District of Columbia DC DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 41
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. 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.
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2. A driver in the leftmost lane reaches this sign at an intersection. What must the driver do?
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Answer B: Go straight on or turn right, and reach the destination another way
The restriction holds whatever the traffic or the signal is doing, so the driver has to pass the intersection and plan a different route.
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3. You are overtaking in a short passing lane on a two-lane road and it is about to end. What must you do?
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Answer A: Finish the pass and move back to the right before it ends
The added lane ends and the traffic returns to a single lane in each direction, so the pass has to be complete before the pavement runs out.
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4. How tight should the chin strap of a helmet be?
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Answer D: Snug under the jaw, tight enough that the helmet cannot be pulled off
A helmet only works if it stays on, so the strap must be fastened snugly under the jaw on every ride, including short ones.
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5. 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.
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6. You must slow down in a curve but there is no room to straighten the motorcycle. What should you do?
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Answer A: Brake gently at first and reduce the lean angle as your speed comes down
Braking and turning compete for the same traction, so brake pressure has to stay light while lean angle is high and can grow as the machine comes upright.
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7. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back
A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.
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8. What is the correct swerving technique?
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Answer D: Press the handgrip on the side you want to go and look toward the escape route
A swerve is two quick countersteering inputs, and because the motorcycle goes where the rider looks, the eyes belong on the open space.
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9. You reach a one-lane bridge and a vehicle is already partway across it coming toward you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Stop before the bridge and let it come through
A vehicle already on a one-lane bridge has the right of way, and the driver who has not yet entered waits at the approach.
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10. Your lane is ending ahead in slow, heavy traffic and drivers in the next lane are already bumper to bumper. What is the recommended way to merge?
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Answer C: Take turns, one vehicle from each lane at the merge point
Alternating one for one at the merge point keeps both lanes moving and is the safest way to combine slow traffic.
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11. You are turning left from a divided highway through a median opening into a business on the other side. Who has the right of way?
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Answer C: The traffic on the roadway you are crossing
Turning through a median opening means crossing the opposite roadway, so you yield to all traffic on it before you go.
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12. Loose gravel has been swept into the middle of your lane on a downhill bend. Which controls are affected most?
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Answer D: Steering and braking, since the loose stones roll under the tires
Gravel rolls between rubber and pavement, so the tires can neither turn the vehicle nor slow it as they would on a clean surface.
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13. A bee gets inside your jacket while you are riding. What is the recommended action?
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Answer B: Pull off the road and stop before you try to deal with the insect
Being stung hurts, but losing control while swatting hurts much more, so ride to a safe place, stop and then deal with the insect.
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14. The center line beside your lane is solid yellow while the opposite side has a broken yellow line. What does this mean?
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Answer D: You may not pass, but traffic in the other direction may
A solid yellow line on your side of the center marks a no-passing zone for your direction only, while the broken line grants the opposing direction a passing zone.
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15. A wide crosswalk you are turning across has a refuge island in the middle. What should you assume about people standing on it?
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Answer D: They may step off the island into your path at any moment
An island is a pause in a crossing, not the end of one, so treat anyone on it as a pedestrian who is still crossing.
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16. You are driving through a long curve on a road with two lanes in your direction. What is correct?
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Answer A: Stay within your own lane all the way through, adjusting speed before you enter
Wandering out of your lane in a curve puts you into the path of a vehicle you cannot see, and the slowing belongs before the curve rather than in it.
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17. The leader gives a hand signal that you can see clearly from your place in the group. What should you do with it?
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Answer A: Repeat the signal so the riders behind you also receive it
Signals are passed down the line rider by rider, because riders further back cannot see the leader through the machines in between.
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18. How does a wet road change the distance you need to stop?
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Answer C: It lengthens it, so you need a much bigger gap ahead
Water between the tire and the road cuts grip, so braking distance grows and the gap that works on dry pavement is no longer enough.
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19. You are riding at 30 miles an hour and need to move quickly to the left. What do your hands do?
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Answer D: Press forward on the left handgrip
Above a walking pace a motorcycle turns by leaning, and pressing forward on the grip on the side you want to go is what starts the lean.
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20. What device rule applies to a DC learner permit holder or a driver under 18?
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Answer A: No mobile phone or electronic device may be used at all, even hands-free, except in an emergency
DC bans all mobile phone and electronic device use by learner permit holders and drivers under 18 while the vehicle is moving, except in an emergency.
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21. You are driving at night through heavy falling snow. Which headlight setting works better and why?
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Answer C: Low beams, because high beams bounce off the falling flakes back at you
Falling snow reflects light the way fog does, so high beams build a white wall of glare while low beams still give a usable view.
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22. A yellow diamond shows a car with wavy lines behind its rear tires. What is the warning?
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Answer D: The surface loses grip badly when it is wet
The slippery when wet sign marks a stretch where traction falls off sharply in rain, so speed and braking must be reduced well in advance.
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23. Oil is visible running down the front fork tubes. What does that mean?
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Answer C: A fork seal has failed and the suspension needs repair
Fork oil escaping past a seal means the front suspension is losing its damping, and the oil can also reach the front brake and ruin its grip.
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24. You have just ridden through a stretch of deep standing water. What should you do next?
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Answer B: Ride slowly and apply the brakes lightly to dry them out
Wet brakes can grab or barely work at all, and gentle pressure while moving slowly heats and clears them before they are really needed.
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25. A traffic signal is dark and you reach the intersection at the same moment as a vehicle on your right. Who goes first?
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Answer A: The vehicle on your right, as at any all-way stop
A dark signal is treated as an all-way stop, and the usual tie-breaker then applies: the vehicle on the right goes first.