Alaska DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 43

  • 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. Why does riding in moderately cold weather call for extra layers of clothing?

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    Answer B: Chill and fatigue set in quickly and reduce the rider's control

    Wind at riding speed strips body heat away fast, and a chilled, tired rider reacts more slowly and can slide into hypothermia.

  2. 2. Why can a motorcycle ahead of you slow down without any warning light showing?

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    Answer B: The rider may slow by downshifting or rolling off

    Riders often lose speed by closing the throttle or changing down, which does not switch on the brake light, so watch the machine itself and keep back.

  3. 3. In the T-CLOCS pre-ride inspection, what does the first item cover?

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    Answer C: Tires and wheels

    T stands for tires and wheels, where the rider checks pressure, tread, damage, rims, spokes and bearings before anything else.

  4. 4. An overhead lane signal shows a flashing yellow X above your lane. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: The lane may be used only for a left turn

    A flashing yellow X marks a lane that may be used only to make a left turn; a steady yellow X is the one that warns you to leave the lane.

  5. 5. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?

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    Answer A: Branches, dust and loose objects blown into your path

    High wind strips branches, litter and dust onto the roadway and can push other vehicles out of their lane, so scan much further ahead than usual.

  6. 6. 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.

  7. 7. 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.

  8. 8. A shared-use path crosses the road ahead at a marked crossing and people are already crossing on it. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Yield and let them finish crossing the road

    People already crossing at a marked crossing have the right of way, and a path crossing is a crossing of the roadway like any other.

  9. 9. You are wearing a high visibility jacket. How should that change the way you ride?

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    Answer B: You still ride as though drivers have not seen you

    Bright gear improves your odds of being noticed but guarantees nothing, so keep the lane position, space cushion and escape routes that protect you anyway.

  10. 10. You are riding in the right hand lane of a freeway and vehicles ahead are merging on from an entrance ramp. What is the best response?

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    Answer C: Change lanes if you safely can, or adjust speed to open a gap for them

    Merging drivers are looking over a shoulder for a gap and easily miss a motorcycle, so the rider makes room rather than waiting to be seen.

  11. 11. The leader gives a hand signal that you can see clearly from your place in the group. What should you do with it?

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    Answer A: Repeat the signal so the riders behind you also receive it

    Signals are passed down the line rider by rider, because riders further back cannot see the leader through the machines in between.

  12. 12. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up

    Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.

  13. 13. Your light turns green, but a vehicle is still in the middle of the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Wait until the intersection is clear before you move ahead

    A green light means go only when the way is clear. Drivers already inside the intersection must be allowed to finish crossing.

  14. 14. How far from a stopped Alaska school bus with flashing red lights must an approaching driver stop?

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    Answer C: Not less than 30 feet

    Alaska requires a driver approaching a school bus from any direction with flashing red lights in operation to stop not less than 30 feet from the bus and to wait until the lights stop and the bus moves.

  15. 15. This sign leads to a crossing that has no gates and no flashing lights. What does that mean for the driver?

    A yellow circle showing a black cross and the letters R R in the side quarters
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    Answer D: Nothing will warn of an approaching train, so the driver must check the tracks personally

    At a passive crossing there is no active device to announce a train, so the whole judgment rests on the driver, who must approach slowly enough to stop after looking along the track.

  16. 16. Why is the road often most slippery during the first few minutes of rain after a long dry spell?

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    Answer C: Oil and dust on the surface mix with the water into a slick film

    Oil drippings and road dust build up on dry pavement, and the first light rain lifts them into a slippery film before heavier rain washes it away.

  17. 17. Why is a U-turn on a one-way street a problem?

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    Answer A: You would end up facing the wrong way against all the traffic

    Every lane of a one-way street runs the same way, so turning around leaves you driving head-on against all of the traffic.

  18. 18. How soon must an Alaska license holder notify the Division of Motor Vehicles of a change of name or address?

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    Answer A: Within 30 days, in writing

    Alaska requires written notice to the DMV within 30 days of a change of name or address, with court ordered documentation or a certified marriage certificate for a name change.

  19. 19. A vehicle in front of you has already begun turning left into a driveway when the gap you were waiting for opens up. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait and let that driver finish the turn

    A vehicle that has lawfully started a maneuver keeps the right of way until it is finished.

  20. 20. How closely may an Alaska driver follow an emergency vehicle that is responding to an emergency?

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    Answer D: No closer than 500 feet

    Alaska prohibits following a responding emergency vehicle closer than 500 feet and also prohibits parking within 500 feet of where fire apparatus has stopped with flashing lights.

  21. 21. A yellow diamond shows the two edges of the road pinching toward each other. What does it mean?

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    Answer B: The pavement gets narrower but the lanes continue

    The road narrows sign warns that the traveled way becomes tighter, leaving less room beside passing vehicles even though no lane is dropped.

  22. 22. You come to a place where a storm has dropped a power line across the road ahead. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Stop well back, keep everyone away from it and report it to the police

    A downed line may be live and can energize the ground around it, so keep well clear and let the utility or the police handle it.

  23. 23. An overhead sign shows that the right lane is EXIT ONLY. What does that mean if you intend to stay on the highway?

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    Answer B: You have to move out of that lane before the exit

    An exit only lane leaves the highway completely, so a driver continuing on the highway has to change lanes before it does.

  24. 24. A driver reaches this sign and the intersecting roadway is completely clear. What is required?

    A downward pointing white triangle with a wide red border
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    Answer D: Slowing to a speed that allows stopping, then going on without stopping if the way stays clear

    This control asks the driver to slow down and be ready to stop, and a full stop becomes necessary only when traffic or pedestrians would otherwise be interfered with.

  25. 25. Why is a motorcycle particularly hard for other drivers to judge at night?

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    Answer A: Its single headlight gives no width cues for distance and speed

    Drivers judge distance from the spacing between a pair of headlights, and a single lamp gives them nothing to measure, so they routinely misjudge how close and how fast a motorcycle is.