Pre-Test Answer Key
Answers are shown in bold, red, and italics.
1. What is the number one cause of death among teenagers?
A. Guns
B. Cancer
C. Automobile collisions
D. Answers A & B combined
2. Have you had any friends injured or killed in an automobile collision?
A. Injured
B. Killed
C. Both A & B
D. Neither A nor B
3. In the United States, a police reported automobile collision occurs approximately every
A. 5.3 minutes
B. 5 seconds
C. 14 seconds
D. 1.5 minutes
4. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 80% of all motor vehicle-related crashes are caused by:
A. Speeding
B. Inattentiveness caused by distractions
C. Drunk or impaired driving
D. Reckless behavior behind the wheel
5. How many contact patches does a car have?
A. 4
B. 2
C. 6
D. 1
6. The number one cause for tire failure (or a “blowout”) is:
A. Punctures caused by debris
B. Incorrect tire pressure
C. Not replacing worn tires when they need to be replaced
D. Rims that are too big for the tires
A tire can lose more than 50% of its pressure before you can visibly tell it’s underinflated. Which means, by the time you can see your tire is underinflated, it’s already too late.
To find out more about the importance of checking your tire pressure, check out the Vehicle Dynamics of Car Care Tips sections of the Student Workbook.
7. ABS brakes provide which of the following benefits?
A. Ability to brake and steer at the same time
B. Ability to always stop faster than a vehicle without ABS
C. Ability to prevent a vehicle from spinning if the tires lose traction with the road
D. All of the above
For more information on ABS, check out the Braking section of the Student Workbook.
8. If a vehicle is not equipped with ABS, the fastest way to bring that vehicle to a stop is:
A. To press hard on the brake and lock up the tires as quickly as possible
B. To use the hand brake/emergency brake in addition to the brake pedal
C. Threshold braking
D. Pumping the brakes
For more information on Threshold Braking, check out the Braking section of the Student Workbook.
9. What should you do if the REAR end of your vehicle loses traction and begins to slide to the LEFT?
A. Steer the vehicle to the right; focus your eyes on where you’re headed; accelerate to stop the vehicle from spinning
B. Steer the vehicle to the left; focus your eyes on where you want to go; stay off the gas and brake pedals; straighten the wheel when the rear end regains traction
C. Steer the vehicle to the left; focus your eyes where you want to go; apply the brake to help the front end steer; straighten the wheel when the rear end regains traction
D. Steer the vehicle to the left; brake and bring the vehicle to a stop as quickly as possible to avoid an accident
10. In the United States, a drunk driver kills someone approximately every
A. 52 minutes
B. 1 hour
C. 2 and a half hours
D. 8 hours
11. In the United States, a teen driver kills someone approximately every
A. 35 minutes
B. 120 minutes
C. 4.2 hours
D. 8 hours
12. What does the term understeer mean?
A. When the steering wheel locks and cannot be turned
B. When the brakes on your vehicle lock and your vehicle begins to skid
C. When you misjudge a sharp corner and don’t turn the wheel enough
D. When the front end of the vehicle loses traction and doesn’t turn as much as it should
To find out more about understeer, check out the Vehicle Dynamics section of the Student Workbook.
13. Which type of vehicle could “spin out” if you accelerated aggressively around a wet corner?
A. Rear-wheel drive vehicle
B. Front-wheel drive vehicle
C. Both vehicles would spin out
D. Neither vehicle would spin out
If you stomped down on the gas pedal in a front-wheel drive vehicle, you would just spin the front tires and the vehicle would hardly move. However, if you did the same thing in a rear-wheel drive vehicle (Camaro, pick-up truck, etc.), you would kick the rear-end of the vehicle out and you would quickly find yourself facing oncoming traffic, spun out on the side of the road, or worse. That’s why front-wheel drive vehicle, and all-wheel-drive vehicles are generally considered a little safer out there on the road.
To find out more about understeer, check out the Vehicle Dynamics section of the Student Workbook.
14. Of the following, the most critical element of proper driving is:
A. Knowing when to signal
B. Proper use of vision to be aware of everything around you
C. Obeying the speed limit
D. The 3-second rule
15. What does the term oversteer mean?
A. When you turn a corner too sharply and almost hit the curb
B. When the steering wheel locks and cannot be turned
C. When the rear end of the vehicle loses traction and starts to spin
D. None of the above
To find out more about oversteer, check out the Vehicle Dynamics section of the Student Workbook.
16. You are driving on a road with two lanes in the direction you are traveling. You are in the right lane and an object drops off the back of a truck in front of you. You need to act quickly in order to avoid hitting the object. Assuming that there are no other vehicles around you, what is the proper technique to avoid the object?
A. Hit the brakes as hard as you can and try to stop before hitting the object
B. Hit the brakes to slow the vehicle down and, at the same time swerve to the left into the open lane
C. Turn the wheel hard to the left and accelerate in order to move the vehicle into the open lane quickly
D. Quickly get off the gas; do not touch the brake; and swerve into the open lane
17. During acceleration, where is the weight of the vehicle shifted?
A. To the back of the vehicle
B. To the front of the vehicle
C. To the end of the vehicle where the engine is located
D. It stays neutral
18. Your vehicle is traveling at 60 mph, and you suddenly need to brake. A one-second delay in getting your foot on the brake will cause you to travel how many additional feet before coming to a stop?
A. 25
B. 10
C. 400
D. 90
19. Under braking, which end of the vehicle has more traction?
A. The rear end of the vehicle
B. The front end of the vehicle
C. The end of the vehicle where the engine is located
D. Both ends have equal traction
20. What is a common solution for understeer?
A. Accelerate harder
B. Turn the steering wheel more
C. Ease off the gas pedal
D. Hit the brakes hard
Although every situation is potentially different, generally, as you enter a turn, if your front tires begin to lose traction you simply need to enlarge the contact patches on the front tires. To do so just gradually ease off the gas pedal and place more load on the front of the car.
To find out more about understeer, check out the Vehicle Dynamics section of the Student Workbook.