Virginia DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 58
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years 6 months
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1. The queue for an exit ramp has backed up into the right lane of the highway. What should you do if you want that exit?
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Answer B: Join the back of the queue in the lane instead of cutting in later
Passing a queue and forcing in at the front stops the whole line, and using the shoulder puts you where broken-down vehicles are expected to be.
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2. You are stopped at a stop sign on a two-way stop intersection and the cross street has no stop signs at all. What does that mean for you?
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Answer A: You yield to all cross traffic no matter how long that takes
At a two-way stop only your direction is controlled, so there is no taking turns; you wait for a gap big enough to enter safely.
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3. Which statement about standard drinks is correct?
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Answer C: A standard serving of beer, of table wine and of distilled spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol
Roughly 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of table wine and 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol, so the type of drink does not change the effect.
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4. A sign warns that your exit leaves from the left side of the freeway. What should you do?
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Answer D: Move into the left lane in good time before you reach the exit
Left-hand exits are unusual, which is exactly why they are signed well in advance and why the lane changes should be finished early.
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5. You have passed a large truck and want to move back into its lane. What should you see first?
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Answer B: Both of its headlights in your rear-view mirror
Seeing both headlights in your mirror means you are far enough ahead to be out of the truck's front no-zone before you move over.
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6. What happens to a motorcycle's ground clearance when a passenger is carried?
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Answer A: It is reduced, so parts touch down at a smaller lean angle
The extra load compresses the suspension and lowers the machine, so footrests and other parts can drag on the road sooner in a turn.
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7. What should riders expect from highway traffic when a group is merging?
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Answer C: Drivers will not hold a gap open for the group, so riders take real gaps
Other drivers do not treat a line of motorcycles as one vehicle, so each rider has to find a genuine gap rather than count on being let in.
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8. What should you do with the key and your belongings when you leave the vehicle in a public lot?
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Answer D: Take the key with you, lock up and put valuables out of sight
Most vehicle thefts are opportunistic: a key left behind or a bag in plain view is the invitation.
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9. In a tight, slow speed turn such as a parking lot U-turn, the rider should:
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Answer C: Lean the motorcycle while keeping the body upright
Keeping the body upright while the motorcycle leans lets the machine turn tightly and helps the rider hold balance at very low speed.
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10. What is the role of the sweep rider in a group?
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Answer B: To ride last, watch the group, and notice when a rider drops back or has trouble
The sweep rider takes the last position so that any rider who slows, stops or has a problem is noticed instead of being left behind.
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11. When should gear changes for a turn be completed?
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Answer A: Before entering the turn, so the machine stays settled through it
A clumsy shift while leaned over can jerk the rear wheel and break traction, so the right gear should be selected before the lean begins.
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12. In Virginia, when are you excused from stopping for a school bus that is loading or unloading with red lights flashing?
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Answer A: When you are traveling in the opposite direction on a roadway with a median or barrier dividing the road
Virginia requires a stop from any direction on a highway, private road or school driveway, and excuses only drivers traveling in the opposite direction on a roadway with a median or barrier dividing the road.
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13. Which clue best warns a rider that the door of a parked car is about to open?
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Answer B: Someone visible in the seat, or exhaust showing at the tailpipe
Occupied cars are the ones that open doors, so scan through rear windows and mirrors and look for exhaust or wheels turning as you approach.
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14. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
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Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.
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15. A tractor-trailer is backing slowly across the roadway to enter a loading dock. What should you do?
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Answer C: Stop and wait until the truck has finished the maneuver
A backing truck driver has a very limited view and the trailer can swing unexpectedly. Trying to squeeze past in either direction risks being crushed.
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16. A single solid white line separates two lanes running in the same direction. What is it telling drivers?
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Answer A: Changing lanes there is discouraged
A solid white lane line discourages lane changing, typically where merging or weaving would create a hazard.
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17. Visibility drops suddenly and you decide to leave the highway. What is the safest way to do it?
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Answer A: Take the next exit or a wide pull off, well clear of the traffic lanes
Get right off the traveled way, and off the shoulder too if you can, because vehicles in poor visibility often drift onto the shoulder.
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18. At night you are judging your distance from the rider ahead by their tail light. What is the risk?
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Answer A: A single small light gives a poor sense of how far away it really is
Distance is very hard to judge from one small light in the dark, so riders should leave extra space rather than trust the impression the light gives.
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19. The driver ahead of you is straddling the lane line and is not signaling. How should you respond?
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Answer B: Stay back until you can see which lane that driver will take
A vehicle astride the line could move either way, so the only safe place is behind it where both possibilities are still covered.
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20. Why are pedestrians and cyclists a special risk on unlit streets at night?
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Answer A: Dark clothing can make them invisible until they are very close
A person in dark clothing reflects almost no light and may not appear until they are inside your stopping distance, so cut your speed where people may be about.
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21. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?
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Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system
As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.
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22. 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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23. 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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24. A bicyclist ahead of you extends the left arm out with the forearm bent upward. What does that signal mean?
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Answer A: The bicyclist intends to turn right
Bicyclists use the same hand signals as drivers: left arm straight out means left, left arm bent up means right, and left arm bent down means stop or slow.
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25. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?
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Answer B: A right turn
The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.