Traffic Signs, Signals, and Road Markings
Read color first, shape second, words third
Signs communicate before you read a word. Learn the pairs: red octagon = STOP; red-and-white triangle = YIELD; yellow diamond = warning; orange diamond = work zone; green rectangle = guide; blue = services; brown = recreation; white rectangle = regulatory; pentagon = school zone or crossing; round = railroad; pennant = no-passing zone. A steady yellow light means the signal is about to turn red - stop if you can do so safely. A flashing red is a stop sign. A flashing yellow means slow down and proceed with caution. A green arrow protects your turn; a yellow arrow means that protected turn is ending. If a signal is dark or malfunctioning, treat the intersection as an all-way stop.
Markings carry equal weight. Yellow lines separate traffic moving in opposite directions; white lines separate lanes moving the same way. A solid yellow line on your side means no passing; a broken yellow line on your side means you may pass when safe. Double solid yellow forbids passing in both directions. White edge lines mark the right edge, and crosswalk and stop lines tell you exactly where to stop.
Traps
Questions like to reverse the rule: a broken line on the other side does not give you permission to pass. Right turn on red is allowed after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it, but you must still yield to pedestrians and traffic. A flashing yellow arrow does not mean stop - it means yield.
Worked example
You approach a two-lane road with a double yellow center line, and the line nearest you is broken. Can you pass? Yes - the broken line on your side permits passing when the way is clear and you can return before the solid line begins.