Michigan SOS Permit Practice Test 6

Test 6 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 Michigan test.

A lakeshore road along a great lake with sand dunes, a typical landscape of Michigan
  1. 1. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?

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    Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic

    When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.

  2. 2. You want to stop briefly and the only space is in the travel lane alongside a vehicle already parked at the curb. Is this allowed?

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    Answer D: No, double parking blocks a travel lane and is prohibited

    Stopping in the roadway beside a parked vehicle removes a lane from traffic and forces other drivers to swerve around you, which is why double parking is prohibited.

  3. 3. You come up behind a group of cyclists riding two abreast on a narrow rural road. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Wait for a clear stretch and pass them as one group

    Passing a group as a single unit when the way ahead is clear is safer than several rushed passes, and cutting through the group leaves nobody any escape room.

  4. 4. An oncoming vehicle at night has its high beams on and you are being dazzled. Where should you look?

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    Answer A: Toward the right edge of your lane

    Looking toward the right edge line keeps you on course while sparing your eyes the worst of the glare. Slow down and do not retaliate with your own high beams.

  5. 5. What disqualifies a Michigan driver from taking a Basic Driver Improvement Course for a ticket?

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    Answer A: Having more than 2 points on the record when the ticket was issued

    A driver with more than 2 points on the record at the time the ticket was issued is not eligible for the Basic Driver Improvement Course, which otherwise keeps the points off the record.

  6. 6. How many points within a two year period cause the Michigan Department of State to take driver assessment action?

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    Answer D: 12 or more points

    Accumulating 12 or more points in a two year period is one of the grounds for the department to impose driver assessment licensing controls.

  7. 7. How far below the normal posted limit may a Michigan school zone speed limit be set?

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    Answer B: By up to 20 mph, but never below 25 mph

    A Michigan school zone limit may be decreased by not more than 20 miles per hour below the normally posted limit and may not be set lower than 25 miles per hour.

  8. 8. Why is it useful to watch the vehicle two or three places ahead of you?

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    Answer C: You get an earlier warning of slowing traffic than brake lights give

    Trouble travels back through a line of traffic, so seeing it start several vehicles ahead gives you a head start on braking.

  9. 9. How long should a glance at a mirror or an instrument take?

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    Answer A: A brief glance of about a second, returning your eyes to the road at once

    Checks should be quick flicks of the eyes. At highway speed, a few seconds with your eyes off the road covers a distance long enough for a hazard to appear.

  10. 10. What civil fine does Michigan set for a basic violation of the move over law for stationary emergency vehicles?

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    Answer C: 400 dollars

    A move over violation involving an authorized emergency vehicle is a civil infraction carrying two points and a 400 dollar civil fine, with felony penalties when a responder is injured or killed.

  11. 11. You must stop for a train at a highway-rail crossing. Where should you stop?

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    Answer B: Behind the stop line, gate or signal and well clear of the nearest rail

    Stop behind the stop line, gate or flashing-light signal and well clear of the nearest rail, because a train overhangs its track by several feet on each side.

  12. 12. After completing a turn you notice your signal is still flashing. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Switch it off at once, before other drivers act on it

    A signal left on after a turn is a false message, and drivers waiting to pull out may move into your path because of it.

  13. 13. Which of these would appear as a symbol on a blue general service sign?

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    Answer A: A hospital

    General service signs cover facilities such as hospitals, fuel, food, lodging, camping, telephones and rest areas, all shown in white on blue.

  14. 14. When is a Michigan driver not required to slow down or move over for a stationary emergency vehicle?

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    Answer A: When it is stopped across a divided highway's intervening space or barrier

    The duty does not apply where the highway is divided into two roadways by an intervening space, a physical barrier or clearly indicated dividing sections and the emergency vehicle is stopped across that division.

  15. 15. A bicyclist in the bike lane ahead of you signals and starts to move left toward the turn lane. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down and let the rider move across

    A bicyclist who needs to leave the bike lane to turn left is changing lanes like any driver, and following traffic should make room.

  16. 16. Beside an accessible parking space there is an area painted with diagonal stripes. What is it for?

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    Answer C: It is an access aisle for wheelchairs and lifts, and no vehicle may park or stop in it

    The striped access aisle gives the room a ramp or lift needs to deploy, so blocking it makes the adjacent accessible space unusable.

  17. 17. At an intersection where turning on a red arrow is not permitted, the signal shows a red left arrow next to a steady green ball. What may you do?

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    Answer D: Go straight or turn right if permitted, but not left

    An arrow controls only the movement it points to, so here the red arrow stops the left turn while the green ball still allows the other movements.

  18. 18. Which use of a mobile device sits outside Michigan's hands-free prohibition?

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    Answer D: Using it solely to record or broadcast video continuously

    A device used for the sole purpose of continuously recording or broadcasting video inside or outside the vehicle falls outside the prohibition.

  19. 19. A diamond-shaped sign is used to

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    Answer A: warn of a condition on or next to the road that may call for caution

    The diamond is the standard shape of the warning series, which alerts drivers to conditions that would otherwise not be obvious in time to react.

  20. 20. You are crossing a divided highway with a wide median. How should you treat the two roadways?

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    Answer D: As two intersections, waiting in the median only when your vehicle fits

    Each roadway of a divided highway is a separate intersection, and you should wait in the median only if it is long enough to hold your vehicle clear of both roadways.

  21. 21. You are passing a crash on the other side of a divided highway. What should you do?

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    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.

  22. 22. The lights at a highway-rail grade crossing begin to flash red as you approach. What must you do?

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    Answer B: Stop short of the tracks and wait until the lights stop and no train is near

    Flashing red lights at a crossing require a stop clear of the tracks, and you may proceed only once the lights have stopped, any gates are fully raised and no train is approaching.

  23. 23. 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.

  24. 24. A driver disregards this sign and turns so as to travel against the direction it establishes. What is the immediate danger?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer D: The driver will face traffic head on, because every lane comes the other way

    Turning against the established direction puts the vehicle nose to nose with all the traffic on that street, which is why the mistake has to be corrected at once.

  25. 25. 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.

  26. 26. When a violation extends a Michigan Level 1 driver's provisional period, how long a clean stretch ends the extension?

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    Answer D: 90 consecutive days

    The Level 1 provisional period is extended until the licensee completes 90 consecutive days without a moving violation, crash, suspension or provisional period violation, or reaches age 18.

  27. 27. You are stopped at the yield line of a roundabout when an emergency vehicle comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Stay out of the roundabout and pull over to the right of your lane if there is room

    Never enter a roundabout ahead of an emergency vehicle and never stop inside one; wait clear of the entry so the crew can get through.

  28. 28. What does Michigan's basic speed law require of a driver, whatever the posted limit says?

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    Answer A: A careful and prudent speed, allowing a stop within the assured, clear distance

    Michigan's basic speed law requires a careful and prudent speed for the conditions and forbids driving faster than allows a stop within the assured, clear distance ahead.

  29. 29. You correct a rear wheel skid and the back of the vehicle swings the other way. Why?

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    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.

  30. 30. Why is passing another vehicle a bad idea in dense fog?

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    Answer C: You cannot see far enough ahead to know the passing lane is clear

    A pass needs a clear view of the road well beyond the vehicle you are overtaking, and fog takes exactly that away.

  31. 31. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?

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    Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations

    Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.

  32. 32. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?

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    Answer C: A left turn

    The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.

  33. 33. On a narrow two-lane road a line of vehicles has built up behind you. What is the safe and courteous action?

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    Answer D: Pull into a turnout or a safe wide spot and let them go by

    A slow vehicle holding up a queue invites risky passing; using a turnout clears the road without anyone having to take a chance.

  34. 34. 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.

  35. 35. You are involved in a collision, even a minor one. What is your first legal duty?

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    Answer A: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic more than necessary

    Every driver involved in a crash must stop at the scene, and leaving before meeting that duty is a serious offense. Move the vehicles only as far as needed to clear the traffic lanes.

  36. 36. A left-turn bay opens ahead of the intersection with a solid white line beside it. Where should you enter the bay?

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    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.

  37. 37. At what level of apparent property damage must a Michigan crash be reported immediately to police?

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    Answer A: 1,000 dollars or more

    A driver involved in a crash that injures or kills anyone, or that damages property to an apparent extent totaling 1,000 dollars or more, must report it immediately at the nearest police station or to the nearest police officer.

  38. 38. You are driving at night on an unlit road using low beams. How should you choose your speed?

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    Answer C: So you could stop within the distance your headlights light up

    Driving faster than you can stop within the lit area is called overdriving your headlights. Anything beyond the beam is invisible until it is too late to react.

  39. 39. A square sign with a red field, a wide white horizontal bar and the words DO NOT ENTER tells a driver that

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    Answer B: the roadway ahead must not be entered from that point

    The do not enter sign is posted at the end of a one-way roadway or ramp to keep traffic from driving into it against the flow.

  40. 40. What is a designated driver?

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    Answer A: Someone who agrees to drink nothing at all

    A designated driver drinks no alcohol whatsoever, because any amount begins to affect judgment and the whole point is a sober driver.

  41. 41. A rear tire blows out on the highway. How does the vehicle usually behave?

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    Answer C: The back end weaves or fishtails from side to side

    A rear failure shows up as the tail wandering rather than a pull on the steering, so hold the wheel straight and let the speed drop gradually.

  42. 42. You are driving through patchy fog on a highway. What should you be ready for?

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    Answer B: Sudden dense banks where visibility drops within a few car lengths

    Patchy fog can go from clear to nearly blind in a moment, so keep your speed low enough that a sudden bank does not leave you without room.

  43. 43. Which practice matches current child passenger safety guidance?

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    Answer D: Keep a child rear facing until the top height or weight limit of the seat is reached

    A rear facing seat spreads crash forces across the child's whole back, so it should be used as long as the seat allows, and never in front of an active passenger air bag.

  44. 44. A curb lane is marked BUS ONLY 7 AM TO 9 AM. What may the driver of a car do?

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    Answer A: Use the lane outside those hours

    A part-time bus lane is reserved only during the posted period, and outside it the lane serves general traffic like any other.

  45. 45. How may a Michigan driver lawfully use a phone's navigation feature while driving?

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    Answer A: As long as the information is not entered by hand while driving

    The hands-free law does not apply to the use of a global positioning or navigation feature provided the information is not entered by hand into the device.

  46. 46. How long is the probationary period for a new Michigan driver?

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    Answer C: A minimum of three years

    New Michigan drivers are placed on probation for at least three years, and the period extends until the driver completes 10 consecutive months without a ticket, an at-fault crash or a suspension.

  47. 47. 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.

  48. 48. You are stopped in slow traffic and a motorcycle comes up between the lanes. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold your position and avoid any sudden lane change

    The danger to a rider between lanes comes from a vehicle moving sideways without warning, so staying predictable is what protects them.

  49. 49. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back

    A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.

  50. 50. At roughly what speed can hydroplaning begin when a lot of water is lying on the road?

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    Answer C: At speeds as low as about 35 mph

    With enough water and less than perfect tread, a tire can start to ride on the water at around 35 mph, well below normal highway speeds.