Tennessee TDOSHS Permit Practice Test 35
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. What is the first thing to do once your disabled vehicle is stopped on the shoulder?
Show answer
Answer A: Switch on the hazard warning lights so other drivers can see the vehicle
Hazard lights are the fastest way to make a stopped vehicle visible, and everything else can follow once traffic has been warned.
-
2. A Tennessee 17 year old wants to move from the Intermediate Restricted License straight to the Intermediate Unrestricted License. What record condition must be met?
Show answer
Answer A: No more than 6 points on the driving record, or an extra 90 days on the restricted license
A 17 year old qualifies for the unrestricted stage with no more than 6 points, and if that limit is exceeded the teen must hold the restricted license for 90 additional days before trying again.
-
3. A highway lane is marked with a large white diamond and signed as a high-occupancy vehicle lane. Who may use it?
Show answer
Answer B: Only vehicles carrying at least the number of occupants shown on the sign, during the posted hours
The diamond marking identifies a preferential lane whose occupancy requirement and hours of operation are stated on the accompanying signs.
-
4. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?
Show answer
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.
-
5. Why does safety guidance say a child should ride in the back seat rather than in front of an active passenger airbag?
Show answer
Answer D: Because the airbag inflates with enough force to injure a small child badly
Airbags deploy at very high speed and are sized for adults, so a child seated close to one can be badly hurt by the bag itself, which is why the back seat is recommended for children.
-
6. Why are eating, drinking and personal grooming risky behind the wheel?
Show answer
Answer B: They occupy hands, eyes and attention that driving requires
Each of these tasks takes a hand off the controls and attention off the road, and a spill or a dropped item can pull the driver's eyes away entirely.
-
7. You park facing downhill on a one-way street where the curb is on your left. Which way do the front wheels go?
Show answer
Answer A: Left, toward the curb on that side
Standard practice follows the curb rather than the side of the road: facing downhill the wheels point into the curb so a rolling vehicle is stopped by it. States differ on whether this is legally required.
-
8. What should a driver do first after passing this sign?
Show answer
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.
-
9. What should you check on the hitch before towing a trailer?
Show answer
Answer B: That the coupler is locked and the safety chains are crossed underneath
The coupler must be latched and pinned, and the chains crossed under the tongue so they cradle it if the coupling lets go.
-
10. A sign with a brown background and a white legend guides road users to
Show answer
Answer B: parks, campgrounds and other recreational or cultural sites
Brown is reserved for recreational and cultural interest area signing, such as parks, historic sites and scenic areas.
-
11. What is the total state fee for an eight year Tennessee Class D operator license, combining the license fee and the application fee?
Show answer
Answer A: 28 dollars
Tennessee charges a 26 dollar license fee plus a 2 dollar application fee for a Class D license, for a total of 28 dollars covering eight years.
-
12. How much more energy must your brakes absorb if you double your speed?
Show answer
Answer D: About four times as much, since energy rises with the square of speed
Kinetic energy grows with the square of speed, so twice the speed means about four times the energy and a far longer braking distance.
-
13. Why must you never leave the engine running in a closed garage?
Show answer
Answer B: Because carbon monoxide builds up and can kill within minutes
Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, which has no smell or color and can reach fatal levels in an enclosed space very quickly.
-
14. You are the first driver on a road just after a storm. What should you plan for?
Show answer
Answer B: Branches, mud and other debris hidden around the next bend
Storm debris lands where nobody has cleared it yet, often just beyond a curve or a crest, so reduce speed and look much further ahead.
-
15. A white regulatory sign near a state line reads BUCKLE UP IT IS THE LAW. What is it doing?
Show answer
Answer A: Reminding occupants that belt use is required
The safety belt sign restates a law that already applies, and it is usually placed where drivers enter a state or a long rural stretch.
-
16. About how much alcohol can the body eliminate per hour?
Show answer
Answer A: About one standard drink
The liver removes alcohol at a nearly fixed rate of roughly one standard drink per hour. Drinking faster than that raises the blood alcohol level, and nothing speeds the process.
-
17. Why is smooth, early braking better than hard, late braking?
Show answer
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.
-
18. Is it safe to check your phone while stopped at a red light?
Show answer
Answer B: No, you may miss the signal change and hazards around you
Attention does not return instantly when the light changes, and emergency vehicles, pedestrians or a rear-end threat can appear while you are stopped. Stay focused on the road.
-
19. Which Tennessee Code Annotated section makes texting while driving illegal statewide?
Show answer
Answer A: TCA 55-8-199
Tennessee's texting and hands free driving prohibition is codified at TCA 55-8-199.
-
20. You are driving in the left lane at the posted speed limit and a line of vehicles has built up behind you. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Move into a lane on your right when it is safe and let the traffic behind go by
Most states require traffic moving slower than the flow to keep right and reserve the left lane for passing, so a driver holding up a line of vehicles should move right when it is safe rather than block the lane.
-
21. A sign showing a walking figure carries a plaque below it with an arrow slanting down to the right. What does the plaque add?
Show answer
Answer B: The crossing is at that very spot
A downward-slanting arrow plaque marks the crossing itself, whereas an AHEAD or distance plaque would place it further along the road.
-
22. You are driving on a rural road with no sidewalk. Where should you expect to meet pedestrians?
Show answer
Answer A: Walking toward you on your side of the road
Where there is no sidewalk, pedestrians are taught to walk facing traffic, so they appear on your side of the road coming toward you.
-
23. How does a full load of passengers and luggage affect your braking?
Show answer
Answer B: It lengthens the stopping distance, so you should brake earlier
More weight means more energy to get rid of, so a loaded vehicle takes longer to stop and needs earlier, gentler braking.
-
24. A steady green downward arrow is displayed above the lane you are in. What does it tell you?
Show answer
Answer A: You may drive in that lane
A green downward arrow means the lane beneath it is open for travel in your direction.
-
25. Heavy trucks have worn deep ruts into a highway lane and rain has filled them. What is the danger?
Show answer
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.
-
26. The vehicle you have borrowed is larger and heavier than your own. How should you drive it?
Show answer
Answer B: Allow more room for stopping and for turns until you are used to it
Extra weight and length mean longer stopping distances and wider turns, so give yourself more room until you are used to it.
-
27. You brake hard on a wet road and need to steer around a stalled car. How do antilock brakes help you do that?
Show answer
Answer B: They stop the wheels locking, so the tires can still turn the vehicle
Locked wheels slide and cannot change direction. By preventing lockup the system lets you brake at full force and steer at the same time.
-
28. Traffic is backed up just past the exit you want to use at a single-lane roundabout. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait at the yield line until you can pass through and exit
You must not enter a roundabout unless you can clear it, because stopping inside blocks every other entry.
-
29. A bus stopped at the corner hides the crosswalk you are about to turn across. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Turn slowly, ready to stop for anyone stepping out in front of it
People often step into the road from in front of a stopped bus, so approach the hidden crosswalk slowly and be ready to stop.
-
30. 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?
Show answer
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.