Massachusetts RMV Motorcycle Practice Test 22
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. You are riding through a curve behind another rider in your group. Which line should you take?
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Answer A: The line your own machine and your own speed require
Riders enter a curve at different speeds and on different machines, and copying somebody else's line can put you wide or into the wrong part of the lane.
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2. A crossing guard steps into the roadway ahead of this sign with one hand raised. What must the driver do?
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Answer B: Stop and stay stopped until the guard waves traffic on
An adult guard is controlling traffic at that crossing, so the instruction given by that person governs and the driver waits to be released.
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3. A freeway sign reads BUSES ONLY ON SHOULDER 6 AM TO 9 AM. Who may drive on the shoulder then?
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Answer A: Only the vehicles named on the sign, during the hours shown
Shoulder running is granted by the sign to the class of vehicle and the hours the sign names, and it does not turn the shoulder into a general travel lane.
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4. What is the best way to handle fatigue on a long ride?
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Answer C: Take rest breaks regularly and dress to keep wind and cold out
Wind, vibration and cold tire a rider faster than a driver, and the safe answer is planned breaks and protective clothing rather than pressing on.
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5. A flashing red lamp is mounted above a stop sign at a rural intersection. What does it add?
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Answer C: Emphasis, while the required stop stays the same
A stop beacon makes an easily missed stop sign more visible, but it neither adds to nor takes away from the obligation the sign already imposes.
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6. A center lane is bordered by a solid yellow line on the outside and a broken yellow line on the inside, with turn arrows painted inside it. What is that lane for?
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Answer C: Left turns made by traffic traveling in either direction
That marking pattern identifies a two-way left-turn lane, which drivers approaching from both directions may use to prepare for a left turn.
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7. A driver waiting to turn left appears to be looking straight at you. What should you assume?
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Answer C: That the driver may still not have seen you, and may turn across your path
Drivers look toward motorcycles without registering them, so eye contact is not evidence that the rider has been seen and no plan should depend on it.
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8. Permanent signs must be retroreflective or lighted so that
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Answer A: they show the same shape and color at night as by day
Retroreflective sheeting throws headlight light back to the driver, so a sign keeps its daytime shape and color after dark.
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9. Beyond this sign, cones and temporary signs lead traffic along a path that does not agree with the lines painted on the pavement. Which one must the driver follow?
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Answer C: The temporary arrangement, because it replaces the permanent layout while the work lasts
Temporary traffic control set up for the work takes precedence over the permanent signs and markings, which no longer describe how the road is being used.
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10. A broken white line separates your lane from the lane beside it. What does it indicate?
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Answer C: Both lanes carry traffic in the same direction and lane changes are permitted
White lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, and a broken white line means changing lanes across it is permitted when it is safe.
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11. When is a wet road usually most slippery?
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Answer C: Just after the rain starts, before the surface oil is washed away
Oil and dirt lying on the pavement mix with the first water and cut traction badly until continued rain washes the residue to the side of the road.
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12. How should riders in a staggered formation pass another vehicle?
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Answer D: One rider at a time
Passing one rider at a time keeps each pass short and prevents the group from occupying the other lane longer than necessary.
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13. What is meant by a crowned road?
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Answer B: A road built higher along its center so that water drains toward the sides
The crown is the built-in slope from the middle of the road down toward each edge, and it exists so rain runs off instead of standing on the surface.
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14. A driver extends the left arm out the window and points it downward toward the road surface. What is being signaled?
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Answer A: Slowing down or stopping
The left arm extended downward is the standard hand signal for slowing or stopping.
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15. How far forward should a rider sit on the seat?
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Answer D: Far enough forward that the arms are slightly bent on the grips
Slightly bent arms let the rider steer with the handlebars instead of using the arms to prop up the upper body.
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16. How often should a rider change position within the lane?
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Answer C: As often as the traffic, the road surface and the hazards around you change
Lane position is a tool for keeping space and visibility, and both of those change constantly as traffic and road conditions change.
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17. What does the choke, or enrichener, do on a motorcycle that has one?
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Answer B: It gives the engine a richer fuel mixture so a cold engine will start
A cold engine needs more fuel in proportion to air, and the choke supplies that richer mixture until the engine warms up.
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18. A flagger in a work zone turns a paddle so that the red octagonal face reading STOP is toward you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop completely and wait for the flagger to signal you forward
The STOP face of a flagger paddle requires a complete stop, and you may move again only when the flagger directs you to.
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19. You turn left onto a road that has a center two-way left-turn lane. In which lane should you be traveling once the turn is finished?
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Answer D: The first through lane to the right of the center turn lane
The shared center lane is only for turning movements, so even where a state lets you pause in it to merge you must end up in the first ordinary travel lane beside it.
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20. The curb ahead is signed as a bus stop. May you wait there with your vehicle?
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Answer C: No, the space must stay clear for buses
A bus stop must stay open so that a bus can reach the curb and let passengers on and off safely, so no other vehicle may occupy it.
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21. What should a rider do before riding an unfamiliar or borrowed motorcycle?
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Answer B: Locate and try the controls, then ride cautiously until used to the machine
Turn signals, horn, headlight switch, fuel valve and engine cut-off switch sit in different places on different models, and hunting for them in traffic is dangerous.
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22. What should a passenger hold on to while the motorcycle is moving?
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Answer B: The operator's waist, hips or belt, or a handhold provided for the passenger
Holding the operator's waist, hips or belt, or a handhold designed for the passenger, keeps the passenger secure under acceleration and braking without pulling the operator off balance.
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23. Seven surchargeable events within a three year period lead to which penalty in Massachusetts?
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Answer A: An automatic 60 day suspension
Seven surchargeable events inside three years result in an automatic 60 day license suspension.
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24. You are approaching a sharp curve. When should you reduce your speed?
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Answer D: Before you enter the curve, so you can accelerate gently through it
Braking hard inside a curve uses up the traction that is already being demanded for cornering, so the slowing must be finished before you enter.
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25. When should tire pressure be measured?
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Answer B: Before riding, while the tires are still cold
Riding heats the air inside a tire and raises the reading, so pressure is set cold to match the figure the manufacturer specifies.