Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Parking

You are parking a vehicle with an automatic transmission. According to the manual, which gear should you shift into?

  1. A.
    Neutral
  2. B.
    First gear
  3. C.
    Reverse
  4. D.
    Park Correct
The Why

The answer is "Park"

Pennsylvania splits the parking-gear rule by transmission type. An automatic goes into Park; a manual goes into Reverse or First. Every parked car also gets the parking brake set. C is the trap for a reader who skimmed that split sentence and grabbed the manual-transmission half instead of the option written for an automatic.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. Neutral

Neutral disengages the transmission and lets the car roll. This answer confuses stopping briefly in traffic with securing a car for parking.

B. First gear

First is a manual-transmission option, not one the automatic driver uses. This answer assumes any low gear holds a car in place, including inside an automatic where Park is required.

C. Reverse

Reverse is the manual-transmission option, not the automatic one. This answer picks the manual-transmission rule after skimming the split sentence in the manual.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Parking in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Learning to Drive: Parking," p.52..

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