District of Columbia DC DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 27
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. A rider notices scalloped, uneven wear across the front tire. What does that suggest?
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Answer C: A suspension or wheel bearing fault that should be inspected
Cupped or scalloped wear normally points to worn fork components or loose wheel bearings letting the tire bounce as it rolls.
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2. A yellow sign ahead of an underpass reads LOW CLEARANCE 12 FT 6 IN. What does the figure tell you?
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Answer B: The greatest height that can pass beneath the structure
The figure is the actual clearance available, so a vehicle taller than that must leave the road and take a marked alternative route.
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3. You are approaching a blind left hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?
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Answer C: The right portion of your lane
On a left hand bend the outside of the lane is the right side, and moving there lets the rider see farther around the curve before entering it.
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4. On a typical motorcycle, which of these controls does the rider operate with the right hand?
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Answer C: The front brake lever
The front brake lever sits on the right handlebar and is squeezed with the right hand, while the clutch lever is on the left handlebar.
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5. The sun is low behind you and shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. What should you do?
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Answer C: Turn on your headlights and expect oncoming drivers not to see you
Drivers facing the low sun may not see you at all, so make yourself as visible as possible and give way rather than insisting on your right of way.
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6. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?
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Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb
All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.
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7. What is the purpose of carrying a first aid kit in your vehicle?
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Answer D: It lets you treat cuts and bleeding while the help is on its way
A kit is for simple first aid such as controlling bleeding until trained help arrives, not a substitute for calling for that help.
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8. Your passenger wants to carry a bag in one hand during the ride. What should you tell them?
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Answer B: No, both hands are needed to hold on, so the bag must be secured on the machine
A passenger needs both hands on the operator or the handholds, and anything carried loose can be dropped into the wheel or pull the passenger off balance.
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9. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?
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Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over
Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.
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10. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?
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Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes
On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.
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11. How does alcohol affect a driver's ability to handle several things at once?
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Answer B: It cuts the ability to divide attention between tasks
Driving means watching the road, the mirrors and the instruments together, and alcohol narrows attention so that one of those tasks is dropped without the driver noticing.
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12. Two solid white lines are painted between your lane and the lane beside it. What do they mean?
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Answer D: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited
Double solid white lines separate lanes of traffic going the same way and may not be crossed.
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13. On a two-way street, where and how should you park at the curb?
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Answer C: On the right side, facing the way traffic moves
On a two-way street you must park on the right, headed in the direction of travel; parking facing traffic is prohibited.
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14. Used correctly, roughly how much of a motorcycle's total stopping power comes from the front brake?
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Answer B: About three quarters of it
Braking shifts weight onto the front wheel, so a smoothly squeezed front brake supplies roughly 70 percent or more of the stopping power.
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15. To make a motorcycle lean into a turn at normal riding speed, the rider should:
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Answer C: Press forward on the handgrip on the side of the turn
This is countersteering: press left to lean left and go left, press right to lean right and go right.
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16. Your passenger keeps leaning out to one side to see the road ahead. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ask them to stay in line with you and look over your shoulder instead
Leaning out shifts the combined weight sideways and unsettles the machine, and a passenger can see far enough by looking past the rider's shoulder.
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17. A yellow diamond showing a bicycle is posted on a rural road. What should a driver expect?
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Answer A: Bicyclists crossing or riding along the roadway there
The bicycle warning sign is used where a bikeway crosses the road or where riders are likely to be in the traffic lanes, so drivers should look carefully and pass wide.
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18. Which headlight setting should you use in dense fog?
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Answer B: Low beams
High beams reflect off the water droplets in fog and bounce glare back at you, while low beams aim downward and light the road without that mirror effect.
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19. You are turning right from a one-way street onto a two-way street. Where should the turn end?
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Answer A: In the lane nearest the right curb of the street you are entering
A right turn starts and finishes as close to the right as practical, so you leave the one-way street from the right lane and arrive in the lane nearest the right curb.
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20. You are parking on a one-way street where parking is allowed on both sides. What must still be true?
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Answer D: The vehicle must face the direction the traffic flows
Either curb may be used on a one-way street where signs allow it, but the vehicle must always be headed in the direction traffic moves.
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21. Your face shield develops a crack across the middle. What should you do?
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Answer D: Replace the shield, because a crack scatters light and can fail
A cracked shield distorts your view, scatters light badly at night and can break apart in an impact, so it should be replaced rather than repaired.
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22. Where is signing of this kind normally placed along a freeway?
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Answer D: Ahead of the interchange and again at the exit, so a driver can reach the correct lane in time
Guide information for an interchange is repeated on the approach and at the ramp, because a driver who learns about the exit only at the last moment has no room left for a safe lane change.
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23. A highway lane is marked with a large white diamond and signed as a high-occupancy vehicle lane. Who may use it?
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Answer B: Only vehicles carrying at least the number of occupants shown on the sign, during the posted hours
The diamond marking identifies a preferential lane whose occupancy requirement and hours of operation are stated on the accompanying signs.
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24. You know in advance that you will be drinking at an event. What is the most reliable plan?
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Answer A: Arrange a driver who will not drink, or another way home, before the event begins
A decision made before drinking is not affected by alcohol, while judging your own fitness afterward relies on the very ability alcohol impairs first.
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25. When is passing another vehicle on the right generally permitted?
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Answer C: When the road has two or more lanes in your direction, or the vehicle ahead is turning left and there is room without leaving the pavement
Passing on the right is limited to situations where a lawful lane exists for it or the vehicle ahead is turning left, and it may never be done by driving onto the shoulder.