At highway speeds, up to how long can it take to safely pass a truck?
-
A.
About 60 seconds
-
B.
About 5 seconds
-
C.
About 10 seconds
-
D.
About 30 seconds Correct
The answer is "About 30 seconds"
The manual says at highway speeds it can take up to 30 seconds to safely pass a truck. Test-takers who pick about 5 seconds are recalling the 3-to-5-second figure from the same paragraph, which is only the extra time a level-highway truck pass adds over passing a car, not the total pass time at highway speed.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. About 60 seconds
The manual sets the ceiling at up to 30 seconds, not a full minute. This answer rounds the manual's 30-second ceiling up to a full minute on the guess that a longer time must be the safer answer.
B. About 5 seconds
The 3-to-5-second figure names only how much longer a level-highway truck pass takes than passing a car, not the total pass time. This answer half-remembers the 3-to-5-second figure as the whole answer, on the habit that the most memorable number nearby in the passage must be the one the question asks about.
C. About 10 seconds
The manual's ceiling for passing a truck at highway speeds is up to 30 seconds, not 10. This answer splits the difference between a quick car pass and a full truck pass instead of using the manual's truck-specific figure.
This question tests your knowledge of Passing in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Passing a Truck," p.56..
Related Pennsylvania questions
- Unless an official traffic control device says you may, you may not pass within how many feet of an intersection or railroad grade crossing? →
- When passing a bicyclist on the roadway, what minimum clearance must you allow? →
- After you pass another vehicle on a two-lane road, when should you move back into your lane? →
- About how much faster than the vehicle you are passing should you be traveling? →
- A road has a combination centerline with a solid yellow line and a broken yellow line. The broken line is on your side. What are you allowed to do? →
You just took one Pennsylvania question apart. The book does it for the whole test.
The Pennsylvania 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.
$18.99 paperback, free companion included.