Illinois SOS Permit Practice Test 24
- Questions35
- Correct to pass28
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Which shape is used for the school advance warning sign and the school crossing sign?
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Answer B: An upward-pointing pentagon
The five-sided pentagon with its point up identifies school signing, so the outline alone tells a driver that children may be present.
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2. 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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3. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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4. On an undivided two-lane road you meet a school bus coming toward you with its red lights flashing and its stop arm out. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing
On an undivided road drivers in both directions must stop for a school bus loading or unloading, because children may cross in front of it.
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5. What is the main limit of stability and traction control systems?
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Answer B: They cannot create grip that the tires and the road do not have
These systems manage the grip that exists. If you enter a curve too fast for the surface, no amount of electronics will hold the vehicle on the road.
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6. What happens when alcohol is combined with another drug that also affects the nervous system?
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Answer B: Impairment is often far greater than either one alone would produce
Combined substances can multiply each other's effects, producing impairment well beyond what a driver would expect from either one taken separately.
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7. What does a marked crosswalk tell a driver approaching a corner?
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Answer D: Where pedestrians are expected to cross and must be given way
Crosswalk markings show pedestrians where to cross and warn drivers to yield to anyone using the crossing.
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8. How should a pregnant driver or passenger wear a seat belt?
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Answer A: Lap belt below the belly across the hips, shoulder belt across the chest
A properly worn belt protects both mother and baby. The lap portion goes low under the belly, snug across the hip bones, and the shoulder belt crosses between the breasts.
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9. You are driving on the through road of a T-intersection and want to turn left into the side road. Oncoming traffic is approaching on the through road. What must you do?
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Answer C: Yield to the oncoming traffic before you turn
The vehicle waiting in the stem of the T yields to both of you, but you still owe the right of way to oncoming through traffic before turning across it.
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10. Why is a shoulder check especially important on a road with motorcycles and bicycles?
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Answer D: A narrow vehicle can disappear completely in the blind spot
A motorcycle or a bicycle is small enough to be hidden entirely by a door pillar or by the blind spot the mirrors do not cover.
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11. You have printed directions or paperwork you need to check. When should you read them?
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Answer C: Before you leave, or after you park
Reading takes eyes and mind off the road for far longer than any safe glance, and a light that changes while you read leaves you moving off blind.
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12. A school sign paired with a plaque showing a diagonal downward-pointing arrow is installed
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Answer D: at the school crossing itself, or as close to it as possible
The diagonal downward arrow points at the crossing, so this assembly is placed at the crossing location rather than in advance of it.
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13. Why is hard braking the wrong response to a tire blowout at speed?
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Answer C: Because it can pull the vehicle further out of line and start it spinning
With one tire gone the braking forces are uneven, so heavy braking increases the pull to one side and can spin the vehicle.
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14. Where is this sign normally installed?
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Answer A: At an island or other obstruction in the roadway, to show which side traffic must take
It is placed at a divider, island or fixed obstruction so that drivers approaching it know without hesitating which side to pass on.
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15. A yellow diamond shows an arrow that doubles back on itself. What kind of curve lies ahead?
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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.
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16. Which surfaces usually offer less grip than the pavement around them when wet?
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Answer B: Painted markings, metal plates and bridge decks
Paint, steel and bridge decks all shed grip when wet or cold, so brake before you reach them rather than on top of them.
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17. Should you drive with your hazard lights flashing while moving in fog?
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Answer A: No, they hide your turn signals and suggest you are stopped
Hazard lights on a moving vehicle tell other drivers you are stopped or disabled, and they cancel out your turn signals just when clarity matters most.
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18. You are approaching a yield sign and no other vehicle is anywhere in sight. What does the sign require?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, but stop only if needed
A yield sign requires you to slow and give way, and to stop only when traffic or pedestrians make stopping necessary.
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19. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?
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Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over
Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.
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20. You are on a city street with two lanes in your direction, cars parked along the curb and driveways every few yards. Which lane is usually safer?
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Answer B: The lane farther from the curb, away from opening doors and vehicles pulling out
Most of the hazards on such a street come from the curb side, so the inside lane gives you more space and more time to react.
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21. You have brought the vehicle under control after a blowout. What should you do next?
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Answer A: Signal and coast well off the road before stopping
Let the speed fall, signal, and leave the roadway as far from traffic as you can before you stop. Driving on a failed tire ruins the wheel and risks control.
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22. Is dictating a message by voice a safe alternative to typing one?
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Answer C: No, it still takes attention from driving
Composing and checking a spoken message loads the mind and usually pulls the eyes to the screen anyway, so research finds it no safer than other phone use.
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23. The trapezoid sign shape is associated with
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Answer C: recreational and cultural interest area signing
The trapezoid is used for recreational and cultural interest area guide signs and for national forest route markers.
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24. Does an Illinois driver's duty to yield and slow down under Scott's Law apply only to emergency vehicles that are stopped, or also to ones that are still moving?
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Answer C: It applies whether the covered vehicle is stationary or still moving with its lights activated
Illinois law requires drivers to yield to a covered vehicle displaying flashing lights whether it is stationary or not, not only when it has come to a stop.
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25. A streetcar is coming along tracks in the middle of the street as you wait to turn across them. What should you do?
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Answer A: Let the streetcar pass before you cross the tracks
Rail vehicles cannot steer around you and need a long distance to stop, so drivers yield to a streetcar or light rail train.
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26. How many hours of supervised practice driving does Illinois require of a driver under 18?
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Answer B: 50 hours, including at least 10 hours at night
Illinois law requires at least 50 hours of behind-the-wheel supervised practice, including 10 hours at night, in addition to the driver education course.
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27. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead
A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.
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28. A truck passes you in heavy rain and its spray blanks out your windshield. What should you do?
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Answer B: Hold the wheel steady, ease off slightly and let the wipers clear it
The blackout lasts a second or two. Keeping your line and easing off is far safer than braking hard or steering blind toward the shoulder.
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29. You pass into a work zone with a reduced speed limit but you see no workers. What speed applies?
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Answer D: The posted work zone limit, whether or not workers are present
A posted work zone speed limit is a regulatory limit in force at all times, and narrow lanes and uneven surfaces remain dangerous when nobody is working.
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30. Is it acceptable to watch a video on a screen positioned where you can see it while driving?
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Answer B: No, the screen pulls your eyes and attention away from the road
Moving pictures are among the strongest visual distractions. Video screens must be out of the driver's view while the vehicle is moving.
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31. You are parked legally, but a police officer tells you to move the vehicle. What should you do?
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Answer B: Move it as directed, because an officer overrides the signs
Directions from a police officer or a firefighter take precedence over signs and markings, whether they are directing traffic or clearing a street.
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32. Regarding a mailed auto insurance cancellation or nonrenewal notice in Illinois, what must the insurance company be able to prove?
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Answer A: That it mailed the notice, though not that the policyholder actually received it
Illinois requires an insurer to keep proof that it mailed a cancellation or nonrenewal notice, but it does not have to prove the policyholder actually received it.
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33. A yellow lamp flashes above a warning sign at a sharp curve. What does it ask of a driver?
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Answer D: Slow down and pass the point with extra care
A warning beacon draws attention to the sign it is mounted with, and the message of the sign is what the driver must act on.
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34. When is it appropriate to use cruise control?
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Answer B: On a dry, open highway with light traffic
Cruise control suits steady conditions where you rarely need to change speed. It is a poor choice in traffic, on curves, on slippery roads or when drowsy, because it removes you from the speed decision.
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35. A child has outgrown the rear-facing seat. What comes next?
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Answer D: A forward-facing seat with a harness, used up to its own stated limits
The stages run rear facing, then forward facing with a harness, then a booster, then the adult belt alone.