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Pennsylvania permit test: road signs and signals questions

The Pennsylvania permit test has 18 questions. You need 15 right to pass (83%). Test format source

These 10 questions come from FirstTry's Pennsylvania bank, written from the Pennsylvania Driver's Manual. Pick your answer, then open "Show the answer". Each answer links to the handbook section it comes from.

10 road signs and signals questions

Which sign is the only eight-sided sign used on the road?

  1. YIELD
  2. STOP
  3. SCHOOL
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STOP. Only the STOP sign is an octagon. It requires a full stop every time; rolling through slowly is illegal.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Regulatory Signs (PDF p. 14)

At a STOP sign with a painted stop line, where must you stop?

  1. Before the front of your vehicle reaches the line
  2. With your front bumper even with the sign post
  3. Inside the crosswalk, so you can see cross traffic
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Before the front of your vehicle reaches the line. Stop before the first painted line. If your view is still blocked, yield to pedestrians, then creep forward until you have a clear view.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Regulatory Signs (PDF p. 14)

What must you do at a YIELD sign?

  1. Always come to a complete stop
  2. Merge without slowing, since cross traffic must make room
  3. Slow down and let pedestrians and cross traffic go first, stopping only if needed
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Slow down and let pedestrians and cross traffic go first, stopping only if needed. A triangular YIELD sign means slow down, check traffic, and let pedestrians and cross traffic go first. You need a big enough gap before you continue.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Regulatory Signs, YIELD (PDF p. 14)

What do most warning signs look like?

  1. White rectangles with black letters
  2. Yellow diamonds with black symbols or words
  3. Red octagons with white letters
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Yellow diamonds with black symbols or words. Warning signs alert you to hazards or changes on the road ahead. They appear in advance, giving you time to slow down or adjust your path.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Warning Signs (PDF p. 17)

On which side of the road is the pennant-shaped NO PASSING ZONE sign placed?

  1. The right side
  2. The left side
  3. Overhead, above the center line
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The left side. The NO PASSING ZONE sign is the only pennant-shaped warning sign. It marks where the no passing zone begins and faces the driver from the left side of the road.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Warning Signs, No Passing Zone (PDF p. 17)

A five-sided (pentagon) sign warns you of what?

  1. A railroad crossing
  2. A school zone
  3. A no passing zone
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A school zone. The pentagon shape is used only for SCHOOL signs. With a downward arrow, it marks the school crosswalk itself, so slow down and watch for children.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Warning Signs, School (PDF p. 21)

A blue sign with white symbols for gas, food, and lodging is what type of sign?

  1. A service sign
  2. A regulatory sign
  3. A warning sign
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A service sign. Service signs are blue with white letters or symbols and point to services at the next exit, such as fuel, food, lodging, or a hospital.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Service Signs (PDF p. 25)

A route marker shaped like a keystone identifies what kind of road?

  1. A U.S. traffic route
  2. An interstate highway
  3. A Pennsylvania traffic route
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A Pennsylvania traffic route. The keystone shape marks a Pennsylvania traffic route, such as PA Route 39 in the manual's example.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signs, Route Markers (PDF p. 25)

You are stopped at a steady red light and no sign prohibits turning. What may you do?

  1. Turn right without stopping if the way is clear
  2. Go straight if no cross traffic is coming
  3. Turn right after stopping and yielding to pedestrians and traffic
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Turn right after stopping and yielding to pedestrians and traffic. Right on red is allowed where no NO TURN ON RED sign forbids it, but you must come to a full stop first and yield to pedestrians and other traffic.

From the handbook: Chapter 2: Signals, Red, Yellow and Green Traffic Lights (PDF p. 11)

When may you turn left on a steady red light?

  1. When both streets are one-way and you turn from one to the other, after stopping
  2. From any left lane, if no oncoming traffic is visible
  3. Never; left turns on red are always illegal
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When both streets are one-way and you turn from one to the other, after stopping. Left on red is legal only when both streets are one-way and you are turning from one into the other, after a full stop, when traffic is clear and no sign forbids it.

From the handbook: Chapter 3: Turning Right at a Red Light (PDF p. 50)

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