Montana MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 33

  • Questions33
  • Correct to pass27
  • Passing score82%
  • Minimum age16 years

Minimum age: 16 years, or 15 years with an approved Montana traffic education course

33 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 27 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. Why is wearing headphones over both ears a problem while driving?

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    Answer D: You may not hear horns, sirens or other warning sounds

    Hearing is part of your awareness of traffic. Covering both ears blocks emergency sirens, horns and the sound of an approaching vehicle you cannot yet see.

  2. 2. Trees block the view along the tracks as a driver approaches this sign. What approach speed is correct?

    Two white crossed boards forming an X, with black lettering along each board
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    Answer B: Slow enough to stop before the nearest rail once a train comes into view

    Where the view along the track is obstructed, the only safe speed is one that still leaves stopping distance after a train first becomes visible.

  3. 3. In most states, how far before a turn must your signal already be on in city traffic?

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    Answer B: At least 100 feet, roughly the length of six or seven cars

    Most states require the signal for at least 100 feet before a turn in city driving, which gives drivers behind you time to react before you slow; several require more at higher speeds.

  4. 4. You are calling 911 to report a crash. Which information matters most?

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    Answer C: The exact location, how many people are hurt and any hazard such as fire

    Dispatchers need to know where to send help, how much help to send, and what dangers the crews will meet on arrival.

  5. 5. You are about to pass another vehicle at night with your high beams on. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Switch to low beams as you come up behind it and while you are alongside

    High beams shining into the mirrors of the vehicle ahead blind the very driver whose reaction you depend on during the pass.

  6. 6. Where is a U-turn generally the most reasonable choice?

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    Answer B: At an intersection where it is permitted and you can see well both ways

    A U-turn needs a legal place and a long clear view in both directions, which is why a permitted intersection with open sight lines is the usual choice.

  7. 7. 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.

  8. 8. You are in the acceleration lane and the gap you were aiming for is now beside you. What is the best adjustment?

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    Answer A: Change your speed a little to line up with a gap, then merge smoothly

    The acceleration lane is for matching both the speed and the position of a gap, and small speed adjustments are what line the two up.

  9. 9. Two drivers each have three drinks, one over three hours and one in half an hour. What is the difference?

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    Answer C: The fast drinker reaches a higher peak level

    The liver removes alcohol at a steady rate, so drinking faster than the body can clear it pushes the blood alcohol level much higher.

  10. 10. You are riding directly into a low sun that is glaring off your face shield. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down and assume that drivers ahead of you cannot see you either

    Glare cuts what everyone can see, so lower speed buys reaction time, and a driver blinded by the same sun is even less likely to notice a motorcycle.

  11. 11. How much space should the leader of a group keep behind the vehicle ahead of the group?

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    Answer D: At least the normal following distance a rider would keep when riding alone

    Riding in a group does not shorten the space a motorcycle needs to stop, so the leader keeps the same cushion any rider would keep alone.

  12. 12. Where is a strong crosswind most likely to hit you suddenly?

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    Answer D: Coming out of a tunnel or a cut onto an open bridge

    Gusts arrive the moment you leave shelter, which is why bridge approaches and the ends of cuts and tunnels catch drivers out.

  13. 13. You spot a deep pothole that the riders behind you will not be able to see until it is too late. What is the usual way to warn them?

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    Answer B: Point at it with a hand or a foot on the side it lies on

    Pointing at the hazard on the correct side tells the riders behind both that something is there and where in the lane it is.

  14. 14. Why should a rider downshift one gear at a time instead of skipping several at once?

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    Answer D: Skipping gears can lock the rear wheel through sudden engine braking

    Dropping several gears at once forces engine speed far above what road speed supports, and the rear tire can be dragged into a skid when the clutch comes out.

  15. 15. What should motorcycle footwear provide?

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    Answer B: Sturdy support above the ankle with hard, slip resistant soles

    Boots that cover the ankle support and protect it, while hard slip resistant soles keep the rider steady at stops, and laces should be tucked in so they cannot catch.

  16. 16. Why does a motorcycle feel less stable at very low speed when a passenger is aboard?

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    Answer B: The passenger's weight sits high and to the rear, so balance is easier to upset

    A second person adds mass above and behind the rear axle, so slow speed maneuvers such as pulling away, walking pace turns and stops demand more care.

  17. 17. You are waiting to turn left at a solid green light with no green arrow. Oncoming traffic is approaching. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when there is a safe gap

    A solid green light permits the left turn but does not protect it, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians before turning.

  18. 18. Why should a rider avoid coasting to a stop with the transmission in neutral?

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    Answer C: Engine braking is lost and so is the ability to accelerate out of trouble

    Staying in gear keeps engine braking working and leaves the rider able to power away from a hazard instead of hunting for a gear first.

  19. 19. The engine begins to lose power, makes a loud noise and starts to seize. What should the rider do?

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    Answer C: Pull in the clutch at once and coast off the road to a safe place

    A seizing engine can lock the rear wheel, and pulling in the clutch separates it from the wheel so the motorcycle keeps rolling under control.

  20. 20. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?

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    Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane

    The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.

  21. 21. Railroad tracks cross the road at a slight angle. What is normally the safest way to cross them?

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    Answer B: Ride straight across while staying inside your own lane

    Riding straight ahead within your lane is usually safe on tracks that cross the road, because swerving to square them up can carry you into another lane or into oncoming traffic.

  22. 22. Which is an early warning that fatigue is affecting your riding?

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    Answer D: You miss turns and signs and have to think about routine actions

    Fatigue shows up first as slower thinking and missed information, so treat lapses in attention as a signal to stop and rest.

  23. 23. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?

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    Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you

    White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.

  24. 24. What does this sign warn a driver about?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lines joining into one as they go up
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    Answer A: Traffic from another roadway will enter the same lane ahead

    Two traffic streams come together into one lane beyond this point, so drivers on both roadways have to adjust speed and spacing to fit together.

  25. 25. 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.

  26. 26. Loose gravel has been swept into the middle of your lane on a downhill bend. Which controls are affected most?

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    Answer D: Steering and braking, since the loose stones roll under the tires

    Gravel rolls between rubber and pavement, so the tires can neither turn the vehicle nor slow it as they would on a clean surface.

  27. 27. You are stopped at a stop sign on a two-way stop intersection and the cross street has no stop signs at all. What does that mean for you?

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    Answer A: You yield to all cross traffic no matter how long that takes

    At a two-way stop only your direction is controlled, so there is no taking turns; you wait for a gap big enough to enter safely.

  28. 28. What is the correct position for the feet while riding?

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    Answer C: Firmly on the footrests with the toes level

    Toes kept level stay clear of the pavement when the motorcycle leans and leave the foot ready to reach the brake pedal or shift lever.

  29. 29. You are in the right-hand of two left-turn lanes and the vehicle beside you starts to drift toward your lane during the turn. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Slow slightly, keep to your own lane and give the other vehicle room

    Drivers commonly drift wide in dual turn lanes, so hold your own line, ease off and leave space rather than racing or crowding the other vehicle.

  30. 30. 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.

  31. 31. Traffic is entering the freeway from a ramp ahead of you and you are in the right lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Move to another lane if it is safe, or adjust your speed to make room

    Merging drivers may have little room to adjust. Helping them in by changing lanes or easing your speed prevents conflicts even though they must legally yield to you.

  32. 32. Why is standing water across a road dangerous even when it looks shallow?

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    Answer B: It can hide a washed out roadbed, a deep hole or a missing cover

    You cannot see the surface under the water, and floods commonly wash the roadbed away or lift covers off drains.

  33. 33. A line beside your lane is painted about twice the normal width. What does the extra width convey?

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    Answer B: Greater emphasis on the restriction it carries

    Width is part of the marking code: a wide line carries more emphasis than a normal one, which is why it is used at gores and channelizing lines.