In a work zone, what does a flagger use to signal drivers to stop or slow down?
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A.
STOP and SLOW paddles or a red flag. Correct
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B.
A green arrow board mounted on a truck.
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C.
A whistle and hand claps.
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D.
Yellow warning cones and barrels.
The answer is "STOP and SLOW paddles or a red flag."
The manual specifies flaggers use STOP and SLOW paddles, or a red flag, to direct traffic through work zones. The trap is D: the Channeling Devices section on the next page lists cones and barrels for the same work areas, and readers who bundle all work zone equipment as one topic pick them as flagger tools.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. A green arrow board mounted on a truck.
Arrow panels tell drivers to merge, but they are separate from flagger signals. This answer confuses the vehicle-mounted arrow that often stands near a flagger with a tool the flagger personally holds.
C. A whistle and hand claps.
Whistles and hand signals are not among the tools the manual assigns to work zone flaggers. This answer borrows from school crossing-guard imagery, since crossing guards do use whistles and hand signals to direct pedestrians.
D. Yellow warning cones and barrels.
Cones and barrels are channelizing devices that guide traffic, not tools a flagger holds. This answer reaches for the most visible work zone equipment from memory, since cones and barrels are what stands out at every construction site.
This question tests your knowledge of Construction Signs in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Work Zone Signs: Flagger Ahead (Road Construction Ahead)," p.18..
Related Pennsylvania questions
- What does a FLAGGER AHEAD work zone sign tell you? →
- You approach a flagger in a work zone whose signal conflicts with a nearby traffic sign. Whose direction must you follow? →
- You are pulled over for a traffic violation in a work zone, and your vehicle's headlights are not turned on. What extra penalty does the manual say applies? →
- The manual says fines are doubled in active work zones for certain violations. Which violation does it specifically name? →
- What is the minimum distance ahead of a work zone that warning signs, advance warning vehicles, or variable message boards may be placed? →
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