District of Columbia DC DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 15
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. This sign comes into view ahead of a driver who has already started along a ramp. What should the driver do?
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Answer B: Pull clear where it is safe, then turn around and leave the ramp traveling properly
The driver is traveling against the legal flow, so the safest response is to stop clear of the lanes, turn the vehicle around and get off the ramp before meeting traffic head on.
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2. Before making a right turn at an intersection, what should you check besides oncoming traffic?
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Answer B: Your right blind spot and the crosswalk, for cyclists and pedestrians
Right turns often catch a cyclist or a pedestrian coming up on the right, so check the blind spot and the crosswalk before you turn.
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3. Which statement best describes what the basic speed law requires of you?
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Answer C: That you never drive faster than is reasonable and safe for the conditions
Nearly every state has a basic speed law that makes the conditions the real limit: weather, traffic, light and road surface can all require a speed well below the posted number.
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4. Why do bridges and overpasses deserve extra caution when temperatures are near freezing?
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Answer A: They lose heat from above and below, so they ice over before the surrounding road
A bridge deck is exposed to cold air on both surfaces and has no ground beneath it to hold heat, so ice can form there while the connecting road is still only wet.
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5. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?
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Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time
Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.
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6. You are joining a highway from a short ramp that has no acceleration lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stop or slow at the end of the ramp and wait for a safe gap
Without an acceleration lane there is no room to match speed, so you must yield at the end of the ramp and enter only when a gap allows it.
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7. On traffic control devices, the color green shows direction to a destination and also shows
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Answer C: that a movement is permitted
Green carries two assignments: guidance toward destinations, and the idea that the movement shown is allowed, as on a green arrow.
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8. Partway through a ride, a control starts to feel different from the way it normally feels. What is the right response?
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Answer B: Stop somewhere safe and find out what has changed before riding further
A change in feel is usually the first warning of a failing cable, a leaking brake or a loose fastener, and it is far cheaper to check at the roadside than to discover in traffic.
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9. You are stopped at a red light ready to turn right when a person pushing a stroller steps into the crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stay stopped until they have crossed your path
A turn on red gives way to every pedestrian in the crosswalk, and someone pushing a stroller has even less room to react.
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10. How should you handle a prescription or over the counter medicine before driving?
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Answer D: Read the label and ask a pharmacist or doctor whether it affects driving
Many common medicines, including allergy and cold remedies, cause drowsiness or slowed reactions, and the label or a pharmacist can tell you whether driving is safe.
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11. What is the minimum fine for a second DC impaired driving conviction?
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Answer D: 2,500 dollars
A second DC impaired driving conviction carries a fine of at least 2,500 dollars and no more than 5,000 dollars, or up to a year of incarceration, or both.
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12. At a four-way stop another driver pulls out ahead of you when it was clearly your turn. What is the correct response?
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Answer B: Let that driver go through, then take your turn when the way is clear again
Right of way is something you give, never something you take, so yielding to a driver who takes it wrongly avoids a crash you would otherwise share.
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13. For how long is a DC driver license revoked after a first driving under the influence conviction?
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Answer C: 6 months
DC DMV revokes the license for 6 months on a first DUI conviction and adds 12 points to the record.
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14. You have just driven through a deep puddle and your brakes feel weak. What should you do?
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Answer D: Drive slowly while lightly applying the brakes until they dry and work normally
Wet brakes grip poorly and may pull to one side. Gentle braking at low speed generates heat that dries the pads and discs quickly.
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15. You are traveling at the same speed as a vehicle in the next lane, just behind its rear door. What should you do?
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Answer B: Change your speed so that you leave that driver's blind spot
That position is the classic blind spot. Slow slightly or move ahead so the other driver can see you before deciding to change lanes.
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16. What is the most effective way for a rider to be seen by other drivers?
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Answer C: Wear brightly colored reflective gear, or a reflective vest over dark clothing
The most common thing drivers say after a collision with a motorcycle is that they never saw it, and bright reflective gear on the helmet and torso is the largest visible surface the rider controls.
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17. You are turning right off a street into a parking lot driveway that crosses a bike lane and a sidewalk. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: Pedestrians on the sidewalk and riders in the bike lane
Turning into a driveway means crossing the paths of people who were already traveling straight, so you give way to both the bike lane and the sidewalk.
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18. How should a rider and passenger arrange to communicate during a ride?
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Answer A: By agreeing on simple signals or taps before the ride starts
Wind and engine noise make speech unreliable, so a short set of signals agreed in advance is the dependable way for a passenger to say they need to stop.
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19. How should a riding jacket fit?
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Answer B: Snug at the neck, wrists and waist so that it cannot balloon open
A jacket closed at the openings stays in place in a fall and does not flap in the wind, which is both tiring and distracting.
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20. What happens if a passenger leans the opposite way to the rider in a curve?
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Answer B: The motorcycle becomes harder to steer and may run wide in the curve
A passenger leaning against the turn fights the lean angle the rider has set, forcing extra steering effort and pushing the machine toward the outside of the curve.
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21. You are traveling beside a tractor-trailer and cannot see the truck driver's face in any of the truck's mirrors. What does that tell you?
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Answer A: The truck driver probably cannot see your vehicle
Large trucks have deep blind spots on all four sides, so if the driver's face is not visible in a mirror the driver has no view of you. Move ahead or drop back until you are out of that area.
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22. What is the safest way to deal with the situation this sign announces?
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Answer B: Match the speed of the other traffic stream and open a gap so vehicles can blend without hard braking
Blending works when speeds are matched and gaps are opened, so nobody has to brake hard or swerve where the two streams come together.
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23. On an overhead guide sign, the small exit number panel sits above the left-hand end rather than the right. What does that placement tell you?
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Answer A: The exit leaves from the left side of the roadway
The exit number plaque is placed on the side from which the ramp leaves, which gives advance notice of the unusual left-hand exit.
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24. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?
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Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you
Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.
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25. Where must the engine cut-off switch be set before the starter button will crank the engine?
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Answer A: In the run position
The cut-off switch sits in the ignition circuit, so the engine will not start or run while it is set to off.