Alcohol & Drugs

Study questions with answers

12 sample Alcohol & Drugs questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. What actually sobers up a person who has been drinking?

   Correct answer: Only the passage of time

   Only time will sober you up; the liver removes alcohol at a fixed rate, and black coffee or a cold shower will not speed it up.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Alcohol and Driving)

2. 2. Which of the following contains about the same amount of alcohol?

   Correct answer: A 12-oz beer, a 5-oz glass of wine, and a 1.5-oz shot of liquor

   The alcohol content is identical across a 12-oz serving of 5% beer, a 5-oz pour of 12% wine, and a 1.5-oz shot of 80-proof liquor.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (What Is A Drink?)

3. 3. If a first alcohol offense happens while you drive a CMV bearing hazardous materials placards, how long is the CDL loss?

   Correct answer: At least three years

   When the offense takes place in a CMV displaying hazmat placards, the CDL is lost for a minimum of three years.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Alcohol, Leaving the Scene, and Commission of a Felony)

4. 4. Under Pennsylvania's implied consent law, what happens if you refuse a chemical test after being lawfully asked?

   Correct answer: Your driving privilege is suspended for at least one year

   Turning down a breath, blood, or urine test brings a one-year (12-month) loss of your driving privilege — applied even when a DUI charge ends in acquittal.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Pennsylvania's Implied Consent Law)

5. 5. For a first offense such as driving a CMV with a BAC of 0.04 percent or higher, how long will you lose your CDL?

   Correct answer: At least one year

   A first offense — for instance, operating a CMV at a BAC of 0.04 percent or above — brings a CDL loss of no less than one year.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Alcohol, Leaving the Scene, and Commission of a Felony)

6. 6. About how much alcohol can the liver process in one hour?

   Correct answer: About one-third of an ounce

   Your liver clears roughly one-third of an ounce each hour — under the amount contained in a single standard drink.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (How Alcohol Works)

7. 7. A driver of a typical commercial vehicle (other than a school bus) is considered to be driving under the influence at what BAC?

   Correct answer: 0.04 percent or more

   For a standard commercial vehicle (not a school bus), reaching a BAC of 0.04 percent or higher means you are legally impaired.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Alcohol, Leaving the Scene, and Commission of a Felony)

8. 8. What does the manual say about legal prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicines?

   Correct answer: They can affect safe driving, so heed warning labels

   Prescription and over-the-counter drugs like cold medicines may make a driver drowsy or otherwise affect safe driving; heed warning labels and a doctor's orders.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Other Drugs)

9. 9. A driver of a school bus or school vehicle is driving under the influence of alcohol at what BAC?

   Correct answer: 0.02 percent or more

   Behind the wheel of a school bus or school vehicle, a BAC that reaches 0.02 percent already counts as driving under the influence.

   Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Alcohol, Leaving the Scene, and Commission of a Felony)

10. 10. What factors determine a person's blood alcohol concentration?

    Correct answer: The amount, how fast you drink, and your weight

    BAC is determined by how much alcohol you drink, how fast you drink it, and your body weight.

    Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (What Determines Blood Alcohol Concentration?)

11. 11. How does alcohol interact with other drugs a driver may have taken?

    Correct answer: It can intensify the effects of other drugs

    Because alcohol may worsen how other drugs affect you, the safest approach is never to combine any drug with driving.

    Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 2: Driving Safely (Other Drugs)

12. 12. What is the consequence of having any measurable alcohol under 0.04 percent while operating a CMV?

    Correct answer: You are placed out of service for 24 hours

    Any measurable alcohol below 0.04 percent results in a 24-hour out-of-service order.

    Source: Pennsylvania CDL Manual — Section 1: Introduction (Alcohol, Leaving the Scene, and Commission of a Felony)