Michigan SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 32

  • 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 pulling away from a stop with a passenger for the first time. What should you expect?

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    Answer D: You will need a little more throttle and a slower clutch release

    The extra weight makes the motorcycle harder to get rolling, and a rushed clutch release with a passenger aboard is a common way to stall or lurch.

  2. 2. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?

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    Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road

    The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.

  3. 3. What should you do as you approach your exit from a roundabout?

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    Answer A: Signal right and check the crosswalk for pedestrians before leaving

    A right signal tells following drivers and waiting drivers that you are leaving, and pedestrians cross at the exit leg, so the crosswalk must be checked.

  4. 4. What must a motorcycle be equipped with before it can safely carry a passenger?

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    Answer B: A seat large enough for two people and a set of passenger footrests

    A passenger needs a seat with room for both people without crowding and firm footrests to brace against.

  5. 5. How should a helmet sit on the head once it is fastened?

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    Answer C: Level on the head, with the eye port giving a clear view of the road

    A helmet worn level protects the forehead and gives full vision, while one pushed back leaves the forehead exposed in a crash.

  6. 6. The lane control signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Prepare to leave the lane, because it is about to be closed

    A steady yellow X is the warning that the lane below it is about to close, giving drivers time to move over before the red X appears.

  7. 7. What is a manageable size for a single group of motorcycles?

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    Answer A: No more than four or five riders

    Four or five machines can hold a formation, stay in sight of one another and clear an intersection together, while larger groups quickly become unmanageable.

  8. 8. 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.

  9. 9. How should following distance change when you ride at night?

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    Answer D: Open it up to three seconds or more

    Less light means hazards appear later, so a rider should slow down and stretch the following distance to three seconds or more.

  10. 10. Two left-turn lanes are marked at the intersection and you are in the left one. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Stay in your own lane all the way around the turn

    With dual turn lanes each driver must hold a lane through the whole turn and come out in the matching lane of the new street.

  11. 11. How often should a rider change position within the lane?

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    Answer C: As often as the traffic, the road surface and the hazards around you change

    Lane position is a tool for keeping space and visibility, and both of those change constantly as traffic and road conditions change.

  12. 12. A driver in the leftmost lane reaches this sign at an intersection. What must the driver do?

    A white square showing an arrow turning left inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer B: Go straight on or turn right, and reach the destination another way

    The restriction holds whatever the traffic or the signal is doing, so the driver has to pass the intersection and plan a different route.

  13. 13. You are stopped in a line of traffic on a steep uphill grade. What should you do about the gap to the vehicle ahead?

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    Answer B: Leave more room than usual, because vehicles can roll back as they pull away

    A vehicle ahead can roll back a foot or more as its driver releases the brake, and a motorcycle stopped tight behind it has nowhere to go.

  14. 14. A face shield keeps fogging up in cool, damp weather. What helps?

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    Answer A: Cracking the shield open slightly, or using an anti fog shield

    Fog forms when warm breath meets a cold shield, so moving a little air behind the shield or using an anti fog design is the safe fix.

  15. 15. 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.

  16. 16. On loose gravel or deep fresh snow, how does an antilock system affect the stopping distance?

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    Answer D: It can lengthen it, although you keep the ability to steer

    On loose surfaces a locked wheel piles up a wedge of gravel or snow that helps it stop, so the antilock stop can be longer even though steering still works.

  17. 17. Two solid white lines are painted between your lane and the lane beside it. What do they mean?

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    Answer D: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited

    Double solid white lines separate lanes of traffic going the same way and may not be crossed.

  18. 18. How can you keep space at the sides of your vehicle in heavy traffic?

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    Answer D: Drive in the gaps between the other vehicles rather than beside them

    Travelling in the open spaces rather than alongside others keeps a way out open on at least one side.

  19. 19. Why should the leader of a group check the mirrors regularly?

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    Answer B: To see whether the group is still together and adjust the pace if not

    The leader is the only rider who can see the whole formation, and slowing slightly is the usual way to gather a group that has strung out.

  20. 20. When must a passenger keep both feet on the footrests?

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    Answer C: At all times, including while the motorcycle is stopped

    Feet stay on the footrests even at a stop, because a foot put down or swung out can unbalance the motorcycle or be caught by the road.