Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 15

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

Minimum age: 16 years, with an 8 hour motorcycle education program required of every applicant

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

  1. 1. Which item does most to keep a rider comfortable in cold weather beyond a jacket and gloves?

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    Answer B: A close fitting neck cover that stops air entering at the collar

    Cold air funnelled in at the neck chills the whole body, so a snug neck tube or balaclava makes a large difference, while a loose scarf is a hazard because it can catch.

  2. 2. Why may the mirrors and the headlight need readjusting when a passenger is carried?

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    Answer D: Because the added weight changes the angle at which the motorcycle sits

    Weight on the rear of the motorcycle raises the front, which aims the headlight and the mirrors higher than the rider intends.

  3. 3. How should following distance change when you ride at night?

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    Answer D: Open it up to three seconds or more

    Less light means hazards appear later, so a rider should slow down and stretch the following distance to three seconds or more.

  4. 4. An oncoming vehicle at night has its high beams on and you are being dazzled. Where should you look?

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    Answer A: Toward the right edge of your lane

    Looking toward the right edge line keeps you on course while sparing your eyes the worst of the glare. Slow down and do not retaliate with your own high beams.

  5. 5. Partway through a curve you realize you have carried in more speed than you wanted. What is the best response?

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    Answer D: Look through the curve and lean the motorcycle further with steady throttle

    Most motorcycles can lean further than the rider believes, and looking where you want to go while pressing the inside grip harder will usually bring the machine around.

  6. 6. Why is a shoulder check especially important on a road with motorcycles and bicycles?

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    Answer D: A narrow vehicle can disappear completely in the blind spot

    A motorcycle or a bicycle is small enough to be hidden entirely by a door pillar or by the blind spot the mirrors do not cover.

  7. 7. You are slowing to turn right at an intersection and a bicyclist is riding beside your right side in a bike lane. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Let the bicyclist go through the intersection before you begin the turn

    Turning across the path of a bicyclist who is going straight causes the classic right-hook crash. The rider continuing straight has the right-of-way over your turn.

  8. 8. An upward-pointing pentagon with a yellow legend and border on a blue background is used as

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    Answer D: a county route marker

    The pentagon serves both the school warning series and county route markers, and the blue background with yellow legend identifies the county route version.

  9. 9. A Maine juvenile provisional licensee is convicted of a second moving violation committed within 2 years of issue. How long is the suspension?

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    Answer B: 180 days

    Maine suspends a juvenile provisional license for 30 days on a first moving violation, 180 days on a second and one year on a third or subsequent one.

  10. 10. 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.

  11. 11. You are passing a crash on the other side of a divided highway. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Keep your eyes on your own lane and the traffic around you

    Staring at a crash scene, often called rubbernecking, causes sudden slowing and secondary collisions. Your attention belongs on the traffic in front of you.

  12. 12. You are involved in a collision, even a minor one. What is your first legal duty?

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    Answer A: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic more than necessary

    Every driver involved in a crash must stop at the scene, and leaving before meeting that duty is a serious offense. Move the vehicles only as far as needed to clear the traffic lanes.

  13. 13. At night you are judging your distance from the rider ahead by their tail light. What is the risk?

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    Answer A: A single small light gives a poor sense of how far away it really is

    Distance is very hard to judge from one small light in the dark, so riders should leave extra space rather than trust the impression the light gives.

  14. 14. The rider who was behind you has vanished from your mirrors. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Ease off and pass the word forward so the group can respond

    A rider missing from the line may have stopped or had trouble, and the group needs to know at once so it can slow down or pull over safely.

  15. 15. What identifies a helmet as certified to the federal motorcycle helmet standard?

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    Answer C: A label showing DOT and the words FMVSS No. 218 CERTIFIED

    Certified helmets carry a label with the DOT symbol and the wording FMVSS No. 218 CERTIFIED, together with the maker's name and the model.

  16. 16. A school crossing guard steps into the roadway and holds up a stop paddle. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Stop and stay stopped until the guard and the children have left the road

    A crossing guard directs traffic with legal authority; you must remain stopped until both the guard and the children are clear of the roadway.

  17. 17. After turning right you see a sign showing that your lane ends a short way ahead. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Signal and merge into the next lane while there is still room

    Merge early and smoothly while a gap is still available, rather than running out of pavement or forcing your way in at the last moment.

  18. 18. What should a passenger be told about where to keep their legs?

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    Answer D: To keep them away from the muffler, the chain and other moving parts

    Exhaust pipes get hot enough to burn and exposed drive components can catch a loose leg, so the passenger must keep legs in and clear of them.

  19. 19. The center line beside your lane is solid yellow while the opposite side has a broken yellow line. What does this mean?

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    Answer D: You may not pass, but traffic in the other direction may

    A solid yellow line on your side of the center marks a no-passing zone for your direction only, while the broken line grants the opposing direction a passing zone.

  20. 20. On a rural two-lane road you pass small blue signs, each naming one business with an arrow and a distance. What are they?

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    Answer D: Tourist-oriented directional signs for traveler businesses

    Tourist-oriented directional signs carry a white legend on blue and are used on rural conventional roads to guide travelers to eligible businesses.

  21. 21. You are riding where fresh pavement meets an older lane that sits an inch or two lower. How should you move across that edge?

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    Answer A: Slow down and cross the edge at as sharp an angle as the lane allows

    A pavement edge break can steer the front wheel along it if you meet it at a shallow angle, so slow, hold the bars firmly and cross it steeply.

  22. 22. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?

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    Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles

    Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.

  23. 23. A notification appears on your smart watch while you are driving. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Treat it as you would a phone and leave it

    A watch screen demands the same eyes and the same attention as a phone, and a wrist is no safer a place to read a message than a dashboard.

  24. 24. What kind of gloves are recommended for riding?

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    Answer A: Full fingered gloves of leather or similar durable material

    Full fingered leather or equivalent gloves improve grip on the controls and protect the hands, which riders instinctively put out in a fall.

  25. 25. Where is passing prohibited even when no line is visible?

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    Answer D: On a curve or near the crest of a hill, at intersections and at railroad crossings

    Passing is prohibited wherever your view of oncoming traffic is blocked or where vehicles may cross your path, which includes hills, curves, intersections and rail crossings.