SAMPLE THEORY QUESTIONS FOR

THE DRIVING TEST.

1. What do you check before starting the engine?
2. When should you use the car’s horn?
3. What does a broken white line crossing the left
hand lane mean?
4. How should you position yourself for turning right
on a one-way street?
5. Who cannot use a motorway?
6. How far back is a safe distance to drive behind
another vehicle?
7. What does the island in the middle of a
pedestrian crossing mean?
8. When can you cross a continuous white line?
9. What does a broken yellow line mean?
10. If dazzled by the lights of an oncoming vehicle,
what should you do?
11. At traffic lights, what does a flashing amber
light mean?
12. What is the basic rule of a yellow box junction?
13. Who has priority at a road junction, crossroad
or a roundabout?
14. In what situations should you use dipped
headlights?
15. Where should you not park?
16. What is the maximum Motorway speed limit?
17. Where should you not overtake?
18. What is the minimum tyre thread depth?
19. Starting with green, what is the sequence of
traffic lights?
20. What does a single yellow line mean?
21. So, what does a double yellow line mean?
22. Which lane should you normally use on a
motorway?
23. Why would you use the outside lane on a
motorway?
24. If you break down on a motorway, what should
you do?
25. What does a red light mean?
26. So what does a green light mean?
27. And what does an amber light mean?
28. What does a green arrow mean?
29. When can you overtake on the left?
30. At an uncontrolled junction of equal
importance, to whom would you give way?
31. What is a clearway?
32. Name three people in authority whom you
must stop for?
33. If you wish to turn right from a minor road onto
a dual-carriageway which has a wide central
median, what should you do?
34. What should you do when you wish to turn
right on to a dual-carriageway which has a
narrow central median?
 35. Where should you position yourself when you
are driving on a one-way street and intend on
turning right?
36. If you are driving on a primary road which is
not marked by a central dividing line. What
should you do?
37. When you see children just ahead on the road,
what should you do?
38. What is the correct position for a vehicle when
turning right?
39. You see a vehicle with blue flashing lights
approaching. What should you do?
40. When may you pass another vehicle on the
left-hand side?

ANSWERS:
1. Check the handbrake is on, the gears are in
neutral, the doors are closed properly, your seat
and steering wheel are set correctly, your mirrors
are set correctly and you and your passenger
have the safety belts on.
2. You should only use the horn to warn other road
users of an on-coming danger or to make them
aware of your presence for safety reasons. You
should not use a horn in a built up area between
 11.30 at night and 7 in the morning, except in an
emergency.
3. This is a yield line. You must give right-of-way to
any traffic on the major road ahead.
4. You should drive as close as you safely can to
the right hand side of the one-way street.
5. People who do not hold a full driving licence for
the vehicle they are driving, vehicles incapable of
at least 50kmh, cyclists, pedestrians…
6. Allow a 2 second gap, double this if the road is
wet.
7. Each side of the island is a sepperate crossing.
8. To avoid an obstruction.
9. It marks the edge of the road.
10. Slow down and stop if necessary.
11. Yield right of way to pedestrians.
12. You cannot stop in the box, unless you are
waiting to turn right into a clear road and are not
obstructing oncoming traffic.
13. Traffic to the right, traffic already in the junction
and pedestrians.
14. When meeting oncoming traffic. On
continuously lit roads. When following close
behind another vehicle. In snow or fog. During
the day.
15. Near a bend, less then 5M from a junction,
more then 1/2M from the kerb, opposite another
vehicle on a narrow road, in an operational bus
 lane or cycle lane, a bus stop or taxi rank,
blocking a gate, obscuring a sign…..
16. 120kmh.
17. Approaching a bend, a junction, a pedestrian
crossing, the brow of a hill or a hump-backed
bridge, at a continuous white line or anywhere
that your view is restricted.
18. 1.6mm.
19. Green, amber, red. (Flashing amber would
occur at a pedestrian crossing).
20. No parking at the times specified on the
nearby information plate.
21. Double yellow lines mean no parking at any
time.
22. Given the choice of lanes you would normally
drive in the left lane.
23. To overtake or to accommodate traffic merging
from the left. Once finished move back into the
left lane.
24. Turn on hazard lights, move well over to the
left of the hard shoulder, get out on the
passenger side and wait on the embankment,
use a mobile or the roadside telephone to inform
the Gardai, use a warning triangle if you have
one. When moving off build up speed in the hard
shoulder and watch for a safe gap.
25. A red light means stop before the stop line or
before the light. If you moved into the junction
 when the light was green to turn right you can still
clear the junction.
26. The green light means go, if safe to do so.
27. An amber light means stop if it is safe to do so.
You should be able to stop comfortably before the
line and the vehicles behind you should also be
able to stop comfortably.
28. A green arrow (filter light) means that traffic
going the specified direction can go, assuming it
is safe.
29. When the vehicle in front of you is turning
right, when you intend are turning left, when the
vehicles in the lane on your right are moving
more slowly then you are.
30. Yield to traffic on your right and traffic already
turning.
31. It is a road where stopping and parking are
prohibited during certain times.
32. A Garda, a school warden or a person in
charge of animals.
33. Firstly, you should drive onto the median strip
when the nearest carriageway is clear. Then wait
for a gap in traffic from the left, before
proceeding.
34. You should wait on the side road until there is
a suitable gap in the traffic in both directions.
35. Try drive close to the right-hand-side of the
road.
36. Imagine where it would be and drive on the
left-hand side.
37. Give them a wide clearance and be prepared
to slow down if necessary.
38. Just left of the centre of the road.
39. You may move to the left and reduce speed,
stopping if necessary.
40. You may pass on the left if the vehicle in front
is signaling to turn right or in slow moving lanes
of traffic.