Iowa DOT Permit Practice Test 47
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
-
1. What must appear on an Iowa proof of financial liability coverage card?
Show answer
Answer A: The registration or vehicle identification number and the coverage expiration date
Iowa Code section 321.20B requires the card to identify the registration number or vehicle identification number of the insured vehicle and to indicate the expiration date of the coverage.
-
2. Another driver is behaving aggressively toward you. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Avoid eye contact, give them room to go on their way and do not respond to provocation
Responding to an aggressive driver escalates the conflict, while creating distance and refusing to engage takes you out of the situation. Report serious threats once you can do so safely.
-
3. Where do you find how much weight your vehicle may carry?
Show answer
Answer C: On the placard in the driver door opening
The certification placard in the driver door opening gives the load limit and the recommended cold tire pressures for the vehicle as built.
-
4. The engine dies at speed and the dashboard lights go out on a dark road. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Hold the wheel firmly, steer over to the shoulder and use the hazard lights
Never switch the ignition to lock, because the steering can lock; steer to the shoulder and warn traffic with the hazard lights.
-
5. On a two-lane road with a broken yellow center line, may you cross it to turn into a driveway on the left?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, when it is safe and the oncoming lane is clear
A broken center line may be crossed for a pass or for a left turn into a road or a driveway, once the oncoming lane is clear.
-
6. On an overhead guide sign, the small exit number panel sits above the left-hand end rather than the right. What does that placement tell you?
Show answer
Answer A: The exit leaves from the left side of the roadway
The exit number plaque is placed on the side from which the ramp leaves, which gives advance notice of the unusual left-hand exit.
-
7. In a work zone one lane sits an inch or two lower than the lane beside it. How should you change lanes?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down and cross the edge at a shallow angle, holding the wheel firmly
A vertical edge between lanes can catch a tire and jerk the steering. Crossing slowly at a shallow angle lets the wheel climb without grabbing.
-
8. You arrive at an intersection with no signs, no signals and no markings at the same time as a vehicle on the road to your right. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Yield to the vehicle on your right
At an uncontrolled intersection you must yield to a vehicle already in the intersection or approaching from your right.
-
9. What are painted curb markings mainly used for?
Show answer
Answer D: Conveying parking and stopping regulations
Colored curbs tell drivers where waiting or parking is restricted, and because the exact color meanings are set locally a driver should also read the posted signs.
-
10. Besides serving the revocation, what must an Iowa driver complete before a license revoked under the intoxication chapter is reinstated?
Show answer
Answer D: A course for drinking drivers plus substance use evaluation and any recommended treatment
Iowa Code section 321J.17 requires the person to enroll in and complete a course for drinking drivers and to submit to evaluation and treatment, with proof presented before reinstatement.
-
11. Another vehicle is passing you on a two-lane road. What should you do with your speed?
Show answer
Answer A: Hold your speed or ease off slightly to shorten the pass
Speeding up strands the passing driver in the oncoming lane, while a steady speed or a slight lift lets the pass finish quickly and safely.
-
12. What happens when tires are driven underinflated for a long time?
Show answer
Answer D: They wear at the edges, they run hot and they are more likely to fail
An underinflated tire flexes too much, which wears the shoulders and builds up heat that can destroy the tire.
-
13. A signal on an entrance ramp changes from red to green and lets one vehicle at a time onto the highway. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop on the red and go on the green, one vehicle for each green
A ramp meter spaces vehicles out so they join the highway one at a time instead of arriving as a group, and it is a traffic signal like any other.
-
14. Why does a long downhill grade lengthen the distance you need to stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Because gravity keeps pulling the vehicle forward as you brake
On a downgrade gravity works with the vehicle and against the brakes, so the same speed needs noticeably more distance than it would on level ground.
-
15. Why is it useful to watch the vehicle two or three places ahead of you?
Show answer
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.
-
16. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?
Show answer
Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back
Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.
-
17. A NO LEFT TURN sign carries a plaque reading 7 AM TO 9 AM MON TO FRI. What does the assembly mean?
Show answer
Answer A: The turn is banned only during those hours on those days
A time plaque limits the restriction to the periods shown, so outside those hours and days the left turn may be made normally.
-
18. A deer crosses the road in front of you and disappears into the trees. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: That other deer are likely to follow it across the very same stretch of road
Deer usually move in groups, so one crossing the road is a warning that more may follow.
-
19. What is the correct relationship between air bags and seat belts?
Show answer
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.
-
20. May you stop in a marked bicycle lane to let a passenger out?
Show answer
Answer B: No, stopping there forces riders into the traffic lane
A vehicle stopped in a bike lane pushes riders out into moving traffic, which is exactly what the lane exists to prevent.
-
21. About how far does a vehicle travel in one second at 60 mph?
Show answer
Answer A: About 88 feet
At 60 mph you cover about 88 feet every second, which is why a glance of only two or three seconds means driving the length of several vehicles blind.
-
22. 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?
Show answer
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.
-
23. On a regulatory sign, what does a red circle with a diagonal slash drawn over a symbol mean?
Show answer
Answer D: The movement or action shown by the symbol is prohibited
A red circle with a diagonal slash is the standard way of showing that the movement pictured inside it, such as a U-turn or a right turn, is not allowed.
-
24. What does Iowa require of an approved driver education course?
Show answer
Answer B: Thirty classroom hours and six laboratory hours, at least three of them street driving
Iowa Code section 321.178 sets an approved course at a minimum of thirty clock hours of classroom instruction plus six or more clock hours of laboratory instruction, at least three of which are street or highway driving.
-
25. What should you do before leaving a parked vehicle unattended?
Show answer
Answer C: Set the parking brake, place the transmission in park or in gear, switch off the engine and take the key
Securing the vehicle with the parking brake, the transmission and the ignition prevents it from rolling away and from being moved by someone else.