Michigan SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 53
- Questions20
- Correct to pass16
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. Why should riders avoid the center strip of the lane, especially where traffic stops often?
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Answer A: Because it collects oil and grease dripped from other vehicles
Drippings from other vehicles build up in the center of the lane, and the buildup is heaviest at busy intersections and toll booths where traffic sits waiting.
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2. You are on an entrance ramp merging onto a freeway. Who has to give way?
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Answer B: You must yield and fit into a gap in the traffic already on the freeway
Traffic entering a highway must yield to traffic already on it. Use the acceleration lane to match speed and merge into a gap.
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3. You cannot avoid an obstacle lying in the road. At what angle should you try to cross it?
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Answer D: As close to 90 degrees as possible
Meeting the obstacle squarely keeps the front wheel from being deflected sideways as it climbs over the edge.
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4. You are turning left out of a driveway onto a busy two-way street. What must you do?
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Answer D: Wait for a gap in both directions before you start to move
The turn crosses one direction of traffic and joins the other, so you need a gap in both before leaving the driveway rather than stopping across a lane.
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5. Why is parking next to a fire hydrant or in a marked fire lane prohibited?
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Answer D: It would delay firefighters who need immediate access to the hydrant or the building
Fire hydrants and fire lanes must remain clear at all times so emergency crews can connect hoses and reach a building without delay.
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6. You are turning right on a red light where that is permitted. What does the law require first?
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Answer B: A full stop, then yielding to traffic and pedestrians
A right turn on red is allowed only after stopping completely and giving way to everyone who has the green, including people in the crosswalk.
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7. On a long, straight highway you feel your attention fading. What helps you stay alert?
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Answer A: Keep your eyes moving, scan mirrors and signs, and take regular breaks
Staring at one point brings on highway hypnosis. Active scanning keeps the mind engaged, and a break every couple of hours restores alertness.
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8. A turn restriction sign at the corner shows a range of times below the symbol. What does that mean?
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Answer A: The turn is banned only during the hours shown on the sign
Times posted under a regulatory symbol set the period during which the restriction applies; outside those hours the movement is permitted.
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9. When is a rider ready to start carrying passengers?
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Answer B: After enough solo experience to handle the machine without thinking
A passenger changes how the machine accelerates, brakes and turns, and only a rider who no longer has to think about the basics has attention to spare for that.
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10. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?
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Answer C: Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway
The acceleration lane exists so you can match the speed of freeway traffic before merging, and drivers already on the freeway have the right-of-way.
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11. A snow squall cuts visibility to almost nothing while you are on a highway. What must you not do?
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Answer D: Stop in a travel lane and wait for the squall to blow through
A vehicle stopped in a lane in a whiteout is invisible until someone hits it. Slow gradually and keep moving until you can leave the roadway completely.
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12. You have tied a load down with cords that are longer than you need. What should you do with the loose ends?
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Answer D: Secure the loose ends so nothing can reach the chain, the wheel or the road
A dangling cord can be caught by the rear wheel or the chain and jam it, which can lock the wheel without any warning to the rider.
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13. What does the solid white line running along the right side of a highway mark?
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Answer A: The right edge of the traveled way
A solid white edge line shows where the traveled way ends on the right, which is particularly useful at night and in poor visibility.
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14. A train has just cleared a crossing that carries two sets of tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait and look both ways for a second train
A passing train hides a second train on the other track, so wait until the signals stop and you can see that both tracks are clear.
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15. A dog is running toward the road from a yard ahead of you. Why is it a mistake to simply accelerate past it?
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Answer A: A dog aims at where you will be, so more speed can bring you together
A dog runs at an intercept point rather than at where you are now, which is why the recommended technique is to slow as you approach and then accelerate away once you are beside it.
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16. Why is the staggered formation abandoned in a curve?
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Answer D: Because each rider needs the full width of the lane to choose a line through the curve
In a curve every rider must be free to use the whole lane to set up an entry and an exit line, which is impossible while holding a fixed side position.
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17. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?
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Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it
A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.
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18. Where should the weight of a load sit in relation to the rear axle?
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Answer A: Over the rear axle or in front of it
Weight placed behind the rear axle acts as a lever against the steering and can make the motorcycle wobble and handle and brake poorly.
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19. Why is it dangerous to make a left turn from the second lane from the center?
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Answer C: Because a driver in the lane beside you is turning into the same space
Drivers in the proper turn lane are entitled to that space, and turning across them puts two vehicles into one path through the intersection.
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20. How should cargo be carried on a motorcycle?
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Answer D: Kept low, in saddlebags or at about seat level
Keeping the load low preserves the center of gravity and the normal handling of the motorcycle, while a high load makes it top heavy and unstable.