Illinois SOS Permit Practice Test 37
- Questions35
- Correct to pass28
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A trailer that sways badly at speed is often loaded the wrong way. What is the usual fault?
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Answer A: Too much of the load sits behind the trailer axle
Weight behind the axle lightens the hitch and lets the trailer wag the vehicle. Most of the load should sit ahead of the axle to keep weight on the hitch.
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2. When may a driver of a motor vehicle use a marked bicycle lane?
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Answer C: Only to cross it when turning or entering the road where the markings allow
A bike lane is a lane for cyclists. Motor vehicles may only cross it to enter or leave the road or to make a turn where the markings permit.
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3. What is the usual result of driving well above the flow of traffic on a typical trip?
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Answer B: Very little time saved, with much greater risk
Signals, traffic and short distances swallow the theoretical gain, while crash risk and crash severity both climb sharply with speed.
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4. Two left-turn lanes are marked at the intersection and you are in the left one. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stay in your own lane all the way around the turn
With dual turn lanes each driver must hold a lane through the whole turn and come out in the matching lane of the new street.
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5. A driver behind you on a two-lane road clearly wants to pass. Why should you not wave that driver past?
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Answer B: You cannot see the whole road ahead for them and they may rely on your signal
Waving another driver out invites them to trust your judgment of a road you cannot see well enough, and the decision to pass belongs to the driver making it.
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6. Rain is falling and the outside temperature reads close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is that dangerous?
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Answer A: The rain can freeze on contact and glaze the road with ice
Near freezing, rain landing on cold pavement can turn to a glaze of ice almost at once, so a road that looks merely wet may have no grip at all.
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7. Under Illinois' Scott's Law, how is a violation classified if it causes bodily injury to another person?
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Answer D: A Class 4 felony
A Scott's Law violation that causes bodily injury is elevated to a Class 4 felony in Illinois, a more serious classification than one causing only property damage.
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8. You are backing out of a space in a parking lot. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: Traffic already moving in the lane, and pedestrians walking behind you
A driver backing out must yield to vehicles and pedestrians already using the lane, because backing is the movement with the poorest view.
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9. You are traveling beside a solid white lane line. What does it tell you?
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Answer B: Crossing it is discouraged or prohibited, so stay in your lane
A solid white line separates lanes going the same direction where lane changing is discouraged or prohibited, such as where a through lane meets a mandatory turn lane.
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10. Your right wheels drop off the edge of the pavement onto a soft shoulder. What should you do?
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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.
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11. Does using a hands free device remove the risk of distraction?
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Answer A: No, the conversation still takes attention away from driving
Hands free equipment removes the manual part of the distraction but not the mental part, and a driver deep in conversation can look straight at a hazard without registering it.
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12. What does a posted speed limit sign represent?
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Answer B: The maximum speed permitted under ideal conditions
A speed limit is an upper limit that assumes good weather, good visibility and light traffic, so the safe speed is often lower than the posted figure.
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13. An oncoming driver flashes their headlights while you are waiting to turn left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Judge the situation yourself, since the flash may mean something else
A flash is not a legal signal and may mean many things, so the decision to turn stays yours and must be based on what you can see.
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14. How do you avoid the sharp nod at the end of a stop?
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Answer A: Ease the pedal pressure off slightly just before the vehicle stops
The nod comes from the suspension unloading at the instant the wheels stop. Releasing a little pressure at the end lets the vehicle settle smoothly.
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15. You are on a one-way street with two marked lanes. May you pass a slower vehicle on the right?
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Answer A: Yes, using the right lane, provided that the move is safe and signaled
On a roadway with two or more marked lanes in your direction, moving into the free lane and going by is a normal lane change rather than an unlawful pass.
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16. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?
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Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside
High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.
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17. A deer suddenly steps onto the road ahead of you at night. What is the safest response?
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Answer C: Brake firmly and stay in your lane rather than swerving
Swerving at speed often leads to a rollover or a head-on crash that is far worse than hitting the animal. Brake hard, hold your lane and expect more deer to follow.
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18. Which of these is true of the roadway a driver is being sent onto here?
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Answer D: Its own signs, signals and speed limits govern for the whole way around
The alternate route is an ordinary public road, so every control posted on it governs as usual; being sent that way grants no extra priority and no relief from the limits in force there.
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19. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did
A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.
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20. When should you adjust your seat, mirrors and steering wheel?
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Answer B: Before you start moving
Adjusting the driving position while moving takes your attention and often your hands away from driving. Make every adjustment while parked, every time.
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21. A flashing red lamp is mounted above a stop sign at a rural intersection. What does it add?
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Answer C: Emphasis, while the required stop stays the same
A stop beacon makes an easily missed stop sign more visible, but it neither adds to nor takes away from the obligation the sign already imposes.
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22. You are in a passing zone that continues over the crest of a hill ahead. May you start a pass?
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Answer B: Only if you can finish it well before the crest
Beyond the crest you cannot see oncoming traffic, so any part of the pass that happens there is being made blind.
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23. Your vehicle breaks down on a busy highway. What is the safest course of action?
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Answer D: Get it as far off the roadway as possible, switch on the hazard lights and keep clear of the traffic lanes
A vehicle left in or beside a travel lane is a hazard, so move it well off the road, make it conspicuous with hazard lights and keep yourself away from passing traffic.
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24. You have stopped on an uphill grade close behind a large truck at a traffic signal. What is the risk?
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Answer B: The truck may roll back into you when it starts to move
Heavy vehicles can roll backward a short distance when the driver moves from the brake to the accelerator on a hill. Leave extra room when stopped behind a truck on a grade.
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25. A large X with the letters R and R beside it is painted across your lane. What does it mean?
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Answer A: A railroad crossing lies a short distance ahead
The pavement marking repeats the advance warning for a grade crossing, and it is used on paved approaches where speeds are high or where gates are installed.
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26. Besides school signing, which warning signs may also use a fluorescent yellow-green background?
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Answer C: Pedestrian and bicycle warning signs
Pedestrian crossing, bicycle and playground warning signs may use either the standard yellow or the fluorescent yellow-green background, which draws extra attention where people outside vehicles are present.
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27. A white arrow painted in your lane points only to the right, and a sign above the lane shows the same movement. What must you do?
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Answer C: Turn right from that lane
Pavement arrows used with lane-use signs are regulatory, so a driver occupying that lane must make the movement shown.
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28. What is a good rule for any task you want to do inside the vehicle?
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Answer D: If it needs more than a moment, do it stopped
A glance of a second or two is manageable, but any task that runs longer belongs to a stopped vehicle, because the road does not pause while you do it.
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29. You have fitted the small temporary spare tire after a flat. What should you keep in mind?
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Answer C: It is meant for low speed and short distances until the regular tire is repaired
Compact spares have limited grip, handling and durability. Follow the speed and distance limits printed on the tire and get the regular tire fixed soon.
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30. You are about to drive a rental car that you have never driven before. What should you do?
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Answer A: Adjust the seat and the mirrors and find the controls before moving off
Hunting for the wipers or the lights in traffic is a distraction, so learn the layout while the vehicle is stopped.
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31. An orange sign reading END ROAD WORK is posted beside the highway. What does it mark?
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Answer C: The point where the work zone restrictions stop
The sign is installed at the downstream end of the temporary traffic control zone to tell drivers that normal conditions apply again.
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32. How often does Illinois' electronic insurance verification system check that a registered vehicle owner has valid auto liability insurance?
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Answer A: At least twice a year, at random intervals
Illinois' electronic insurance verification system checks registered vehicle owners' insurance status electronically at least twice a year, at random intervals.
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33. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?
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Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance
A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.
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34. Upon a first DUI conviction in Illinois, as distinct from the pre-trial statutory summary suspension, what is the minimum period a driver loses full driving privileges?
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Answer C: One year
A first DUI conviction carries a minimum one-year revocation of driving privileges, separate from the statutory summary suspension that begins before trial.
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35. A yellow sign reads SOFT SHOULDER. What is it telling you?
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Answer C: The shoulder may not carry the weight of a vehicle
A soft shoulder is unpaved and can let a wheel sink, so a driver who leaves the pavement there may lose control or become stuck.