Michigan SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 15

  • Questions20
  • Correct to pass16
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

20 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 16 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. You are circulating in a roundabout and a vehicle is waiting to enter ahead of you. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Keep going, because circulating traffic does not stop for entering vehicles

    Stopping in the circle to be polite surprises the drivers behind you and defeats the design; entering traffic is the side that waits.

  2. 2. You and an oncoming driver are both turning left at the same intersection. What is the usual rule?

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    Answer D: Both turn in front of each other unless markings show otherwise

    The normal practice is to pass driver side to driver side, turning in front of one another, unless pavement markings or signs direct a different path.

  3. 3. In heavy stop-and-go traffic, why does using both lanes right up to a merge point help?

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    Answer D: It stores the queue in two lanes, so the backup is shorter

    Filling both lanes halves the length of the queue and keeps it away from the traffic upstream, which is why alternating at the merge point works better when traffic is slow.

  4. 4. The street you are turning right onto has a bike lane along its right edge. Where should your vehicle end up?

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    Answer B: In the first traffic lane to the left of the bike lane

    A bike lane is not a travel lane for motor vehicles, so the nearest lane you may finish a right turn in is the first general traffic lane beside it.

  5. 5. In a work zone a flagger is directing traffic in a way that conflicts with the posted signs. Whom do you follow?

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    Answer B: The flagger's directions

    A flagger controls traffic through a work area that changes from day to day, and those instructions take precedence over the fixed signs and markings in that zone.

  6. 6. What is a rider looking for when inspecting the control cables?

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    Answer A: Kinks, fraying and stiff or notchy movement

    A frayed strand or a kinked outer will eventually jam or snap, which can leave a rider without a clutch, a throttle or a front brake.

  7. 7. You are making a legal U-turn at an intersection. Who has the right of way?

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    Answer C: Everyone else, until your turn is complete

    A U-turn crosses several paths at once, so you yield to oncoming vehicles, to crossing traffic and to pedestrians before starting it.

  8. 8. A yellow horizontal rectangular sign showing one large arrow pointing left or right, facing traffic on the far side of a sharp bend, tells the driver

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    Answer C: which way the roadway turns at that point

    The large arrow sign is mounted on the outside of a sharp change in alignment so that a driver approaching head on immediately sees which way the road goes.

  9. 9. In T-CLOCS, what does the letter O stand for?

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    Answer B: Oil and other fluid levels

    The O step covers engine oil, along with coolant, hydraulic brake fluid and any final drive fluid, plus a look underneath for leaks.

  10. 10. A large group has been divided into smaller groups. What should be done between them?

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    Answer A: Leave a gap big enough for other vehicles to move in and pass safely

    A gap between sub groups lets other traffic pass or merge without cutting into a formation, which keeps drivers from making sudden moves around the riders.

  11. 11. What does the Michigan hands-free law prohibit while operating a vehicle?

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    Answer A: Holding or supporting a device with any part of the hands, arms or shoulders

    Michigan drivers may not hold or support a phone or other mobile device with their hands, arms or shoulders, and a mounted device may only receive a single touch.

  12. 12. A car is waiting at a side street to pull out as you approach the intersection. What speed adjustment helps most?

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    Answer B: Slow enough that you could still stop before reaching the intersection

    Covering the brakes and reducing speed turns a possible collision into a stop the rider can actually make if the driver moves out.

  13. 13. 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.

  14. 14. Why is a rider advised to keep the wrist flat and low on the throttle grip?

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    Answer A: It makes it harder to roll on too much throttle by accident

    A flat wrist limits how far the grip can rotate in one motion, so a bump or a startled reaction is less likely to open the throttle suddenly.

  15. 15. The oil pressure warning light comes on while you are riding. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Stop as soon as it is safe and shut the engine off

    That light warns that the engine may not be receiving oil, and every extra minute of running risks destroying it.

  16. 16. No plaque stating days or hours accompanies this sign at the intersection. When does the restriction apply?

    A white square showing an arrow turning left inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer D: At all times, since nothing limits it to particular periods

    A regulatory restriction runs continuously unless a supplemental plaque states the days or hours during which it applies.

  17. 17. After turning right you see a sign showing that your lane ends a short way ahead. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Signal and merge into the next lane while there is still room

    Merge early and smoothly while a gap is still available, rather than running out of pavement or forcing your way in at the last moment.

  18. 18. At a freeway exit ramp, this sign normally backs up which other regulatory sign posted nearer to the ramp terminal?

    A red rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer D: The sign that forbids entering that roadway at all

    The two work as a pair at ramp terminals: one keeps drivers from turning in, and this one sits farther along to catch a driver who has already entered.

  19. 19. What does a steady yellow traffic light tell the driver facing it?

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    Answer A: The green movement is ending and a red indication is about to appear

    A steady yellow warns that the related green movement is being terminated and that red will follow, so you should stop if you can do so safely.

  20. 20. What is the main risk of buying a second hand helmet?

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    Answer B: You cannot know whether it has been dropped or crashed already

    A helmet's protection depends on a liner that may already be crushed by an impact you cannot see, and a stranger's helmet comes with no history you can trust.