Michigan SOS Permit Practice Test 27
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years 9 months
-
1. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Have the tire replaced before driving far, because it could blow out
A sidewall bulge means the internal cords have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. The tire can fail suddenly at any speed.
-
2. You are passing a crash on the other side of a divided highway. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Keep your eyes on your own lane and the traffic around you
Staring at a crash scene, often called rubbernecking, causes sudden slowing and secondary collisions. Your attention belongs on the traffic in front of you.
-
3. How long does a Michigan driver have to complete the Basic Driver Improvement Course after being told of eligibility?
Show answer
Answer C: 60 days
The sponsor must send the certificate of successful completion to the Secretary of State not more than 60 days after the department notified the driver of eligibility, or the points are entered.
-
4. You are turning left out of a driveway onto a busy two-way street. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait for a gap in both directions before you start to move
The turn crosses one direction of traffic and joins the other, so you need a gap in both before leaving the driveway rather than stopping across a lane.
-
5. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?
Show answer
Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind
A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.
-
6. You are stopped at a stop sign where your road ends at a two-way through street and you plan to turn left. What must you yield to?
Show answer
Answer B: Traffic from both directions and any pedestrians crossing
A left turn from the stem of a T crosses the near lane and joins the far one, so you give way to traffic in both directions and to pedestrians.
-
7. In plain words, what is oversteer?
Show answer
Answer C: The rear of the vehicle slides out and the car turns too sharply
Oversteer means the rear tires have lost grip first, so the tail swings out and the vehicle turns more than you asked it to.
-
8. A yellow sign ahead of an underpass reads LOW CLEARANCE 12 FT 6 IN. What does the figure tell you?
Show answer
Answer B: The greatest height that can pass beneath the structure
The figure is the actual clearance available, so a vehicle taller than that must leave the road and take a marked alternative route.
-
9. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?
Show answer
Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care
The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.
-
10. Why is hard braking the wrong response to a tire blowout at speed?
Show answer
Answer C: Because it can pull the vehicle further out of line and start it spinning
With one tire gone the braking forces are uneven, so heavy braking increases the pull to one side and can spin the vehicle.
-
11. 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?
Show answer
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.
-
12. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
Show answer
Answer B: Stay back and give it room until it leaves the roundabout
Long vehicles need extra width to get around the central island, so drivers behind must hold back rather than share the space beside them.
-
13. Before a Michigan teen can start Segment 2 of driver education, how long must the Level 1 License have been held?
Show answer
Answer D: Three consecutive months
The teen must hold the Level 1 License for at least three consecutive months and log at least 30 hours of supervised driving, including two hours at night, before starting Segment 2.
-
14. Besides emergency vehicles, which stopped vehicles with flashing, rotating or oscillating lights activated are covered by Michigan's move over duty?
Show answer
Answer B: Solid waste haulers, utility service vehicles and road maintenance vehicles
Michigan extends the slow down and move over duty to stationary solid waste haulers, utility service vehicles and road maintenance vehicles whose warning lights are activated.
-
15. You realize your tires are running on ice. Which set of inputs is safest?
Show answer
Answer C: Gentle steering, no sudden braking, and no sudden acceleration
Whatever grip is left is used up at once by any sudden input, so every movement of wheel, brake and accelerator must be slow and small.
-
16. You correct a rear wheel skid and the back of the vehicle swings the other way. Why?
Show answer
Answer D: You steered too far, so be ready to correct back the other way
Over correcting sends the tail past straight and starts a second skid the opposite way. Steer smoothly and be ready to unwind the correction.
-
17. You are in the middle of an intersection when you hear a siren and see an emergency vehicle approaching. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Keep going, clear the intersection, then pull to the right and stop
Stopping inside an intersection blocks the emergency vehicle. Clear the intersection first, then pull over to the right and stop.
-
18. Why is the road often most slippery during the first few minutes of rain after a long dry spell?
Show answer
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.
-
19. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way
Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.
-
20. A sign on a freeway restricts trucks to the two right-hand lanes. What should a car driver expect in those lanes?
Show answer
Answer A: More heavy vehicles and slower changes of speed
A truck lane restriction concentrates heavy vehicles on the right, and those vehicles accelerate, brake and change lanes far more slowly than cars.
-
21. Why do young drivers carrying several friends face a higher crash risk?
Show answer
Answer D: Because young passengers are a strong source of distraction and pressure
Crash risk for new drivers rises with each extra young passenger, mainly through distraction and social pressure.
-
22. 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.
-
23. Beyond this sign, cones and temporary signs lead traffic along a path that does not agree with the lines painted on the pavement. Which one must the driver follow?
Show answer
Answer C: The temporary arrangement, because it replaces the permanent layout while the work lasts
Temporary traffic control set up for the work takes precedence over the permanent signs and markings, which no longer describe how the road is being used.
-
24. You have stopped after a crash. Why should the engines of the vehicles involved be switched off?
Show answer
Answer A: To reduce the risk of a fire starting around any fuel that has spilled
Crashes often break fuel lines, and a running engine is a source of ignition, so switching off lowers the risk of fire.
-
25. A sign showing a figure with an outstretched thumb inside a red circle with a slash means that
Show answer
Answer B: soliciting a ride is prohibited there
The no hitchhiking sign bars standing beside the road to solicit a ride, and it is common along freeway ramps and shoulders.
-
26. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?
Show answer
Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear
A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.
-
27. How does alcohol typically affect a driver's vision?
Show answer
Answer D: It blurs vision, weakens night vision and narrows attention to the sides
Alcohol slows the eye muscles and the brain's processing of what is seen, degrading focus, night vision, depth perception and awareness of movement at the edges of the field of view.
-
28. You have brought the vehicle under control after a blowout. What should you do next?
Show answer
Answer A: Signal and coast well off the road before stopping
Let the speed fall, signal, and leave the roadway as far from traffic as you can before you stop. Driving on a failed tire ruins the wheel and risks control.
-
29. What is threshold braking?
Show answer
Answer C: Braking hard but staying just short of locking the wheels
A rolling tire grips better than a sliding one, so the shortest stop comes from pressure held just below the point where the wheels lock.
-
30. Reaching for a drink in the cup holder is which kind of distraction?
Show answer
Answer A: Manual and visual at the same time
Your hand leaves the wheel and your eyes flick down to find the cup, so a task that feels trivial takes away two of the three things driving needs.
-
31. You are turning left from a one-way street onto another one-way street. Which lane should you use?
Show answer
Answer B: Turn from the far left lane into the far left lane of the new street
The general turning rule is to turn from the lane nearest the direction of the turn into the nearest lane of the new roadway, which on a one-way to one-way left turn means far left to far left.
-
32. When is switching traction control off sometimes useful?
Show answer
Answer A: When you need spinning wheels to rock out of deep snow or mud
Rocking a stuck vehicle free needs the wheel spin that the system normally prevents. Switch it back on as soon as you are moving again.
-
33. You see brake lights several vehicles ahead of you in your lane. What is the best first step?
Show answer
Answer C: Ease off the gas and cover the brake pedal
Reacting to the trouble several vehicles ahead, rather than waiting for the car in front, cuts your reaction time and warns the driver behind you.
-
34. A large truck ahead of you swings toward the left just before turning right at an intersection. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Stay back and never try to move into the gap between the truck and the curb
Long vehicles need extra room and often swing wide to complete a right turn, so the space that opens on their right closes again as the trailer sweeps through it.
-
35. You have a green light and are turning right. Pedestrians are stepping off the curb into the crosswalk you are about to cross. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Wait and let them cross before completing your turn
A green light does not release a turning driver from yielding to pedestrians already in the crosswalk of the street being entered.
-
36. What should you do as you approach your exit from a roundabout?
Show answer
Answer A: Signal right and check the crosswalk for pedestrians before leaving
A right signal tells following drivers and waiting drivers that you are leaving, and pedestrians cross at the exit leg, so the crosswalk must be checked.
-
37. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?
Show answer
Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods
A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.
-
38. What is the correct technique for backing a vehicle straight?
Show answer
Answer B: Check behind the vehicle before getting in, then turn and look through the rear window while backing slowly
Mirrors and cameras leave gaps close to the vehicle, so walk behind it first, then turn in your seat for a direct view and keep the speed low enough to stop instantly.
-
39. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?
Show answer
Answer C: At the opening before the solid line begins
The solid line marks where lane changes are no longer intended, so you move into the turn bay at its opening rather than cutting across the line later.
-
40. The gates at a railroad crossing are down, and you can see that the road beyond them is clear. What is the correct action?
Show answer
Answer A: Wait until the gates rise completely and the lights go out
Lowered gates mean rail traffic is expected, and driving around them removes the only protection the crossing provides.
-
41. When should headlights be switched on besides during the hours of darkness?
Show answer
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.
-
42. A tow truck with flashing amber lights is loading a car on the shoulder ahead. How should you treat it?
Show answer
Answer B: Give it the same room as an emergency vehicle
Tow operators, utility crews and highway workers face the same danger from passing traffic, so move over or slow down for their flashing amber lights too.
-
43. How long must a Michigan Level 1 driver's record be clear of moving violations and at-fault crashes immediately before applying for Level 2?
Show answer
Answer A: 90 days
An applicant for Level 2 must not have incurred a moving violation or been involved in a crash for which the police report shows a moving violation on the applicant's part during the 90-day period immediately preceding the application.
-
44. A disabled vehicle is blocking your lane on a two-lane road with a single solid yellow line on your side. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Wait until the oncoming lane is clear, then go around carefully
The solid line prohibits overtaking a moving vehicle, but in most states a driver may go around an obstruction such as a disabled vehicle once the oncoming lane is clear and the move can be made safely.
-
45. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?
Show answer
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.
-
46. Traffic is backed up just past the exit you want to use at a single-lane roundabout. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait at the yield line until you can pass through and exit
You must not enter a roundabout unless you can clear it, because stopping inside blocks every other entry.
-
47. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?
Show answer
Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch
Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.
-
48. How far back must a Michigan driver stop for a school bus showing two alternately flashing red lights?
Show answer
Answer B: Not less than 20 feet
A driver overtaking or meeting a stopped school bus displaying two alternately flashing red lights must stop not less than 20 feet away and may not proceed until the bus moves or the signals stop.
-
49. Two left-turn lanes are marked at the intersection and you are in the left one. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stay in your own lane all the way around the turn
With dual turn lanes each driver must hold a lane through the whole turn and come out in the matching lane of the new street.
-
50. You are inside a tunnel with no shoulder when an ambulance comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?
Show answer
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.