Michigan SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 28

  • 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. How much following distance should you keep behind a motorcycle?

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    Answer C: At least three to four seconds

    A motorcycle can slow or stop very quickly and is easily upset by a surprise, so allow three to four seconds instead of the usual car gap.

  2. 2. You are stopped in a line of traffic waiting at a red light. What is the safest way to wait?

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    Answer A: Stay in first gear, keep watching the mirrors and leave a way out

    A vehicle approaching from behind may not stop in time, and staying in gear with a gap ahead lets the rider move out of the way.

  3. 3. 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.

  4. 4. How should a motorcycle helmet fit?

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    Answer A: Snugly all the way around, without shifting or lifting off the head

    A snug helmet stays in place during a crash, while one that moves or lifts can come off at the moment it is needed most.

  5. 5. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?

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    Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it

    Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.

  6. 6. A signal on an entrance ramp changes from red to green and lets one vehicle at a time onto the highway. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Stop on the red and go on the green, one vehicle for each green

    A ramp meter spaces vehicles out so they join the highway one at a time instead of arriving as a group, and it is a traffic signal like any other.

  7. 7. What does the Michigan Department of State charge to add a motorcycle endorsement to a license?

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    Answer B: 16 dollars

    Adding the CY motorcycle endorsement to a Michigan driver's license costs 16 dollars.

  8. 8. A hands free phone conversation is which kind of distraction?

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    Answer C: Cognitive, because your mind leaves the road

    Hands free equipment removes the manual and visual parts of a call but not the mental load, and it is the mental load that makes a driver miss hazards.

  9. 9. What does the thick foam liner inside a certified helmet actually do in a crash?

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    Answer C: It crushes so the head slows down over a longer time and distance

    The crushable liner is the part that absorbs energy, letting the head decelerate gradually instead of stopping instantly against a hard surface.

  10. 10. You want to turn left across the oncoming lane into a shopping center driveway. Who must you yield to?

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    Answer B: Oncoming traffic and anyone using the sidewalk

    A left turn into a driveway crosses both the oncoming lane and the sidewalk, so you give way to traffic and to pedestrians before completing it.

  11. 11. A lane along the right edge is set off by a solid white line and marked with a bicycle symbol. How should a driver treat it?

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    Answer B: Stay out of it except for the short distance needed to turn or cross where that is allowed

    A marked bicycle lane is set aside for bicycle traffic, and motor vehicles may enter it only briefly where turning or crossing is permitted.

  12. 12. The green left-turn arrow ends and a steady red ball comes on for your lane, at an intersection where no turn on red is allowed. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Stop and wait, because no turn is allowed while the red ball is lit

    Once a red indication faces your lane and no turn on red is permitted there, the turn is over; only a vehicle already inside the intersection completes its movement.

  13. 13. Snow has covered the pavement markings on a two-lane road. How should a driver judge lane position?

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    Answer B: By the tracks of other traffic and the roadside features

    With the markings hidden, ruts left by earlier traffic, signs, poles and the line of the shoulder are the best clues to where the lane runs.

  14. 14. A bag strapped to the back of your motorcycle works loose and starts to shift as you ride. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow smoothly, pull off the road, and secure the load before riding on

    A load that moves changes the balance of the motorcycle and can foul a wheel or the chain, so stop as soon as you safely can and fasten it properly.

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

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    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.

  16. 16. At many crossings the walk indication appears only after a button is pressed. What happens if a pedestrian does not press it?

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    Answer B: The signal may cycle without showing a walk indication

    An actuated pedestrian phase is called in by the pushbutton, so without it the controller may serve the vehicle movements alone.

  17. 17. Where is passing prohibited even when no line is visible?

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    Answer D: On a curve or near the crest of a hill, at intersections and at railroad crossings

    Passing is prohibited wherever your view of oncoming traffic is blocked or where vehicles may cross your path, which includes hills, curves, intersections and rail crossings.

  18. 18. A driver hunting for an on-ramp meets this sign at the mouth of the pavement ahead. What is the correct action?

    A red square with a wide white horizontal bar across the middle
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    Answer C: Keep out of that roadway and look for the proper approach elsewhere

    The restriction is absolute and does not depend on how much traffic is present, so the driver has to reach the highway by an approach built for entering vehicles.

  19. 19. How should you position your vehicle for a right turn from a two-way street?

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    Answer B: As close as practical to the right curb or edge, then turn into the nearest right lane

    Right turns are made from the lane nearest the right edge into the nearest available lane, which keeps the turn tight and prevents a wide sweep into other traffic.

  20. 20. Lights set into the pavement along both edges of a crosswalk start to flash yellow as you approach. What do they tell you?

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    Answer D: Someone is crossing and has to be given way

    In-roadway warning lights flash only when a pedestrian activates the crossing, so a flashing pattern means somebody is in or entering the crosswalk.