Montana MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 43
- Questions33
- Correct to pass27
- Passing score82%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. The trapezoid sign shape is associated with
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Answer C: recreational and cultural interest area signing
The trapezoid is used for recreational and cultural interest area guide signs and for national forest route markers.
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2. Which clue suggests that a car waiting at a side street is about to pull out in front of you?
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Answer B: The front wheels are turned and the car is creeping forward
Turned wheels and a slow creep forward are the strongest signs that a driver is about to move, so cover the brakes and be ready to change your lane position.
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3. Heavy rain has left standing water on the road where this sign is posted. What does the law expect of the driver?
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Answer C: Driving below the posted figure, at a speed that suits the conditions
Drivers must adapt to conditions, so in rain, fog, snow or dense traffic the safe speed falls below the posted maximum and keeping to that maximum can itself be an offense.
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4. How does marijuana affect a driver?
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Answer C: It slows reaction time and impairs judgment of time and distance
Marijuana impairs coordination, attention and the ability to judge speed and distance. Driving while impaired by it is illegal everywhere, even where its use is legal.
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5. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive
Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.
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6. Low sun is shining onto the signal ahead and you cannot tell which light is lit. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow down and be ready to stop until you can be sure
An unreadable signal has to be treated as one that may be red, so approach slowly enough to stop while you work out what it shows.
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7. Where should a passenger sit on the motorcycle?
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Answer A: As far forward as possible without crowding the operator
Sitting well forward keeps the passenger weight close to the center of the motorcycle, which helps it handle closer to normal.
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8. A white arrow painted in your lane points only to the right, and a sign above the lane shows the same movement. What must you do?
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Answer C: Turn right from that lane
Pavement arrows used with lane-use signs are regulatory, so a driver occupying that lane must make the movement shown.
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9. Why are pedestrians and cyclists a special risk on unlit streets at night?
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Answer A: Dark clothing can make them invisible until they are very close
A person in dark clothing reflects almost no light and may not appear until they are inside your stopping distance, so cut your speed where people may be about.
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10. Why is an inexperienced rider a poor choice to lead a group?
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Answer C: The leader picks the pace, the gaps and the hazards for everyone behind
Every decision the leader makes is imposed on the riders behind, so leading demands more traffic judgment than any other position in the group.
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11. You must leave your vehicle beside a narrow rural road at night. What should you do?
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Answer B: Get it right off the pavement and switch on the hazard lights
A vehicle left on an unlit rural road is very hard to see, so move it completely clear of the traveled surface and mark it with the hazard lights.
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12. On dry pavement in good weather, what is the smallest following gap you should keep?
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Answer A: About three seconds behind the vehicle ahead
Three seconds is the accepted minimum on dry roads in good visibility, and the gap should be longer in poor conditions.
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13. A yellow diamond showing two vertical arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down, warns that
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Answer A: the road ahead carries traffic in both directions
The two-way traffic sign warns that the roadway ahead is not divided and that vehicles will be coming from the opposite direction.
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14. You are stopped in a line of traffic waiting at a red light. What is the safest way to wait?
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Answer A: Stay in first gear, keep watching the mirrors and leave a way out
A vehicle approaching from behind may not stop in time, and staying in gear with a gap ahead lets the rider move out of the way.
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15. As a driver keeps drinking, in what order are driving abilities usually lost?
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Answer C: Judgment, then vision, reaction time and coordination
Alcohol reaches the parts of the brain that handle judgment first, and only later does it visibly affect sight, reactions and muscle control.
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16. Yellow signs each showing one large black arrowhead, installed in a row along the outside of a curve, are
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Answer D: chevron alignment signs marking the change of direction of the curve
Chevron alignment signs are placed on the outside of a curve so that several are in view at once, letting the driver judge how sharply the road turns.
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17. A pedestrian near the curb is staring at a phone and not looking at traffic. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, because the pedestrian may step out without looking
Distracted pedestrians step into the street without checking. Assume they have not seen you and give yourself time and space to stop.
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18. An oncoming car is waiting to turn left across your path at an intersection. What is the safest response?
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Answer D: Slow, cover the brakes and pick a lane position that keeps an escape path
A car turning left in front of a rider is one of the most common motorcycle collisions, so the rider prepares to stop or swerve rather than trusting the driver to wait.
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19. A yellow diamond in which one line joins another at an angle warns that
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Answer B: traffic from another roadway will merge into the driver's lane ahead
The merge sign warns that another traffic stream will join the same lane ahead, so drivers on both roadways must adjust speed and spacing.
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20. 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.
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21. 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.
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22. You are approaching a blind left hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?
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Answer C: The right portion of your lane
On a left hand bend the outside of the lane is the right side, and moving there lets the rider see farther around the curve before entering it.
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23. How should a group merge onto a busy highway from an entrance ramp?
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Answer D: One rider at a time into gaps in traffic, re-forming once all are on
Each rider needs a gap and enough speed of their own, so the group merges individually and only takes up the staggered formation again afterward.
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24. You have started to pass and you see the no-passing zone beginning ahead. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off, drop back and return to your own lane
A pass must be completed before the no-passing zone starts. If it will not fit, abandon it and slot back in behind.
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25. A regulatory sign posted at the start of a road reads LENGTH LIMIT 30 FEET. What does it control?
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Answer B: The overall length of vehicle allowed on that road
Some states post a length limit where tight curves or narrow structures lie ahead; it bars vehicles or combinations longer than the figure shown from using that road.
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26. Compared with dry pavement, how much room does a vehicle need to stop on packed snow?
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Answer D: Several times as much
Grip on packed snow is a fraction of that on dry pavement, so stopping distance grows several times over. Antilock brakes help you steer, not stop shorter.
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27. What is wrong with slowing to a crawl at a stop sign and then rolling on through?
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Answer C: It is not a stop, and you may miss a pedestrian or cross traffic
A rolling stop is a violation and it also cuts short the moment you need in order to look carefully in each direction before entering.
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28. A yellow sign ahead of an underpass reads LOW CLEARANCE 12 FT 6 IN. What does the figure tell you?
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Answer B: The greatest height that can pass beneath the structure
The figure is the actual clearance available, so a vehicle taller than that must leave the road and take a marked alternative route.
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29. What is the main source of the noise that damages a rider's hearing?
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Answer A: Wind turbulence around the helmet, which rises sharply with speed
Wind noise around a helmet is loud enough at highway speed to cause permanent hearing loss over time, which is why earplugs are recommended even on quiet machines.
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30. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?
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Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right
A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.
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31. How should a passenger behave through a turn?
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Answer B: Look over the operator's shoulder in the direction of the turn and avoid sudden movement
Looking over the operator's shoulder into the turn keeps the passenger aligned with the motorcycle, and avoiding sudden movement prevents unexpected changes in balance.
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32. You are driving on the through road of a T-intersection and want to turn left into the side road. Oncoming traffic is approaching on the through road. What must you do?
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Answer C: Yield to the oncoming traffic before you turn
The vehicle waiting in the stem of the T yields to both of you, but you still owe the right of way to oncoming through traffic before turning across it.
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33. A set of reversible express lanes is closed off with gates and signs while it runs the other way. What must you never do?
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Answer C: Enter past a closed gate or a sign showing the lanes are closed
When reversible lanes are closed they may already be carrying traffic in the opposite direction, so entering past a gate can put you head-on into that traffic.