Wisconsin WisDOT DMV Permit Practice Test 28
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Where in the United States may a motorcycle ride between lanes of traffic?
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Answer C: Only where a state has specifically authorized it
Riding between lanes is prohibited in most states and permitted only where a state law expressly allows it, so a rider must know the rule for the state being ridden in.
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2. About how far behind a tractor-trailer does the driver's rear blind spot reach?
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Answer C: Around 30 feet
The area behind a large truck is hidden for roughly 30 feet, so a driver tucked in there cannot be seen at all.
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3. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass
Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.
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4. A city transit bus at a stop ahead of you switches on its left signal. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow and let the bus pull back into traffic
A bus needs a long gap to rejoin traffic, and yielding to a signaling transit bus keeps the whole line of traffic moving safely.
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5. Cannabis is legal for adults in some states. What does that mean for driving?
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Answer C: Driving while impaired by it is still an offense
Legal possession has nothing to do with driving law, and every state treats driving while impaired by cannabis as an offense.
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6. Your vehicle breaks down on a busy highway. What is the safest course of action?
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Answer D: Get it as far off the roadway as possible, switch on the hazard lights and keep clear of the traffic lanes
A vehicle left in or beside a travel lane is a hazard, so move it well off the road, make it conspicuous with hazard lights and keep yourself away from passing traffic.
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7. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?
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Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead
Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.
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8. A school bus ahead of you has its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended. What are you required to do?
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Answer A: Stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus starts moving
Flashing red lights and an extended stop arm mean children are getting on or off, so traffic must stop and wait until the bus withdraws the signals and moves again.
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9. What is the format of the separate Wisconsin highway signs test?
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Answer D: 15 questions, 12 correct to pass
Wisconsin gives a highway signs test of 15 questions that requires 12 correct answers, or 80 percent, to pass.
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10. Which of these is never a legal place to park?
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Answer C: In a crosswalk, on a sidewalk or within an intersection
Crosswalks, sidewalks and intersections must stay clear so that pedestrians can cross and drivers can see approaching traffic.
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11. Red pavement markings are used on a roadway to show that
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Answer A: it must not be entered from that direction
Red markings identify a roadway that is not to be entered or used, and they also mark the pavement of truck escape ramps.
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12. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning
A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.
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13. A yellow diamond showing two vertical arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down, warns that
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Answer A: the road ahead carries traffic in both directions
The two-way traffic sign warns that the roadway ahead is not divided and that vehicles will be coming from the opposite direction.
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14. On a wet road, how should a driver adjust after passing this sign?
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Answer B: Start braking earlier, because a slippery surface lengthens the stopping distance
A wet surface lengthens stopping distance, so the extra warning distance should be spent braking gently and early instead of late and hard.
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15. What do the grooves in a tire tread do on a flooded road surface?
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Answer B: They give the water a way to escape so the tread can touch the road
Tread grooves pump water out from under the tire so rubber can meet pavement. A worn tread moves less water, so hydroplaning starts sooner.
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16. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back
Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.
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17. What should you do as you approach your exit from a roundabout?
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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.
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18. A traffic signal ahead is showing a flashing red light. What does it require?
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Answer C: Stop completely, then go when the way is clear, as at a stop sign
A flashing red light has the same meaning as a stop sign: stop completely, yield to traffic and pedestrians, then proceed when it is safe.
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19. A traffic signal is dark and you reach the intersection at the same moment as a vehicle on your right. Who goes first?
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Answer A: The vehicle on your right, as at any all-way stop
A dark signal is treated as an all-way stop, and the usual tie-breaker then applies: the vehicle on the right goes first.
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20. 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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21. A vehicle ahead of you displays a reflective orange triangle on its rear. What does that emblem tell you?
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Answer B: The vehicle is built to travel at 25 mph or less
The orange triangle is the slow moving vehicle emblem used on farm and construction equipment designed for 25 mph or less, warning you that you are closing on it much faster than it appears.
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22. What should you do before leaving a parked vehicle unattended?
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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.
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23. You are following closely behind a vehicle you intend to pass on a two-lane road. What should you do first?
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Answer D: Drop back to give yourself room to build speed before you pull out
From close behind you cannot see far enough ahead and you have no room to gather speed, so the pass takes longer and starts blind.
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24. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe
More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.
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25. You have stopped on an uphill grade close behind a large truck at a traffic signal. What is the risk?
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Answer B: The truck may roll back into you when it starts to move
Heavy vehicles can roll backward a short distance when the driver moves from the brake to the accelerator on a hill. Leave extra room when stopped behind a truck on a grade.
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26. Why is the road often most slippery during the first few minutes of rain after a long dry spell?
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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.
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27. You leave a brightly lit service area onto a dark rural road. Why should you slow down for a while?
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Answer C: Your eyes need time to adjust, so at first you see less
Eyes take a few minutes to adapt from bright light to darkness, and during that time you can see much less than your headlights actually show.
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28. You are on a one-way street with two marked lanes. May you pass a slower vehicle on the right?
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Answer A: Yes, using the right lane, provided that the move is safe and signaled
On a roadway with two or more marked lanes in your direction, moving into the free lane and going by is a normal lane change rather than an unlawful pass.
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29. 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.
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30. 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.
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31. Your vehicle is stuck in deep snow and you run the engine for heat while waiting for help. What must you check?
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Answer C: That the exhaust pipe is clear of snow
Snow packed around the tailpipe pushes exhaust back into the cabin, and carbon monoxide can kill without warning. Clear the pipe and crack a window open.
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32. What does the implied consent law mean for drivers?
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Answer D: By driving, you have agreed to a chemical test if lawfully arrested for impaired driving
Holding a license and driving on public roads is treated as consent to breath, blood or urine testing when an officer has grounds to arrest you. Refusing normally brings its own license penalties.
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33. Why should you stay out of an intersection you cannot clear, even on a green light?
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Answer B: Because you would block cross traffic when their signal turns green
A vehicle stranded in the intersection blocks the cross street when its light turns green, which stalls the whole junction and traps emergency vehicles.
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34. What happens when alcohol is combined with another drug that also affects the nervous system?
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Answer B: Impairment is often far greater than either one alone would produce
Combined substances can multiply each other's effects, producing impairment well beyond what a driver would expect from either one taken separately.
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35. What does the solid white line running along the right side of a highway mark?
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Answer A: The right edge of the traveled way
A solid white edge line shows where the traveled way ends on the right, which is particularly useful at night and in poor visibility.
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36. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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37. You are parking facing downhill on a street with a curb. Which way should the front wheels point?
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Answer A: Toward the curb, so the vehicle would roll into it if it moved
Turning the wheels toward the curb when facing downhill means a vehicle that starts to roll is stopped by the curb instead of entering the traffic lane.
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38. You realize you have driven several miles without remembering any of it. What kind of distraction is this?
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Answer C: Cognitive distraction, because your mind was not on driving
Daydreaming or being lost in thought is a cognitive distraction. Your eyes may be on the road, but your brain is not processing what they see.
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39. It is dark, it is raining and you are towing a trailer. How should you set your following gap?
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Answer B: Add extra seconds for each condition, well beyond three
Each factor that lengthens your stopping distance or shortens your view calls for another second or more, and they add up when several occur together.
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40. You are towing a trailer and turning right at an intersection. What must you allow for?
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Answer D: The trailer cuts the corner, so swing wider than usual
A trailer follows a shorter path than the towing vehicle, so its wheels track inside your line and can mount the curb unless you take the turn wide.
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41. You are leaving a private driveway and entering a public street. What are you required to do?
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Answer B: Stop and yield to traffic on the street and to pedestrians on the sidewalk
A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley or private road must stop and yield to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk being crossed.
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42. A sign at the start of an exit ramp shows a speed much lower than the highway limit. What does it apply to?
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Answer C: The curve of the ramp itself, once you have left the highway
The ramp speed is set by the sharpness of the ramp curve, so you slow to it inside the deceleration lane rather than out on the highway.
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43. A sign with a blue background and a white legend and border tells road users about
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Answer A: services such as fuel, food, lodging, hospitals and rest areas
Blue is the background of the general service series, which points travelers toward the services available along or near the route.
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44. Why should you not switch the engine off while the vehicle is still moving fast?
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Answer B: You lose power steering and the steering may lock
With the engine off the steering becomes very heavy and on many vehicles the column can lock, so shift to neutral first and only shut down once stopped.
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45. Two roads come together at a shallow angle under a MERGE sign, with no yield line on either one. What is expected of you?
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Answer D: Adjust your speed and position so you blend smoothly into the other traffic
A merge means neither road ends at a stop; drivers adjust speed and position so that the two streams fit together without stopping.
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46. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?
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Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system
As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.
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47. You come up behind a bicyclist who is descending a steep hill in the middle of the traffic lane. What should you take into account?
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Answer D: The rider may be moving at close to the speed of the traffic
A bicycle can reach the speed of traffic on a descent, so there is little to gain from a pass and the rider needs the whole lane to steer around surface hazards.
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48. A driver hunting for an on-ramp meets this sign at the mouth of the pavement ahead. What is the correct action?
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Answer C: Keep out of that roadway and look for the proper approach elsewhere
The restriction is absolute and does not depend on how much traffic is present, so the driver has to reach the highway by an approach built for entering vehicles.
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49. On a busy multilane highway, where is the best place to travel?
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Answer B: In a gap in the traffic, with space open on both sides
Travelling in a gap keeps escape routes open on both sides, while riding alongside other vehicles removes the room you would need to swerve.
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50. Loose gravel has been swept into the middle of your lane on a downhill bend. Which controls are affected most?
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Answer D: Steering and braking, since the loose stones roll under the tires
Gravel rolls between rubber and pavement, so the tires can neither turn the vehicle nor slow it as they would on a clean surface.