South Dakota DPS Permit Practice Test 33
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. You are stopped in slow traffic and a motorcycle comes up between the lanes. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hold your position and avoid any sudden lane change
The danger to a rider between lanes comes from a vehicle moving sideways without warning, so staying predictable is what protects them.
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2. Why should the shoulder belt never be worn under the arm or behind the back?
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Answer C: In a crash it could not hold your upper body and could cause severe injury
The shoulder belt restrains your chest and head. Placed under the arm it concentrates crash force on the ribs and organs; behind the back it does nothing at all.
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3. Your vehicle has daytime running lights. Why should you still switch on the headlights at dusk?
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Answer B: Daytime running lights usually do not light the tail lights, so you are hard to see from behind
On many vehicles the daytime running lights illuminate only the front. Without the headlight switch on, the rear of the vehicle stays dark and the dash may still look lit.
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4. Which action becomes clearly more risky beyond this sign?
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Answer A: Using the left side of the roadway to overtake
With vehicles coming the other way on the same pavement, overtaking on the left needs enough clear road to pull out, pass and return, which is often not available.
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5. You are parking on a one-way street where parking is allowed on both sides. What must still be true?
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Answer D: The vehicle must face the direction the traffic flows
Either curb may be used on a one-way street where signs allow it, but the vehicle must always be headed in the direction traffic moves.
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6. Where is a road work ahead sign placed?
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Answer B: In advance of the work space or detour, so drivers are warned before reaching it
Advance warning signs are placed upstream of the work space or detour so that drivers have time to slow down and change lanes before reaching the activity.
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7. You are calling 911 to report a crash. Which information matters most?
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Answer C: The exact location, how many people are hurt and any hazard such as fire
Dispatchers need to know where to send help, how much help to send, and what dangers the crews will meet on arrival.
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8. Where should your hands normally rest on the steering wheel?
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Answer C: On opposite sides of the wheel, near the 9 and 3 positions
Hands placed opposite each other near the middle of the wheel give smooth, balanced control and keep the arms clear of a deploying air bag.
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9. Why does this warning matter more on a motorcycle than in a car?
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Answer B: Because a sudden jolt can unsettle a two-wheeled machine and the rider can lose control
A jolt can push a motorcycle off line or lift a wheel, so a rider slows early, comes slightly off the seat and keeps a relaxed but firm hold on the handlebars.
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10. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path
A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.
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11. A pedestrian is waiting to cross ahead of you and you have slowed down. What helps most?
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Answer D: Making eye contact, so that you both know you have seen each other
Eye contact confirms that you have seen each other; waving someone across can send them into the path of another vehicle.
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12. Where is passing prohibited even when no line is visible?
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Answer D: On a curve or near the crest of a hill, at intersections and at railroad crossings
Passing is prohibited wherever your view of oncoming traffic is blocked or where vehicles may cross your path, which includes hills, curves, intersections and rail crossings.
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13. Under South Dakota law, what is a driver NOT part of a funeral procession prohibited from doing?
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Answer A: Driving between the vehicles of a moving funeral procession
A driver not part of the procession may not drive between its vehicles while they are in motion, join the procession to gain right-of-way, or pass it on a two-lane road.
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14. You have a green light at a school crossing, but the crossing guard steps out and holds up a stop sign toward you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop, because the crossing guard controls this crossing and outranks the signal
Directions from a crossing guard or a police officer take priority over signals and signs.
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15. Do hazard lights make it legal to leave your vehicle in a no parking zone?
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Answer A: No, they warn other drivers but do not permit the parking
Hazard lights are a warning device, not a permit; the parking restriction applies whether they are flashing or not.
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16. A driver's destination lies along the street to the right, and this sign stands at that corner. How should the driver reach it?
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Answer D: By going on and using a later intersection where turning is allowed
When a movement is barred at one corner the driver has to reroute, normally by continuing and coming back to the destination from a permitted approach.
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17. A wide solid white line separates the through lanes from an exit lane. What does it tell drivers?
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Answer B: The choice of lane should already have been made
A channelizing line marks where the paths separate and crossing it is discouraged or prohibited, so the lane change has to happen upstream.
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18. The vehicle ahead of you has pulled out to pass a truck. May you follow it out and pass as well?
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Answer B: No, wait until it is done and judge the road for yourself
You cannot see past the vehicle ahead of you, and if it has to abort the pass there is nowhere for either of you to go.
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19. How can you tell that a child safety seat is installed tightly enough?
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Answer C: It moves less than an inch side to side or front to back at the belt path
A correctly installed seat is nearly immovable where the belt or lower anchors pass through it. Excess movement lets the child's body travel farther in a crash.
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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?
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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.
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21. You see an open curb space on the opposite side of a two-way street. What should you do?
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Answer B: Drive on, turn around, and come back on that side
You must park on the right, facing the direction of travel, so reaching a space on the other side means going around rather than crossing into it.
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22. Why should cruise control be switched off on wet, snowy or icy roads?
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Answer B: It may keep feeding power to a wheel that has started to slip, and cancelling it costs you time
Cruise control holds a set speed regardless of grip, so it can add power just as a tire loses traction, and the extra step of cancelling it delays your response.
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23. Where in the United States may a motorcycle ride between lanes of traffic?
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Answer C: Only where a state has specifically authorized it
Riding between lanes is prohibited in most states and permitted only where a state law expressly allows it, so a rider must know the rule for the state being ridden in.
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24. The lane you are in has a right-turn-only arrow painted on the pavement. What must you do?
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Answer C: Turn right, because a lane-use arrow is a legal requirement
Lane-use arrows painted on the pavement are regulatory markings, so a driver in that lane must travel in the direction shown.
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25. You see a shield for a three-digit Interstate whose first digit is even. What does that tell you about the route?
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Answer C: It loops around a city and rejoins its parent route
A three-digit Interstate beginning with an even digit is a loop or beltway that connects back to the main route at both ends, while an odd first digit marks a spur.