming toward you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop before the bridge and let it come through
A vehicle already on a one-lane bridge has the right of way, and the driver who has not yet entered waits at the approach.
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37. What size sign or poster does Indiana law allow on a windshield?
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Answer B: No larger than four inches square, in the corner farthest from the driver
Non-transparent material must not obstruct the driver's view, but a sign or poster no larger than four inches square may sit in the lower corner farthest from the driver.
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38. 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.
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39. You park a manual transmission car facing uphill at a curb. What is the correct combination?
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Answer A: First gear, wheels turned away from the curb, parking brake set
Facing uphill the car would roll back, so first gear resists that, the wheels turned out let a tire catch the curb, and the parking brake holds it.
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40. A sign warns that the right lane ends ahead, and traffic is still flowing freely. What should you do if you are in that lane?
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Answer C: Signal, adjust your speed and move left in good time before the lane ends
When traffic is moving freely there is room to merge early and smoothly, which avoids the last-second lane change at the closure point.
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41. You come to a place where a storm has dropped a power line across the road ahead. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop well back, keep everyone away from it and report it to the police
A downed line may be live and can energize the ground around it, so keep well clear and let the utility or the police handle it.
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42. How long do points stay active on an Indiana driving record?
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Answer D: Two years from the conviction date
Indiana keeps points active on a driving record for two years from the date of conviction.
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43. You are approaching the entry of a roundabout and a pedestrian is crossing the marked crosswalk on your approach lane. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop before the crosswalk and let the pedestrian cross
Roundabout crosswalks sit a short distance back from the yield line, and drivers must yield there before they ever reach the circulating lanes.
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44. You are turning left at an intersection just beyond the crest of a hill. What is the added risk?
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Answer B: Oncoming vehicles appear with very little warning and close quickly
A crest hides approaching traffic until it is close, so the gap you thought was empty can fill in the time the turn takes.
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45. What does a booster seat do for a child?
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Answer B: It lifts the child so that the adult belt crosses hips and shoulder
A booster raises the child so the adult belt lies on the strong parts of the body instead of the neck and the abdomen.
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46. Roughly how far does a vehicle travel at 55 mph during the few seconds a driver spends reading a text message?
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Answer D: About the length of a football field
Sending or reading a message takes the eyes off the road for about five seconds, which at 55 mph covers roughly the length of a football field with nobody watching the road.
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47. Where are signs of this kind placed at an intersection?
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Answer C: At the near right and far left corners, facing drivers on the intersecting street
They are installed at the corners of the intersecting street so that a driver about to turn in sees the restriction before committing to the turn.
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48. Why is a wet road at night harder to read than the same road in daylight?
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Answer A: The wet surface reflects light away and swallows the lane markings
A film of water sends your headlight beam onward instead of back to you, so lines, edges and people in dark clothing almost disappear.
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49. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?
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Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you
White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.
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50. The added lane warning sign tells a driver that
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Answer A: an extra lane begins ahead, so entering traffic does not have to merge into an existing lane
Where a lane is added, traffic entering the roadway gets a lane of its own, so merging is not required, although drivers should still watch the vehicles beside them.