Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 25

  • 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. An orange sign reading END ROAD WORK is posted beside the highway. What does it mark?

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    Answer C: The point where the work zone restrictions stop

    The sign is installed at the downstream end of the temporary traffic control zone to tell drivers that normal conditions apply again.

  2. 2. When are the hazard warning lights properly used?

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    Answer A: When your vehicle is stopped or barely moving and is a hazard

    Hazard lights warn that your vehicle is an obstruction; they do not authorize illegal parking and they hide your turn signals while driving.

  3. 3. A driver extends the left arm out the window and points it downward toward the road surface. What is being signaled?

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    Answer A: Slowing down or stopping

    The left arm extended downward is the standard hand signal for slowing or stopping.

  4. 4. Why is the center portion of the lane a useful default on an open road?

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    Answer B: It keeps a space cushion on both sides and discourages lane sharing

    From the middle of the lane the rider has room to move either way, and no driver sees an obvious gap alongside to squeeze into.

  5. 5. What is the purpose of the padding built into the shoulders, elbows and knees of riding gear?

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    Answer C: It absorbs impact energy at the joints most likely to strike first

    Armor at the joints spreads and absorbs the force of an impact in the places that usually hit the ground first in a fall.

  6. 6. You are traveling beside a tractor-trailer and cannot see the truck driver's face in any of the truck's mirrors. What does that tell you?

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    Answer A: The truck driver probably cannot see your vehicle

    Large trucks have deep blind spots on all four sides, so if the driver's face is not visible in a mirror the driver has no view of you. Move ahead or drop back until you are out of that area.

  7. 7. What further loss of license does Maine add for operating while suspended or revoked?

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    Answer A: One to 3 years, consecutive to the original suspension

    Maine adds a suspension of not less than one year and not more than 3 years, and it runs consecutively to the suspension that was already in force.

  8. 8. You have dropped some distance behind the rest of your group. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Keep your own safe pace, because the group should slow to bring you back

    Chasing the group means riding beyond a comfortable pace, so the responsibility sits with the leader to slow down until the formation is whole again.

  9. 9. A pedestrian is crossing at a corner where no crosswalk is painted on the pavement. What is your duty?

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    Answer A: Yield, because a legal crosswalk exists at the corner even without paint

    Every intersection has a crosswalk whether or not it is marked, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there.

  10. 10. What is sensible when you drive in an unfamiliar town for the first time?

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    Answer C: Drive a little slower and give yourself more time to read the signs

    In unfamiliar surroundings you need longer to take in signs, junctions and markings, and lower speed buys that time.

  11. 11. At an intersection where every approach carries this sign, two drivers arrive at exactly the same instant. Which of them goes first?

    A red eight sided sign with a white border and white lettering
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    Answer C: The driver on the right

    Order of arrival decides who goes first, and when two vehicles arrive together the driver on the right proceeds while the other gives way.

  12. 12. A driver who wants to reverse direction arrives at this sign. What is allowed?

    A white square showing a U shaped arrow inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer C: Going on and reversing direction only where the maneuver is permitted

    The restriction removes that maneuver at that spot entirely, so the driver has to continue and turn the vehicle around at a place where it is not prohibited.

  13. 13. You must stop for a train at a highway-rail crossing. Where should you stop?

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    Answer B: Behind the stop line, gate or signal and well clear of the nearest rail

    Stop behind the stop line, gate or flashing-light signal and well clear of the nearest rail, because a train overhangs its track by several feet on each side.

  14. 14. Which quality matters most in a face shield?

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    Answer B: It resists penetration and is free of deep scratches

    A shield has to stop objects thrown up from the road and stay clear enough for undistorted vision, and it needs some airflow so that it does not fog.

  15. 15. How should speed and following distance be adjusted beyond this sign?

    An orange diamond with black lettering
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    Answer D: Cut speed and leave a longer gap, because traffic can stop without warning

    Traffic in these areas stops and starts unexpectedly and there is little room to steer around a problem, so extra space is what prevents a rear-end collision.

  16. 16. What is the role of the sweep rider in a group?

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    Answer B: To ride last, watch the group, and notice when a rider drops back or has trouble

    The sweep rider takes the last position so that any rider who slows, stops or has a problem is noticed instead of being left behind.

  17. 17. Where is the clutch lever located on a standard motorcycle?

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    Answer D: On the left handlebar

    Squeezing the lever on the left handlebar disengages the clutch and interrupts power between the engine and the rear wheel.

  18. 18. 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.

  19. 19. How can you keep space at the sides of your vehicle in heavy traffic?

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    Answer D: Drive in the gaps between the other vehicles rather than beside them

    Travelling in the open spaces rather than alongside others keeps a way out open on at least one side.

  20. 20. It is very hot and a rider is tempted to take off the riding jacket. Why can that make the heat worse?

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    Answer C: A bare arm in hot moving air loses fluid fast and burns in the sun

    In hot, dry air a covering layer slows the evaporation of sweat and blocks the sun, so ventilated gear can keep a rider cooler and better hydrated than bare skin.

  21. 21. You are approaching a traffic light that has been green for a long time. How should you treat it?

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    Answer C: Expect it to change and be ready to stop

    A light that has been green for a while is called a stale green light. Cover the brake and decide in advance where you could still stop safely.

  22. 22. School warning signs use which background and legend colors?

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    Answer A: A black legend and border on a fluorescent yellow-green background

    School warning signs carry a black legend and border on a fluorescent yellow-green background, a shade chosen so they stand out from ordinary yellow warning signs.

  23. 23. What are Maine's minimum liability limits for a registered vehicle?

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    Answer A: 50,000 dollars per person, 100,000 dollars per accident and 25,000 dollars for property

    Maine requires at least 50,000 dollars for injury to or death of one person, 100,000 dollars for one accident and 25,000 dollars for property damage, for each vehicle registered.

  24. 24. You are turning left across tracks that run along the center of the street. What should you do before crossing them?

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    Answer B: Look along the tracks in both directions and cross only when clear

    Rail vehicles running in the street can arrive from either direction and cannot stop quickly, so look along the tracks before you turn across them.

  25. 25. You have a green light and are turning right. Pedestrians are stepping off the curb into the crosswalk you are about to cross. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait and let them cross before completing your turn

    A green light does not release a turning driver from yielding to pedestrians already in the crosswalk of the street being entered.