Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Guide Signs

A green rectangular sign posted at the point where an off-ramp splits from the freeway shows EXIT with a number and an arrow. What does this sign identify?

Green freeway gore sign with a white border reading EXIT 44 with a white arrow angled up and to the right.
  1. A.
    The exit number of the ramp you are entering at the point of separation. Correct
  2. B.
    The distance in miles to the next numbered exit ahead.
  3. C.
    The mileage from the state line along this freeway.
  4. D.
    The route number of the highway the ramp connects to.
The Why

The answer is "The exit number of the ramp you are entering at the point of separation."

The E5-1a combines EXIT and the number at the point the ramp splits from the through lanes, so a driver leaving the freeway sees the ramp identified as they enter it. The distance-based pick is the one to watch: it borrows the mileage from an advance guide sign posted a mile or two before the exit, and a reader who pictures that earlier sign carries the mileage across to the gore. The gore sign carries no distance figure.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. The distance in miles to the next numbered exit ahead.

A distance-to-exit reading fits an advance guide sign posted ahead of the ramp, not the gore sign at the ramp's split. This answer swaps this gore-point identifier for the advance guide sign that carries a mile figure to the exit.

C. The mileage from the state line along this freeway.

The number on the gore sign labels the ramp, not distance travelled along the freeway; a mileage reading belongs to a milepost. This answer reads the exit number as a location count along the highway rather than as a label for the ramp entered here.

D. The route number of the highway the ramp connects to.

The number on this sign is the exit's own identifier, not a route shield for the road the ramp meets at its end. This answer mistakes the exit number for a route number carried on the highway the ramp joins.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Guide Signs on the roads of every US state . Source: Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, sign E5-1a (Exit Gore Sign With Exit Number)..

More from this topic

Related questions

Free study plan

A free knowledge-test study plan

Pick your state and we'll send a short run of study emails for that test. The printable cheat sheet is free to grab either way.

One email a few times a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime. Privacy.