South Dakota DPS Permit Practice Test 2
Test 2 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 20 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real South Dakota test.
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. 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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2. What must a South Dakota minor satisfy before an operator's license may be issued?
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Answer A: Be at least 16 and have held a restricted minor's permit for at least six months with no traffic conviction in the previous six months
An operator's license may be issued at 16 to a minor who has held the restricted minor's permit for at least six months and has no traffic conviction in the six months before applying.
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3. You reach a T intersection where the cross street has a ONE WAY sign pointing to the right. What may you do?
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Answer B: Turn right only, because the street carries traffic in that direction
The arrow shows the only direction traffic may travel, so the only legal movement from the terminating road is a right turn.
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4. You pull onto a soft grass verge to park. What is the main risk?
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Answer A: The wheels can sink and the car can slide toward the ditch
Soft ground gives way under the weight of a vehicle, and a car that settles or slides sideways can end up stuck or in the ditch.
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5. A sign reads END SCHOOL ZONE. What does it tell a driver?
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Answer A: The regular limit for that road applies again
An end of restriction sign marks the downstream limit of a special zone, after which the ordinary speed limit for that road governs again.
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6. The center line beside your lane is solid yellow while the opposite side has a broken yellow line. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, but traffic in the other direction may
A solid yellow line on your side of the center marks a no-passing zone for your direction only, while the broken line grants the opposing direction a passing zone.
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7. Fresh snow covers the road and earlier vehicles have left clear tracks. What line is usually best?
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Answer B: The existing tracks, where more of the tire can reach the surface
Running in the cleared tracks puts more rubber on the road surface than ploughing through loose snow, provided the tracks have not turned to polished ice.
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8. South Dakota requires new motor vehicles sold in the state to have directional turn signals. Which vehicles are excepted from this equipment requirement?
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Answer D: Motorcycles, farm tractors, and certain towed agricultural chemical trailers
The turn signal requirement excepts motorcycles, farm tractors, and vehicles primarily used to distribute agricultural fertilizer or chemicals when towed.
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9. What is the minimum fine set by South Dakota law for violating the requirement to slow down or move over for a stopped vehicle using warning lights?
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Answer A: $270
The statute sets a minimum fine of $270 for a violation of the slow-down-or-move-over requirement.
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10. Absent a different posted or statutory limit, what is the default maximum speed South Dakota law sets for driving on a street or highway?
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Answer D: 65 miles per hour
State law sets a default maximum of 65 miles per hour on streets and highways unless a different limit is posted or set under another statute, such as the 80 mph interstate limit.
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11. During what period does South Dakota law generally require a vehicle's lamps to be lighted?
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Answer D: From sunset to sunrise, or any other time visibility is under 200 feet
Lamps must be lit from sunset to sunrise, and also at any other time when a person on the highway cannot be clearly seen from 200 feet away.
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12. At what blood alcohol concentration is a driver of legal drinking age in South Dakota driving illegally?
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Answer B: 0.08 percent or more
South Dakota law prohibits driving with 0.08 percent or more alcohol by weight in the blood as shown by chemical analysis.
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13. How long does a new South Dakota resident have to register a vehicle brought in from another state?
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Answer C: 90 days
The state gives 90 days to register a vehicle brought in from another state with the county treasurer where the owner lives.
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14. Which ability does alcohol usually affect first?
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Answer A: Judgment and self control
Alcohol reduces judgment and inhibition before a drinker notices any clumsiness, which is why an impaired driver often feels perfectly capable while already driving worse.
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15. 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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16. South Dakota exempts operating a farm tractor between farm buildings and nearby farmland from the driver license requirement. When does this exemption NOT protect a person whose license is suspended or revoked?
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Answer D: The exemption does not apply when the person operates the tractor within a municipality
A person whose license is suspended or revoked cannot rely on the farm-tractor exemption to operate within a municipality.
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17. When a railroad crossing signal gives a warning, within what distance must a South Dakota driver stop, according to state law?
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Answer A: Within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail
State law requires stopping within 50 feet but not closer than 15 feet from the nearest rail when a crossing signal gives warning.
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18. Under South Dakota's financial responsibility law, how can a vehicle owner whose license was suspended for a conviction avoid also having their vehicle registration suspended?
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Answer A: By already having given, and continuing to maintain, proof of financial responsibility on all their registered vehicles
If the owner has already given and continues to maintain proof of financial responsibility for all vehicles registered in their name, the registration itself is not suspended.
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19. You are descending a long steep grade with a loaded truck close behind you. What should you do?
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Answer A: Hold a steady speed and let it pass when it can
Gravity pushes a loaded truck downhill and it cannot slow quickly, so give it a predictable speed and room to get by rather than braking in front of it.
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20. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
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Answer B: Stay back and give it room until it leaves the roundabout
Long vehicles need extra width to get around the central island, so drivers behind must hold back rather than share the space beside them.
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21. The divided highway ends warning sign means that
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Answer D: the median separating the directions ends and the road returns to two-way operation
Beyond this sign opposing traffic is no longer separated by a median, so the driver must keep right and expect vehicles approaching in the adjacent lane.
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22. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?
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Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer
Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.
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23. You have stopped at a stop line but parked cars hide the cross street. What comes next?
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Answer C: Edge forward to where you can see, stopping again if needed
The legal stop at the line is only the first stop; you then move up slowly to a point where you can see, and stop again if traffic requires it.
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24. A white diamond symbol is painted in a highway lane. What does it identify?
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Answer C: A lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles
The diamond symbol marks a preferential lane, most often one reserved for vehicles carrying a minimum number of occupants.
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25. When a South Dakota driver's license is suspended or revoked because of a conviction or bail forfeiture, what else can happen under the financial responsibility law?
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Answer D: The registration of every vehicle registered in that person's name can also be suspended
The Department of Revenue may suspend the registration of every vehicle registered to that person as owner, not just the one involved in the triggering incident.