Massachusetts RMV Motorcycle Practice Test 40
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. What does the RESERVE position on a fuel supply valve do?
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Answer C: It draws on the small amount of fuel left at the bottom of the tank
A fuel supply valve normally offers OFF, ON, RESERVE and PRIME, and RESERVE taps the last of the fuel so the rider can reach a station.
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2. A lane along the right edge is set off by a solid white line and marked with a bicycle symbol. How should a driver treat it?
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Answer B: Stay out of it except for the short distance needed to turn or cross where that is allowed
A marked bicycle lane is set aside for bicycle traffic, and motor vehicles may enter it only briefly where turning or crossing is permitted.
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3. How should a rider adjust speed on an unlit road at night?
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Answer C: Slow enough to stop within the distance the headlight actually lights up
A rider can only react to what is visible, so night speed has to fit the distance the headlight reaches rather than the posted limit.
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4. You are passing a large truck on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What should you expect?
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Answer A: A push toward the truck, then a push the other way as you clear it
The truck shelters you as you go by and then releases you into the full gust, so the load on the steering changes twice during the pass.
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5. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?
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Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it
Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.
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6. Which clue suggests that a car waiting at a side street is about to pull out in front of you?
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Answer B: The front wheels are turned and the car is creeping forward
Turned wheels and a slow creep forward are the strongest signs that a driver is about to move, so cover the brakes and be ready to change your lane position.
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7. At an intersection where every approach carries this sign, two drivers arrive at exactly the same instant. Which of them goes first?
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Answer C: The driver on the right
Order of arrival decides who goes first, and when two vehicles arrive together the driver on the right proceeds while the other gives way.
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8. A stop sign at a busy corner has a stop line and a crosswalk, but buildings block your view of the cross street. What is the correct sequence?
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Answer C: Stop at the line first, then edge forward and stop again to see
The first stop is required at the line or before the crosswalk, and a second stop farther forward is what actually lets you yield safely.
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9. About how far does a vehicle travel in one second at 60 mph?
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Answer A: About 88 feet
At 60 mph you cover about 88 feet every second, which is why a glance of only two or three seconds means driving the length of several vehicles blind.
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10. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to
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Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location
Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.
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11. You are the first driver on a road just after a storm. What should you plan for?
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Answer B: Branches, mud and other debris hidden around the next bend
Storm debris lands where nobody has cleared it yet, often just beyond a curve or a crest, so reduce speed and look much further ahead.
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12. May you park at the curb immediately next to a railroad crossing?
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Answer A: No, you must leave the crossing and its approach clear
Parking beside a crossing hides the tracks and the signals from approaching drivers and leaves no room for a vehicle that has to clear the rails.
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13. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?
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Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it
A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.
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14. You are riding where fresh pavement meets an older lane that sits an inch or two lower. How should you move across that edge?
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Answer A: Slow down and cross the edge at as sharp an angle as the lane allows
A pavement edge break can steer the front wheel along it if you meet it at a shallow angle, so slow, hold the bars firmly and cross it steeply.
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15. A sign on a divided highway reads Keep Right Except to Pass. What does it require of you?
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Answer A: Use the left lane only to overtake, then return to a lane on the right
The left lane on such a highway is reserved for overtaking, so a driver who has finished a pass must move back to the right.
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16. Your motorcycle starts to wander while you ride over rain grooves or a bridge grating. What should you do?
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Answer A: Relax, hold a steady speed and ride straight across
The wandering feeling on grooved surfaces and gratings is unsettling but generally not hazardous, while zigzagging to fight it is far more dangerous.
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17. What is the main advantage of a face shield over goggles?
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Answer D: It protects the whole face, not only the eyes
Goggles keep wind and debris out of the eyes, but a shatter resistant face shield also protects the rest of the face in a crash.
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18. A traffic signal separates you from the rest of your group. What should you do?
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Answer B: Continue at a safe and legal pace and rejoin the group farther along
Staying with a group never justifies breaking a traffic law, so a separated rider proceeds normally and the group regroups at a planned point.
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19. In a staggered formation, where does the second rider belong?
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Answer C: In the right portion of the lane, about one second behind the leader
The second rider uses the opposite side of the lane roughly one second behind the leader, which staggers the group without stretching it out or putting the two riders alongside each other.
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20. Who must wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle in Massachusetts?
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Answer C: Every operator and every passenger
Helmet use is mandatory in Massachusetts for motorcycle operators and passengers alike, with no age or experience exception.
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21. On a multi-lane street, a yield line is painted well back from an unsignalized crosswalk rather than right at it. Why?
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Answer D: So drivers in the other lanes can see the pedestrian
Setting the yield line back keeps a stopped vehicle from hiding a crossing pedestrian from drivers in the next lane, which is a common cause of these crashes.
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22. You arrive at a four-way stop after two other vehicles have already stopped there. When is it your turn?
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Answer A: After both of the earlier vehicles have gone
Vehicles clear a four-way stop in the order they arrived, so the third driver to stop is the third to go.
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23. You are leaving a freeway at an exit that has a deceleration lane. Where should you slow down?
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Answer C: After you have moved fully into the exit lane
Braking in a through lane surprises the traffic behind you, so you move into the exit lane at highway speed and then slow down inside it.
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24. You are about to pass a large truck on a two-lane highway. Which practice is correct?
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Answer A: Finish the pass without delay and expect wind turbulence beside the truck
Lingering beside a truck keeps you in its blind spot and exposes you to air turbulence. Pass on the left, keep moving, and move back only when you can see the whole truck in your mirror.
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25. How does higher speed affect the outcome of a crash?
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Answer A: It leaves less time to react and greatly increases the force of impact
Speed shortens the time available to avoid a hazard and raises the energy released in an impact, so both the likelihood and the severity of a crash increase.