Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 35

  • 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. At a stop sign with a painted stop line and a crosswalk, where must you stop?

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    Answer D: At the stop line, before it and before the crosswalk

    You stop at the stop line first, and only if there is no stop line do you stop before the crosswalk, and only if there is neither do you stop before entering the intersection.

  2. 2. A deer crosses the road in front of you and disappears into the trees. What should you expect?

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    Answer B: That other deer are likely to follow it across the very same stretch of road

    Deer usually move in groups, so one crossing the road is a warning that more may follow.

  3. 3. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time

    Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.

  4. 4. A high truck ahead of you hides the traffic signal as you approach the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Drop back so you can see the signal and the truck's brake lights

    Extra following distance restores your view of the signal, so you are reacting to the light yourself rather than copying the truck driver.

  5. 5. You are moving at walking pace through a crowded parking area. Which combination gives the steadiest control?

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    Answer B: Steady throttle, the clutch held in the friction zone and light rear brake

    Slipping the clutch in the friction zone against a steady throttle and a light drag of rear brake keeps power smooth and the machine stable below walking speed.

  6. 6. What is a microsleep?

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    Answer D: A few seconds of sleep, sometimes with the eyes open

    A microsleep is an involuntary lapse of a few seconds during which the driver is asleep and the vehicle travels blind, often without the driver knowing.

  7. 7. When is the right time to put on rain gear?

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    Answer C: Before the rain reaches you, at a safe place off the roadway

    Once you are wet you stay cold for the rest of the ride, so stop somewhere safe and put the rain suit on while you are still dry.

  8. 8. A traffic light ahead of the group turns yellow as the leader approaches it. What should the leader do?

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    Answer C: Stop normally and let the group be split by the signal

    Keeping the group together never outranks obeying the signal, and the riders left behind simply catch up at the next stop.

  9. 9. How is the yield sign shaped and colored?

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    Answer C: A downward-pointing triangle with a wide red border and a red legend on white

    The yield sign is a downward-pointing equilateral triangle with a wide red border and the legend in red on a white background, an outline used for no other message.

  10. 10. You see brake lights several vehicles ahead of you in your lane. What is the best first step?

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    Answer C: Ease off the gas and cover the brake pedal

    Reacting to the trouble several vehicles ahead, rather than waiting for the car in front, cuts your reaction time and warns the driver behind you.

  11. 11. Besides the certification label, what does a novelty helmet typically lack?

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    Answer B: A thick, firm liner of impact absorbing foam under the shell

    The energy absorbing layer is what makes a helmet work, and a novelty shell has little or none of it, so it offers almost no protection in a crash.

  12. 12. Which shape is used for the school advance warning sign and the school crossing sign?

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    Answer B: An upward-pointing pentagon

    The five-sided pentagon with its point up identifies school signing, so the outline alone tells a driver that children may be present.

  13. 13. A grade crossing is marked only with a crossbuck and has no lights or gates. What does the crossbuck require of you?

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    Answer C: Yield to rail traffic and cross only when no train is approaching

    The crossbuck requires road users to yield the right-of-way to rail traffic, so you must look and listen and be ready to stop.

  14. 14. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?

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    Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you

    White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.

  15. 15. What is the correct position for the feet while riding?

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    Answer C: Firmly on the footrests with the toes level

    Toes kept level stay clear of the pavement when the motorcycle leans and leave the foot ready to reach the brake pedal or shift lever.

  16. 16. You are approaching a blind left hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?

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    Answer C: The right portion of your lane

    On a left hand bend the outside of the lane is the right side, and moving there lets the rider see farther around the curve before entering it.

  17. 17. How many usable riding paths does a single traffic lane offer a motorcycle?

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    Answer C: Three

    A lane is normally treated as a left, center and right path, and the rider picks the one that gives the best visibility and the largest space cushion.

  18. 18. What is the main advantage of a face shield over goggles?

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    Answer D: It protects the whole face, not only the eyes

    Goggles keep wind and debris out of the eyes, but a shatter resistant face shield also protects the rest of the face in a crash.

  19. 19. Why is smooth, early braking better than hard, late braking?

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    Answer D: It keeps you in control and gives the driver behind more warning

    Braking early and gently keeps the tires well within their grip and gives following drivers time to react to your brake lights.

  20. 20. A rider in the middle of the group pulls over onto the shoulder. What should the sweep rider do?

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    Answer C: Stop and stay with that rider while the rest of the group continues

    The sweep exists so that no rider is ever left alone at the roadside, while the remainder of the group carries on to a safe place to wait.

  21. 21. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning

    A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.

  22. 22. Traffic ahead of you has stopped in your lane while the next lane is still moving. What is the first thing to do?

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    Answer C: Slow down first and check the next lane before moving over

    Braking is the action that keeps you from hitting the stopped traffic, and the lane change is only safe once you have looked.

  23. 23. What happens when alcohol is combined with another drug that also affects the nervous system?

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    Answer B: Impairment is often far greater than either one alone would produce

    Combined substances can multiply each other's effects, producing impairment well beyond what a driver would expect from either one taken separately.

  24. 24. You are driving through a residential area where parked cars hide the side streets. What is the safest approach?

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    Answer C: Slow down and cover the brake as you pass each opening

    Where parked vehicles hide side streets and driveways, lower speed and a covered brake buy the time you lose in sight distance.

  25. 25. A sign reads END SCHOOL ZONE. What does it tell a driver?

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    Answer A: The regular limit for that road applies again

    An end of restriction sign marks the downstream limit of a special zone, after which the ordinary speed limit for that road governs again.