Alaska DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 42

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?

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    Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it

    A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.

  2. 2. A yellow sign reading DEAD END is posted at the entrance to a street. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: The street ends and there is no way through

    A dead end street stops at its far end, so a driver who enters must come back out the same way.

  3. 3. A stop sign at a busy corner has a stop line and a crosswalk, but buildings block your view of the cross street. What is the correct sequence?

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    Answer C: Stop at the line first, then edge forward and stop again to see

    The first stop is required at the line or before the crosswalk, and a second stop farther forward is what actually lets you yield safely.

  4. 4. A sign at the intersection prohibits U-turns, but the opening looks wide and clear. What may you do?

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    Answer B: Obey the sign and turn around somewhere else

    A prohibition applies whatever the traffic looks like at that moment, usually because of sight distance or conflicts you cannot see from the lane.

  5. 5. There is a stop sign but no stop line and no crosswalk. Where must you stop?

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    Answer A: Before entering the intersection, where you can see cross traffic

    With no line or crosswalk, stop before you enter the intersection at the point where you can see traffic on the cross street.

  6. 6. How much following distance should you keep behind a motorcycle?

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    Answer C: At least three to four seconds

    A motorcycle can slow or stop very quickly and is easily upset by a surprise, so allow three to four seconds instead of the usual car gap.

  7. 7. What is the main danger of grabbing the front brake lever abruptly?

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    Answer D: The front wheel can lock, and a locked wheel cannot steer or balance

    The front brake must be squeezed progressively so that weight transfers onto the front tire before full braking force is asked of it.

  8. 8. You are about to carry a passenger for the first time. Where should you begin?

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    Answer C: In a quiet area away from traffic, at low speed

    A passenger changes balance, braking and steering feel, and those differences are best learned somewhere there is nothing else to deal with.

  9. 9. What happens to a motorcycle's ground clearance when a passenger is carried?

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    Answer A: It is reduced, so parts touch down at a smaller lean angle

    The extra load compresses the suspension and lowers the machine, so footrests and other parts can drag on the road sooner in a turn.

  10. 10. You want to move into the right lane just as an entrance ramp joins the highway at that point. What is the better choice?

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    Answer B: Wait until you are past the merge area so you do not squeeze the entering traffic

    The merge area is where ramp traffic has to find a gap, so adding a lane change of your own into the same space creates a conflict.

  11. 11. 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.

  12. 12. Why would a restriction like this one be applied to a stretch of road?

    A yellow sign shaped like a horizontal triangle pointing right, with black lettering
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    Answer A: Because there is not enough visible road ahead to complete a pass safely

    Limits on overtaking are set where a hill, a curve or an obstruction leaves too little sight distance for a driver to pull out, pass and return before meeting oncoming traffic.

  13. 13. An ambulance with lights and siren is coming toward you on an undivided two-lane road. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Pull to the right edge and stop until it passes

    On an undivided road, drivers in both directions clear the way, pulling to the right edge and stopping.

  14. 14. What happens when tires are driven underinflated for a long time?

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    Answer D: They wear at the edges, they run hot and they are more likely to fail

    An underinflated tire flexes too much, which wears the shoulders and builds up heat that can destroy the tire.

  15. 15. Which color scheme is standard for the drums and barricades that channel traffic through a work zone?

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    Answer C: Alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes

    Drums and barricades carry alternating orange and white retroreflective stripes, and the traffic cones used in the same zones are predominantly orange.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. You are stopped in traffic at a red light when an ambulance comes up behind you with its siren on. What is the correct action?

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    Answer D: Stay put until you can move aside legally and safely

    You must not run a red light or make an unsafe move to yield; wait, then pull to the side once the way ahead lets you do it safely.

  18. 18. 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.

  19. 19. You are pulling out of a farm entrance onto a rural highway. What is your obligation?

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    Answer C: Yield to every vehicle already on the highway before you enter the roadway

    A driver entering a highway from a private road or driveway yields to every vehicle already on the highway.

  20. 20. You are stopped at a red light waiting to turn right where the turn is allowed. Besides traffic from the left, what must you check?

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    Answer D: Both crosswalks, and anyone approaching along your right side

    A right turn on red crosses the crosswalk in front of you and enters the one on the cross street, and cyclists often approach along your right.

  21. 21. Where should a rider keep the knees while riding?

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    Answer B: Against the fuel tank

    Knees held against the tank anchor the rider to the motorcycle and improve balance, which matters most in turns.

  22. 22. Besides impact protection, how does a light colored helmet help the rider?

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    Answer A: It sits above surrounding traffic, so drivers pick it out sooner

    A light or high visibility helmet sits above the traffic around the rider and is often the first part of a motorcycle a driver notices.

  23. 23. Which statement about standard drinks is correct?

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    Answer C: A standard serving of beer, of table wine and of distilled spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol

    Roughly 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of table wine and 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol, so the type of drink does not change the effect.

  24. 24. Why does a rider on an unfaired motorcycle tire faster on a long highway ride than a driver would?

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    Answer A: Constant wind pressure and noise drain energy hour after hour

    Fighting wind pressure and enduring wind noise for hours is physically tiring, which is why wind protection and regular breaks matter on long rides.

  25. 25. What does a tire with worn tread do on a wet road?

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    Answer B: It loses grip and it hydroplanes at a lower speed than a good tire

    Tread grooves carry water away from the contact patch, and a worn tire cannot do that, so it floats on the water sooner.