Mississippi DPS Permit Practice Test 43

  • Questions30
  • Correct to pass24
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

30 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 24 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. What should a driver do first after passing this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lanes merging into one around a central island
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    Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and stay there

    Traffic returns to two-way operation, so the driver keeps to the right of the centerline and stops treating the left side as available.

  2. 2. This sign is still standing late at night, and nobody is working. What should the driver assume?

    An orange diamond with black lettering
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    Answer B: The layout may still be altered, so the same care and reduced speed apply

    Narrowed lanes, shifted alignments, dropped pavement edges and parked equipment remain overnight, so the hazard does not end when the crew goes home.

  3. 3. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?

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    Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care

    The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.

  4. 4. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?

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    Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact

    Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.

  5. 5. You are about to descend a long steep grade. How should you control your speed?

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    Answer D: Select a lower gear before starting down and use the brakes in firm, brief applications

    Engine braking in a lower gear carries most of the load down the grade, while continuous brake pressure overheats the brakes and reduces their effectiveness.

  6. 6. A Mississippi driver with an earlier DUI conviction refuses chemical testing again. How long is the Class R license suspended?

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    Answer C: One year

    A refusal by a driver previously convicted or non-adjudicated under Section 63-11-30 brings a one-year suspension instead of the usual ninety days.

  7. 7. What is the maximum speed for any vehicle in a Mississippi school zone?

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    Answer B: 15 mph

    Mississippi caps school zone speed for any vehicle at 15 mph, which is lower than the school zone limit used by many other states.

  8. 8. Mississippi's squatted vehicle law bans driving a passenger vehicle whose front fender has been raised how far above the rear fender?

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    Answer C: Four inches or more

    It is unlawful in Mississippi to drive a passenger vehicle altered so that the front fender sits four or more inches higher than the rear fender.

  9. 9. You are approaching the crest of a hill and cannot see the road beyond it. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down and keep well to the right

    Beyond a blind crest there may be a stopped vehicle, a cyclist or an oncoming driver crossing the center line, so reduce speed and hold your own side.

  10. 10. Why is smooth, early braking better than hard, late braking?

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    Answer D: It keeps you in control and gives the driver behind more warning

    Braking early and gently keeps the tires well within their grip and gives following drivers time to react to your brake lights.

  11. 11. A steady green downward arrow is displayed above the lane you are in. What does it tell you?

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    Answer A: You may drive in that lane

    A green downward arrow means the lane beneath it is open for travel in your direction.

  12. 12. 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.

  13. 13. What does this sign require of the driver?

    A yellow diamond showing a traffic signal with three stacked lights
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    Answer D: Reducing speed and being ready to stop at the intersection ahead

    The advance notice asks the driver to slow and be ready to stop, while whether a stop is actually needed depends on the indication displayed on arrival.

  14. 14. 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.

  15. 15. Where must a Mississippi driver stop when a crossing gate is lowered or a signal is flashing at a railroad crossing?

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    Answer D: Within fifty to ten feet of the outer rail of the crossing

    Mississippi requires every driver to stop within fifty to ten feet of the outer rail whenever a gate is down, a signal is flashing, a stop sign is posted, a flag person signals or a train is approaching.

  16. 16. You have to leave a trailer parked on a slope. What extra step protects it?

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    Answer D: Chock the trailer wheels as well as setting the brake

    Chocks physically block the wheels, which is the only thing that still holds if a brake or a coupling lets go.

  17. 17. Is it acceptable to drive with your vehicle straddling the line between two lanes?

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    Answer D: No, you must drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane

    A vehicle astride the line takes up two lanes and leaves the drivers around it unable to predict where it will go.

  18. 18. When should you enter a destination into a navigation device?

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    Answer B: Before you start driving, or after parking in a safe place

    Programming a route is a visual, manual and mental task at the same time, so it belongs to the moments before the vehicle moves rather than to any point in traffic.

  19. 19. How often should you check your mirrors while driving?

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    Answer C: Every few seconds, so you always know what is around you

    Traffic behind and beside you changes constantly. Frequent, brief mirror checks keep a picture of your surroundings current so nothing surprises you.

  20. 20. Traffic has built up behind you while you wait for a gap to turn left. How should that affect your decision?

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    Answer C: It should not change it; wait for a gap that is genuinely safe

    Pressure from behind does not make a small gap bigger, and rushing a left turn across traffic is a common cause of serious crashes.

  21. 21. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?

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    Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path

    When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.

  22. 22. You will leave your vehicle for several hours after dark. Where is the best place to park it?

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    Answer D: In a well-lit spot with people and cameras nearby

    Light, passing people and cameras all discourage theft and make your own return to the vehicle safer.

  23. 23. What is the proper use of the horn?

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    Answer C: To give a brief warning when another road user may not have seen you

    The horn is a warning device meant to alert someone to your presence when a collision is possible, and using it in anger tends to escalate conflict rather than prevent crashes.

  24. 24. A wasp flies in through the open window while you are driving. What is the safest reaction?

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    Answer B: Stay calm, slow down and stop somewhere safe

    Far more crashes come from the driver's reaction to an insect than from the insect, so keep your eyes forward, slow down and deal with it stopped.

  25. 25. At a freeway exit ramp, this sign normally backs up which other regulatory sign posted nearer to the ramp terminal?

    A red rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer D: The sign that forbids entering that roadway at all

    The two work as a pair at ramp terminals: one keeps drivers from turning in, and this one sits farther along to catch a driver who has already entered.

  26. 26. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?

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    Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane

    A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.

  27. 27. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back

    A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.

  28. 28. You are about to pass a long tractor-trailer on a two-lane road. What should you expect?

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    Answer B: You will need more clear road, since the vehicle is much longer

    A tractor-trailer can be 70 feet long, so passing it takes more distance and more time than passing a car at the same speed difference.

  29. 29. Heavy trucks have worn deep ruts into a highway lane and rain has filled them. What is the danger?

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    Answer D: Water collects in them, so the tires can lose contact with the road

    Ruts hold standing water long after the rest of the lane has drained, which makes them the most likely place to start hydroplaning.

  30. 30. You are already inside an intersection when you realize you should be in the lane beside you. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stay in your lane through the intersection and change lanes afterwards

    Drivers in an intersection are watching for cross traffic and turning vehicles, so an unexpected sideways move there is easily missed.