Michigan SOS Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years 9 months
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1. What is the correct relationship between air bags and seat belts?
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Answer B: Air bags are designed to work together with seat belts, not instead of them
An air bag is a supplemental restraint that cushions one impact, while the belt keeps you in position so the bag can work and protects you in rollovers and secondary impacts.
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2. You reach an uncontrolled intersection at the same moment as a vehicle approaching from your left. What should you do?
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Answer A: Proceed, but only once you see that driver slowing
You have the right of way over the vehicle on your left, but a right of way is something the other driver has to give, so confirm it before you commit.
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3. 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?
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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.
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4. The only person offering you a ride home has been drinking. What should you do?
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Answer B: Do not get in; find another way home
A passenger in an impaired driver's vehicle shares all of the risk and can do nothing about it from the seat, so the only safe answer is another ride.
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5. The signal ahead turns yellow while you are approaching it. What does the yellow light mean?
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Answer C: The red is coming; stop if you can do so safely
A steady yellow warns that the red is next. Stop if you can do so safely; enter the intersection only when stopping would be dangerous.
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6. A yellow diamond shows a car with wavy lines behind its rear tires. What is the warning?
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Answer D: The surface loses grip badly when it is wet
The slippery when wet sign marks a stretch where traction falls off sharply in rain, so speed and braking must be reduced well in advance.
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7. You are the second vehicle waiting to turn left on a green ball. Where should you wait?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, until the first vehicle has actually turned
Only the lead vehicle should move into the intersection to wait; a second vehicle inside it is likely to be stranded there when the light changes.
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8. Your light is green but the traffic beyond the intersection is stopped and there is no room on the far side. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait behind the line until you can clear the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks the cross traffic when their signal turns green, so you wait behind the line.
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9. Where should you be looking as you steer through a turn?
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Answer C: Toward the point on the new road where you want to end up
Drivers steer toward what they look at, so looking through the turn to where you want to go keeps the path smooth and accurate.
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10. The red lights on a stopped school bus go out and the bus begins to move away. What should you do?
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Answer B: Move off slowly and keep watching for children near the road
Children who have just left the bus may still be near the roadway or crossing behind it, so pull away gently and keep looking for them.
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11. You reach an intersection showing a steady red light, and a stop line is painted across your lane. Where must you bring the vehicle to a complete stop?
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Answer C: Before the stop line
A steady red requires a complete stop before the marked stop line. Where there is no stop line you stop before the crosswalk, and where there is neither, before entering the intersection.
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12. In most states, when are headlights required apart from times of poor visibility?
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Answer A: From about half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
Most states require lights from about half an hour after sunset until about half an hour before sunrise, and some simply say sunset to sunrise; lights are also required whenever visibility is poor.
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13. Where in the United States may a motorcycle ride between lanes of traffic?
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Answer C: Only where a state has specifically authorized it
Riding between lanes is prohibited in most states and permitted only where a state law expressly allows it, so a rider must know the rule for the state being ridden in.
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14. 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.
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15. Why does this warning matter more on a motorcycle than in a car?
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Answer B: Because a sudden jolt can unsettle a two-wheeled machine and the rider can lose control
A jolt can push a motorcycle off line or lift a wheel, so a rider slows early, comes slightly off the seat and keeps a relaxed but firm hold on the handlebars.
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16. You want to turn left across the oncoming lane into a shopping center driveway. Who must you yield to?
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Answer B: Oncoming traffic and anyone using the sidewalk
A left turn into a driveway crosses both the oncoming lane and the sidewalk, so you give way to traffic and to pedestrians before completing it.
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17. What does a sign reading Slower Traffic Keep Right require?
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Answer C: Traffic moving slower than the general flow must use the right-hand lane
The sign applies to any vehicle traveling below the speed of the traffic around it, which must keep right so faster vehicles can use the lanes to the left.
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18. You make eye contact with a driver waiting to pull out of a side street. What should you assume?
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Answer D: The driver may still not have seen you, so stay ready to slow or stop
Drivers can look directly at you and still not register your vehicle, especially a small one. Eye contact helps, but never rely on it.
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19. A large truck is passing you on a two-lane road. What is the safest thing to do?
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Answer C: Keep right in your lane and ease off the gas a little
Staying in your own lane and easing off shortens the pass without forcing you onto a soft shoulder or into the truck's path.
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20. 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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21. 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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22. How does a full load of passengers and luggage affect your braking?
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Answer B: It lengthens the stopping distance, so you should brake earlier
More weight means more energy to get rid of, so a loaded vehicle takes longer to stop and needs earlier, gentler braking.
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23. When is passing another vehicle on the right generally permitted?
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Answer C: When the road has two or more lanes in your direction, or the vehicle ahead is turning left and there is room without leaving the pavement
Passing on the right is limited to situations where a lawful lane exists for it or the vehicle ahead is turning left, and it may never be done by driving onto the shoulder.
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24. You will leave your vehicle for several hours after dark. Where is the best place to park it?
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Answer D: In a well-lit spot with people and cameras nearby
Light, passing people and cameras all discourage theft and make your own return to the vehicle safer.
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25. The passenger-side mirror on most vehicles is convex. What does this mean for the driver?
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Answer D: Vehicles in that mirror are closer than they appear
A convex mirror gives a wider view but shrinks what it shows, so a vehicle looks smaller and therefore farther away than it really is. Allow for this before changing lanes.
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26. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?
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Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer
Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.
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27. The inside of your windshield keeps fogging up on a cold, damp day. What clears it best?
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Answer B: The defroster with the air conditioning on, which dries the air
Fog on the inside is moisture from the cabin air. The air conditioner dries that air, and the defroster warms the glass, so together they clear it and keep it clear.
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28. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?
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Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.
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29. You are backing a trailer and want its rear to move to the left. Which way should you turn the steering wheel?
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Answer A: Move the bottom of the wheel to the left, which turns the top to the right
A trailer moves opposite to the tow vehicle's steering when backing. Holding the wheel at the bottom and moving your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go makes this easier.
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30. How long can cannabis affect a driver?
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Answer A: For hours after the strongest effects have passed
Slowed reactions, poor tracking and weak judgment of distance can last for hours, well beyond the point where the user believes the effects are over.
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31. A pedestrian waiting at a curb faces a steady upraised hand. What does that indication mean?
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Answer A: Do not start to cross in that direction
A steady upraised hand forbids entering the crosswalk, while a flashing hand only forbids starting a new crossing.
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32. You are on a country road with no sidewalk and two people are walking toward you on your side of the shoulder. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow down and move over to give them room
Where there is no sidewalk, people are expected to walk on the shoulder facing traffic, and drivers must slow and give them space.
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33. On a multi-lane street, a yield line is painted well back from an unsignalized crosswalk rather than right at it. Why?
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Answer D: So drivers in the other lanes can see the pedestrian
Setting the yield line back keeps a stopped vehicle from hiding a crossing pedestrian from drivers in the next lane, which is a common cause of these crashes.
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34. How does heavy cargo on a roof rack change the way a vehicle handles?
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Answer D: It raises the center of gravity, so the vehicle tips more in turns and needs gentler steering
Weight carried high makes the vehicle lean more and roll over more easily, and extra weight lengthens stopping distance. Drive slower and steer smoothly with a loaded roof.
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35. Why is passing on a curve prohibited even when the traffic seems light?
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Answer C: You cannot see far enough around it to know the lane is clear
A pass is only as safe as the distance you can see, and a curve hides the very lane the maneuver uses.
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36. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?
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Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right
A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.
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37. On a long uphill grade a second lane opens on the right and a sign directs slower traffic into it. You are towing a trailer and holding up a line of vehicles. What should you do?
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Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and let the faster traffic use the left lane
A climbing lane exists so that slow vehicles can be passed safely, and the slower vehicle is the one that belongs in it.
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38. What is the minimum age for Level 3 graduated licensing status in Michigan?
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Answer C: 17 years
Level 3 status requires the driver to be at least 17 years old and to have completed 12 consecutive months at Level 2 with no moving violation, at-fault crash, suspension or restricted period violation.
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39. A yellow diamond reading DIP warns a driver about
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Answer A: a short, sharp depression in the road surface
A dip is an abrupt low point that can jolt a vehicle or scrape its underside, so speed should be reduced before reaching it.
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40. Red pavement markings are used on a roadway to show that
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Answer A: it must not be entered from that direction
Red markings identify a roadway that is not to be entered or used, and they also mark the pavement of truck escape ramps.
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41. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor and the vehicle does not slow down. What is a reasonable sequence of actions?
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Answer C: Pump the pedal, shift to a lower gear and apply the parking brake gradually while steering to a safe spot
Pumping can rebuild pressure in a partly failed system, a lower gear adds engine braking, and easing on the parking brake slows the vehicle without locking the wheels.
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42. What most often starts a rear wheel skid?
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Answer A: Too much speed, braking or acceleration for the grip available
A skid begins when what you ask of the tires exceeds what the surface can give, which is usually a matter of speed and of how abruptly you use the controls.
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43. A driver passes this sign and the signal beyond it is already showing green. What is the safest response?
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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.
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44. A driver in the leftmost lane reaches this sign at an intersection. What must the driver do?
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Answer B: Go straight on or turn right, and reach the destination another way
The restriction holds whatever the traffic or the signal is doing, so the driver has to pass the intersection and plan a different route.
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45. Until when must a Michigan child ride in a belt-positioning booster seat?
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Answer B: Until age 8 or a height of 4 feet 9 inches
After outgrowing the forward-facing seat, a child must use a belt-positioning booster secured with a lap-shoulder belt until reaching age 8 or a height of 4 feet 9 inches.
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46. You are driving on a divided highway and see a solid yellow line along the left side of your lanes. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: It marks the left edge of the roadway for your direction
On a divided highway or a one-way roadway, the left edge of the traveled way is marked with a solid yellow line.
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47. 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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48. Lights set into the pavement along both edges of a crosswalk start to flash yellow as you approach. What do they tell you?
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Answer D: Someone is crossing and has to be given way
In-roadway warning lights flash only when a pedestrian activates the crossing, so a flashing pattern means somebody is in or entering the crosswalk.
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49. How should a lap and shoulder belt be positioned?
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Answer A: Lap belt low across the hips and shoulder belt across the chest and collarbone
The lap belt must bear against the strong pelvic bones rather than soft organs, and the shoulder belt must cross the rib cage and collarbone so crash forces spread over the skeleton.
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50. A pedestrian steps off the curb in the middle of a block where there is no crosswalk at all. What is the legal position?
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Answer A: They must yield to you, but you must still avoid a crash
A pedestrian crossing away from a crosswalk yields to vehicles, yet every driver still has a duty to use care and avoid hitting a person.