Before starting down a hill on a snow-covered road, what does the manual tell you to do?
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A.
Pump the brakes a few times to test them before descending.
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B.
Set the cruise control to hold a steady speed down the hill.
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C.
Shift to a lower gear for better control. Correct
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D.
Coast in neutral to save fuel on the descent.
The answer is "Shift to a lower gear for better control."
A lower gear uses engine braking to keep your descent under control without leaning on the brakes to hold speed on slick pavement. D pulls in a fuel-saving neutral-coasting habit that surrenders the very engine braking the low-gear step is there to provide.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Pump the brakes a few times to test them before descending.
The manual asks for a gear change, not a brake test, before a snowy descent. Borrows the pump-the-brakes step from the brake-failure procedure, which is a different situation.
B. Set the cruise control to hold a steady speed down the hill.
The manual bans cruise control on slippery roads entirely. Confuses a dry-highway comfort setting with the tools the manual allows on snow.
D. Coast in neutral to save fuel on the descent.
Neutral surrenders the engine braking the manual is trying to give you. Copies a fuel-saving trick that removes the very control the low-gear step provides.
This question tests your knowledge of Adverse Conditions in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Snow and Ice," p.41..
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