Iowa DOT Permit Practice Test 1
Test 1 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 20 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Iowa test.
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. 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.
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2. When does Iowa require a motor vehicle on a highway to display lighted headlamps?
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Answer A: From sunset to sunrise, and when conditions hide people and vehicles at 500 feet
Iowa Code section 321.384 requires lighted headlamps from sunset to sunrise and whenever fog, snow, sleet or rain makes persons and vehicles indiscernible at five hundred feet ahead.
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3. 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.
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4. Your car has side curtain airbags. What should you avoid doing?
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Answer B: Resting your head against the window or the door pillar
A side airbag deploys from the pillar or roof rail, so a head leaning against that area is directly in its path.
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5. You brake hard in a vehicle with antilock brakes and feel the pedal pulsing under your foot. What should you do?
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Answer A: Keep firm, steady pressure on the pedal and steer where you need to go
The pulsing is the system releasing and reapplying the brakes so the wheels keep rolling, which is what lets you steer while braking. Pumping the pedal defeats it.
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6. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path
A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.
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7. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
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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.
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8. What does the traffic law actually say about the right of way?
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Answer B: It says who must yield; no driver is ever entitled to take the right of way
The law describes who must yield. Right of way is something you give; insisting on it when another driver does not yield causes crashes.
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9. What may an Iowa peace officer do when the driver of an Iowa-registered vehicle cannot produce proof of coverage?
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Answer C: Issue a warning, a citation, a citation with plate removal, or also impound the vehicle
Iowa Code section 321.20B gives the officer four options: a warning memorandum, a citation, a citation with removal of the plates and registration receipt, or that plus impoundment of the vehicle.
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10. What additional penalty does Iowa allow when a listed moving violation causes another person's death?
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Answer A: A fine of one thousand dollars or a suspension of up to one hundred eighty days
Iowa Code section 321.482A allows a fine of one thousand dollars or a suspension of driving privileges for not more than one hundred eighty days, or both, when the violation causes death.
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11. Unless posted otherwise, what is the lawful speed in an Iowa business district?
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Answer A: 20 miles per hour
Iowa Code section 321.285 sets twenty miles per hour in any business district and twenty-five miles per hour in any residence or school district.
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12. Where may an open or unsealed container of an alcoholic beverage legally be carried in an Iowa passenger vehicle?
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Answer A: In the trunk, or behind the last upright seat if the vehicle has no trunk
Iowa Code section 321.284 bars open containers from the passenger area, including the glove compartment, but allows transport in the trunk or behind the last upright seat when there is no trunk.
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13. What fine does Iowa assess for a first operating while intoxicated conviction?
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Answer A: One thousand two hundred fifty dollars
Iowa Code section 321J.2 sets the first-offense fine at one thousand two hundred fifty dollars, part of which the court may waive if no injury resulted and the defendant obtains a temporary restricted license.
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14. What license sanction does Iowa impose for a move over violation that damages another person's property but injures nobody?
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Answer D: A ninety-day suspension
Iowa Code section 321.323A requires the department to suspend the violator's driving privileges for ninety days when the violation caused property damage but no bodily injury or death.
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15. How does Iowa classify a first offense of operating while intoxicated?
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Answer A: A serious misdemeanor
Iowa Code section 321J.2 makes a first violation a serious misdemeanor, a second an aggravated misdemeanor, and a third or subsequent a class D felony.
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16. On an Iowa secondary road that is not surfaced with concrete or asphalt, what is the maximum lawful speed between sunset and sunrise?
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Answer C: 50 miles per hour
Iowa Code section 321.285 allows no more than fifty-five miles per hour between sunrise and sunset and no more than fifty miles per hour between sunset and sunrise on unpaved secondary roads.
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17. What does a broken line indicate, whatever color it is painted?
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Answer C: That crossing it is permitted
A broken line always describes a permissive condition, and the color then tells the driver whether the traffic beyond it runs the same way or the opposite way.
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18. You carry reflective warning triangles in your car. How should they be used after a breakdown?
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Answer B: Set out behind the vehicle, far enough back to warn traffic before it arrives
A warning device works only if drivers see it in time to react, so it is placed well back along the road they are traveling.
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19. Which Iowa passenger must ride in a rear-facing child restraint system?
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Answer B: A child under one year of age who also weighs less than twenty pounds
Iowa Code section 321.446 requires a rear-facing child restraint system for a child who is under one year of age and weighs less than twenty pounds.
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20. What is the what if habit of a defensive driver?
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Answer C: Thinking through what you would do if a hazard ahead of you turned bad
Rehearsing an answer before the hazard develops means you act at once instead of spending time deciding.
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21. You are in a minor collision on a busy road. No one is hurt and both vehicles can be driven. What is the recommended thing to do?
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Answer C: Move the vehicles out of the travel lanes to a safe spot before exchanging information
Vehicles left in traffic after a minor crash invite a second, often worse, collision. Clearing the lane protects everyone, and you still exchange details and report as required.
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22. Someone appears seriously injured after a crash. What should you generally do?
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Answer C: Call for emergency help and avoid moving the person unless there is an immediate danger such as fire
Moving an injured person can worsen spinal or internal injuries, so summon trained help and leave the person in place unless staying there is more dangerous than moving.
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23. What is the youngest age at which the Iowa DOT may issue an instruction permit?
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Answer A: 14 years
Iowa Code section 321.180B allows the department to issue an instruction permit to an applicant who is between 14 and 18 years of age.
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24. In a work zone a flagger signals you to stop, but the sign beside the road says the lane is open. What should you do?
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Answer C: Obey the flagger
A flagger controls the work zone in real time and the instruction outranks the signs and markings, which cannot reflect what is happening at that moment.
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25. The left-turn signal facing you shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does it mean?
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Answer C: You may turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians
A flashing yellow arrow permits a left turn but gives no protection, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to people in the crosswalk.