Montana Permit Practice Test 2
A second full-length Montana practice test: 30 fresh multiple-choice questions with zero repeats from Test 1. Check the MVD site for the current question count and passing score.
Question 1 of 30
1. You are parking facing uphill on a street with a curb. Which way should you turn your front wheels?
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Correct answer: B. When parking uphill with a curb, turn the wheels away from the curb and let the car roll back until a tire rests against it. The curb then works as a block. Up and away is the memory cue.
2. Drivers under 21 in Montana are held to a stricter alcohol standard than adults. What is the BAC threshold for these younger drivers?
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Correct answer: B. Adults have a higher per-se number, but the under-21 standard in Montana is 0.02%. Alcohol is already off-limits for minors, so the driving rule matches: for young drivers, the practical limit is zero drinks.
3. After two drinks at a barbecue in Montana, you consider driving home. For a driver 21 or older, that becomes illegal starting at which BAC?
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Correct answer: A. Driving in Montana becomes a per-se DUI at a BAC of 0.08%. Drinks affect people differently, so you cannot reliably guess your number. When you have been drinking, the smart decision is simply to skip driving.
4. Under implied-consent laws, what have you already agreed to simply by driving on public roads?
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Correct answer: D. Every state has an implied-consent law: by driving, you have already agreed to a breath, blood, or urine test after a lawful impaired-driving arrest. Driving is a privilege, and testing is part of the deal you accepted.
5. Your headlights suddenly go dark while you are driving at night. What should you do first?
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Correct answer: C. First flick the headlight switch and dimmer, since the problem may be a loose connection; then use parking, hazard, or turn lights to stay visible while you leave the road. Never keep driving blind hoping the lights return.
6. On its fastest highways, Montana allows a top posted speed limit of which value?
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Correct answer: A. The highest speed limit in Montana is 80 mph, and only certain highways are posted that high. Most roads carry lower limits, so drive by the signs in front of you, and slow down when conditions worsen.
7. A pedestrian is crossing your half of the street in a crosswalk at an intersection without signals. What must you do?
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Correct answer: A. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and crosswalks legally exist at intersections even when no lines are painted. People on foot have no protection in a collision, so treat every corner as a possible crosswalk.
8. Why can driving much slower than the vehicles around you be dangerous?
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Correct answer: D. A vehicle crawling well below the flow of traffic makes others brake hard, bunch up, and pass, which multiplies conflict points. Crashes often come from speed differences, not speed alone, so avoid blocking the normal flow.
9. After passing a large truck, why is it dangerous to merge back quickly and then brake?
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Correct answer: B. A heavy truck needs far more stopping distance than a car, so cutting in close and braking leaves the trucker no room and no options. Merge back only when the whole truck appears in your rearview mirror.
10. An orange sign with a black arrow reads DETOUR. What is this sign telling you?
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Correct answer: A. Detour signs guide you along a temporary route when the normal road is closed, often for construction or an emergency. Keep following the arrows until the detour ends, and the route will return you to your original road.
11. In freezing weather, why do bridges and overpasses ice over before the roads around them?
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Correct answer: C. A bridge has cold air on top and underneath, while ordinary pavement is warmed by the ground below, so bridges freeze first. Slow down before crossing one in cold weather and avoid sudden braking or steering there.
12. A passenger hands you a partly empty bottle of beer as you start driving in Montana. Where does state law require an open alcohol container to be kept?
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Correct answer: A. Montana bars open alcohol containers in the passenger area, so they must ride in a locked compartment, the trunk or cargo area, or behind the last upright seat. Out of reach means out of temptation. Hook: sealed, stowed, or ticketed.
13. An 18-year-old in Montana has one beer at a graduation party and then drives. At what BAC could this driver already be violating the zero-tolerance law?
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Correct answer: C. One beer can push a young driver to 0.02%, the level where Montana's zero-tolerance law kicks in. The rule protects new drivers, whose crash risk rises quickly with alcohol. Skip every drink if you plan to drive.
14. Many regulatory signs show a picture inside a red circle crossed by a red diagonal slash. In general, what does that design mean?
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Correct answer: D. In the MUTCD symbol system, a red circle with a diagonal slash over any picture means that action is not allowed, such as no trucks or no bicycles. It works without words, so drivers of any language understand instantly. Slash means stop doing it.
15. What is the safest way to carry young children in your vehicle?
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Correct answer: B. Children are safest buckled in the back seat, and a rear-facing seat must never sit in front of an active airbag, which can strike the seat with deadly force. Little riders belong behind you, away from the bag.
16. In Montana, what is the youngest age at which you can apply for a learner's permit?
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Correct answer: B. Montana issues learner's permits starting at age 14½. The permit opens the first stage of graduated licensing, where you build skills with a supervising adult before earning fuller privileges. Know your state's number; it varies nationwide.
17. You come upon a rider moving cattle along a Montana highway. What does the driver manual tell you to do?
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Correct answer: D. Montana gives the right-of-way to animals being led, ridden, or driven. Slow down, stop if they are coming toward you or crossing, and pass wide, because engines and horns spook livestock. Hook: hooves first, horn never.
18. While you wait to turn, the green arrow changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is the signal telling you?
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Correct answer: D. A steady yellow arrow warns that the protected turning phase is about to end. Stop if you can do so safely; drivers already at the point of no return may finish the turn cautiously. Yellow arrow means wrap up, not speed up.
19. Montana law lets local authorities set special school zone speed limits. How low may a posted school zone limit go?
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Correct answer: B. Montana school zone limits can drop as low as 15 mph where local authorities set them. Children step off curbs without warning, so the state allows a crawl near schools. Remember: fifteen means kids could be anywhere.
20. What do financial responsibility laws require of you before you drive?
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Correct answer: D. Every state requires drivers to show they can pay for harm they cause, and auto insurance is the usual proof. Crashes create huge bills in seconds, so the rule protects victims. Simple memory hook: no coverage, no keys.
21. A sign at an intersection shows a left-curving arrow inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What must you do there?
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Correct answer: D. A slashed left arrow forbids left turns at that intersection, often because turning across oncoming traffic there causes crashes or blocks flow. Plan another route, such as continuing straight and circling the block. The slash cancels only the movement shown.
22. You are passing a slow truck on a Montana highway posted at the state's maximum limit. Even while passing, your legal ceiling stays at which speed?
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Correct answer: B. Passing grants zero extra speed allowance; in Montana the ceiling on those top-posted highways stays 80 mph. If you cannot complete the pass within the limit, wait for a better gap. The limit binds every maneuver, always.
23. BAC measures the percentage of alcohol in a person's blood. For drivers 21 and older in Montana, what BAC puts them at or over the legal limit?
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Correct answer: C. BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration. In Montana, adult drivers reach the illegal level at 0.08%. Remember the rule as a hard line: at 0.08% you are over, and skills like reaction time fade even sooner.
24. You are delivering food to a house on an unposted residential street in Montana. Unless a sign changes it, what speed limit applies?
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Correct answer: A. Unposted residential streets in Montana carry a default limit of 25 mph. The rule exists so drivers can stop for the unexpected, like a car backing out of a driveway. When a sign is posted, obey the sign instead.
25. You reach a stop sign at an intersection that has a painted stop line. Where must you bring your vehicle to a complete stop?
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Correct answer: A. At a stop sign you must stop completely before the stop line; with no line, stop before the crosswalk or the intersection edge. Stopping short protects people in the crosswalk. If you need a better view, creep forward only after the full stop.
26. You hold a Montana first-year restricted license. During which hours does state law bar you from driving unless an exception applies?
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Correct answer: A. Montana closes the road to restricted teen drivers from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., with narrow exceptions for work, school, church, farm duties and emergencies. Fatal crash risk peaks late at night. Memory hook: eleven to five, stay home.
27. Under zero-tolerance laws, what happens to a driver under 21 caught with any measurable alcohol in their system?
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Correct answer: A. Every state enforces zero tolerance: drivers under 21 face penalties, typically license loss, for any measurable amount of alcohol. Because underage drinking is illegal, no level is acceptable. For young drivers, the only safe number is zero.
28. The signal shows a green arrow for your left turn. What does having a 'protected' turn mean?
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Correct answer: B. A green arrow gives you a protected turn: conflicting traffic is held by a red signal. Still glance for people or vehicles already in the intersection, because protected means favored, not guaranteed safe.
29. Your rear wheels begin sliding sideways on a slippery road. How do you regain control?
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Correct answer: A. In a skid, ease off both pedals and look and steer where you want the front of the car to go, correcting gently as it straightens. Sudden braking or gas makes sliding worse. Eyes up, feet off, steer.
30. On a highway, you look for the way to your destination city. What kind of information do signs with a green background give you?
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Correct answer: D. Green guide signs point the way, listing destinations, how many miles remain, and which exits to take. They inform rather than command, so no action is required. Think of green as the color that says go this way.
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