Maine BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 57

  • 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. Where is this sign installed in relation to the hazard it announces?

    A yellow circle showing a black cross and the letters R R in the side quarters
    Show answer

    Answer A: Far enough before the hazard that a driver can slow down and stop short of it

    This is an advance warning sign, placed on the approach so a driver has time to react before reaching a crossing that a curve or a crest may be hiding.

  2. 2. Where is a U-turn generally the most reasonable choice?

    Show answer

    Answer B: At an intersection where it is permitted and you can see well both ways

    A U-turn needs a legal place and a long clear view in both directions, which is why a permitted intersection with open sight lines is the usual choice.

  3. 3. In heavy fog at night on a rural two-lane road, which marking best helps a driver hold position?

    Show answer

    Answer C: The solid white line along the right edge

    Steering by the right edge line keeps a driver clear of oncoming traffic, while watching the center line tends to pull the vehicle toward it.

  4. 4. What happens if a passenger leans the opposite way to the rider in a curve?

    Show answer

    Answer B: The motorcycle becomes harder to steer and may run wide in the curve

    A passenger leaning against the turn fights the lean angle the rider has set, forcing extra steering effort and pushing the machine toward the outside of the curve.

  5. 5. How close may a Maine driver follow fire apparatus that is traveling in response to an alarm?

    Show answer

    Answer D: No closer than 500 feet

    Maine forbids following within 500 feet of fire apparatus responding to an alarm, and within 150 feet of any other authorized emergency vehicle using its lights.

  6. 6. You have a green light at a school crossing, but the crossing guard steps out and holds up a stop sign toward you. What must you do?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Stop, because the crossing guard controls this crossing and outranks the signal

    Directions from a crossing guard or a police officer take priority over signals and signs.

  7. 7. Yellow signs each showing one large black arrowhead, installed in a row along the outside of a curve, are

    Show answer

    Answer D: chevron alignment signs marking the change of direction of the curve

    Chevron alignment signs are placed on the outside of a curve so that several are in view at once, letting the driver judge how sharply the road turns.

  8. 8. You are leaving a freeway on an exit ramp posted with an advisory speed of 25 mph. Where should you slow to that speed?

    Show answer

    Answer A: In the deceleration lane, before you reach the curve of the ramp

    Slowing belongs in the deceleration lane so you arrive at the curve already at the advisory speed and do not hold up traffic still in the through lanes.

  9. 9. Warning signs such as stop ahead, yield ahead and signal ahead are installed mainly where

    Show answer

    Answer B: the traffic control device cannot be seen from far enough away

    These advance warning signs are used when a crest, curve or obstruction keeps the stop sign, yield sign or signal from coming into view in time for a driver to react.

  10. 10. Which common non-prescription medicine is most likely to make a driver drowsy?

    Show answer

    Answer C: A cold or allergy remedy containing an antihistamine

    Antihistamines in cold and allergy remedies are a leading cause of drowsiness behind the wheel, which is why the label carries a warning.

  11. 11. Why should a rider reduce speed at night even on a familiar road?

    Show answer

    Answer C: So the stopping distance stays inside the distance the headlight lights up

    At night you can only react to what the headlight shows, so keep your speed low enough that you can stop within the lit distance ahead.

  12. 12. Traffic is heavy and you find yourself riding level with a car in the next lane. What is the problem with staying there?

    Show answer

    Answer B: You sit in the driver's blind spot, so a lane change could hit you

    Motorcycles disappear easily in a blind spot, so adjust your speed to ride ahead of or behind the other vehicle instead of beside it.

  13. 13. An arrow panel at a work zone displays a flashing arrow pointing to the left. What does it require?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Move out of the closed lane into the lane on the left

    A flashing or sequential arrow on an arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane and into the lane the arrow points to.

  14. 14. What should a driver expect a short distance beyond this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing a black cross
    Show answer

    Answer C: Another road crossing the one being traveled

    Traffic may enter or cross from either side at the intersection ahead, so the driver should ease off, cover the brake and check both approaches.

  15. 15. A large truck ahead of you swings toward the left just before turning right at an intersection. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Stay back and never try to move into the gap between the truck and the curb

    Long vehicles need extra room and often swing wide to complete a right turn, so the space that opens on their right closes again as the trailer sweeps through it.

  16. 16. A fire truck with lights and siren has just passed you and is heading down the same road. How closely may you follow it?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Well back, because following a responding emergency vehicle closely is illegal

    Following a responding emergency vehicle closely is prohibited; the exact minimum distance is set by each state, so stay far enough back to keep the scene and other responders clear.

  17. 17. Which of these is true of the roadway a driver is being sent onto here?

    An orange rectangle with black lettering and a black arrow
    Show answer

    Answer D: Its own signs, signals and speed limits govern for the whole way around

    The alternate route is an ordinary public road, so every control posted on it governs as usual; being sent that way grants no extra priority and no relief from the limits in force there.

  18. 18. How long should a head check before a lane change last?

    Show answer

    Answer D: A quick glance, so you do not lose track of what is happening ahead

    Traffic ahead can change in a second, so the blind spot check is a fast glance and the rider returns attention to the road immediately.

  19. 19. A sign at the curb reads Tow-Away Zone. What does it mean for you?

    Show answer

    Answer C: That a vehicle left there can be removed at the owner's expense

    In a tow-away zone the vehicle can be removed immediately and the owner pays the towing and storage charges to get it back.

  20. 20. How long does Maine suspend a license for a first refusal of a chemical test?

    Show answer

    Answer D: 275 days

    Maine's implied consent schedule starts at 275 days for a first refusal and rises to 18 months, 4 years and 6 years for later refusals.

  21. 21. What is the correct order of actions when passing a vehicle on a two lane road?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Signal, check the mirrors and blind spot, pass in the left lane, signal and return

    The rider signals and checks behind before moving out, completes the pass in the passing lane, then signals and checks again before returning.

  22. 22. Your front wheel drops off the edge of the pavement onto a lower shoulder. What is the safest way back?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Ride straight, slow down, then turn back sharply enough to cross the edge

    Trying to climb a raised pavement edge at a shallow angle lets the tire slide along it, so the rider settles first and then crosses the edge at a sharp angle.

  23. 23. 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?

    Show answer

    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.

  24. 24. You feel drowsy, so you open a window and turn the radio up. What does that achieve?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Very little, because the drowsiness comes back

    Cold air and loud music are not sleep, so the alerting effect lasts a minute or two and the driver is soon just as sleepy and closer to a lapse.

  25. 25. You are in the open lane where another lane is merging into yours. What is your part in the merge?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Keep a steady speed and leave a gap for one vehicle to come in

    A merge works when each driver in the through lane lets one vehicle in, which keeps both lines moving instead of stopping them both.