After a breakdown, if you need help, where does the manual say to tie a white cloth?
-
A.
To the left door handle or the radio aerial, and raise the hood. Correct
-
B.
To the right door handle, since that side faces away from passing traffic.
-
C.
To the rear bumper or trunk lid, so drivers behind can see it.
-
D.
To the driver's side mirror, where it stays visible from both directions.
The answer is "To the left door handle or the radio aerial, and raise the hood."
The Breakdowns section tells you to tie a white cloth to the left door handle or the radio aerial and to raise the hood. The right-door-handle choice is the trap: drivers reach for it because the right side of a car parked on the shoulder faces away from passing traffic, and the habit is to put signals on the roadside-facing side.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. To the right door handle, since that side faces away from passing traffic.
The manual names the left door handle, not the right one. Defaults to the roadside-facing door out of habit, since drivers assume a distress signal belongs on the side away from traffic.
C. To the rear bumper or trunk lid, so drivers behind can see it.
The manual does not list the bumper or trunk as attachment points for the cloth. Assumes a distress signal must face traffic coming up from behind, a rule of thumb borrowed from warning flares.
D. To the driver's side mirror, where it stays visible from both directions.
The manual names the door handle and the radio aerial, not the mirror. Guesses an attachment point that would stay visible from both directions rather than reading the two spots the manual actually names.
This question tests your knowledge of Emergencies in North Carolina. Source: North Carolina Driver Handbook, "Breakdowns," p.76..
Related North Carolina questions
- According to the manual, a vehicle's four-way emergency flashers may be used to: →
- You hit an animal with your vehicle on a North Carolina road. What does the manual tell you to do first? →
- Your gas pedal sticks while you are driving. Which action does the manual list among the recommended steps? →
- You must make an immediate report of a crash to law enforcement when the total damage to vehicles and other property appears to be at least: →
- You have anti-lock brakes (ABS) and must use the brakes on an icy road. What does the manual's Skids section tell you to do? →
You just took one North Carolina question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The North Carolina book unlocks a free companion: an adaptive study plan, progress synced across your devices, a denser laminate cheat sheet, and a test-day walkthrough. Verify your copy once, usually in seconds; there's nothing extra to buy.
Paperback, free companion included.