Iowa DOT Permit Practice Test 27
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. How should you follow a school bus in traffic?
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Answer A: Far enough back to see its lights and stop in time
A school bus stops often and with little warning, so a longer following distance gives you time to see the lights come on and stop clear of it.
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2. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?
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Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you
A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.
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3. A sign beside the signal reads STOP HERE ON RED. What does it tell you?
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Answer B: Stop at that point on red, not closer to the intersection
The sign marks the required stopping point, which is set back from the corner so that turning vehicles and sight lines are not blocked.
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4. You want to turn left at an intersection with no signs or signals and a vehicle is coming straight toward you from the opposite direction. What must you do?
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Answer C: Yield and turn after the oncoming vehicle has passed
A driver turning left always gives way to oncoming traffic that is close enough to be a hazard, whether or not the intersection is controlled.
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5. A pedestrian steps off the curb without looking your way. What should you assume?
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Answer B: That the person has not seen you at all, and be ready to stop for them
Defensive driving means assuming you have not been seen until there is clear evidence that you have.
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6. What color scheme does a standard stop sign use?
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Answer B: White legend and border on a red background
The stop sign carries a white legend and border on a red background, the color set aside for stop, yield and prohibition messages.
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7. In which crash must the police always be notified?
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Answer D: Any crash in which somebody has been injured or killed, whatever the damage
Injury or death always makes a crash reportable, whatever the amount of vehicle damage or the opinions of the drivers.
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8. Your vehicle stalls on a railroad crossing and will not restart. What should you do first?
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Answer A: Get everyone out and away from the tracks immediately
Everyone must leave the vehicle and move well clear of the tracks at once, walking toward the train at an angle so that debris from an impact travels away from you.
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9. Some crosswalks are marked with two transverse lines and others with a row of wide bars laid along the direction of travel. Why is the second pattern used?
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Answer B: It is far easier for an approaching driver to see
Longitudinal bar patterns are used where extra visibility is wanted, such as an uncontrolled crossing or one near a school, because they show up much better from a car.
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10. 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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11. You and the driver facing you both have stop signs at a two-way stop. You are going straight and that driver is turning left. Who has the right of way?
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Answer B: You do, and the turning driver must wait
Between two opposing drivers who both stopped, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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12. Why would a restriction like this one be applied to a stretch of road?
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Answer A: Because there is not enough visible road ahead to complete a pass safely
Limits on overtaking are set where a hill, a curve or an obstruction leaves too little sight distance for a driver to pull out, pass and return before meeting oncoming traffic.
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13. Which device falls outside Iowa's definition of an electronic device?
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Answer D: A built-in navigation system with the destination entered before the vehicle moved
Iowa Code section 321.276 excludes a device physically or electronically integrated into the vehicle, including an integrated navigation system whose destination was entered before the vehicle was in motion.
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14. An ambulance with lights and siren is coming toward you on an undivided two-lane road. What must you do?
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Answer A: Pull to the right edge and stop until it passes
On an undivided road, drivers in both directions clear the way, pulling to the right edge and stopping.
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15. You are at a red light where right turns on red are allowed, you cannot see clearly, and the driver behind sounds the horn. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stay stopped until you can see that the turn is safe
Turning right on red is permitted, never required, so you wait until you can see that the way is clear no matter what the driver behind does.
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16. Who may set a lower speed limit on a particular Iowa secondary road after an engineering and traffic investigation?
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Answer A: The county board of supervisors
Iowa Code section 321.285 lets the county board of supervisors determine and declare a lower speed limit on a secondary road after an engineering and traffic investigation, effective once signs are erected.
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17. A SHOULDER DROP OFF sign warns that
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Answer B: there is a step down from the pavement to the shoulder
The sign is used where the edge of the pavement stands several inches above the shoulder, which can grab a wheel and pull the vehicle sideways.
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18. What is the first action Iowa's move over law asks of a driver approaching a stationary emergency vehicle displaying flashing lights?
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Answer B: Change into a lane that is not adjacent to the stopped vehicle, if it is safe
Iowa Code section 321.323A asks the driver first to make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the stopped vehicle, and only to slow below the posted limit when that change is impossible, prohibited, or unsafe.
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19. You are driving along a street lined with parked cars. What should you watch for?
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Answer B: Doors opening, vehicles pulling out and pedestrians stepping from between cars
Parked cars hide people and can move without warning. Keep as much space from them as you safely can and cover the brake.
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20. You decide to turn around using a driveway on your right. What is the safer way to do it?
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Answer C: Stop past the driveway, reverse into it, then pull out and drive away
Passing the driveway and backing in means you reverse off the roadway and then rejoin traffic facing forward, with a full view of both directions.
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21. 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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22. What happens to an Iowa permit holder who is convicted of a moving traffic violation or is involved in a crash during the permit stage?
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Answer A: The holder must complete remedial driver improvement action and then stay accident and violation free for six months
Iowa Code section 321.180B bars the issuance of an intermediate license until the permittee has completed remedial driver improvement action and has been accident and violation free for the preceding six months.
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23. Visibility drops suddenly and you decide to leave the highway. What is the safest way to do it?
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Answer A: Take the next exit or a wide pull off, well clear of the traffic lanes
Get right off the traveled way, and off the shoulder too if you can, because vehicles in poor visibility often drift onto the shoulder.
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24. A driver holds a steady highway speed into the section this sign warns about. What is the most likely result?
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Answer B: The vehicle runs wide toward the outside and can cross into another lane or leave the pavement
Holding speed into a change of alignment asks the tires for more side grip than they can supply, so the vehicle runs wide and the driver is left with less room to correct.
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25. How far should the driver chest be from the steering wheel?
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Answer B: At least about ten inches
The airbag deploys with great force in the first instants of a crash, so about ten inches between your chest and the wheel is the recommended minimum.