Michigan SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 33

  • 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. A strong wind is blowing steadily across the road from your left. How should you ride?

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    Answer A: Move toward the left of the lane and lean into the wind

    Riding on the windward side of the lane leaves room to be pushed without leaving the lane, and a slight lean into the wind holds the line.

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

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    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.

  3. 3. You are about to descend a long steep grade. How should you control your speed?

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    Answer D: Select a lower gear before starting down and use the brakes in firm, brief applications

    Engine braking in a lower gear carries most of the load down the grade, while continuous brake pressure overheats the brakes and reduces their effectiveness.

  4. 4. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?

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    Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead

    Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.

  5. 5. What is the proper use of the horn?

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    Answer C: To give a brief warning when another road user may not have seen you

    The horn is a warning device meant to alert someone to your presence when a collision is possible, and using it in anger tends to escalate conflict rather than prevent crashes.

  6. 6. A sign shows a lane joining from the right with no merge required. What does that mean?

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    Answer B: The joining traffic gets its own new lane, so nobody has to merge

    An added lane means the roadway gains a lane at that point, so entering vehicles have somewhere to go without anyone changing lanes.

  7. 7. You have a green light and an ambulance with lights and siren enters the intersection against its red. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Stop and let the ambulance go through

    An emergency vehicle answering a call may cross against a red, and every other driver yields to it whatever their own signal shows.

  8. 8. A NO LEFT TURN sign carries a plaque reading 7 AM TO 9 AM MON TO FRI. What does the assembly mean?

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    Answer A: The turn is banned only during those hours on those days

    A time plaque limits the restriction to the periods shown, so outside those hours and days the left turn may be made normally.

  9. 9. With the chin strap fastened, how can you check that a helmet is the right size?

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    Answer A: Try to roll it forward off your head, since a good fit will not come off

    The roll off test shows whether the helmet will stay on in a crash. If it can be rolled off the front of your head with the strap done up, it is too big.

  10. 10. What should the clutch be doing during a quick stop?

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    Answer C: Pulled in as the motorcycle slows, so the engine does not stall

    Disengaging the clutch as the machine slows keeps the engine running, so the rider can pull away again immediately if that becomes necessary.

  11. 11. Why should two riders never travel side by side in the same lane?

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    Answer B: Because neither rider has room to swerve if a hazard appears

    Riding directly alongside another motorcycle removes the escape path each rider needs to avoid a hazard, a pothole or another vehicle.

  12. 12. How closely may a Michigan driver follow a snowplow that is working on the road?

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    Answer D: No closer than 200 feet

    Michigan forbids following a snowplow more closely than 200 feet, except while legally overtaking or passing it.

  13. 13. A stop line is painted across the pavement at this sign. Where must the vehicle come to rest?

    A red eight sided sign with a white border and white lettering
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    Answer A: Behind the stop line, with no part of the vehicle across it

    The vehicle must halt behind the stop line; where no line is painted the driver stops before the crosswalk, and where there is neither, before entering the intersection.

  14. 14. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?

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    Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot

    Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.

  15. 15. You arrive at an intersection where the traffic signal is completely dark because of a power failure. How should you proceed?

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    Answer C: Treat the intersection as an all-way stop

    When a signal shows no indication at all, drivers on every approach must stop and then take turns, exactly as at an all-way stop.

  16. 16. A pedestrian with a white cane draws the cane back and steps away from the curb as you approach. What does that usually mean?

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    Answer B: They are signaling you to go ahead and drive on

    Pulling the cane in and stepping back from the curb is the customary way a blind pedestrian tells drivers to proceed.

  17. 17. Why is a wet road at night harder to read than the same road in daylight?

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    Answer A: The wet surface reflects light away and swallows the lane markings

    A film of water sends your headlight beam onward instead of back to you, so lines, edges and people in dark clothing almost disappear.

  18. 18. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?

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    Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe

    More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.

  19. 19. You are turning right from a one-way street onto a two-way street. Where should the turn end?

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    Answer A: In the lane nearest the right curb of the street you are entering

    A right turn starts and finishes as close to the right as practical, so you leave the one-way street from the right lane and arrive in the lane nearest the right curb.

  20. 20. You are stopped at the yield line of a roundabout when an emergency vehicle comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Stay out of the roundabout and pull over to the right of your lane if there is room

    Never enter a roundabout ahead of an emergency vehicle and never stop inside one; wait clear of the entry so the crew can get through.