The answer options
- Move arm up and down
- Move your arm in circular motionsCorrect
- Keep your arm straight
- Move your arm in and out of the car
Why the other options are wrong
- “Move arm up and down” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which move your arm in circular motions does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “Keep your arm straight” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which move your arm in circular motions does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “Move your arm in and out of the car” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which move your arm in circular motions does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
Why that is the answer
To signal a left turn using arm signals, extend your right arm out of the window and move it in a circular motion. This clearly shows other road users and traffic controllers that you intend to turn left if your indicators fail. Extending your arm straight out signals a right turn, while moving it up and down indicates that you are slowing down or stopping. These standard signals are shown in the Highway Code.
What road and traffic signs covers
- · Shape and colour rules for orders, warnings and information
- · Regulatory signs including no entry, no waiting and weight limits
- · Warning triangles for bends, junctions, crossings and gradients
- · Road markings: give way lines, hatching, box junctions, edge lines
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Reading a blue circle as advice rather than a compulsory instruction
- · Confusing the no-entry sign with the no-motor-vehicles sign
- · Assuming hatched areas bordered by a broken line may never be entered
- · Missing that the end-of-restriction sign returns you to the national limit, not to 30
Instructor tip: Answer from the shape first, then check the pictogram — it stops you second-guessing on the look-alike pairs.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from road and traffic signs appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More road and traffic signs questions
- A police car is following you. If a police officer gestures to go left while flashing their headlights, what should you do?
- After turning at a junction you should ensure your indicators are cancelled promptly. Why is this?
- At traffic lights, what does it mean when the amber light shows on its own?
- How can you identify traffic signs that give orders?
- How will a patrolling police officer signal to you to stop?