Driver's License Test Prep
California Practice Regulatory Signs

A red circle with a red line drawn through it can display the prohibited action as:

  1. A.
    A picture inside the circle, sometimes shown with words Correct
  2. B.
    Words or a phrase alone inside the circle
  3. C.
    A picture inside the circle, never accompanied by words
The Why

The answer is "A picture inside the circle, sometimes shown with words"

The picture inside the circle shows what you cannot do, and words may be added to it. So the picture carries the prohibition, and words are optional support alongside it. Readers who anchor on the picture-only examples the manual pictures nearby, No Left Turn and No U-Turn, pick C and cut the may-be-shown-with-words clause.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Words or a phrase alone inside the circle

The picture inside the circle shows what you cannot do; words are added support, not a substitute. A text-only sign inside the circle is not what the manual describes. This answer fixates on the may-be-shown-with-words half of the sentence and drops the picture that actually carries the prohibition, borrowing the format from text-only regulatory signs like NO PARKING ANY TIME.

C. A picture inside the circle, never accompanied by words

The manual adds that the prohibition may also be shown with words, so ruling out any words at all drops half of the rule the sentence sets. This answer recalls the picture-only examples the manual illustrates nearby, No Left Turn and No U-Turn, and treats them as the whole rule while cutting the may-be-shown-with-words clause.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Regulatory Signs in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Red Circle with a Red Line Through It," p.38..

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