District of Columbia DC DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 24
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. Which shape is used for the school advance warning sign and the school crossing sign?
Show answer
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.
-
2. Why does a long downhill grade lengthen the distance you need to stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Because gravity keeps pulling the vehicle forward as you brake
On a downgrade gravity works with the vehicle and against the brakes, so the same speed needs noticeably more distance than it would on level ground.
-
3. Why should you stay out of an intersection you cannot clear, even on a green light?
Show answer
Answer B: Because you would block cross traffic when their signal turns green
A vehicle stranded in the intersection blocks the cross street when its light turns green, which stalls the whole junction and traps emergency vehicles.
-
4. A curb lane is marked BUS ONLY 7 AM TO 9 AM. What may the driver of a car do?
Show answer
Answer A: Use the lane outside those hours
A part-time bus lane is reserved only during the posted period, and outside it the lane serves general traffic like any other.
-
5. You are leaving a freeway by an exit ramp. Where should you slow down?
Show answer
Answer D: On the ramp itself, after you have left the through lane
Braking in the through lane surprises the traffic behind, so the rider signals, moves onto the ramp and does the slowing in the space provided for it.
-
6. Is a helmet worth wearing on a short trip to a store a few blocks away?
Show answer
Answer C: Yes, since many crashes happen close to home at ordinary street speeds
A large share of motorcycle crashes occur on short, familiar trips at moderate speeds, and injuries at those speeds are still severe.
-
7. Does wearing properly fitted earplugs stop a rider from hearing important sounds?
Show answer
Answer C: No, they lower overall noise while horns and speech still register
Earplugs reduce the wind roar that masks everything else, so riders wearing them often hear traffic more clearly, not less, while their hearing is protected.
-
8. On a two-lane road, a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center while a broken yellow line runs on the other side. What does this mean?
Show answer
Answer D: You may not pass, although oncoming drivers may
Passing restrictions are read from the line closest to your own lane, so a solid yellow line on your side creates a no-passing zone for you alone.
-
9. Why should riders avoid the center strip of the lane, especially where traffic stops often?
Show answer
Answer A: Because it collects oil and grease dripped from other vehicles
Drippings from other vehicles build up in the center of the lane, and the buildup is heaviest at busy intersections and toll booths where traffic sits waiting.
-
10. A passenger is getting on at the roadside. Which side should they use if the exhaust and the sidestand allow it?
Show answer
Answer B: The side away from moving traffic, clear of the hot exhaust
Getting on and off away from passing vehicles keeps the passenger out of traffic, and the side chosen must also keep their leg clear of the hot exhaust.
-
11. You are about to change lanes to the left when you notice a vehicle already overtaking you in that lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Hold your lane and your speed, and change only after that vehicle has gone by
A signal asks for space but does not create it, and the overtaking driver has nowhere to go if you move across.
-
12. At the scene of a crash you were part of, what are you required to do besides stopping?
Show answer
Answer B: Give your name, your address and vehicle details, and help anyone who is hurt
Every state requires drivers involved in a crash to identify themselves and to render reasonable aid to anyone injured.
-
13. You reach an intersection with no signs, signals or markings clearly before a vehicle that is approaching on your right. What is the rule?
Show answer
Answer B: You may go first because you got there first
At an uncontrolled intersection the first driver to arrive goes first; the yield to the right rule only settles a tie.
-
14. How should a load be distributed between the two saddlebags?
Show answer
Answer B: Evenly, so the weight is balanced from side to side
An uneven load pulls the motorcycle toward the heavy side and makes it behave differently in left turns than in right turns.
-
15. Why should two riders never travel side by side in the same lane?
Show answer
Answer B: Because neither rider has room to swerve if a hazard appears
Riding directly alongside another motorcycle removes the escape path each rider needs to avoid a hazard, a pothole or another vehicle.
-
16. In most states, when are headlights required apart from times of poor visibility?
Show answer
Answer A: From about half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
Most states require lights from about half an hour after sunset until about half an hour before sunrise, and some simply say sunset to sunrise; lights are also required whenever visibility is poor.
-
17. How much following distance should you keep behind a motorcycle?
Show answer
Answer C: At least three to four seconds
A motorcycle can slow or stop very quickly and is easily upset by a surprise, so allow three to four seconds instead of the usual car gap.
-
18. You have entered a work zone where crews are working close to the open lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow down and be ready for workers and machines
Workers and equipment cross the open lane without warning in a work zone, so reduced speed and attention on the road ahead are what keep them safe.
-
19. A parking space is marked with the international symbol of access. Who may use it?
Show answer
Answer A: Only a vehicle displaying the required placard or plate
Accessible spaces may be used only by a vehicle that displays a valid disability placard or plate, no matter how short the stop would be.
-
20. What protective gear should a passenger wear?
Show answer
Answer C: The same protective gear recommended for the operator
A passenger is exposed to the same crash forces, weather and road debris as the operator, so the same head, eye, hand, body and foot protection applies.
-
21. A yellow diamond shows an arrow bent into a series of reversing turns. What does it warn about?
Show answer
Answer A: Three or more changes of direction close together
The winding road sign replaces a string of separate curve signs where several bends follow one another with only short straights between them.
-
22. An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and a siren is approaching from behind on a two-way street. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes
Clearing a path by pulling to the right and stopping gives the emergency vehicle a predictable route, while stopping in mid-lane or inside an intersection blocks that path.
-
23. At night you are judging your distance from the rider ahead by their tail light. What is the risk?
Show answer
Answer A: A single small light gives a poor sense of how far away it really is
Distance is very hard to judge from one small light in the dark, so riders should leave extra space rather than trust the impression the light gives.
-
24. There is a stop sign but no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?
Show answer
Answer A: Before entering the intersection, where you can see cross traffic
With no line or crosswalk, stop before you enter the intersection at the point where you can see traffic on the cross street.
-
25. An upward-pointing pentagon with a yellow legend and border on a blue background is used as
Show answer
Answer D: a county route marker
The pentagon serves both the school warning series and county route markers, and the blue background with yellow legend identifies the county route version.