District of Columbia DC DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 55
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. What should a passenger be told about where to keep their legs?
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Answer D: To keep them away from the muffler, the chain and other moving parts
Exhaust pipes get hot enough to burn and exposed drive components can catch a loose leg, so the passenger must keep legs in and clear of them.
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2. The rider behind you is closing right up on your machine and crowding you. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Let them go past and take a position behind them instead
Speeding up to escape a rider who is following too closely usually brings them with you, while letting them past removes the pressure entirely.
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3. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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4. What does the solid white line running along the right side of a highway mark?
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Answer A: The right edge of the traveled way
A solid white edge line shows where the traveled way ends on the right, which is particularly useful at night and in poor visibility.
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5. What does a NARROW BRIDGE warning sign tell a driver?
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Answer A: The bridge is tighter than the road leading up to it
A narrow bridge still carries both directions, but with much less clearance than the approaches, so drivers should slow and hold their lane position carefully.
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6. How does DC DMV define a motorized bicycle?
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Answer C: It has working pedals and a motor limited to 20 mph
A DC motorized bicycle must have working pedals and a motor limited to a maximum of 20 mph.
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7. Why must a rider turn the head and look before changing lanes?
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Answer A: Mirrors leave blind spots that only a direct look can cover
Motorcycles have blind spots just as cars do, and a vehicle hidden in one will not appear in the mirrors at all.
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8. Heavy rain has left water standing on the highway. What is the main risk to a rider?
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Answer D: The tires can ride up on the water and lose contact with the road surface
At higher speeds a tire can no longer push standing water aside and starts to hydroplane, so the rider slows and eases off rather than braking or turning hard.
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9. Your light turns green, but a vehicle from the cross street is still finishing a turn inside the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until that vehicle has cleared the intersection
A green indication lets you proceed only after yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to vehicles already lawfully within the intersection.
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10. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?
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Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear
A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.
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11. What fine does DC set for exceeding the speed limit by 16 to 20 mph?
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Answer A: 150 dollars
Driving 16 to 20 mph over the limit in DC carries a 150 dollar fine, against 100 dollars for 11 to 15 mph over.
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12. When are the hazard warning lights properly used?
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Answer A: When your vehicle is stopped or barely moving and is a hazard
Hazard lights warn that your vehicle is an obstruction; they do not authorize illegal parking and they hide your turn signals while driving.
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13. What do two solid yellow lines down the middle of a two-way road mean?
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Answer D: Passing is prohibited for traffic in both directions
A double solid yellow line marks a two-direction no-passing zone, so neither direction may cross it to overtake another vehicle.
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14. What color scheme does a standard stop sign use?
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Answer B: White legend and border on a red background
The stop sign carries a white legend and border on a red background, the color set aside for stop, yield and prohibition messages.
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15. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?
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Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance
A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.
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16. A driver reaches this sign and the intersecting roadway is completely clear. What is required?
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Answer D: Slowing to a speed that allows stopping, then going on without stopping if the way stays clear
This control asks the driver to slow down and be ready to stop, and a full stop becomes necessary only when traffic or pedestrians would otherwise be interfered with.
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17. You enter a work zone where the top layer of pavement has been milled off, leaving a grooved surface. How should you ride?
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Answer B: Hold a relaxed grip and steady speed, and expect the tires to wander
Milled or grooved pavement makes the tires follow the ridges and the motorcycle feel unsettled, so relax on the bars, keep a constant speed and ride straight through.
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18. How far ahead should you normally be looking as you drive?
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Answer C: About 12 to 15 seconds ahead, well beyond the vehicle in front
Looking that far down the road lets you see a problem developing and slow smoothly, instead of discovering it in time only for hard braking.
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19. What is the consequence of being caught cheating on a DC DMV knowledge test?
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Answer C: No retest for 60 days
An applicant caught cheating on the DC knowledge test cannot retest for 60 days.
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20. A broken white line separates your lane from the lane on your right. What does it permit?
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Answer C: Changing lanes when it is safe to do so
A normal broken white line marks a boundary between lanes traveling the same way that road users may cross when it is safe.
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21. You are parked legally, but a police officer tells you to move the vehicle. What should you do?
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Answer B: Move it as directed, because an officer overrides the signs
Directions from a police officer or a firefighter take precedence over signs and markings, whether they are directing traffic or clearing a street.
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22. A freeway sign reads BUSES ONLY ON SHOULDER 6 AM TO 9 AM. Who may drive on the shoulder then?
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Answer A: Only the vehicles named on the sign, during the hours shown
Shoulder running is granted by the sign to the class of vehicle and the hours the sign names, and it does not turn the shoulder into a general travel lane.
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23. Snow has covered the pavement markings on a two-lane road. How should a driver judge lane position?
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Answer B: By the tracks of other traffic and the roadside features
With the markings hidden, ruts left by earlier traffic, signs, poles and the line of the shoulder are the best clues to where the lane runs.
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24. What does DC law count as aggressive driving?
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Answer D: Committing 3 or more listed violations during a single continuous period of driving within one mile
DC defines aggressive driving as violating 3 or more of the listed provisions at the same time or during a single continuous period of driving within the course of one mile.
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25. A high truck ahead of you hides the traffic signal as you approach the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer A: Drop back so you can see the signal and the truck's brake lights
Extra following distance restores your view of the signal, so you are reacting to the light yourself rather than copying the truck driver.