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Texas permit test: road signs and signals questions

Texas requires 70% right to pass the permit test and does not publish a fixed number of questions. Our practice test has 30 questions and asks for 21 right. Test format source

These 10 questions come from FirstTry's Texas bank, written from the Texas Driver Handbook. 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 shape is reserved for stop signs only?

  1. Diamond
  2. Pentagon
  3. Octagon (eight sides)
  4. Triangle
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Octagon (eight sides). Only stop signs use the eight-sided octagon, so you can recognize one from a distance by its shape alone.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 17: Signs by Shape (PDF page 32)

A sign shaped like a triangle with three equal sides always means:

  1. No passing
  2. Stop
  3. Yield
  4. School zone
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Yield. The equilateral triangle shape is used for yield signs and nothing else.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 17: Signs by Shape (PDF page 32)

What does a pennant-shaped sign warn you about?

  1. A sharp curve ahead
  2. A school crossing ahead
  3. A railroad crossing ahead
  4. A no-passing zone ahead
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A no-passing zone ahead. A pennant-shaped sign gives early notice that a no-passing zone is coming up.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 17: Signs by Shape (PDF page 32)

A five-sided sign is used for what?

  1. Railroad advance warnings
  2. Construction zones
  3. Signs for schools ahead and school crossings
  4. Yield signs
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Signs for schools ahead and school crossings. The pentagon is used for school-ahead and school-crossing signs. When you see one, slow down and watch for children.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 17: Signs by Shape (PDF page 32)

What does an orange sign usually tell you?

  1. There is construction or maintenance work ahead
  2. Where to find gas, food, or lodging
  3. A regulation such as a speed limit
  4. How to reach parks and scenic areas
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There is construction or maintenance work ahead. Orange signals construction and maintenance. Be ready to slow down, stop, or change lanes in a work zone.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 16: Standard Colors (PDF page 32)

What does a stop sign require?

  1. Slow down and keep going if no one is coming
  2. Stop completely, let pedestrians and vehicles with the right-of-way go, then continue with care
  3. Stop only when other vehicles are around
  4. Yield only to vehicles on your left
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Stop completely, let pedestrians and vehicles with the right-of-way go, then continue with care. A rolling slowdown does not count. Stop at the stop line, crosswalk, or sign, and every vehicle that reaches the sign must stop.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 19: Regulatory and Warning Signs (Stop) (PDF page 36)

What does an advisory speed sign posted before a curve tell you?

  1. The minimum speed allowed in the curve
  2. The top speed that is safe for taking that curve
  3. The speed trucks must use in the curve
  4. The speed limit for the next mile
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The top speed that is safe for taking that curve. Advisory speed signs show the fastest speed at which the curve can be driven safely. In bad conditions, go slower than that.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 19: Regulatory and Warning Signs (Advisory Speed Sign) (PDF page 36)

A school zone speed sign has yellow lights. When does its lower speed limit apply?

  1. At all times
  2. While the yellow lights are flashing
  3. Only when children are in sight
  4. During school hours, flashing or not
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While the yellow lights are flashing. The reduced school zone limit is in force whenever the yellow lights on the sign are flashing. Watch closely for children.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Table 19: Regulatory and Warning Signs (School Zone) (PDF page 37)

You are at a steady red light and want to turn right. What does the handbook allow?

  1. Right turns on red are never allowed
  2. You may turn right only when a green arrow appears
  3. You may turn right without stopping if the road is clear
  4. Stop first; then you may turn right unless a turn on red is prohibited
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Stop first; then you may turn right unless a turn on red is prohibited. After a full stop before the crosswalk or intersection, a right turn on red is legal unless prohibited. Pedestrians and other traffic still go first.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Traffic Signals: Steady Red Light (Stop) (PDF page 31)

When is a left turn on a steady red light allowed after stopping?

  1. When you are turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street, unless prohibited
  2. Never
  3. Whenever no oncoming traffic is in sight
  4. Only at intersections with a stop sign
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When you are turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street, unless prohibited. A left turn on red is legal only from a one-way street onto a one-way street, after stopping, unless a sign or law forbids it.

From the handbook: Chapter 5: Signals, Signs, and Markers > Traffic Signals: Steady Red Light (Stop) (PDF page 31)

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