Massachusetts RMV Motorcycle Practice Test 7

  • 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. You are driving down a parking aisle and reach the main lane that runs along the front of the store. What is the usual rule?

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    Answer C: The main through lane has the right of way over the vehicles leaving the aisles

    In a parking lot the wide lane that runs across the ends of the aisles works like a through road, and drivers leaving an aisle yield to it.

  2. 2. A pedestrian using a white cane or walking with a guide dog starts to cross the street ahead of you. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Yield and stay stopped until the person has finished crossing

    A white cane or guide dog identifies a pedestrian who may not be able to see your vehicle, so you must yield and wait rather than maneuver around the person. The horn can confuse the pedestrian or the dog.

  3. 3. What is wrong with slowing to a crawl at a stop sign and then rolling on through?

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    Answer C: It is not a stop, and you may miss a pedestrian or cross traffic

    A rolling stop is a violation and it also cuts short the moment you need in order to look carefully in each direction before entering.

  4. 4. Which facility does this sign direct a traveler toward?

    A blue square with a white letter H
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    Answer B: A hospital offering emergency care

    This is the standard marker for medical care, used to lead a traveler to a hospital where emergency treatment is available.

  5. 5. On a long drive you notice repeated yawning, missed exits and drifting toward the lane line. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Pull off at a safe place and sleep, or change drivers

    Those are warning signs that sleepiness is already interfering with driving, and only rest restores alertness. Fresh air, music and caffeine do not reverse it.

  6. 6. What is the correct technique for a maximum effort stop in a straight line?

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    Answer A: Squeeze the front lever progressively and press the rear pedal, staying upright

    Both brakes together give the shortest stop, the front is squeezed progressively as weight transfers forward, and the machine must be upright with the bars square.

  7. 7. A small plate under a stop sign reads CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP. What is it telling you?

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    Answer D: Traffic on the cross street is not required to stop at all

    The plate warns that the other road is uncontrolled, so you must wait for a gap instead of expecting anyone to take turns with you.

  8. 8. An oncoming driver flashes their headlights while you are waiting to turn left. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Judge the situation yourself, since the flash may mean something else

    A flash is not a legal signal and may mean many things, so the decision to turn stays yours and must be based on what you can see.

  9. 9. Just before the front wheel reaches an obstacle, what should you do with the throttle?

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    Answer C: Roll it on slightly to lighten the front end

    A small amount of throttle shifts weight rearward and lightens the front wheel so it rides over the obstacle more easily.

  10. 10. Why are pedestrians and cyclists a special risk on unlit streets at night?

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    Answer A: Dark clothing can make them invisible until they are very close

    A person in dark clothing reflects almost no light and may not appear until they are inside your stopping distance, so cut your speed where people may be about.

  11. 11. A driver is tailgating you. Why is it a bad idea to tap or stab the brakes to warn them?

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    Answer C: Because it cuts the little space they have and can cause a crash

    Brake checking removes the small margin the tailgater has left and can provoke a collision; add space in front of you instead and let them pass.

  12. 12. You are riding on a multi-lane road with a car traveling beside you in the lane on your right. Which lane position is usually best?

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    Answer D: The left portion, so you keep a cushion of space from the car alongside

    Lane position is chosen to hold space between the motorcycle and the nearest hazard, and here that hazard is the vehicle on the right.

  13. 13. An exit ramp is separated from the highway by a triangle of pavement painted with white stripes. What may you do there?

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    Answer C: Nothing; keep off it and choose either the lane or the ramp

    The striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is not for driving, stopping or last-second changes of direction.

  14. 14. A driver reaches this sign and the intersecting roadway is completely clear. What is required?

    A downward pointing white triangle with a wide red border
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    Answer D: Slowing to a speed that allows stopping, then going on without stopping if the way stays clear

    This control asks the driver to slow down and be ready to stop, and a full stop becomes necessary only when traffic or pedestrians would otherwise be interfered with.

  15. 15. A diamond-shaped sign is used to

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    Answer A: warn of a condition on or next to the road that may call for caution

    The diamond is the standard shape of the warning series, which alerts drivers to conditions that would otherwise not be obvious in time to react.

  16. 16. On a highway with mileage-based exit numbering, you have just passed exit 42 and are looking for exit 55. About how far is it?

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    Answer B: Thirteen miles

    With mileage-based numbering each exit takes the number of the nearest milepost, so subtracting one exit number from another gives the distance in miles.

  17. 17. At an intersection that uses a lagging left turn, when is the left-turn arrow displayed?

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    Answer B: After the through movement has run

    A lagging left turn phase runs at the end of the green rather than the start, so a driver waiting to turn should not assume the arrow has been missed.

  18. 18. The driver of a slow farm vehicle moves partly onto the shoulder and waves you past. Who is responsible for the pass?

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    Answer A: You are, so pass only if you can see that the road is clear

    A courtesy wave is not a traffic control, and the driver who changes lanes is the one answerable for the maneuver.

  19. 19. How does going a long time without sleep compare with drinking?

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    Answer A: It can impair a driver in much the same way

    Long periods awake produce slow reactions, poor judgment and lapses of attention that resemble the effects of alcohol, which is why fatigue counts as impairment.

  20. 20. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?

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    Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead

    Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.

  21. 21. You are waiting in a center two-way left-turn lane. What should you expect from oncoming traffic?

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    Answer A: Oncoming drivers may enter the same lane to prepare their own left turns

    Both directions share a two-way left-turn lane, so an oncoming vehicle may be waiting in it and you must never treat it as yours alone.

  22. 22. On loose gravel or deep fresh snow, how does an antilock system affect the stopping distance?

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    Answer D: It can lengthen it, although you keep the ability to steer

    On loose surfaces a locked wheel piles up a wedge of gravel or snow that helps it stop, so the antilock stop can be longer even though steering still works.

  23. 23. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?

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    Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade

    A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.

  24. 24. A large panel mounted on a trailer at the roadside displays a flashing arrow pointing left. What does it tell you?

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    Answer B: Move into the lane to your left

    An arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane, so the arrow shows the direction you must move rather than the shape of the road ahead.

  25. 25. What is the PRIME position on a fuel supply valve used for?

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    Answer D: To let fuel flow into the carburetor after the machine has stood unused

    PRIME bypasses the normal vacuum control and lets fuel refill an empty carburetor, which helps a machine start after sitting for a long time.