Indiana BMV Permit Practice Test 8

Test 8 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 40 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Indiana test.

A country road through farmland with a red barn, a typical landscape of Indiana

Minimum age: 15 years with proof of enrollment in a BMV licensed driver education program; 16 years otherwise

  1. 1. A bicyclist is riding around a single-lane roundabout in the middle of the lane as you wait to enter. What is your duty?

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    Answer C: Yield to the bicyclist just as you would to a car

    A bicyclist using the roundabout is traffic like any other vehicle and has the same claim to the circulating lane.

  2. 2. Which event can prompt the Indiana BMV to ask a driver to verify financial responsibility?

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    Answer A: A pointable moving violation within a year of two other such violations

    The BMV may request verification after a crash, a serious traffic violation, a pointable moving violation within a year of two others, or any pointable violation by a previously suspended driver.

  3. 3. A driver passes this sign and the signal beyond it is already showing green. What is the safest response?

    A yellow diamond showing a traffic signal with three stacked lights
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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and be ready to stop, because an indication that has been showing for a while is about to change

    A signal that has been displaying the same indication for some time is close to changing, so arriving at a controlled speed with the brake covered is safer than accelerating to beat it.

  4. 4. What minimum must an Indiana court order for a driver with one previous operating while intoxicated conviction?

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    Answer C: Ten days imprisonment or 240 hours of community restitution or service

    With one previous conviction the court must order at least ten days imprisonment or at least 240 hours of community restitution or service.

  5. 5. 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.

  6. 6. About how far does a vehicle travel in one second at 60 mph?

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    Answer A: About 88 feet

    At 60 mph you cover about 88 feet every second, which is why a glance of only two or three seconds means driving the length of several vehicles blind.

  7. 7. Why should a driver crossing several lanes change only one lane at a time?

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    Answer B: Each lane has its own traffic and its own blind spot to be checked

    Sweeping across two or three lanes means entering lanes you never checked, so each change gets its own signal, mirror check and head check.

  8. 8. A yellow sign reading DEAD END is posted at the entrance to a street. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: The street ends and there is no way through

    A dead end street stops at its far end, so a driver who enters must come back out the same way.

  9. 9. You are driving through a neighborhood where several children are riding bicycles. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down and expect sudden, unpredictable moves

    Young riders lack the judgment and the mirror habits of adults and may swerve or cross without looking, so lower speed is your only reliable margin.

  10. 10. 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.

  11. 11. 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.

  12. 12. A dust storm is blowing across the highway ahead of you. What is the recommended response?

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    Answer B: Leave the road if you can, park well clear and take your foot off the brake

    Get well off the pavement, switch the lights off and keep your foot off the brake, so drivers still on the road do not follow your tail lights off the highway.

  13. 13. On a wet road, how should a driver adjust after passing this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing a small eight sided shape above a black arrow pointing at it
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    Answer B: Start braking earlier, because a slippery surface lengthens the stopping distance

    A wet surface lengthens stopping distance, so the extra warning distance should be spent braking gently and early instead of late and hard.

  14. 14. Which trailer lights must work before you drive away?

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    Answer B: The tail lights, brake lights and turn signals

    The trailer hides the vehicle lights from anyone behind, so its own tail, brake and turn signals have to work before you move.

  15. 15. Your engine stalls while you are driving in traffic. What is the correct response?

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    Answer A: Shift to neutral, try to restart it, and steer and brake toward the side of the road

    With the engine off, power steering and power brake assistance fade, so steering and braking take more effort but still work. Neutral lets you attempt a restart while you coast to safety.

  16. 16. A bike lane on your right is marked with a dashed line for the last stretch before the corner. What does that dashed section allow you to do?

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    Answer D: Merge into the bike lane after checking, and turn right from there

    The dashed section is where drivers are meant to merge into the bike lane before turning, which puts cyclists behind the vehicle instead of beside it.

  17. 17. You must cross a stretch of water lying across the road that you know is shallow. What is the right technique?

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    Answer A: Slow down before you reach it and cross steadily in a low gear

    Slow before the water, then keep a steady low speed so you do not throw water over the engine or lose steering. Test the brakes gently once you are through.

  18. 18. Besides school signing, which warning signs may also use a fluorescent yellow-green background?

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    Answer C: Pedestrian and bicycle warning signs

    Pedestrian crossing, bicycle and playground warning signs may use either the standard yellow or the fluorescent yellow-green background, which draws extra attention where people outside vehicles are present.

  19. 19. 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.

  20. 20. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?

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    Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing

    A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.

  21. 21. You are driving slower than the general flow on a multilane highway. Which lane should you use?

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    Answer D: The right lane, keeping the left lanes free for faster traffic and passing

    Slower traffic must keep right so that faster vehicles and overtaking traffic can use the left lanes without weaving between lanes.

  22. 22. What must an Indiana driver do in the leftmost lane of a road with two or more lanes in each direction?

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    Answer C: Leave that lane when another vehicle is overtaking from the rear

    A driver who knows or should reasonably know that another vehicle is overtaking from the rear may not continue to operate in the leftmost lane, subject to listed exceptions.

  23. 23. What do flashing yellow lights on a school bus mean?

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    Answer A: The bus is about to stop to load or unload, so prepare to stop

    The amber lights are the warning phase that comes before the red lights and the stop arm, so drivers should slow down and get ready to stop.

  24. 24. What maximum speed does Indiana law set for driving in an alley?

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    Answer A: 15 miles per hour

    The statutory maximum in an alley is 15 miles per hour, and a local authority may raise it only as far as 20.

  25. 25. May you park at the curb immediately next to a railroad crossing?

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    Answer A: No, you must leave the crossing and its approach clear

    Parking beside a crossing hides the tracks and the signals from approaching drivers and leaves no room for a vehicle that has to clear the rails.

  26. 26. How many points does Indiana assess for a hand-held device violation?

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    Answer C: Four points

    Indiana assesses four points for a hand-held device violation, the same value it gives to unsafe lane movement or disregarding a stop or yield sign.

  27. 27. Why is parking against the flow of traffic dangerous even when nobody complains?

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    Answer D: Because you had to cross traffic to get there and must cross again to leave

    Parking on the wrong side means driving against traffic at both ends of the stop, and your reflectors and lights face the wrong way while you are there.

  28. 28. Why is the road often most slippery during the first few minutes of rain after a long dry spell?

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    Answer C: Oil and dust on the surface mix with the water into a slick film

    Oil drippings and road dust build up on dry pavement, and the first light rain lifts them into a slippery film before heavier rain washes it away.

  29. 29. A sign with a black legend on a fluorescent pink background is used for

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    Answer A: traffic incident management

    Fluorescent pink is set aside for signing that manages traffic around a crash, a spill or another unplanned incident, so it stands apart from routine work zone orange.

  30. 30. Indiana's hand-held device ban applies to a driver in which situation?

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    Answer C: While the motor vehicle is moving

    The statute prohibits holding or using a telecommunications device while operating a moving motor vehicle, with exceptions for hands free use and 911 calls.

  31. 31. Which situation stops the Indiana BMV from suspending a driver after an uninsured vehicle report?

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    Answer A: The vehicle was rented, shared peer to peer, or owned by the employer

    The bureau does not suspend where the person shows the vehicle was rented, shared through a peer to peer sharing program, or owned by the employer and driven in the normal course of employment.

  32. 32. Where may an opened alcoholic beverage container lawfully ride in an Indiana passenger car?

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    Answer C: In a locked fixed center console or similar locked fixed compartment

    Possessing an opened container in the passenger compartment is a Class C infraction, but a container inside a locked fixed console or similar locked fixed compartment is excepted.

  33. 33. How many points does Indiana assess for driving 26 or more miles per hour over the speed limit?

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    Answer C: Six points

    Exceeding the limit by 26 miles per hour or more carries six points, the highest of the three speeding values published by the BMV.

  34. 34. You are driving along a street lined with parked cars. What should you watch for?

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    Answer B: Doors opening, vehicles pulling out and pedestrians stepping from between cars

    Parked cars hide people and can move without warning. Keep as much space from them as you safely can and cover the brake.

  35. 35. A crossing guard steps into the roadway ahead of this sign with one hand raised. What must the driver do?

    A five sided sign with a pointed top, a bright yellow green background and a black legend
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    Answer B: Stop and stay stopped until the guard waves traffic on

    An adult guard is controlling traffic at that crossing, so the instruction given by that person governs and the driver waits to be released.

  36. 36. You are inside a tunnel with no shoulder when an ambulance comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Keep going at a safe speed and pull over once you are clear of the tunnel

    Stopping in a tunnel or on a narrow bridge blocks the only lane, so continue at a safe speed to the first place where you can pull clear.

  37. 37. You are passing a line of slow traffic in the lane beside you and you notice a gap in that line ahead. What should you expect?

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    Answer A: A vehicle may pull out of that gap into your lane

    A gap in a slow line is an invitation to any driver waiting to turn out of a side street or to change lanes, and they are looking at the gap rather than at you.

  38. 38. What may an Indiana police officer not do when enforcing the telecommunications device law?

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    Answer D: Confiscate the device without consent to check compliance

    The statute forbids an officer from confiscating a telecommunications device, without the person's consent, to determine compliance or to keep as evidence.

  39. 39. A car is coming straight at you in your lane and there is no time for it to move back. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Brake, sound the horn and steer to the right, toward the shoulder or ditch

    Steering right takes you away from the other vehicle even if its driver corrects course, and the shoulder or ditch is survivable.

  40. 40. What is true about driving away from a crash you were involved in?

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    Answer B: It is a serious offense, even if the other driver has driven away too

    Leaving the scene is a criminal offense in every state, and the behavior of the other driver does not excuse it.

  41. 41. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?

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    Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did

    A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.

  42. 42. This sign comes into view ahead of a driver who has already started along a ramp. What should the driver do?

    A red rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer B: Pull clear where it is safe, then turn around and leave the ramp traveling properly

    The driver is traveling against the legal flow, so the safest response is to stop clear of the lanes, turn the vehicle around and get off the ramp before meeting traffic head on.

  43. 43. May you stop in the striped triangle that separates an exit ramp from the freeway lanes?

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    Answer A: No, it is not a lane and stopping there is dangerous

    The striped gore area is not a travel lane or a shoulder, and a vehicle stopped there sits directly in the path of drivers correcting a late exit.

  44. 44. Why should you not rest your foot on the brake pedal as you drive?

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    Answer D: The brake lights stay on and the drivers behind cannot read you

    Resting on the pedal keeps the brake lights lit and wears the brakes, so following drivers stop believing your brake lights.

  45. 45. You are using the parking brake to slow a vehicle whose brakes have failed. How should you apply it?

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    Answer D: Gradually, holding the release so you can let it off if the rear slides

    The parking brake works on two wheels only, so applying it hard can lock them and spin the vehicle. Keep the release held so you can back it off instantly.

  46. 46. You have stopped on the shoulder of a highway and want to rejoin the traffic. What is the correct way?

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    Answer D: Signal, build up speed along the shoulder, then merge into a gap

    Entering a fast lane at a slow speed is what causes the conflict, so the shoulder is used to gain speed before the merge in the same way as an acceleration lane.

  47. 47. 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.

  48. 48. 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.

  49. 49. How much supervised driving practice does Indiana require before a driver's license is issued?

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    Answer C: 50 hours, with at least 10 hours at night

    Indiana requires 50 hours of supervised driving practice with at least 10 hours at night, recorded on State Form 54706, the Log of Supervised Driving Practice.

  50. 50. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up

    Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.