Rhode Island DMV Permit Practice Test 3
Test 3 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. Two lanes at the corner are marked for right turns. What does that require of you?
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Answer A: Keep your own lane through the turn and into the matching new lane
Dual turn lanes work only if each vehicle stays in its own lane all the way round and finishes in the corresponding lane of the new street.
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2. When may a Rhode Island Limited Provisional License holder drive without supervision on an ordinary day?
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Answer A: From 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
The limited provisional license allows unsupervised driving from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., with extra exceptions for work, volunteer emergency service and early morning school athletic activities.
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3. Why are tall vehicles such as SUVs and vans at extra risk in sudden steering maneuvers?
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Answer B: Their higher center of gravity makes them more likely to roll over
The higher a vehicle's mass sits, the more it leans in an abrupt turn, and a sharp swerve can tip it over. Smooth, gradual steering inputs are essential in tall vehicles.
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4. How does having a passenger in the vehicle change the penalty for a Rhode Island street racing conviction?
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Answer D: It raises the exposure to up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 5000 dollars, up to 100 hours of restitution, and at least a one year license suspension
Carrying a passenger while street racing raises the penalty under 31-27-22 to up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, up to 100 hours of community restitution, and a license suspension of at least one year.
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5. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?
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Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations
Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.
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6. You are stopped at a T-intersection and a driver on the through road is signaling a right turn into your road. What is the safe assumption?
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Answer B: The driver may not actually turn, so wait until the vehicle slows and starts turning
A blinking signal may have been left on by mistake or may be for the next street, so wait until the vehicle actually slows and turns.
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7. What is the heaviest penalty a Rhode Island driver under 18 faces for using a wireless device while driving?
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Answer B: A fine of up to 250 dollars and loss of the license until the driver's eighteenth birthday
Rhode Island fines a minor up to 250 dollars for this offense and may also take the license away until the driver turns 18.
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8. The brake pedal goes to the floor and the vehicle does not slow. What should you try first?
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Answer C: Pump the pedal quickly to try to build pressure
Most vehicles have a split braking system, so rapid pumping can often build enough pressure to slow you. If it does not, use the parking brake gradually.
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9. Where is passing prohibited even when no line is visible?
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Answer D: On a curve or near the crest of a hill, at intersections and at railroad crossings
Passing is prohibited wherever your view of oncoming traffic is blocked or where vehicles may cross your path, which includes hills, curves, intersections and rail crossings.
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10. An entrance ramp joins a highway just before an exit ramp leaves it. What should you expect in that short section?
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Answer D: Vehicles crossing paths as some enter and others leave
In a weaving section entering traffic moves left while exiting traffic moves right over the same short stretch, so lane changes there need extra room and extra care.
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11. Your passengers are being noisy and you are losing concentration. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ask them to settle down, or pull over safely until they do
The driver is responsible for the conditions inside the vehicle, and stopping is always better than driving distracted.
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12. Which part of the space around your vehicle can you control best?
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Answer A: The space ahead of you
You choose your own following distance, so the gap in front is the space you truly control and the one that gives you time to react.
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13. You are approaching a horse and rider on a country road. What about your horn?
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Answer C: Do not sound it at all, because the noise can frighten the animal
A startled horse is dangerous to its rider and to you, so pass wide and slow and leave the horn alone.
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14. What emergency exception does Rhode Island's handheld phone law recognize under 31-22-31?
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Answer C: Communicating with 911, a hospital, a doctor, or a police or fire department during a genuine emergency
31-22-31 exempts communications with emergency operators, hospitals, physicians, or police and fire departments during an emergency from the handheld phone ban.
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15. Traffic is heavy and crawling where a sign warns that your lane ends and two lanes must become one. What is the best practice?
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Answer C: Use the lane to the end, then take turns merging one by one
In stop-and-go traffic the zipper merge, using both lanes up to the merge point and then alternating, keeps the queue shorter and traffic moving; in free-flowing traffic move over as soon as it is safe.
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16. What does a tire with worn tread do on a wet road?
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Answer B: It loses grip and it hydroplanes at a lower speed than a good tire
Tread grooves carry water away from the contact patch, and a worn tire cannot do that, so it floats on the water sooner.
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17. What is the maximum penalty structure a Rhode Island court may impose on a first DUI conviction under General Law 31-27-2?
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Answer A: Up to one year in jail, a fine of up to 500 dollars, and license suspension of three to eighteen months
RI Gen Law 31-27-2 sets a first DUI conviction penalty of up to one year in jail, a fine up to $500, and a license suspension of three to eighteen months.
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18. How does alcohol affect a driver's ability to handle several things at once?
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Answer B: It cuts the ability to divide attention between tasks
Driving means watching the road, the mirrors and the instruments together, and alcohol narrows attention so that one of those tasks is dropped without the driver noticing.
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19. You are first in the queue at a red light with a marked crosswalk. Where should your vehicle stop?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, so that the crosswalk stays clear
Stopping short of the line keeps the crosswalk usable for people on foot and keeps your vehicle out of the path of turning traffic.
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20. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?
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Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance
Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.
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21. About how far does a vehicle travel in one second at 60 mph?
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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.
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22. Why should you set the parking brake even when an automatic transmission is in Park?
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Answer B: Because it takes the strain off the transmission and holds the vehicle
The parking pawl is a small part carrying the whole vehicle; the parking brake shares that load and holds the vehicle if the pawl fails.
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23. What visual acuity must a Rhode Island bioptic telescopic lens applicant demonstrate through the telescope portion of the lens?
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Answer B: At least 20/40
Rhode Island's bioptic lens regulation requires at least 20/40 distant visual acuity through the telescope, along with at least 20/100 through the carrier lens.
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24. Where should your hands normally rest on the steering wheel?
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Answer C: On opposite sides of the wheel, near the 9 and 3 positions
Hands placed opposite each other near the middle of the wheel give smooth, balanced control and keep the arms clear of a deploying air bag.
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25. You are driving slower than the general flow on a multilane highway. Which lane should you use?
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Answer D: The right lane, keeping the left lanes free for faster traffic and passing
Slower traffic must keep right so that faster vehicles and overtaking traffic can use the left lanes without weaving between lanes.
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26. As a general rule, how far should you travel along a center two-way left-turn lane before you turn?
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Answer C: Only a short distance, just enough to slow down and wait for a gap
The center lane is for making or preparing a left turn, so you enter it only shortly before the turn and never travel along it as a through lane; several states set a specific limit such as 200 or 300 feet.
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27. 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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28. The tire pressure monitoring symbol lights up on your dashboard. What is the system telling you?
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Answer A: At least one tire is significantly underinflated
The system warns when a tire falls well below the recommended pressure. Check all four with a gauge and inflate to the placard figure while they are cold.
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29. What term does Rhode Island's under-18 driving law, 31-22-11.9, use for the devices a minor may not use at all while driving?
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Answer C: Personal wireless communications devices, a broader term than just cell phones
31-22-11.9 is titled around 'personal wireless communications devices,' a broader category than just cell phones, when banning minors from using them while driving.
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30. Besides work zones and vehicles stopped with flashing lights, when else does General Law 31-14-3 require a Rhode Island driver to reduce speed below the posted limit?
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Answer D: When approaching and crossing an intersection, a hill crest, a curve, or a narrow or obstructed part of the roadway
31-14-3 requires reduced speed when approaching and crossing an intersection, a hill crest, a curve, or a narrow or obstructed roadway, among other listed conditions.
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31. When may you stop on the shoulder of a freeway?
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Answer A: Only in an emergency, moving completely off the travel lanes and switching on your hazard lights
The freeway shoulder is reserved for emergencies and for disabled vehicles, and a vehicle stopped there must be clear of the travel lanes with hazard lights on.
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32. How does the fine for texting while driving in Rhode Island change with repeated convictions under General Law 31-22-30?
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Answer C: It rises from 100 dollars, to 150 dollars, to 250 dollars across a first, second, and third conviction
31-22-30 sets escalating texting fines: $100 for a first conviction, $150 for a second, and $250 for a third or subsequent conviction.
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33. On a rural two-lane road you pass small blue signs, each naming one business with an arrow and a distance. What are they?
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Answer D: Tourist-oriented directional signs for traveler businesses
Tourist-oriented directional signs carry a white legend on blue and are used on rural conventional roads to guide travelers to eligible businesses.
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34. Which statement best describes what the basic speed law requires of you?
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Answer C: That you never drive faster than is reasonable and safe for the conditions
Nearly every state has a basic speed law that makes the conditions the real limit: weather, traffic, light and road surface can all require a speed well below the posted number.
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35. Which combination best reduces the chance of hydroplaning?
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Answer D: Good tread depth, correct tire pressure and lower speed in the rain
Tread channels water away, correct pressure keeps the tire's shape, and lower speed gives the tire time to push water aside. Hydroplaning can begin at surprisingly modest speeds.
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36. A sign on a divided highway reads Keep Right Except to Pass. What does it require of you?
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Answer A: Use the left lane only to overtake, then return to a lane on the right
The left lane on such a highway is reserved for overtaking, so a driver who has finished a pass must move back to the right.
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37. A regulatory sign posted at the start of a road reads LENGTH LIMIT 30 FEET. What does it control?
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Answer B: The overall length of vehicle allowed on that road
Some states post a length limit where tight curves or narrow structures lie ahead; it bars vehicles or combinations longer than the figure shown from using that road.
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38. You are driving through a residential area where parked cars hide the side streets. What is the safest approach?
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Answer C: Slow down and cover the brake as you pass each opening
Where parked vehicles hide side streets and driveways, lower speed and a covered brake buy the time you lose in sight distance.
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39. 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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40. Before Rhode Island's Medical Advisory Board will support reinstating a license after a driver's third or later DWI-related suspension, what must the driver show?
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Answer C: A certified year of sobriety from a licensed treatment professional, corroborated by a medical examination
Rhode Island's Medical Advisory Board requires evidence of one year of certified sobriety from a licensed professional, corroborated by a medical exam, before supporting reinstatement after a third or later DWI-related suspension.