Driver's License Test Prep
US Road Signs Guide Signs

What does the number on this state route marker identify?

State route marker, a white circle bearing the black numeral 18 on a square black backing panel.
  1. A.
    The route number of a state highway. Correct
  2. B.
    A U.S. route number shown on a U.S. route shield.
  3. C.
    The posted speed limit for this stretch of highway.
  4. D.
    The distance in miles to the next state line.
The Why

The answer is "The route number of a state highway."

The state route marker names a state highway by its route number, and that is the only piece of information it carries: no speed, no distance, no federal designation. The trap is the U.S. route shield answer; both signs carry a black number on a white ground, so a driver working from memory of the more familiar U.S. shield reaches for it before noticing that this circle marks a state route instead.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. A U.S. route number shown on a U.S. route shield.

The U.S. route shield identifies a U.S. numbered route, not a state route. This answer reaches for the more familiar black-on-white U.S. shield learned first, because both markers place black numerals on a white ground.

C. The posted speed limit for this stretch of highway.

The number is a route identifier, not a speed reading. This answer treats any bare number on a roadside sign as a posted speed, a habit carried over from the black-on-white regulatory speed limit sign.

D. The distance in miles to the next state line.

The route marker names the highway itself, not a distance along it. This answer confuses the route circle with the small green mileposts that count miles along a route.

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 M1-5 (State Route Marker)..

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.