Kentucky KYTC Permit Practice Test 20

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass32
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

Minimum age: 15 years for a learner's permit

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 32 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. 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.

  2. 2. A parking space is marked with the international symbol of access. Who may use it?

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    Answer A: Only a vehicle displaying the required placard or plate

    Accessible spaces may be used only by a vehicle that displays a valid disability placard or plate, no matter how short the stop would be.

  3. 3. You make eye contact with a driver waiting to pull out of a side street. What should you assume?

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    Answer D: The driver may still not have seen you, so stay ready to slow or stop

    Drivers can look directly at you and still not register your vehicle, especially a small one. Eye contact helps, but never rely on it.

  4. 4. You are turning right on a red light where that is permitted. What does the law require first?

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    Answer B: A full stop, then yielding to traffic and pedestrians

    A right turn on red is allowed only after stopping completely and giving way to everyone who has the green, including people in the crosswalk.

  5. 5. What penalty does Kentucky attach to unlawfully driving through or passing a funeral procession?

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    Answer A: A 250 dollar fine or 90 days in jail

    Kentucky backs its funeral procession rules with a fine of 250 dollars or 90 days in jail.

  6. 6. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long

    Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.

  7. 7. When must a Kentucky driver file a written collision report with the Kentucky State Police?

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    Answer A: Within ten days, when damage exceeds 500 dollars and no officer investigated

    Kentucky requires a civilian written report within ten days when property damage exceeds 500 dollars and no law enforcement officer investigated the crash.

  8. 8. You are circulating in the inner lane of a two-lane roundabout, your exit is next, and a vehicle is beside you in the outer lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Keep circulating around the island and take that same exit on your next time around

    You may not cut across a vehicle in the outer lane; if you cannot exit safely, continue around the circle and try again.

  9. 9. You are parked legally, but a police officer tells you to move the vehicle. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Move it as directed, because an officer overrides the signs

    Directions from a police officer or a firefighter take precedence over signs and markings, whether they are directing traffic or clearing a street.

  10. 10. For a Kentucky driver aged 21 or over, when does the license expire and how early may it be renewed?

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    Answer B: It expires 31 days after the driver's birthday and may be renewed up to six months early

    An adult Kentucky license runs out a month after the birthday, and the Transportation Cabinet opens renewal half a year before that date.

  11. 11. 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.

  12. 12. You want to reverse direction but the street is too narrow for a U-turn. What is the alternative?

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    Answer D: Make a three-point turn, or go around the block in heavy traffic

    Where there is not enough width for a U-turn, the three-point turn does the job in stages, and on a busy street going around the block is safer still.

  13. 13. You turn left onto a road that has a center two-way left-turn lane. In which lane should you be traveling once the turn is finished?

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    Answer D: The first through lane to the right of the center turn lane

    The shared center lane is only for turning movements, so even where a state lets you pause in it to merge you must end up in the first ordinary travel lane beside it.

  14. 14. The crossbuck, formed by two rectangular arms crossed in an X, is placed

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    Answer D: on each highway approach to a railroad grade crossing

    The crossbuck marks the location of a highway-rail grade crossing and is required on each highway approach to that crossing.

  15. 15. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?

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    Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it

    Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.

  16. 16. When is a child ready to use a vehicle seat belt without a booster seat?

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    Answer A: When the lap belt lies across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt crosses the chest

    Belt fit, not age, decides readiness. Until the child is tall enough for the lap belt to sit on the thighs and the shoulder belt on the chest, a booster is needed.

  17. 17. Your steering suddenly feels light and unresponsive as you drive through standing water. What should you do first?

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    Answer A: Ease off the accelerator and keep the steering wheel pointed straight

    Those symptoms mean the tires are riding on a film of water, and gently lifting off the accelerator lets them settle back onto the pavement. Hard braking or sudden steering while hydroplaning can start a skid.

  18. 18. What minimum score must a Kentucky applicant achieve to pass the written knowledge test?

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    Answer C: 80 percent

    The Kentucky Driver Manual states that applicants must make a minimum score of 80 percent to pass the written test, which is administered by the Kentucky State Police.

  19. 19. How can you tell a tire has reached its wear limit without measuring it?

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    Answer C: The wear bars across the grooves become level with the tread

    Molded bars sit at the bottom of the grooves. Once the surrounding tread has worn down to them, the tire has reached the end of its safe life.

  20. 20. Two drivers each have three drinks, one over three hours and one in half an hour. What is the difference?

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    Answer C: The fast drinker reaches a higher peak level

    The liver removes alcohol at a steady rate, so drinking faster than the body can clear it pushes the blood alcohol level much higher.

  21. 21. A blue motorist service sign showing a fuel symbol and an arrow means that

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    Answer D: fuel is available in the direction shown, and the sign imposes no obligation

    Service signs are informational: they tell the driver what is available and in which direction, but they create no requirement.

  22. 22. You are driving down a parking aisle and reach the main lane that runs along the front of the store. What is the usual rule?

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    Answer C: The main through lane has the right of way over the vehicles leaving the aisles

    In a parking lot the wide lane that runs across the ends of the aisles works like a through road, and drivers leaving an aisle yield to it.

  23. 23. A driver extends the left arm out the window and points it downward toward the road surface. What is being signaled?

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    Answer A: Slowing down or stopping

    The left arm extended downward is the standard hand signal for slowing or stopping.

  24. 24. Your vehicle leaves the road and enters deep water. What gives you the best chance of escape?

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    Answer B: Release your seat belt and get out through a window as quickly as possible

    Water pressure holds the doors shut, so a window is the reliable exit and the first seconds after entry are the best time to use it.

  25. 25. Traffic in a work zone is down to one lane in each direction, separated by a temporary double yellow line. May you pass?

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    Answer C: No, temporary markings prohibit passing just as permanent ones do

    A temporary marking has the same legal force as a permanent one, and a work zone is the last place with room to spare for an overtaking vehicle.

  26. 26. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to

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    Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location

    Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.

  27. 27. A student from another state attends a Kentucky university. What does Kentucky allow?

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    Answer C: Driving on home-state registration and insurance while carrying a Kentucky student identification card

    Kentucky lets students use their home-state registration and insurance so long as they keep a current student identification card from a Kentucky college, university or technical college.

  28. 28. You have just passed a vehicle on a two-lane road. When may you return to your lane?

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    Answer B: When you can see the whole vehicle in your inside mirror

    Seeing the entire vehicle you passed in your rearview mirror shows there is room to pull back in without cutting it off.

  29. 29. The electric windows will not work as your vehicle sinks in water. What is the best option?

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    Answer C: Break a side window with a hard, pointed object and climb out through it

    Side windows are tempered glass and can be broken, while the laminated windshield cannot, and water pressure holds the doors shut.

  30. 30. 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.

  31. 31. A yellow sign shows a truck on a slope with the legend 7 PERCENT GRADE. What should a driver of a heavy vehicle do?

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    Answer A: Select a lower gear before starting down

    The percentage shows how steep the descent is, and choosing a low gear at the top lets the engine hold the vehicle back instead of the brakes overheating.

  32. 32. Why is being thrown out of a vehicle in a crash so dangerous?

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    Answer C: Because you strike the road or other objects at high speed, and rarely survive

    Ejection is one of the deadliest outcomes of a crash, and a fastened belt is what keeps a person inside the vehicle.

  33. 33. What does it mean to cover the brake, and when should you do it?

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    Answer B: Hold your foot over the brake pedal without pressing it when a hazard seems likely

    Covering the brake cuts reaction time when you expect trouble, such as near children, parked cars or a vehicle that may pull out. Riding the brake wears it out and confuses drivers behind you.

  34. 34. The school bus stop ahead sign is installed where

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    Answer C: a school bus stop cannot be seen from far enough away by approaching drivers

    This school warning sign is used in advance of a bus stop that lacks adequate sight distance and cannot be relocated, so drivers are warned before the stopped bus comes into view.

  35. 35. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane

    A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.

  36. 36. You feel dizzy and get a headache while driving with the windows closed. What could be the cause and what should you do?

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    Answer D: An exhaust leak letting carbon monoxide into the cabin, so open the windows and stop to get fresh air

    Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, and headache, dizziness and drowsiness are early signs. Get fresh air at once and have the exhaust system inspected.

  37. 37. During the reversing part of a three-point turn, where should you be looking?

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    Answer C: Over your shoulder through the rear window, glancing both ways

    You look through the rear window in the direction the car is moving, checking both ways for traffic and people, because mirrors and cameras leave blind areas.

  38. 38. Where does the restriction that starts at this sign come to an end?

    A yellow sign shaped like a horizontal triangle pointing right, with black lettering
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    Answer D: Where the centerline markings show that overtaking is allowed again

    The sign marks the start of the restricted section, and the centerline markings along the road show how far it runs and where overtaking becomes lawful again.

  39. 39. How do stimulant drugs such as amphetamines or cocaine typically affect driving?

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    Answer D: They can make the driver overconfident and more willing to take risks

    Stimulants create a false sense of alertness and encourage aggressive, risky driving. When they wear off, sudden fatigue can follow.

  40. 40. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?

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    Answer C: Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway

    The acceleration lane exists so you can match the speed of freeway traffic before merging, and drivers already on the freeway have the right-of-way.