[gambiting]

I don't think that's right. In Poland the theoretical test is just as stupid as OP said, with a lot of "gotcha" questions designed specifically to catch you out, and yet people pass without bribery and then drive like bellends on the road. Having said that, people drive very aggressively and frequently are inconsiderate, but I'd say they absolutely know what the rules are - they just choose to ignore them because they think they can.

[throwaway0a5e]

In my US state (which is nationally renown for its authoritarianism) you only ever have "gotcha" questions for stupid stuff that doesn't actually matter on the road. Like "what is the maximum sentence someone with one DUI 366 days, but not more than 24mo ago can receive", as if that actually matters on the road. It would be a lot more palatable if it was some obscure questions about a 5-way intersection with a light only controlling a fraction of the streets or something about a rail crossing and a drawbridge.

[krab]

A different country, similar test. I remember you would just memorize the questions and their right answers. There was a limited set of questions, publicly available.