Alaska DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 48

  • 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. What is the main function of the guide sign series?

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    Answer D: To identify routes and lead road users to their destinations

    Guide signs identify routes, name destinations and give distances, so drivers can navigate without stopping to consult a map.

  2. 2. 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.

  3. 3. A motorcycle ahead of you is weaving slightly as it crosses a stretch of grooved pavement. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Give the rider extra room until the surface improves

    Grooves, metal plates and loose material affect a motorcycle far more than a car, so back off and let the rider deal with the surface.

  4. 4. Where is signing of this kind normally placed along a freeway?

    A green rectangle with white lettering
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    Answer D: Ahead of the interchange and again at the exit, so a driver can reach the correct lane in time

    Guide information for an interchange is repeated on the approach and at the ramp, because a driver who learns about the exit only at the last moment has no room left for a safe lane change.

  5. 5. You are driving on a two-lane road approaching the crest of a hill. Where should you position your vehicle?

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    Answer D: Toward the right side of your lane, in case an oncoming vehicle is over the center line

    You cannot see what is beyond a crest, and oncoming drivers sometimes drift across the center. Keeping right and slowing gives you a margin.

  6. 6. Where are signs of this kind placed at an intersection?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer C: At the near right and far left corners, facing drivers on the intersecting street

    They are installed at the corners of the intersecting street so that a driver about to turn in sees the restriction before committing to the turn.

  7. 7. A speed limit sign carries a second panel reading TRUCKS 55. What does that panel do?

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    Answer B: It sets a lower legal limit for trucks

    A truck speed limit panel is regulatory, so trucks are bound by the lower figure while other traffic keeps to the main limit.

  8. 8. Your light is green but the traffic beyond the intersection is stopped and there is no room on the far side. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Wait behind the line until you can clear the far side

    Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks the cross traffic when their signal turns green, so you wait behind the line.

  9. 9. 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.

  10. 10. You have a green arrow to turn left. What still applies?

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    Answer D: You must yield to any pedestrian or vehicle still inside the intersection

    A green arrow protects your turn from conflicting traffic, but you must still let anyone already in the intersection get clear before you move.

  11. 11. Traffic in your lane is backed up and the paved shoulder looks clear. May you drive along it to get past?

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    Answer C: No, the shoulder is not a travel lane

    Passing must be done within the roadway; driving on the shoulder to get around traffic is prohibited and surprises anyone entering from the right.

  12. 12. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing

    Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.

  13. 13. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?

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    Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway

    Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.

  14. 14. You want to turn left at an intersection with no signs or signals and a vehicle is coming straight toward you from the opposite direction. What must you do?

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    Answer C: Yield and turn after the oncoming vehicle has passed

    A driver turning left always gives way to oncoming traffic that is close enough to be a hazard, whether or not the intersection is controlled.

  15. 15. A traffic signal ahead is showing a flashing red light. What does it require?

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    Answer C: Stop completely, then go when the way is clear, as at a stop sign

    A flashing red light has the same meaning as a stop sign: stop completely, yield to traffic and pedestrians, then proceed when it is safe.

  16. 16. What should the clutch be doing during a quick stop?

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    Answer C: Pulled in as the motorcycle slows, so the engine does not stall

    Disengaging the clutch as the machine slows keeps the engine running, so the rider can pull away again immediately if that becomes necessary.

  17. 17. What is the correct swerving technique?

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    Answer D: Press the handgrip on the side you want to go and look toward the escape route

    A swerve is two quick countersteering inputs, and because the motorcycle goes where the rider looks, the eyes belong on the open space.

  18. 18. Your left-turn lane faces a steady green ball and oncoming traffic is heavy. What are you allowed to do?

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    Answer C: Move into the intersection and turn when a safe gap appears

    A green ball permits the turn but gives no priority, so you may move into the intersection and wait there for a gap in the oncoming traffic.

  19. 19. You are in a passing zone that continues over the crest of a hill ahead. May you start a pass?

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    Answer B: Only if you can finish it well before the crest

    Beyond the crest you cannot see oncoming traffic, so any part of the pass that happens there is being made blind.

  20. 20. You come up behind a bicyclist who is descending a steep hill in the middle of the traffic lane. What should you take into account?

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    Answer D: The rider may be moving at close to the speed of the traffic

    A bicycle can reach the speed of traffic on a descent, so there is little to gain from a pass and the rider needs the whole lane to steer around surface hazards.

  21. 21. You want to pass on a two-lane road where several people are walking on the narrow shoulder ahead. What should you consider?

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    Answer D: There is no escape room if the pass goes wrong, so wait for a better place

    A pass depends on having somewhere to go if it goes wrong, and a shoulder occupied by pedestrians removes that option for both vehicles.

  22. 22. You are overtaking in a short passing lane on a two-lane road and it is about to end. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Finish the pass and move back to the right before it ends

    The added lane ends and the traffic returns to a single lane in each direction, so the pass has to be complete before the pavement runs out.

  23. 23. Who should set the pace of a group ride?

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    Answer A: The last rider in the group, so that nobody is forced to hurry to keep up

    The tail ender sets the pace: every rider watches the mirrors for the rider behind, and if someone falls back the whole group slows a little to stay together.

  24. 24. You enter a corner faster than the turn can be taken. What is the most likely result?

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    Answer A: The vehicle runs wide and may cross into another lane

    Excess speed uses up the available grip, so the vehicle follows a wider arc than intended and drifts out of its lane.

  25. 25. You notice at night that one of your headlights has burned out. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Get it replaced promptly, because other drivers may take you for a motorcycle

    A single light makes your vehicle look narrower and further away, so other drivers misjudge you, and one light is also illegal.