Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 27
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. You reach a four-way stop after another driver has already stopped there. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Let the driver who stopped first proceed before you go
At a four-way stop the vehicles proceed in the order they arrived, so a driver who stopped before you goes first.
-
2. You are driving on a rural road with no sidewalk. Where should you expect to meet pedestrians?
Show answer
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.
-
3. A steady downward green arrow is displayed over a lane. What does it indicate?
Show answer
Answer C: The lane is open to traffic in your direction
A steady downward green arrow means the lane it points to is open to traffic traveling in your direction.
-
4. As speed rises, which part of the total stopping distance grows the fastest?
Show answer
Answer B: The braking distance, which grows far faster than speed itself
Perception and reaction distances grow in step with speed, but braking distance grows roughly with the square of speed, so it dominates at higher speeds.
-
5. A sign on a long descent points to a RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP a mile ahead. What is that ramp for?
Show answer
Answer C: Stopping a vehicle whose brakes have failed
An escape ramp climbs into deep gravel or sand to bring a vehicle with failed brakes to a halt, so no one should stop or park in it.
-
6. A pedestrian is crossing a wide four-lane street and has reached the lanes on the far side. When may you go on?
Show answer
Answer C: Only after the person has finished crossing the roadway
Waiting until the pedestrian has finished crossing is correct in every state and removes any doubt about how much clearance your state demands.
-
7. Why do bridges and overpasses deserve extra caution when temperatures are near freezing?
Show answer
Answer A: They lose heat from above and below, so they ice over before the surrounding road
A bridge deck is exposed to cold air on both surfaces and has no ground beneath it to hold heat, so ice can form there while the connecting road is still only wet.
-
8. You are circulating in the inner lane of a two-lane roundabout, your exit is next, and a vehicle is beside you in the outer lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Keep circulating around the island and take that same exit on your next time around
You may not cut across a vehicle in the outer lane; if you cannot exit safely, continue around the circle and try again.
-
9. You are starting from a stop on a snowy, icy street and the drive wheels begin to spin. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and start again more gently
Spinning tires polish the surface and dig in. Very gentle pressure on the accelerator, and a higher gear if you have one, gives the tires the best chance to grip.
-
10. Someone stops drinking heavily at two in the morning and drives to work at eight. What is true?
Show answer
Answer A: They may still be impaired and over the limit
The body removes alcohol at a slow, fixed rate, so a heavy night can leave a driver impaired well into the next morning no matter how they feel.
-
11. You notice at night that one of your headlights has burned out. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Get it replaced promptly, because other drivers may take you for a motorcycle
A single light makes your vehicle look narrower and further away, so other drivers misjudge you, and one light is also illegal.
-
12. Why is following distance measured in seconds rather than in car lengths?
Show answer
Answer A: Because a time gap automatically grows with speed, while a fixed number of car lengths does not
A gap counted in seconds keeps the same margin of reaction time at any speed, whereas a fixed number of car lengths becomes far too small as speed rises.
-
13. Why should you make sure your turn signal has stopped flashing after a lane change?
Show answer
Answer A: A signal left flashing tells other drivers that you intend to move again
Other drivers act on your signals, so one that is left on gives them false information about what you are about to do.
-
14. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside
High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.
-
15. Beyond the point this sign refers to, which movement becomes unlawful?
Show answer
Answer D: Driving on the far side of the separation, against the flow
Once the two directions are separated, each roadway carries one-way traffic, so crossing to the other side means driving into oncoming vehicles.
-
16. How many hours of logged driving experience must a Colorado minor submit before applying for a driver license?
Show answer
Answer B: 50 hours, of which 10 must be at night
Colorado requires minors to submit a signed driving log showing 50 hours of driving experience, including 10 hours at night.
-
17. Your Colorado driver license has been expired for 18 months. What does the DMV require before issuing a new one?
Show answer
Answer A: Both the written knowledge test and the driving skills test
Colorado waives retesting only when a license has been expired for one year or less; beyond that both the written exam and the drive skills test are required.
-
18. How does driving on overinflated tires affect the vehicle?
Show answer
Answer D: It gives a harsher ride and a smaller contact patch
An overinflated tire bulges in the middle, so less rubber touches the road, grip suffers and the ride becomes hard. The center of the tread wears first.
-
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?
Show answer
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.
-
20. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes
On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.
-
21. What is the driver expected to do after passing this sign?
Show answer
Answer A: Begin slowing so that a complete stop can be made at the intersection ahead
It is used where the control at the intersection stays hidden until late, so braking should begin here rather than at the stop line.
-
22. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?
Show answer
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.
-
23. A Colorado driver in the first year of a minor license must drive to a job that starts at 1 a.m. What does the law require them to carry?
Show answer
Answer A: A signed statement from the employer verifying the employment
Colorado exempts employment driving from the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew only when the minor carries a signed statement from the employer verifying the employment.
-
24. An upward-pointing pentagon with a yellow legend and border on a blue background is used as
Show answer
Answer D: a county route marker
The pentagon serves both the school warning series and county route markers, and the blue background with yellow legend identifies the county route version.
-
25. You find yourself in a lane that must turn, you wanted to go straight, and you cannot change lanes safely. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Make the required turn and find another route
Going straight from a mandatory turn lane surprises everyone around you, while a wrong turn costs only a few extra minutes.