out of my way! i'm a motorist!

look out beijing. this morning i passed the written driver's test and will be getting my license on friday. a cool souvenir? yes, but not at all worth the hassle. the traffic management bureau is located way out in the boondocks, outside the southeast fourth ring road. i had to haul myself out of bed at 6:30 this morning, take a shower in the dark (roommate forgot to pay the electricity), bike to work to grab my test registration then catch a cab out to the bureau. when i got there everybody was standing/squatting in the shade outside, since they hadn't opened yet and it was hot as hell already. i was not the only one cramming from the official study guide.

eventually they let us into the air conditioned foreign affairs waiting room and finally at 9:00 upstairs to the testing room, a big hall with a bunch of computers set up at separate desks. everybody chose their specific language and off we went. there were a good amount of people there, all different nationalities. just like the dmv in the us, the traffic management bureau has the effect of bringing all elements of society together, though expatriate society in this case. i generally live in spend time in the part of town where western europeans, north americans and british commonwealth citizens hang out. the russians have their own corner near ritan park and the koreans all live up in lidu. but when it comes down to it, everybody has to slog out together to deal with the psb.

but it seemed like most people passed, which was surprising because the test was pretty difficult. i don't think there's any way i could have passed without studying. think you have what it takes? check out some actual questions straight from the study guide below. answers are in the comments.

1. In summer, when a driver drives a vehicle he can _____.
A. wear a pair of slippers
B. not wear slippers since it's unsafe and impolite to wear them
C. wear any shoes, including slippers

2. For an open abdominal wound, such as protrusion of the small intestine tube, we should:
A. put it back
B. no treatment
C. not put it back, but cover it with a bowl or jar, and bind the bowl or jar with a cloth belt

3. Except for tractors, battery cars and utility vehicles, when drivers encounter foggy, rainy, snowy, sandstorm or hailstone weather, and the visibility is less than 50m:
A. they should stop and not drive
B. the must drive no faster than a maximum speed of 30km/hour.
C. they should drive quickly and watch closely.

4. When pass through a section of road that does not have a sign forbidding blowing the horn and a situation calls for using the horn, a driver should:
A. blow the horn.
B. englarge the sound volume of the horn.
C. Blow the horn as less as possible.

5. When there is some disagreement with others, a driver:
A. should call the other names.
B. should discuss the situation with patience, and not allow a bad mood to affect driving.
C. can drive with rage

6. Drivers should:
A. deliberately underestimate each other.
B. compete for road supremacy.
C. learn and help each other, adopt one's strong point while over coming one's weak point and keep safely driving.

UPDATE: i forgot to mention this above, but in the testing hall there was this big red LED screen that scrolled instructions alternating in chinese and english. at the end of the english section (and i assume the chinese too, though i didn't read it) was a series of exhortations about the importance of following the law. while i don't remember exactly, they followed the line of "the law of road traffic safety is your guardian angel on the road," and "everybody shall harmoniously follow the law of road traffic safety." a true communist moment in a city increasingly devoid of them.