District of Columbia DC DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 32
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. The overhead signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer B: Prepare to move out of that lane
A steady yellow X warns that the lane is about to close, so drivers should get ready to vacate it in favor of an open lane.
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2. Besides motorist services and tourist information, a blue sign background is also used for
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Answer B: evacuation route signing
Blue is assigned to road user services, tourist information and evacuation routes, so hurricane and other evacuation routes are signed in blue.
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3. When is it safe to return to your own lane after passing a vehicle?
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Answer C: Once you can see the whole front of that vehicle in your mirror
Seeing the entire front of the vehicle in the mirror proves there is a full vehicle length of clear road, which the rider cannot judge by feel alone.
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4. Your vehicle stalls on a railroad crossing and will not restart. What should you do first?
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Answer A: Get everyone out and away from the tracks immediately
Everyone must leave the vehicle and move well clear of the tracks at once, walking toward the train at an angle so that debris from an impact travels away from you.
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5. You are first in the queue at a red light with a marked crosswalk. Where should your vehicle stop?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, so that the crosswalk stays clear
Stopping short of the line keeps the crosswalk usable for people on foot and keeps your vehicle out of the path of turning traffic.
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6. How should you use your mirrors while another vehicle overtakes you on a multilane road?
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Answer C: Follow it from the inside mirror to the side mirror and then to your own view
Handing the vehicle from one mirror to the next keeps it in sight through the blind spot instead of losing it there.
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7. You are driving through a residential area where parked cars hide the side streets. What is the safest approach?
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Answer C: Slow down and cover the brake as you pass each opening
Where parked vehicles hide side streets and driveways, lower speed and a covered brake buy the time you lose in sight distance.
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8. A bicyclist is riding in the middle of a narrow travel lane ahead of you. What is the correct response?
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Answer D: Slow down and wait until you can pass with wide clearance, changing lanes if needed
A bicyclist has the same right to use the lane as a driver, and a narrow lane may not leave safe passing room, so wait for a gap that lets you move over and pass with a wide margin.
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9. You are approaching the entry of a roundabout and a pedestrian is crossing the marked crosswalk on your approach lane. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop before the crosswalk and let the pedestrian cross
Roundabout crosswalks sit a short distance back from the yield line, and drivers must yield there before they ever reach the circulating lanes.
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10. A sign at the signal reads LEFT TURN ON GREEN ARROW ONLY. The ball turns green but no arrow appears. What may you do?
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Answer C: Wait, because your turn is allowed only while the arrow is showing
The sign removes the permissive turn, so the left is legal only during the green arrow and you must wait behind the line until it appears.
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11. How can the vehicle ahead of you help you read the road at night?
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Answer A: Its headlights light the road further ahead than yours can reach
The lights of the vehicle ahead reach beyond your own beam, so its brake lights and the way it moves warn you about holes, turns and hazards you cannot yet see.
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12. How do worn tires and worn brakes affect your ability to stop?
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Answer C: They lengthen the stopping distance, especially on a wet road
Worn tread cannot clear water and worn brakes cannot produce full force, so both stretch the distance needed to stop.
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13. You are inside a tunnel with no shoulder when an ambulance comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep going at a safe speed and pull over once you are clear of the tunnel
Stopping in a tunnel or on a narrow bridge blocks the only lane, so continue at a safe speed to the first place where you can pull clear.
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14. How many usable riding paths does a single traffic lane offer a motorcycle?
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Answer C: Three
A lane is normally treated as a left, center and right path, and the rider picks the one that gives the best visibility and the largest space cushion.
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15. Why do riders keep the headlight burning in broad daylight?
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Answer B: It makes the motorcycle easier for other drivers to pick out
A motorcycle is a narrow target that other drivers overlook easily, and a lit headlight is one of the few things that makes it stand out at a distance.
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16. You feel drowsy, so you open a window and turn the radio up. What does that achieve?
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Answer B: Very little, because the drowsiness comes back
Cold air and loud music are not sleep, so the alerting effect lasts a minute or two and the driver is soon just as sleepy and closer to a lapse.
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17. You have stopped on an uphill grade close behind a large truck at a traffic signal. What is the risk?
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Answer B: The truck may roll back into you when it starts to move
Heavy vehicles can roll backward a short distance when the driver moves from the brake to the accelerator on a hill. Leave extra room when stopped behind a truck on a grade.
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18. What does DC law say about driving into a block where fire apparatus has stopped?
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Answer C: Entering the block is an infraction in its own right
DC regulations make entering a block occupied by stopped fire apparatus a separate infraction, alongside the rules on following and passing it.
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19. How can a rider check the action of the front suspension while the motorcycle is stationary?
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Answer D: Hold the front brake on and push down on the bars to feel the forks move and return
Compressing the forks against the front brake shows whether they move smoothly and return without binding, sticking or making noise.
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20. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?
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Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane
The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.
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21. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?
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Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system
As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.
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22. A downpour has just started on a street with a visible dark strip down the middle of the lane. Where should you ride?
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Answer A: In the left or right portion of the lane, away from the greasy center strip
Dripped oil and grease build up in the center of the lane, and water floats that film to the top, so the tire tracks on either side offer better grip.
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23. Why is this restriction so common beside fire hydrants, crosswalks and intersection corners?
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Answer C: To keep sight lines open and leave access for emergency crews
A vehicle left in those places hides pedestrians from approaching drivers, blocks the path of turning vehicles and can keep firefighters from reaching a hydrant.
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24. What is the safest way to deal with a vehicle sitting in your blind spot?
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Answer A: Slow a little or move ahead so that it is no longer beside you
You cannot control the other driver, but you can change your own speed so that the vehicle is no longer hidden beside you.
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25. What should a rider remember about convex mirrors?
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Answer B: They show a wider view, but vehicles look farther away and slower than they are
The curved glass fits more of the scene into the mirror, and the price of that extra width is a distorted sense of distance and closing speed.