South Dakota DPS Permit Practice Test 28
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
-
1. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?
Show answer
Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly
Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.
-
2. A loaded truck is coming up an entrance ramp as you approach in the right lane of the freeway. What is the most helpful action?
Show answer
Answer A: Adjust your speed to open a gap for it
A heavy vehicle accelerates slowly, so opening a gap or moving over costs you seconds and saves the truck driver from being forced to stop on the ramp.
-
3. 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?
Show answer
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.
-
4. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above the lane you are traveling in. What does it require?
Show answer
Answer D: Leave that lane, because it is closed to you
A steady red X means road users are not permitted to use the lane beneath it, so you must move into a lane that is open.
-
5. You correct a rear wheel skid and the back of the vehicle swings the other way. Why?
Show answer
Answer D: You steered too far, so be ready to correct back the other way
Over correcting sends the tail past straight and starts a second skid the opposite way. Steer smoothly and be ready to unwind the correction.
-
6. You realize your tires are running on ice. Which set of inputs is safest?
Show answer
Answer C: Gentle steering, no sudden braking, and no sudden acceleration
Whatever grip is left is used up at once by any sudden input, so every movement of wheel, brake and accelerator must be slow and small.
-
7. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?
Show answer
Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot
Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.
-
8. You are leaving a freeway on an exit ramp posted with an advisory speed of 25 mph. Where should you slow to that speed?
Show answer
Answer A: In the deceleration lane, before you reach the curve of the ramp
Slowing belongs in the deceleration lane so you arrive at the curve already at the advisory speed and do not hold up traffic still in the through lanes.
-
9. You are turning left from a two-way street onto another two-way street. Where should you begin and end the turn?
Show answer
Answer B: Begin in the lane just right of the center line and finish just right of the center line of the new street
You approach a left turn from the lane closest to the center line and enter the new roadway just to the right of its center line, which keeps you clear of oncoming traffic.
-
10. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
Show answer
Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
-
11. You are overtaking in a short passing lane on a two-lane road and it is about to end. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Finish the pass and move back to the right before it ends
The added lane ends and the traffic returns to a single lane in each direction, so the pass has to be complete before the pavement runs out.
-
12. What makes a left turn protected rather than permissive?
Show answer
Answer B: Oncoming traffic is held by a red signal while you have a green arrow
A protected turn is one where the conflicting movements are stopped by their own signal, which is what the green arrow indicates.
-
13. Your right wheels drop off the edge of the pavement onto a soft shoulder. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel straight and steer back gently once you have slowed
Yanking the wheel while the tires are pressed against a pavement lip can throw the vehicle across the road, so slow down first and then make a gentle correction.
-
14. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?
Show answer
Answer B: A right turn
The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.
-
15. A yellow diamond shows an arrow that doubles back on itself. What kind of curve lies ahead?
Show answer
Answer C: A turn of 135 degrees or more, nearly doubling back
The hairpin curve sign is used where the road changes direction by 135 degrees or more, and it is normally backed up by chevrons or a large arrow through the bend.
-
16. You are waiting to turn left across two oncoming lanes when a driver in the near lane stops and waves you through. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Turn only after checking the far lane yourself
The waving driver cannot give away the right of way of the traffic in the second lane, which may not be stopping at all.
-
17. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
Show answer
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.
-
18. You are already inside a roundabout when an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Continue to your exit, leave the roundabout, then pull over and stop
Stopping inside a roundabout blocks the circulating roadway, so you should exit first and then pull over clear of the intersection.
-
19. What injury does a correctly set head restraint help prevent?
Show answer
Answer A: A neck injury of the kind caused when your vehicle is struck from behind
In a rear impact the body is pushed forward and the head restraint stops the head from whipping backward.
-
20. Why does a long downhill grade lengthen the distance you need to stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Because gravity keeps pulling the vehicle forward as you brake
On a downgrade gravity works with the vehicle and against the brakes, so the same speed needs noticeably more distance than it would on level ground.
-
21. How does South Dakota law classify a third DUI conviction?
Show answer
Answer A: A Class 6 felony
A third DUI conviction is elevated to a Class 6 felony under state law, unlike the misdemeanor classification of a first or second offense.
-
22. You reach the end of the acceleration lane and there is still no gap in the traffic. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Slow down and merge behind the traffic rather than forcing your way in
Merging behind the traffic costs you only a little speed, while forcing into a space that is not there puts you alongside a vehicle with nowhere to go.
-
23. You have a steady green ball to turn left, and the oncoming traffic gets a green left arrow. What does that mean for you?
Show answer
Answer C: Oncoming vehicles will turn across your path, so you must wait
A green ball is permissive, so when the oncoming side receives a protected arrow those vehicles have priority and you must yield until they clear.
-
24. A South Dakota minor who has not completed an approved driver education course must hold an instruction permit for how long before applying for a restricted minor's permit?
Show answer
Answer C: 275 days
For permits issued after July 1, 2020 the holding period is 275 days, which drops to 180 continuous days when an approved driver education course is completed.
-
25. Who has the authority to set the maximum speed for heavy vehicles, such as those over 10,000 pounds gross weight, on South Dakota highways?
Show answer
Answer C: The Transportation Commission, through adopted rules
State law directs the Transportation Commission to adopt rules setting the maximum speed for heavy vehicles rather than fixing a single number in the statute itself.