Virginia DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 17
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. How much more energy must your brakes absorb if you double your speed?
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Answer D: About four times as much, since energy rises with the square of speed
Kinetic energy grows with the square of speed, so twice the speed means about four times the energy and a far longer braking distance.
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2. You come up behind a group of cyclists riding two abreast on a narrow rural road. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait for a clear stretch and pass them as one group
Passing a group as a single unit when the way ahead is clear is safer than several rushed passes, and cutting through the group leaves nobody any escape room.
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3. On a street with parking along the curb, the shared lane marking is painted well out from the curb face. What does that placement tell a bicyclist?
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Answer C: To ride clear of the doors of parked cars
The marking is set at least eleven feet from the curb where parking is allowed so that riders are guided outside the reach of an opening door.
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4. A steady green arrow pointing left is displayed for your turning lane. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: The turn is protected because conflicting traffic is being held
A steady green arrow gives a protected movement in the direction shown, although you still yield to pedestrians and to any vehicle already inside the intersection.
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5. You are overtaking a large tractor trailer on the highway. What should you expect as you ride alongside and then past it?
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Answer D: Changing pushes and pulls as you pass the front, the side and the rear
The air around a large truck moves in different directions along its length, so expect the buffeting to change as you go by. Keep a firm but relaxed grip and a steady throttle.
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6. Unless a sign posts otherwise, what is the Virginia speed limit on unpaved roads?
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Answer B: 35 miles per hour
Virginia sets a default limit of 35 miles per hour on unpaved roads unless a sign posts a different speed.
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7. What is meant by keeping a space cushion?
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Answer C: Keeping open space on all sides of your vehicle so you always have somewhere to go
Open space ahead, behind and to the sides gives you time to react and an escape path when a hazard appears, which is the core idea of defensive driving.
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8. You are passing a large truck on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What should you expect?
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Answer A: A push toward the truck, then a push the other way as you clear it
The truck shelters you as you go by and then releases you into the full gust, so the load on the steering changes twice during the pass.
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9. As you approach an intersection, what is a sound search pattern?
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Answer A: Look left, then ahead, then right, then left again before you enter
Traffic from the left reaches the rider first, so it is checked first and then rechecked, with the road ahead and the traffic from the right covered in between.
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10. A grade crossing is marked only with a crossbuck and has no lights or gates. What does the crossbuck require of you?
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Answer C: Yield to rail traffic and cross only when no train is approaching
The crossbuck requires road users to yield the right-of-way to rail traffic, so you must look and listen and be ready to stop.
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11. Fog thickens until you can barely make out the vehicle ahead. What is the safest action?
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Answer A: Slow right down and, if needed, leave the road at a safe place
In heavy fog the only safe speed may be very low, and if it drops below what the road allows, the answer is to pull well clear of the traffic lanes.
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12. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?
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Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing
A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.
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13. For an alert driver, about how long is the reaction time once a hazard has been recognized?
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Answer A: About three quarters of a second
Reaction alone takes roughly three quarters of a second for an alert driver, and perception takes about as long again, so a second and a half of travel is added before the brakes bite.
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14. 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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15. You must cross tracks or pavement seams that run in nearly the same direction as your path of travel. What should you do?
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Answer C: Move far enough away to cross at an angle of at least 45 degrees, then turn sharply across
A shallow crossing lets the groove catch and steer the front wheel, so the rider sets up to cross at 45 degrees or more and makes one deliberate turn across it.
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16. How may a Virginia driver lawfully use a mobile phone for navigation?
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Answer A: By using it for navigation as long as the driver is not entering information or holding it while driving
Virginia allows a mobile phone or telecommunications device to be used for navigation as long as the driver is not entering information into it or holding it while driving.
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17. You have just returned to your own lane after passing. Why should you not slow down straight away?
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Answer A: The vehicle you passed is close behind and needs room to stop
Returning and then braking leaves the driver you just overtook with almost no following distance, which is how a pass turns into a rear-end collision.
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18. Your group is turning left across oncoming traffic. What should you do?
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Answer D: Wait until you personally have a large enough gap to turn
Each rider needs a gap of their own, and turning on the strength of the rider ahead means turning into traffic you have not actually judged.
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19. You are leaving a private driveway and entering a public street. What are you required to do?
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Answer B: Stop and yield to traffic on the street and to pedestrians on the sidewalk
A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley or private road must stop and yield to traffic on the roadway and to pedestrians on the sidewalk being crossed.
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20. School warning signs use which background and legend colors?
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Answer A: A black legend and border on a fluorescent yellow-green background
School warning signs carry a black legend and border on a fluorescent yellow-green background, a shade chosen so they stand out from ordinary yellow warning signs.
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21. A driver ignores this sign and passes on the opposite side. What is the main risk?
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Answer B: Ending up on the wrong side of a divider, facing traffic coming the other way
The sign settles which side of a fixed divider is the legal one, so taking the other side sends the vehicle into the opposing stream or straight at the obstruction.
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22. What is a microsleep?
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Answer D: A few seconds of sleep, sometimes with the eyes open
A microsleep is an involuntary lapse of a few seconds during which the driver is asleep and the vehicle travels blind, often without the driver knowing.
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23. In heavy fog at night on a rural two-lane road, which marking best helps a driver hold position?
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Answer C: The solid white line along the right edge
Steering by the right edge line keeps a driver clear of oncoming traffic, while watching the center line tends to pull the vehicle toward it.
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24. A strong wind is blowing steadily across the road from your left. How should you ride?
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Answer A: Move toward the left of the lane and lean into the wind
Riding on the windward side of the lane leaves room to be pushed without leaving the lane, and a slight lean into the wind holds the line.
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25. What is the correct sequence for shifting into a higher gear?
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Answer C: Roll off the throttle, squeeze the clutch, lift the lever, ease the clutch out
Closing the throttle as the clutch comes in, then easing the clutch out as the throttle is reopened, keeps the change smooth and the chassis settled.