Virginia DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 23

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years 6 months

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. When may you stop on the shoulder of a freeway?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Only in an emergency, moving completely off the travel lanes and switching on your hazard lights

    The freeway shoulder is reserved for emergencies and for disabled vehicles, and a vehicle stopped there must be clear of the travel lanes with hazard lights on.

  2. 2. You are starting from a stop on a snowy, icy street and the drive wheels begin to spin. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and start again more gently

    Spinning tires polish the surface and dig in. Very gentle pressure on the accelerator, and a higher gear if you have one, gives the tires the best chance to grip.

  3. 3. What does the T-CLOCS pre-ride inspection routine cover?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Tires and wheels, controls, lights, fluids, chassis and stands

    T-CLOCS is a memory aid for a walk around check of tires and wheels, controls, lights and electrics, oil and other fluids, chassis, and side and center stands.

  4. 4. You realize you have driven several miles without remembering any of it. What kind of distraction is this?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Cognitive distraction, because your mind was not on driving

    Daydreaming or being lost in thought is a cognitive distraction. Your eyes may be on the road, but your brain is not processing what they see.

  5. 5. What is true about the oily strip down the center of a traffic lane?

    Show answer

    Answer D: It usually gives enough traction, but heavy buildups where vehicles idle should be avoided

    Passing tires keep the central strip largely clear, but the thick deposits that collect at busy intersections and toll booths really are slick.

  6. 6. You must slow suddenly on a highway and a vehicle is following close behind you. What helps prevent a rear-end collision?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Tapping the brake pedal early so your brake lights flash a warning

    Early brake light flashes give the driver behind more time to react, and slowing gradually instead of suddenly reduces the chance of being struck.

  7. 7. Under Virginia law, who may provide police or sheriff escort service for a funeral procession, and what may be charged for it?

    Show answer

    Answer A: A locality may, by ordinance, provide escort service and impose reasonable fees to defray its cost

    Virginia law allows a locality to establish funeral procession escort service by ordinance and to impose reasonable fees to defray the cost of that service.

  8. 8. When is a driver or rider most likely to need hand and arm signals instead of the vehicle turn signal lamps?

    Show answer

    Answer D: When the lamps have failed or cannot be seen because of glare or a load

    Hand and arm signals replace or reinforce the lamps whenever the lamps do not work or cannot be seen clearly by other road users.

  9. 9. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?

    Show answer

    Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer

    Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.

  10. 10. You are already leaned over in a curve when you see loose gravel spread across the road ahead. What is the best response?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Slow gently, bring the bike more upright, and cross the gravel with steady throttle

    A leaned tire has little grip left for braking or for loose stones. Reduce speed smoothly, get the motorcycle as upright as the curve allows, and hold a steady throttle across the gravel.

  11. 11. What do the grooves in a tire tread do on a flooded road surface?

    Show answer

    Answer B: They give the water a way to escape so the tread can touch the road

    Tread grooves pump water out from under the tire so rubber can meet pavement. A worn tread moves less water, so hydroplaning starts sooner.

  12. 12. You are turning left at an intersection just beyond the crest of a hill. What is the added risk?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Oncoming vehicles appear with very little warning and close quickly

    A crest hides approaching traffic until it is close, so the gap you thought was empty can fill in the time the turn takes.

  13. 13. A diamond-shaped sign is used to

    Show answer

    Answer A: warn of a condition on or next to the road that may call for caution

    The diamond is the standard shape of the warning series, which alerts drivers to conditions that would otherwise not be obvious in time to react.

  14. 14. Why can a mild afternoon still chill a rider dangerously on the highway?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Riding speed creates a wind chill well below the air temperature

    Air moving over the body at highway speed strips heat far faster than still air, so a comfortable temperature at a standstill can cause serious chilling in an hour of riding.

  15. 15. A bicycle symbol topped by two chevrons is painted in the middle of a travel lane. What does that marking indicate?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Bicyclists share the lane with motor vehicles and may ride away from the curb

    A shared lane marking shows drivers where bicyclists are likely to ride in a lane used by both bicycles and motor vehicles.

  16. 16. May you park across the entrance to a fire station?

    Show answer

    Answer D: No, an emergency exit must never be blocked

    Emergency vehicles must be able to leave the moment a call comes in, so their entrances and exits are kept clear at all hours.

  17. 17. When should a rider avoid a tinted face shield or tinted goggles?

    Show answer

    Answer C: At night and in other low light conditions

    A tint cuts the amount of light reaching the eyes, which makes hazards much harder to pick out once daylight fades.

  18. 18. You are already inside a roundabout when an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Continue to your exit, leave the roundabout, then pull over and stop

    Stopping inside a roundabout blocks the circulating roadway, so you should exit first and then pull over clear of the intersection.

  19. 19. What does it mean to ride the clutch?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Holding the lever part way in while riding, which wears the clutch plates

    Cruising with the clutch partly disengaged makes the plates slip against each other, which wears them out and removes engine braking.

  20. 20. You have begun to move into the next lane when the gap you were aiming for closes. What is the safest action?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Return to your own lane, cancel the signal and wait for a better gap

    An unfinished lane change leaves you in a space that no longer exists, and the lane you came from is still yours.

  21. 21. A sign with a blue background and a white legend and border tells road users about

    Show answer

    Answer A: services such as fuel, food, lodging, hospitals and rest areas

    Blue is the background of the general service series, which points travelers toward the services available along or near the route.

  22. 22. A pedestrian waiting at a curb faces a steady upraised hand. What does that indication mean?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Do not start to cross in that direction

    A steady upraised hand forbids entering the crosswalk, while a flashing hand only forbids starting a new crossing.

  23. 23. Why do watering eyes matter so much to a rider?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Blurred vision delays the moment you see and react to a hazard

    Wind makes unprotected eyes water, and even a brief loss of clear vision at road speed costs you the distance you need to react.

  24. 24. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?

    Show answer

    Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears

    A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.

  25. 25. What happens to your field of vision as your speed increases?

    Show answer

    Answer C: It narrows, so you notice less at the sides of the road

    The faster you travel, the more your useful field of view narrows toward the center, so a hazard coming from the side is seen late or missed altogether.