Tennessee Permit Practice Test 1
This free Tennessee practice test has 30 multiple-choice questions covering road signs, right-of-way, speed limits, and safe driving — the same topics the TDOSHS tests. The real TDOSHS Driver License Knowledge Test has 30 questions, and you need 24 correct (80%) to pass.
Question 1 of 30
1. 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.
2. Under normal conditions, what is the minimum speed allowed in the right lanes of a Tennessee interstate highway?
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Correct answer: B. Tennessee sets a 45 mph minimum in interstate right lanes because vehicles crawling far below traffic speed become hazards. If you can't safely maintain at least forty-five, choose another road — interstates punish the slow as well as the speedy.
3. On any road sign, what does the color red always signal to drivers?
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Correct answer: D. Red is reserved for the strongest commands: stop, yield, do not enter, and wrong way. It marks actions that are forbidden or must halt. When red appears, something about your movement has to change right now.
4. 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.
5. A 19-year-old is pulled over in Tennessee after a party. Under the zero-tolerance law, what BAC is enough for an underage drinking-and-driving violation?
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Correct answer: D. For drivers under 21 in Tennessee, a violation begins at 0.02%. Zero-tolerance laws exist because young, inexperienced drivers face high crash risk with any alcohol. If you are underage, the only legal amount is none.
6. 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.
7. With a Tennessee learner permit, you may not drive during which nighttime hours?
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Correct answer: B. Tennessee learner permit holders cannot drive between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., a tighter curfew than the intermediate stage's 11 p.m. start. Each GDL step earns one extra hour — permit drivers stop at ten.
8. While planning a road trip across Tennessee, you look up the fastest speed any of its highways allow. What is that statewide maximum?
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Correct answer: A. Tennessee's top speed limit is 70 mph, found only on its fastest designated highways. Expect lower posted limits on most stretches, and remember signs always control: the maximum applies only where a sign actually posts it.
9. You are on an entrance ramp about to merge onto a freeway. Who is responsible for yielding?
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Correct answer: A. Drivers merging onto a freeway must yield to traffic already on it, using the ramp to match speed and slide into a gap. Through traffic cannot stop safely at highway speeds, so the entering driver adapts.
10. Why is it illegal to park on a sidewalk or in a crosswalk?
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Correct answer: B. Sidewalks and crosswalks are reserved walking space; a parked car there pushes pedestrians, strollers, and wheelchairs out into traffic lanes. The law keeps walking paths continuous and safe. If people walk there, your car never belongs there.
11. Several vehicles reach a four-way stop at different times. Who has the right-of-way?
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Correct answer: B. At an all-way stop, the vehicle that arrives and stops first proceeds first, with others following in arrival order. This first-come, first-served system prevents confusion. Think of it as taking a number at a busy counter.
12. What does a posted speed limit actually tell you?
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Correct answer: A. A posted limit is the top legal speed when conditions are ideal: dry pavement, good visibility, light traffic. In worse conditions, a safe speed is lower. Treat the number as a ceiling to stay under, never a target to hit.
13. On a dark road you see several black-and-yellow signs, each with a single sideways V pointing to the right, spaced along the roadside. What do they mark?
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Correct answer: B. Chevron alignment signs outline a sharp curve, each arrowhead pointing the direction the road bends. They are placed in a series so your headlights pick up the curve's shape at night. Follow the chevrons like breadcrumbs through the turn.
14. You are 25 and had wine at a dinner party in Tennessee. Before driving home, you check the law. At what BAC does driving become illegal for you?
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Correct answer: D. For adult drivers in Tennessee, driving is illegal at a BAC of 0.08% or above. Because impairment starts before the limit, the safest plan after drinking is a ride share, taxi, or sober designated driver.
15. An 18-year-old in Tennessee 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 Tennessee'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.
16. An emergency vehicle is stopped on the shoulder ahead with lights flashing. What do move-over laws require?
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Correct answer: D. Every state has a move-over law: shift a lane away from stopped emergency or service vehicles with flashing lights, or slow well down when changing lanes is unsafe. Roadside workers stand inches from traffic; give them that lane.
17. In which situations should you add extra following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
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Correct answer: C. Add following distance whenever stopping gets harder or seeing gets worse: slick roads, tailgaters behind you, big trucks blocking your view, or motorcycles that can stop quickly. More risk always calls for more room ahead of you.
18. What does a learner's permit allow you to do?
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Correct answer: B. A learner's permit is a practice license: you may drive only with a qualified licensed adult beside you in the front seat. That supervisor can coach you and take over. Permit means practice, and practice means supervised.
19. You are passing a slower vehicle on a two-lane road. May you go over the speed limit to finish the pass quickly?
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Correct answer: D. The speed limit applies at all times, including while passing another vehicle. If you cannot complete a pass legally and safely, do not start it. Passing is a choice; speeding is never the tool that makes it legal.
20. Besides nighttime, when should you turn on your headlights?
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Correct answer: D. Turn on your headlights whenever conditions cut visibility, including rain, fog, snow, dusk, or dawn, because lights help other drivers spot you as much as they help you see. Handy habit: wipers on or gray sky means lights on.
21. A friend in Tennessee says, 'I feel fine, so I can drive.' Feelings aside, the law sets the illegal BAC for drivers 21 and older at which number?
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Correct answer: B. Feeling fine proves nothing; alcohol dulls the very judgment you use to check yourself. In Tennessee, 0.08% is the per-se limit for adults, and measurable impairment often shows up well before a driver reaches it.
22. How does Tennessee law treat exceeding the posted school zone speed limit while it is in effect?
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Correct answer: C. Speeding in an active Tennessee school zone is treated as reckless driving and automatically adds six points to your record. Children are unpredictable near schools, so the state escalates the penalty — school zone equals six points, not a slap.
23. You are approaching an intersection and the traffic light turns steady red. What must you do?
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Correct answer: C. A steady red light requires a full stop before the stop line or crosswalk, or before entering the intersection if there is no line. Stopping at the line protects people crossing. Remember: red means stop, every time.
24. During which hours is a Tennessee Intermediate Restricted license holder generally prohibited from driving?
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Correct answer: A. Tennessee bars Intermediate Restricted drivers from the road between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless an exception applies, such as riding with a parent or carrying written permission for work. Late-night crashes spike for teens — remember 'eleven to six.'
25. A yellow diamond sign ahead displays a bold T symbol. What does this sign mean you will have to do soon?
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Correct answer: D. A T-symbol warning means your road dead-ends at a cross street, so you must slow, yield to crossing traffic, and turn left or right. The letter T shows exactly how the roads meet ahead.
26. You are passing a slow truck on a Tennessee 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 Tennessee the ceiling on those top-posted highways stays 70 mph. If you cannot complete the pass within the limit, wait for a better gap. The limit binds every maneuver, always.
27. Which driving skill does alcohol usually weaken first, often before you feel any different?
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Correct answer: A. Alcohol reaches your judgment before anything else, so you lose the very skill needed to notice you are impaired. That is why drinkers often insist they are fine. Remember: the first thing to go is the ability to know.
28. A teen walks into a Department of Safety & Homeland Security (TDOSHS) office in Tennessee to apply for a first learner's permit. The office can accept the application once the teen is what age?
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Correct answer: B. The TDOSHS accepts learner's permit applications at age 15 in Tennessee. Bring proof of identity, residency, and usually a parent's signature, then pass the knowledge and vision screenings. Age is simply the first box to check.
29. A yellow diamond-shaped sign ahead shows a black walking figure. As you approach the marked crossing, what is the required response?
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Correct answer: B. A pedestrian crossing warning sign means people may be entering the roadway ahead, so reduce speed and prepare to stop. Pedestrians always lose in a collision with a car. Treat the walking figure as a person already stepping off the curb.
30. A classmate insists everyone must wait until 18 to start driving in Tennessee. The real minimum age for a learner's permit is which of these?
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Correct answer: D. Your classmate is wrong: Tennessee grants learner's permits at 15. Starting earlier gives you months of supervised practice while risk is lowest. When rules feel fuzzy, confirm them in the official state driver handbook.
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