Massachusetts RMV Motorcycle Practice Test 29

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass18
  • Passing score72%
  • Minimum age16 years

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 18 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. Why does a rider on an unfaired motorcycle tire faster on a long highway ride than a driver would?

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    Answer A: Constant wind pressure and noise drain energy hour after hour

    Fighting wind pressure and enduring wind noise for hours is physically tiring, which is why wind protection and regular breaks matter on long rides.

  2. 2. A wide solid white line separates the through lanes from an exit lane. What does it tell drivers?

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    Answer B: The choice of lane should already have been made

    A channelizing line marks where the paths separate and crossing it is discouraged or prohibited, so the lane change has to happen upstream.

  3. 3. What does a NARROW BRIDGE warning sign tell a driver?

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    Answer A: The bridge is tighter than the road leading up to it

    A narrow bridge still carries both directions, but with much less clearance than the approaches, so drivers should slow and hold their lane position carefully.

  4. 4. You feel drowsy, so you open a window and turn the radio up. What does that achieve?

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    Answer B: Very little, because the drowsiness comes back

    Cold air and loud music are not sleep, so the alerting effect lasts a minute or two and the driver is soon just as sleepy and closer to a lapse.

  5. 5. You are driving in the left lane at the posted speed limit and a line of vehicles has built up behind you. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Move into a lane on your right when it is safe and let the traffic behind go by

    Most states require traffic moving slower than the flow to keep right and reserve the left lane for passing, so a driver holding up a line of vehicles should move right when it is safe rather than block the lane.

  6. 6. Two solid white lines separate your lane from the lane beside it. What do they mean?

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    Answer B: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited

    A solid double white line marks a boundary that road users may not cross, such as the entrance to a preferential lane.

  7. 7. A regulatory message is normally carried on a sign whose shape is

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    Answer A: a rectangle standing taller than it is wide

    Regulatory signs that state a law, such as speed limits and turn restrictions, use a vertical rectangle with a black legend on a white background.

  8. 8. Does this sign settle who has the right-of-way at the intersection ahead?

    A yellow diamond showing a black cross
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    Answer D: No, it only gives notice of the intersection; the control there decides priority

    A warning prepares the driver for what is coming but grants no priority, so whatever stop control, yield control, signal or right-of-way rule applies at the intersection is what decides.

  9. 9. You are very angry after an argument and about to drive. What should you know?

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    Answer A: Strong emotions can impair judgment and attention much like alcohol

    Anger, grief and stress pull attention inward and encourage risk taking. Give yourself time to settle down before getting behind the wheel.

  10. 10. Some states allow a left turn against a red light. Which movement is it?

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    Answer A: A left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street

    The movement generally allowed on red is one-way to one-way, because the turn does not cross any lane of oncoming traffic; a few states also extend it to a two-way street turning onto a one-way street.

  11. 11. What should a rider do if the front wheel locks during braking?

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    Answer A: Release the front brake immediately, then reapply it firmly

    A locked front wheel cannot steer or hold the motorcycle up, so the brake must be released to let the wheel roll again and then reapplied smoothly.

  12. 12. Your vehicle has stalled on railroad tracks and no train is in sight. After getting everyone away, whom should you call first?

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    Answer B: The railroad emergency number posted on the blue sign at the crossing, giving the crossing number

    Every public crossing has a blue emergency notification sign with a phone number and a crossing identification number. That call lets the railroad stop or slow trains before they reach you.

  13. 13. According to national crash research, how effective are helmets at preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders?

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    Answer C: About 37 percent effective

    Federal estimates put helmet effectiveness at roughly 37 percent for riders and about 41 percent for passengers in preventing fatal injuries.

  14. 14. Which shape is used for the school advance warning sign and the school crossing sign?

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    Answer B: An upward-pointing pentagon

    The five-sided pentagon with its point up identifies school signing, so the outline alone tells a driver that children may be present.

  15. 15. What should a rider check about the size of a motorcycle before riding it?

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    Answer C: That both feet reach the ground and the controls are within reach

    A motorcycle that fits lets the rider put both feet down at a stop and work every control without stretching, and a machine that is too tall or too heavy is hard to hold up in slow traffic.

  16. 16. How should space management change with a passenger aboard?

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    Answer B: Allow a greater following distance and wait for larger gaps in traffic

    A loaded motorcycle accelerates and stops more slowly, so it needs more room ahead and bigger gaps to merge, to pass or to cross traffic.

  17. 17. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?

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    Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing

    A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.

  18. 18. What does a shaft final drive need checked before a ride?

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    Answer D: The fluid level in the final drive housing, and any sign of leaks

    A shaft drive runs in its own oil bath, so the pre-ride check is the fluid level and any leak around the housing seals rather than tension or slack.

  19. 19. You pass into a work zone with a reduced speed limit but you see no workers. What speed applies?

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    Answer D: The posted work zone limit, whether or not workers are present

    A posted work zone speed limit is a regulatory limit in force at all times, and narrow lanes and uneven surfaces remain dangerous when nobody is working.

  20. 20. You are overtaking a large tractor trailer on the highway. What should you expect as you ride alongside and then past it?

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    Answer D: Changing pushes and pulls as you pass the front, the side and the rear

    The air around a large truck moves in different directions along its length, so expect the buffeting to change as you go by. Keep a firm but relaxed grip and a steady throttle.

  21. 21. A pedestrian has stepped into a crosswalk at an intersection ahead of you. What is your obligation?

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    Answer C: Yield and let the pedestrian finish crossing before you proceed

    Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and an intersection has a legal crosswalk whether or not lines are painted on the pavement.

  22. 22. You are waiting to turn and the traffic ahead has stopped. Where must you not come to rest?

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    Answer D: On the crosswalk, which people need in order to cross the street

    Stopping on a crosswalk forces pedestrians out into the traffic lanes to get around you, so you hold back before it instead.

  23. 23. Traffic is heavy and you find yourself riding level with a car in the next lane. What is the problem with staying there?

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    Answer B: You sit in the driver's blind spot, so a lane change could hit you

    Motorcycles disappear easily in a blind spot, so adjust your speed to ride ahead of or behind the other vehicle instead of beside it.

  24. 24. What is the correct order of steps for taking a turn or a curve?

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    Answer D: Slow, look, press, roll

    Reduce speed before the turn, look through it to where you want to go, press the handgrip to lean, then roll on the throttle to steady the motorcycle.

  25. 25. Where is a U-turn most clearly unsafe and generally prohibited?

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    Answer D: On a curve or near a hill crest, where other drivers cannot see you

    U-turns are barred where approaching drivers cannot see you in time, such as on a curve or near the top of a hill.