Massachusetts RMV Motorcycle Practice Test 10
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?
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Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long
Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.
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2. A law enforcement officer is directing traffic and waves you forward while the signal facing you shows red. What should you do?
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Answer A: Follow the officer's direction and proceed
Directions given by an officer controlling traffic take priority over signals, signs and pavement markings.
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3. A curb lane is marked BUS ONLY 7 AM TO 9 AM. What may the driver of a car do?
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Answer A: Use the lane outside those hours
A part-time bus lane is reserved only during the posted period, and outside it the lane serves general traffic like any other.
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4. Compared with dry pavement, how much room does a vehicle need to stop on packed snow?
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Answer D: Several times as much
Grip on packed snow is a fraction of that on dry pavement, so stopping distance grows several times over. Antilock brakes help you steer, not stop shorter.
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5. Where should the least experienced riders be placed in a group?
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Answer C: Just behind the leader
Placing newer riders just behind the leader keeps the pace manageable for them and lets the more experienced riders behind keep an eye on them.
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6. Why is a motorcycle particularly hard for other drivers to judge at night?
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Answer A: Its single headlight gives no width cues for distance and speed
Drivers judge distance from the spacing between a pair of headlights, and a single lamp gives them nothing to measure, so they routinely misjudge how close and how fast a motorcycle is.
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7. A driver who is passing you cannot complete the pass because a vehicle is coming. What should you do?
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Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and make room for them to drop back in
The only place for the passing vehicle to go is the gap behind you, and easing off opens that gap immediately.
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8. A yellow sign reads SOFT SHOULDER. What is it telling you?
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Answer C: The shoulder may not carry the weight of a vehicle
A soft shoulder is unpaved and can let a wheel sink, so a driver who leaves the pavement there may lose control or become stuck.
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9. A high-occupancy vehicle lane is separated from the general lanes by a pair of solid white lines with a gap every so often. Where may you enter or leave it?
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Answer D: Only at the openings where the solid lines are broken
The solid lines forbid crossing, so entry and exit are limited to the designated openings where the marking is broken.
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10. A rider needs to stop quickly while leaned over in a curve. What is the best technique?
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Answer D: Bring the motorcycle upright where possible, then brake firmly with both brakes
An upright tire has more traction available for braking, so lean angle should be reduced as brake pressure is increased.
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11. Why should a rider avoid coasting to a stop with the transmission in neutral?
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Answer C: Engine braking is lost and so is the ability to accelerate out of trouble
Staying in gear keeps engine braking working and leaves the rider able to power away from a hazard instead of hunting for a gear first.
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12. You are waiting to turn left across two oncoming lanes when a driver in the near lane stops and waves you through. What should you do?
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Answer D: Turn only after checking the far lane yourself
The waving driver cannot give away the right of way of the traffic in the second lane, which may not be stopping at all.
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13. Unless signs indicate otherwise, what speed is treated as unreasonable in a Massachusetts thickly settled or business district?
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Answer D: More than 30 mph
Driving faster than 30 mph in a thickly settled or business district is not reasonable and proper unless posted signs set a 25 mph limit.
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14. Someone appears seriously injured after a crash. What should you generally do?
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Answer C: Call for emergency help and avoid moving the person unless there is an immediate danger such as fire
Moving an injured person can worsen spinal or internal injuries, so summon trained help and leave the person in place unless staying there is more dangerous than moving.
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15. At roughly what speed can hydroplaning begin when a lot of water is lying on the road?
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Answer C: At speeds as low as about 35 mph
With enough water and less than perfect tread, a tire can start to ride on the water at around 35 mph, well below normal highway speeds.
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16. You are riding a city street with embedded streetcar rails and it has just started to rain. What is the added risk?
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Answer D: Wet steel rails offer very little grip, and so does the pavement beside them
Steel rails give almost no traction when wet, so cross them upright at as close to a right angle as the lane allows, without braking or turning on the metal.
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17. What should you avoid when a hostile driver pulls alongside you?
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Answer A: Making eye contact, or answering the gestures in any way at all
Any response, including a look, encourages an aggressive driver, so give none and let the vehicle go.
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18. A funeral procession with headlights on is crossing an intersection when your light turns green. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait and let the whole procession go through
Most states let a funeral procession stay together once the lead vehicle has lawfully entered an intersection, and in every state you must yield to vehicles already in the intersection, so wait until the line has passed.
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19. You are waiting to turn left and an oncoming vehicle stopped in the near lane to turn left blocks your view of the far lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait where you are until you can see that the far lane is completely clear
The lane you cannot see is where the crash comes from, so you hold your position until the view opens up.
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20. Why is it better for a passenger to hold the rider's waist or hips rather than the rider's shoulders?
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Answer A: Weight held low is less likely to disturb the rider's steering
Pulling on the shoulders feeds the passenger's movement straight into the rider's arms and handlebars, while a grip at the waist keeps that weight low and central.
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21. A yellow diamond shows an arrow that doubles back on itself. What kind of curve lies ahead?
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Answer C: A turn of 135 degrees or more, nearly doubling back
The hairpin curve sign is used where the road changes direction by 135 degrees or more, and it is normally backed up by chevrons or a large arrow through the bend.
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22. An angry driver is following you closely and gesturing at you. What is the safe response?
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Answer B: Drive to a police station or to a busy public place and call for help
Never stop to confront an aggressive driver and never lead one home; go somewhere public and get the police involved.
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23. Windblown sand has collected across the pavement at a rural intersection where you must stop. How should you handle the stop?
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Answer A: Do your braking on clean pavement before the sand, then roll across upright
Sand acts like ball bearings under the tires, so finish your braking on the clean surface ahead of it and cross the loose patch upright with no sudden inputs.
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24. What do yellow lines painted on a roadway separate?
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Answer D: Traffic moving in opposite directions
Yellow markings separate opposing streams of traffic, and they also mark the left edge of a divided highway or a one-way roadway.
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25. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?
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Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside
High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.