South Dakota DPS Permit Practice Test 14
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. A shared-use path crosses the road ahead at a marked crossing and people are already crossing on it. What should you do?
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Answer C: Yield and let them finish crossing the road
People already crossing at a marked crossing have the right of way, and a path crossing is a crossing of the roadway like any other.
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2. How many alcoholic drinks does it take to begin affecting driving ability?
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Answer C: Even one drink can affect it
A single drink can slow reactions and weaken judgment before you feel any change. Impairment starts long before a person feels drunk.
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3. Which facility does this sign direct a traveler toward?
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Answer B: A hospital offering emergency care
This is the standard marker for medical care, used to lead a traveler to a hospital where emergency treatment is available.
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4. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?
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Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right
A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.
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5. You see smoke coming from under the hood while driving. What should you do?
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Answer D: Signal, pull well off the road, shut off the engine and move everyone away from the vehicle
Stopping and shutting off the engine cuts the fuel supply to a possible fire, and distance protects you if it spreads. Raising the hood can feed the fire a rush of air.
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6. Another driver is behaving aggressively toward you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Avoid eye contact, give them room to go on their way and do not respond to provocation
Responding to an aggressive driver escalates the conflict, while creating distance and refusing to engage takes you out of the situation. Report serious threats once you can do so safely.
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7. May you park in front of a public or private driveway?
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Answer A: No, blocking a driveway is prohibited even for a short time
Parking in front of a driveway blocks the property owner from entering or leaving, and the prohibition does not depend on how long you stay.
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8. You approach a one-lane bridge and there is a yield sign facing your side of it. What does that mean?
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Answer B: Oncoming traffic crosses the bridge first and you wait at the approach
At a one-lane bridge the yield sign tells one direction to give way, so you wait clear of the bridge until oncoming traffic has crossed.
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9. A driver is following you far too closely and you have a turn coming up. How should you slow down for it?
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Answer B: Signal early and slow gradually well before the turn
Early signals and gentle braking give a tailgater the time and distance they have failed to leave for themselves.
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10. Under South Dakota's mobile device law, what is true about using a phone's navigation feature while driving?
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Answer C: Using the navigation feature itself is allowed, but manually entering an address or destination is not
The law exempts use of a navigation system's features, but manually entering information into it while driving remains prohibited.
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11. A driver who wants to reverse direction arrives at this sign. What is allowed?
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Answer C: Going on and reversing direction only where the maneuver is permitted
The restriction removes that maneuver at that spot entirely, so the driver has to continue and turn the vehicle around at a place where it is not prohibited.
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12. You are about to make a three-point turn on a narrow two-way street. What is the first step?
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Answer B: Pull close to the right edge, signal left and check traffic both ways
A three-point turn starts from a stop at the right edge with a left signal, and you only move once you have checked that both directions are clear.
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13. A driver is tailgating you. Why is it a bad idea to tap or stab the brakes to warn them?
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Answer C: Because it cuts the little space they have and can cause a crash
Brake checking removes the small margin the tailgater has left and can provoke a collision; add space in front of you instead and let them pass.
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14. You are passing a large truck on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What should you expect?
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Answer A: A push toward the truck, then a push the other way as you clear it
The truck shelters you as you go by and then releases you into the full gust, so the load on the steering changes twice during the pass.
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15. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?
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Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed
A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.
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16. A center lane is bordered by a solid yellow line on the outside and a broken yellow line on the inside, with left-turn arrows painted in it. How may you use that lane?
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Answer A: Only to make a left turn or to prepare for one from either direction
That marking identifies a two-way left turn lane, which may only be used for left turns or to prepare for a left turn and never for travel or passing.
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17. Without a listed exception, when may the holder of a South Dakota restricted minor's permit drive alone with parental permission?
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Answer A: Between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The restricted minor's permit allows unaccompanied driving from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. a parent or guardian must occupy the seat beside the holder.
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18. Beside an accessible parking space there is an area painted with diagonal stripes. What is it for?
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Answer C: It is an access aisle for wheelchairs and lifts, and no vehicle may park or stop in it
The striped access aisle gives the room a ramp or lift needs to deploy, so blocking it makes the adjacent accessible space unusable.
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19. The red brake warning light stays on after you release the parking brake. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop safely and have the brakes checked before driving on
With the parking brake released, that light points to low fluid or a fault in one half of the braking system, which can leave you with very little braking.
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20. 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.
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21. A dust storm is blowing across the highway ahead of you. What is the recommended response?
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Answer B: Leave the road if you can, park well clear and take your foot off the brake
Get well off the pavement, switch the lights off and keep your foot off the brake, so drivers still on the road do not follow your tail lights off the highway.
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22. You enter a work zone at night where one lane is closed and a flagger is on duty. What is the safest approach?
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Answer A: Slow early, merge before the closure and be ready to stop
Merging early at a reduced speed keeps the queue orderly and leaves you room to stop for equipment, workers or traffic that has halted ahead.
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23. A bike lane on your right is marked with a dashed line for the last stretch before the corner. What does that dashed section allow you to do?
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Answer D: Merge into the bike lane after checking, and turn right from there
The dashed section is where drivers are meant to merge into the bike lane before turning, which puts cyclists behind the vehicle instead of beside it.
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24. Permanent signs must be retroreflective or lighted so that
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Answer A: they show the same shape and color at night as by day
Retroreflective sheeting throws headlight light back to the driver, so a sign keeps its daytime shape and color after dark.
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25. Which of these South Dakota vehicles must take special precautions, such as those in the statute governing equipment like derricks and rollers, before crossing railroad tracks?
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Answer B: A crawler-type tractor or similar low-clearance, slow equipment
Equipment such as crawler tractors, steam shovels, derricks, and rollers must comply with special precautions before crossing railroad tracks because of their slow speed or low clearance.