Virginia DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 15
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. Why does a rider on an unfaired motorcycle tire faster on a long highway ride than a driver would?
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Answer A: Constant wind pressure and noise drain energy hour after hour
Fighting wind pressure and enduring wind noise for hours is physically tiring, which is why wind protection and regular breaks matter on long rides.
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2. Why is being predictable an important part of driving safely?
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Answer A: Because other road users are able to plan around what you are doing
Other drivers make their decisions from what they expect you to do, so surprises are what produce collisions.
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3. Railroad tracks cross the road at a slight angle. What is normally the safest way to cross them?
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Answer B: Ride straight across while staying inside your own lane
Riding straight ahead within your lane is usually safe on tracks that cross the road, because swerving to square them up can carry you into another lane or into oncoming traffic.
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4. What is true about driving away from a crash you were involved in?
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Answer B: It is a serious offense, even if the other driver has driven away too
Leaving the scene is a criminal offense in every state, and the behavior of the other driver does not excuse it.
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5. How should a rider dress for a long ride in very hot weather?
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Answer C: In ventilated riding gear that still covers the arms and legs
Mesh and vented riding gear flows air while keeping its abrasion protection and shading the skin, so heat is not a reason to ride uncovered.
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6. Which of these is announced with the same family of signs as the facility shown here?
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Answer A: A rest area for travelers
A rest area belongs to the same motorist service series, which points travelers toward facilities such as fuel, food, lodging and medical care.
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7. Why is repeatedly changing lanes to work through heavy traffic a poor idea?
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Answer A: It raises the crash risk and saves almost no time
Each lane change adds a conflict with another vehicle, and in congestion the lanes move at similar average speeds, so the gain is negligible.
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8. 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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9. You are stopped at a red light waiting to turn right where the turn is allowed. Besides traffic from the left, what must you check?
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Answer D: Both crosswalks, and anyone approaching along your right side
A right turn on red crosses the crosswalk in front of you and enters the one on the cross street, and cyclists often approach along your right.
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10. 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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11. You are stopped in a line of traffic on a steep uphill grade. What should you do about the gap to the vehicle ahead?
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Answer B: Leave more room than usual, because vehicles can roll back as they pull away
A vehicle ahead can roll back a foot or more as its driver releases the brake, and a motorcycle stopped tight behind it has nowhere to go.
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12. You are leaving a freeway on an exit ramp posted with an advisory speed of 25 mph. Where should you slow to that speed?
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Answer A: In the deceleration lane, before you reach the curve of the ramp
Slowing belongs in the deceleration lane so you arrive at the curve already at the advisory speed and do not hold up traffic still in the through lanes.
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13. A driver waiting to turn left appears to be looking straight at you. What should you assume?
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Answer C: That the driver may still not have seen you, and may turn across your path
Drivers look toward motorcycles without registering them, so eye contact is not evidence that the rider has been seen and no plan should depend on it.
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14. A first-time Virginia DUI offender registers a blood alcohol concentration above .20. What additional mandatory minimum jail time applies, beyond the ordinary first offense penalty?
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Answer D: An additional mandatory minimum of ten days
Virginia doubles the additional mandatory jail time to ten days when a first-time DUI offender's blood alcohol concentration is above .20, compared to five days for a BAC of .15 to .20.
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15. You leave a brightly lit service area onto a dark rural road. Why should you slow down for a while?
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Answer C: Your eyes need time to adjust, so at first you see less
Eyes take a few minutes to adapt from bright light to darkness, and during that time you can see much less than your headlights actually show.
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16. A speed limit sign carries a second panel reading TRUCKS 55. What does that panel do?
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Answer B: It sets a lower legal limit for trucks
A truck speed limit panel is regulatory, so trucks are bound by the lower figure while other traffic keeps to the main limit.
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17. You are stopping for a red light in the rain and your stopping point is on a wide painted stop line and crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow earlier and gently, since wet paint offers much less grip than pavement
Painted stop lines and crosswalks turn slick when wet, so start braking early and squeeze gently rather than braking hard on the markings.
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18. What should a rider confirm about the transmission before starting the engine?
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Answer B: That it is in neutral, or that the clutch lever is squeezed all the way in
Starting in gear with the clutch engaged can make the motorcycle lurch forward, so the machine must be in neutral or the clutch held in.
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19. A driver reaching a stop sign is required to do what?
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Answer D: Come to a complete stop and then proceed only when it is safe
A stop sign requires a full stop before the stop line, crosswalk or intersection, after which the driver may go on once the way is clear.
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20. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?
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Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time
Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.
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21. A regulatory sign reads TURN ON HEADLIGHTS NEXT 15 MILES. What does it require?
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Answer C: Low beam headlights on for that stretch, day or night
Such a section is signed where a road is hard to see along, and the requirement is to run headlights, not just daytime running lamps, through the whole stretch even in bright daylight.
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22. Why is passing another vehicle a bad idea in dense fog?
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Answer C: You cannot see far enough ahead to know the passing lane is clear
A pass needs a clear view of the road well beyond the vehicle you are overtaking, and fog takes exactly that away.
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23. Which type of video display is a recognized exception to Virginia's ban on a driver-visible television or video screen?
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Answer A: A navigation or mapping display
Virginia's ban on driver-visible video displays exempts navigation and mapping systems, along with rear-view monitors, vehicle information displays and certain other safety-related equipment.
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24. On a rural road, the driver of a slow farm tractor ahead of you signals a left turn even though there is no road or driveway in sight. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stay behind the tractor, because it may be turning into a field entrance
Farm equipment often turns into fields through gaps you cannot see, and it may swing wide to do so. Passing a vehicle that is signaling a left turn is a common cause of crashes.
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25. How can loose spokes be found on a spoked wheel?
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Answer B: By tapping each spoke and listening for a dull sound instead of a clear ring
A correctly tensioned spoke rings when tapped, while a loose one gives a flat, dull note that stands out from the rest of the wheel.