Rhode Island DMV 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 32 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real Rhode Island test.
- Questions40
- Correct to pass32
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. 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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2. A delivery truck is parked in your lane and you must use the oncoming lane to get around it. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: The oncoming traffic, because their lane is clear
The driver whose own lane is obstructed waits, because using the other lane is a favor from oncoming traffic, not a right.
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3. Why is parking next to a fire hydrant or in a marked fire lane prohibited?
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Answer D: It would delay firefighters who need immediate access to the hydrant or the building
Fire hydrants and fire lanes must remain clear at all times so emergency crews can connect hoses and reach a building without delay.
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4. What does Rhode Island require of every driver regarding liability insurance?
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Answer D: Proof of insurance must be carried in the vehicle with the registration, and failure to comply carries a fine of up to 500 dollars
All drivers on Rhode Island public roads must carry motor vehicle liability insurance, and proof must be kept in the vehicle with the registration at all times; driving without it carries a fine of up to 500 dollars and possible license suspension.
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5. You are waiting to turn left across two oncoming lanes when a driver in the near lane stops and waves you through. What should you do?
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Answer D: Turn only after checking the far lane yourself
The waving driver cannot give away the right of way of the traffic in the second lane, which may not be stopping at all.
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6. Who qualifies as a supervising driver for a Rhode Island permit holder?
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Answer D: A licensed driver who is at least 21 and has been licensed for at least five years
The Rhode Island Driver's Manual requires the supervising driver to be at least 21 years old and to have held a license for at least five years.
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7. Where must a Rhode Island vehicle's inspection approval sticker be placed?
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Answer A: In the lower right of the windshield
Rhode Island's inspection regulation requires the approval sticker to be placed in the lower right of the windshield.
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8. Trees block the view along the tracks as a driver approaches this sign. What approach speed is correct?
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Answer B: Slow enough to stop before the nearest rail once a train comes into view
Where the view along the track is obstructed, the only safe speed is one that still leaves stopping distance after a train first becomes visible.
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9. When should most of your braking for a turn be finished?
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Answer B: Before you begin to turn the wheel
Slow to the right speed before the turn begins; braking hard while turning uses up the grip the tires need for steering.
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10. You are in the middle of an intersection when you hear a siren and see an emergency vehicle approaching. What should you do?
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Answer A: Keep going, clear the intersection, then pull to the right and stop
Stopping inside an intersection blocks the emergency vehicle. Clear the intersection first, then pull over to the right and stop.
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11. Can a driver be charged with impaired driving after taking a legal over the counter medicine?
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Answer C: Yes, if the medicine impairs the ability to drive safely
Impaired driving laws cover any substance that affects driving, including cold remedies, allergy pills and sleep aids sold without a prescription.
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12. What is threshold braking?
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Answer C: Braking hard but staying just short of locking the wheels
A rolling tire grips better than a sliding one, so the shortest stop comes from pressure held just below the point where the wheels lock.
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13. What does this sign warn a driver about?
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Answer A: Traffic from another roadway will enter the same lane ahead
Two traffic streams come together into one lane beyond this point, so drivers on both roadways have to adjust speed and spacing to fit together.
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14. 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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15. Your vehicle is burning at the roadside. How far away should everyone keep?
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Answer D: At least a hundred feet away from the vehicle and upwind, out of the drifting smoke
Burning vehicles give off toxic smoke and parts such as tires and struts can burst, so keep a long distance and stay upwind.
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16. A raised area crosses the roadway and carries a series of white markings on its face. What are those markings for?
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Answer A: To make the hump visible so drivers slow for it
Speed hump markings warn drivers that the pavement rises, which matters most at night or when the hump is in shadow.
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17. Two vehicles reach a four-way stop at the same moment from adjacent roads. Who should go first?
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Answer A: The driver on the right
When two drivers stop at a four-way stop at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
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18. What restriction is initially placed on a Rhode Island bioptic telescopic lens license, and how can it be lifted?
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Answer B: A daylight-only and corrective-lens restriction, removable after the driver passes a nighttime driving test
Rhode Island's bioptic lens regulation imposes a daylight-only and corrective-lens restriction at first, which the driver can remove by passing a nighttime driving test.
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19. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?
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Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch
Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.
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20. What is the correct order of steps as you finish parking an automatic on a grade?
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Answer C: Turn the wheels, set the parking brake, then select park
Setting the parking brake before shifting into park lets the brake take the load, instead of leaving the whole weight of the car on the parking pawl.
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21. What driver education requirement applies to a Rhode Island applicant under 18?
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Answer A: A 33 hour classroom driver education course, since online courses are not accepted
Rhode Island requires a certified 33 hour classroom driver education course, and since July 1, 2022 no online driver education course is an approved curriculum in the state.
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22. Something rolls off the seat onto the floor while you are driving. What should you do?
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Answer C: Leave it where it is and pick it up after you stop somewhere safe
Reaching for an object pulls your eyes and your body away from the controls at exactly the wrong moment, and nothing on the floor is worth that risk.
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23. Besides school signing, which warning signs may also use a fluorescent yellow-green background?
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Answer C: Pedestrian and bicycle warning signs
Pedestrian crossing, bicycle and playground warning signs may use either the standard yellow or the fluorescent yellow-green background, which draws extra attention where people outside vehicles are present.
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24. How does Rhode Island General Law 31-40-2 define a driver as a habitual offender?
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Answer D: A driver with convictions for separate offenses accumulated within a three year period, the most recent within three years of the others
Under 31-40-2, a habitual offender is defined by convictions for separate offenses accumulated within a three year period, with the most recent offense within three years of the others.
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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.
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26. Where does Rhode Island's school bus stopping law apply?
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Answer D: On public highways and also on private roads and in parking lots
Drivers approaching from either direction must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, and the rule applies on private roads and in parking lots as well as on public highways.
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27. Once you have parallel parked, how close to the curb should your wheels be?
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Answer C: Within the distance your state allows, commonly 12 to 18 inches
Parking close to and parallel with the curb keeps the vehicle out of the traffic lane without damaging the tires; each state sets the exact maximum, usually 12 inches and 18 inches in some states.
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28. What two options does a Rhode Island driver have when approaching a stopped vehicle covered by the move-over law under 31-14-3?
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Answer D: Move into a lane not nearest the stopped vehicle, or reduce speed and maintain it until safely past
31-14-3 gives drivers two compliance paths: move into a lane that is not nearest the stopped vehicle, or reduce speed and maintain a safe reduced speed until completely past.
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29. What is the minimum license suspension in Rhode Island for refusing a chemical test?
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Answer C: Six months
A refusal brings a suspension of at least six months plus a fine, a highway safety assessment, community service and driving school or treatment.
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30. On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center while a broken yellow line runs on the other side. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, although oncoming drivers may
Passing restrictions are read from the line closest to your own lane, so a solid yellow line on your side creates a no-passing zone for you alone.
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31. 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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32. A child seat was in the car during a moderate crash. What should be done with it?
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Answer A: Replace it, because a seat that has been through a crash may be weakened
Crash forces can damage a seat in ways you cannot see, so a seat involved in anything but the mildest crash is replaced.
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33. A pedestrian is crossing at a corner where no crosswalk is painted on the pavement. What is your duty?
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Answer A: Yield, because a legal crosswalk exists at the corner even without paint
Every intersection has a crosswalk whether or not it is marked, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there.
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34. 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.
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35. A yellow sign ahead of an underpass reads LOW CLEARANCE 12 FT 6 IN. What does the figure tell you?
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Answer B: The greatest height that can pass beneath the structure
The figure is the actual clearance available, so a vehicle taller than that must leave the road and take a marked alternative route.
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36. Someone has stepped into a marked crosswalk in the middle of a block ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down, stop before the markings and let the person cross the street
A marked mid-block crosswalk carries the same duty as one at a corner: give way to the person crossing, stopping if that is what letting them cross safely takes.
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37. A fire truck with lights and siren has just passed you and is heading down the same road. How closely may you follow it?
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Answer B: Well back, because following a responding emergency vehicle closely is illegal
Following a responding emergency vehicle closely is prohibited; the exact minimum distance is set by each state, so stay far enough back to keep the scene and other responders clear.
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38. What does black ice usually look like from the driver seat?
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Answer C: A patch of pavement that simply looks wet or slightly glossy
Black ice is clear, so you see the dark road through it and read it as a wet patch. In freezing weather, treat any wet looking patch as ice.
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39. Does Rhode Island's move-over duty under 31-14-3 apply only to vehicles with flashing lights?
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Answer B: No, the duty also covers any nonemergency vehicle that is simply stationary on the shoulder or breakdown lane
31-14-3 extends the reduced-speed and move-over duty to any nonemergency vehicle that is stationary on the shoulder or breakdown lane, not just vehicles showing flashing lights.
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40. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
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Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.