The Trickiest Karimen Questions (and How to Not Fall for Them)

Why is the test so easy to fail on wording?

Because it is true/false, the examiner cannot make a question hard by hiding the answer — so they make it hard by wording the sentence to sound right when it is wrong (or wrong when it is right). Each statement is either fully true or fully false; a single word can flip it.

The test is 50 questions in 30 minutes with a 90% pass mark, so you have about 36 seconds per question and no room to give away easy ones. The good news: the traps repeat. Once you can name the trap, you stop falling for it.

Trap 1: absolute words like "always" and "never"

Traffic law is full of exceptions, so a statement with 'always', 'never', 'in all cases', or 'without exception' is very often false.

Example — You may never sound your horn, even when it is unavoidably necessary to prevent danger. False. You must not use the horn except where required, but you may — and should — use it when it is unavoidable to avoid danger (Road Traffic Act Art. 54).

Example — When an emergency vehicle approaches somewhere other than near an intersection, you must always come to a complete stop. False. You must yield by pulling to the left and giving way; a full stop is not always required (Art. 40).

Trap 2: the number is slightly wrong

The statement is true in shape but the minutes, metres, or km/h are changed. If you do not know the exact figure, the sentence looks fine.

Example — Stopping to load or unload cargo does not count as 'parking' as long as it does not exceed 10 minutes. False. The definition of parking turns on 5 minutes, not 10, for loading and unloading (Art. 2). The '10' is the whole trap.

Always read numbers as if they might be swapped. Learn the real figure for each rule rather than a rough sense of it.

Trap 3: an exception dressed up as permission

A prohibition is stated, then softened with 'as long as you do not obstruct others' or 'if it is safe' — as if that made it allowed. Usually it does not.

Example — Even where a sign prohibits U-turns, you may make one as long as you do not obstruct other traffic. False. Where a U-turn is prohibited by sign, it is prohibited — not obstructing others does not lift the ban (Art. 25-2).

Example — Inside a tunnel or near the top of a hill, parking is prohibited but stopping is allowed. False. In those places both stopping and parking are prohibited (Art. 44).

Trap 4: the legal definition is not the everyday one

Some words mean something narrower in the Road Traffic Act than in daily life. The test loves these.

Example — Under the Road Traffic Act, a 'vehicle' (車両) includes streetcars (trams). False. In the Act a 'vehicle' is a motor vehicle, motorised bicycle, light vehicle, or trolleybus — trams are treated separately, not as 'vehicles' (Art. 2).

And a counter-intuitive true: On a one-way street, a vehicle may drive over onto the right half of the road. True — because oncoming traffic is impossible on a one-way street, the keep-left rule does not bind you there (Art. 17).

How do I stop falling for them?

Practise on the same 50-question true/false format until 90% feels routine, and read every statement twice — once for meaning, once for the trap word. Underline (in your head) any absolute word, any number, and any word that might have a legal definition.

Every practice question on this site is written from the exact article of law it tests, so when you miss one you can see why the wording made it true or false. That is what turns a trap you fall for into a trap you recognise.

FAQ

Is "always" always a sign the answer is false?

Not always — some rules really are absolute. But because traffic law is full of exceptions, an absolute word is a strong signal to slow down and check whether an exception exists before you answer true.

How many questions can I get wrong?

Five. The test is 50 questions and you need 45 correct (90%) to pass, in 30 minutes. That is why avoiding the avoidable traps matters so much.

Is the trap style the same for the licence-conversion (gaimen) test?

Yes. The conversion knowledge test is the same 50-question, 90% true/false format drawn from the same Rules of the Road, so the same traps apply.