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

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

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

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. 31 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. 66 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


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

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

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

21. Typically, there are six different fluids to maintain under the hood of today’s passenger vehicles. How many can you name?

“WASHBOATS”

  1. Washer Fluid

  2. Brake Fluid

  3. Oil

  4. Anti-Freeze

  5. Transmission

  6. Steering Fluid