Michigan SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 46

  • 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. On a Michigan road with at least two lanes in the same direction, what must a driver do when passing a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing lights?

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    Answer D: Reduce speed by at least 10 mph below the posted limit and move at least one lane away

    Michigan requires the driver to slow to at least 10 mph below the posted speed limit and fully move over into an open lane; if that is not possible, the driver still slows by 10 mph and passes with caution.

  2. 2. You are parked legally, but a police officer tells you to move the vehicle. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Move it as directed, because an officer overrides the signs

    Directions from a police officer or a firefighter take precedence over signs and markings, whether they are directing traffic or clearing a street.

  3. 3. When downshifting as the motorcycle slows, what keeps the rear tire from skidding?

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    Answer A: Easing the clutch lever out smoothly instead of releasing it abruptly

    Letting the clutch out gradually lets engine speed and road speed match, so the rear wheel is not forced to slow suddenly.

  4. 4. You are entering a marked work zone. What should you expect?

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    Answer B: A reduced posted speed, narrowed or shifted lanes, and traffic that may stop suddenly

    Work zones change the geometry of the road and can bring traffic to a halt without warning, so the posted work zone speed and increased following distance both apply.

  5. 5. How does Michigan's hands-free law interact with local ordinances on device use while driving?

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    Answer B: It supersedes them, except one that substantially corresponds to the state law

    The state hands-free law supersedes local ordinances regulating device use while driving, though a local unit may adopt or enforce an ordinance that substantially corresponds to it.

  6. 6. How does alcohol affect a driver's ability to handle several things at once?

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    Answer B: It cuts the ability to divide attention between tasks

    Driving means watching the road, the mirrors and the instruments together, and alcohol narrows attention so that one of those tasks is dropped without the driver noticing.

  7. 7. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?

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    Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations

    Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.

  8. 8. What is the correct body position for riding over a bump or an obstacle?

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    Answer B: Rise slightly off the seat with your weight on the footrests, absorbing the shock with knees and elbows

    Coming slightly off the seat lets your legs and arms work as extra suspension instead of transferring the impact through your body and the handlebars.

  9. 9. Why is the front brake avoided during a very slow, tightly leaned turn?

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    Answer D: It can upset the balance of a leaned machine and drop it at low speed

    At low speed and full lock there is little momentum holding the motorcycle up, and the sudden weight shift from the front brake easily topples it.

  10. 10. You face a red light at an intersection that has no stop line and no marked crosswalk. Where must you stop?

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    Answer C: Before entering the intersection

    With no line and no crosswalk, the stopping point is the near edge of the intersecting roadway, close enough to see cross traffic but clear of it.

  11. 11. A traffic signal separates you from the rest of your group. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Continue at a safe and legal pace and rejoin the group farther along

    Staying with a group never justifies breaking a traffic law, so a separated rider proceeds normally and the group regroups at a planned point.

  12. 12. Parked cars block your view of a cross street you are about to enter. How should you proceed?

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    Answer A: Edge forward slowly until you can see along the cross street, then go

    Creeping forward buys a view of the cross street a little at a time, and it keeps the rider slow enough to stop if something is coming.

  13. 13. When is a driver at the highest risk of falling asleep at the wheel?

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    Answer B: Late at night, early morning and mid afternoon

    The body clock produces its deepest dips in alertness in the small hours and again in the middle of the afternoon, and crash records follow those dips.

  14. 14. What changes most when a rider moves from a light motorcycle to a much heavier one?

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    Answer A: It takes longer to stop and is harder to hold up at low speed

    Extra mass means longer stopping distances and more effort in slow maneuvers and when holding the machine up, so build up gradually on an unfamiliar heavy motorcycle.

  15. 15. At a railroad crossing with no gates and no flashing lights, the crossbuck is normally combined with which sign?

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    Answer C: A yield sign, or a stop sign where an engineering study calls for one

    At a passive crossing the crossbuck forms an assembly with a yield sign, or with a stop sign when an engineering study or engineering judgment supports it, so the driver knows who must give way to the train.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. A sign with a blue background and a white legend and border tells road users about

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    Answer A: services such as fuel, food, lodging, hospitals and rest areas

    Blue is the background of the general service series, which points travelers toward the services available along or near the route.

  18. 18. You are approaching a blind right hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?

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    Answer C: The left portion of the lane, toward the outside of the curve

    Starting at the outside of a curve opens up the line of sight through it, and the rider then moves toward the inside as the exit comes into view.

  19. 19. You are stopping for a red light in the rain and your stopping point is on a wide painted stop line and crosswalk. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow earlier and gently, since wet paint offers much less grip than pavement

    Painted stop lines and crosswalks turn slick when wet, so start braking early and squeeze gently rather than braking hard on the markings.

  20. 20. Where among these is parking specifically prohibited?

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    Answer A: On a bridge, in a tunnel or on railroad tracks

    Bridges and tunnels have no safe refuge and cannot be widened, and a vehicle left on railroad tracks cannot be avoided by an approaching train.