Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 41
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. An officer directing traffic faces you and holds one hand up with the open palm toward your vehicle. What does the gesture mean?
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Answer D: Stop before reaching the officer
A raised open palm shown toward a driver is the standard signal to stop.
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2. The car ahead of you slows down for no reason that you can see. Should you pull out and pass?
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Answer B: No, find out why it is slowing before you commit to the other lane
A driver usually slows for something, such as a turn, a hazard or a pedestrian, and that something is often exactly where your pass would take you.
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3. An object thrown up by another vehicle strikes your face shield. What should you do?
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Answer C: Keep both hands on the handlebars and your eyes on the road, then stop when it is safe to check
Letting go of the handlebars or looking away is far more dangerous than the impact itself, so keep control first and inspect the damage after you have stopped safely.
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4. You are about to change lanes to the left when you notice a vehicle already overtaking you in that lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Hold your lane and your speed, and change only after that vehicle has gone by
A signal asks for space but does not create it, and the overtaking driver has nowhere to go if you move across.
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5. Is a helmet worth wearing on a short trip to a store a few blocks away?
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Answer C: Yes, since many crashes happen close to home at ordinary street speeds
A large share of motorcycle crashes occur on short, familiar trips at moderate speeds, and injuries at those speeds are still severe.
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6. You are the first to arrive at a crash on a rural road. What should you do first?
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Answer C: Park well clear of the scene, put on your hazard lights and call for help
Getting trained help on the way and keeping the scene visible does more good than anything an untrained bystander can do.
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7. Why do experienced riders cover the clutch lever and the brake lever in heavy traffic?
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Answer B: It shortens the time needed to react if they suddenly have to stop
With fingers already resting on the levers the rider skips the time it takes to reach for them, which shortens overall stopping distance.
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8. You are about to descend a long steep grade. How should you control your speed?
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Answer D: Select a lower gear before starting down and use the brakes in firm, brief applications
Engine braking in a lower gear carries most of the load down the grade, while continuous brake pressure overheats the brakes and reduces their effectiveness.
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9. You are approaching a narrow bridge where the road has one lane in each direction and no shoulder. What should you do about passing?
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Answer B: Do not pass on or near the bridge
A narrow bridge gives neither vehicle anywhere to go, so passing is prohibited there in the same way as on a hill or in a tunnel.
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10. During the tire check you find a nail driven into the rear tire. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have the tire repaired or replaced before the motorcycle is ridden
A punctured motorcycle tire can lose air suddenly, and a motorcycle has no second tire on that end to hold the machine up.
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11. A driver passes this sign on an open road. Over what stretch does the figure it sets stay in force?
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Answer A: From the sign onward, in every lane, until another sign sets a different figure
The figure governs the road from the sign onward and binds every lane, and it stays in force until a later sign sets a different one.
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12. A yellow diamond shows a car with wavy lines behind its rear tires. What is the warning?
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Answer D: The surface loses grip badly when it is wet
The slippery when wet sign marks a stretch where traction falls off sharply in rain, so speed and braking must be reduced well in advance.
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13. On a street with parking along the curb, the shared lane marking is painted well out from the curb face. What does that placement tell a bicyclist?
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Answer C: To ride clear of the doors of parked cars
The marking is set at least eleven feet from the curb where parking is allowed so that riders are guided outside the reach of an opening door.
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14. Why is it risky to brake hard and steer sharply at the same moment?
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Answer C: The tires have a limited amount of grip that braking and turning must share
Each tire can deliver only so much grip, and asking it to slow the vehicle and change direction at once can exceed that limit and start a skid.
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15. What tells you that you are following the rider ahead of you too closely in a group?
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Answer C: You have stopped being able to see the road surface ahead of them
If the machine ahead blocks your view of the pavement it is about to cross, you will not see a hazard until you are already on it.
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16. Someone has stepped into a marked crosswalk in the middle of a block ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down, stop before the markings and let the person cross the street
A marked mid-block crosswalk carries the same duty as one at a corner: give way to the person crossing, stopping if that is what letting them cross safely takes.
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17. On a clear day with light traffic, a driver stays far below the maximum this sign sets. What can that cause?
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Answer B: Obstruction of the normal flow of traffic, which is prohibited in itself
Driving so slowly that other traffic is impeded is an offense in its own right when nothing about safety, weather or the road calls for it.
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18. A Maine driver cannot safely move out of the lane next to a stopped emergency vehicle. What does the law then require?
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Answer C: Passing at a careful and prudent speed reasonable for passing
Maine tells the driver to pass in a lane that is not adjacent where that is possible, and otherwise to pass at a careful and prudent speed reasonable for the passing.
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19. Along a highway the reference markers count upward as you travel. Where does the numbering normally begin?
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Answer C: At the southern or western edge of the state
Mileage numbering starts where the route enters the state from the south or the west, so rising numbers tell a driver which way they are heading.
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20. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?
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Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot
Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.
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21. Every signal head at an intersection is flashing red in all directions. How should you treat the intersection?
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Answer C: As an all-way stop, stopping and then going in turn
Red flashing in every direction means each approach must stop, so the intersection works exactly like an all-way stop.
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22. You have turned onto a ramp at night and your headlights pick out large white arrows painted on the pavement pointing straight back at you. What do they mean?
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Answer C: You are traveling against the flow and must turn back
Wrong-way arrows are laid so that a driver going the correct way never sees them head on, so an arrow pointing at you means you are on the ramp backwards.
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23. You have a green light and an ambulance with lights and siren enters the intersection against its red. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop and let the ambulance go through
An emergency vehicle answering a call may cross against a red, and every other driver yields to it whatever their own signal shows.
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24. On a long uphill grade a second lane opens on the right and a sign directs slower traffic into it. You are towing a trailer and holding up a line of vehicles. What should you do?
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Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and let the faster traffic use the left lane
A climbing lane exists so that slow vehicles can be passed safely, and the slower vehicle is the one that belongs in it.
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25. A friend asks for a ride and has no gear at all. What is the correct approach?
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Answer A: Provide a certified helmet, eye protection and covering clothing
A passenger hits the ground the same way the rider does, so a passenger needs the same protection: a certified helmet, eye protection, gloves, boots and covering clothing.