Ohio BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 19

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass30
  • Passing score75%
  • Minimum age15 years 6 months

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 30 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. With the chin strap fastened, how can you check that a helmet is the right size?

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    Answer A: Try to roll it forward off your head, since a good fit will not come off

    The roll off test shows whether the helmet will stay on in a crash. If it can be rolled off the front of your head with the strap done up, it is too big.

  2. 2. What color scheme does a standard stop sign use?

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    Answer B: White legend and border on a red background

    The stop sign carries a white legend and border on a red background, the color set aside for stop, yield and prohibition messages.

  3. 3. What has to be done with the helmet chin strap on every ride?

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    Answer B: Fastened snugly, because an unfastened helmet comes off in a crash

    A helmet only protects while it stays on the head, and an unfastened or loose strap lets it leave the head in the first moments of a crash.

  4. 4. 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.

  5. 5. 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.

  6. 6. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?

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    Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe

    More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.

  7. 7. What is the safest way to pass a bicyclist on a road with two lanes going your way?

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    Answer D: Change lanes completely, as you would for a car

    A bicycle is entitled to the room a vehicle needs, and moving into the next lane gives the rider space to swerve around a drain or a pothole.

  8. 8. A diamond-shaped sign is used to

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    Answer A: warn of a condition on or next to the road that may call for caution

    The diamond is the standard shape of the warning series, which alerts drivers to conditions that would otherwise not be obvious in time to react.

  9. 9. At an intersection the signal flashes red toward you and flashes yellow toward the cross street. Who must yield?

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    Answer D: You must, because the flashing red faces your road

    A flashing red means stop and yield like a stop sign, while a flashing yellow lets the other road proceed with caution.

  10. 10. Why is a rider advised to keep the wrist flat and low on the throttle grip?

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    Answer A: It makes it harder to roll on too much throttle by accident

    A flat wrist limits how far the grip can rotate in one motion, so a bump or a startled reaction is less likely to open the throttle suddenly.

  11. 11. Where should a rider with a disabled motorcycle try to stop?

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    Answer D: Well clear of the traffic lanes, off the shoulder where there is room

    Getting completely away from moving traffic protects the stopped rider and anyone helping, and a shoulder alone is not a safe place to work on a machine.

  12. 12. A sign at the intersection prohibits U-turns, but the opening looks wide and clear. What may you do?

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    Answer B: Obey the sign and turn around somewhere else

    A prohibition applies whatever the traffic looks like at that moment, usually because of sight distance or conflicts you cannot see from the lane.

  13. 13. Why should two riders never travel side by side in the same lane?

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    Answer B: Because neither rider has room to swerve if a hazard appears

    Riding directly alongside another motorcycle removes the escape path each rider needs to avoid a hazard, a pothole or another vehicle.

  14. 14. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass

    Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.

  15. 15. What is Ohio's speed limit on a state route within a municipal corporation that lies outside an urban district, absent a lower posted limit?

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    Answer A: 50 miles per hour

    Ohio law sets 50 mph on state routes within a municipal corporation outside an urban district unless a lower limit is established.

  16. 16. A driver is tailgating you. Why is it a bad idea to tap or stab the brakes to warn them?

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    Answer C: Because it cuts the little space they have and can cause a crash

    Brake checking removes the small margin the tailgater has left and can provoke a collision; add space in front of you instead and let them pass.

  17. 17. You will leave your vehicle for several hours after dark. Where is the best place to park it?

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    Answer D: In a well-lit spot with people and cameras nearby

    Light, passing people and cameras all discourage theft and make your own return to the vehicle safer.

  18. 18. A small plate under a stop sign reads CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP. What is it telling you?

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    Answer D: Traffic on the cross street is not required to stop at all

    The plate warns that the other road is uncontrolled, so you must wait for a gap instead of expecting anyone to take turns with you.

  19. 19. The traffic around you is moving well above the limit on a wide highway. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Keep to the limit and stay to the right, letting faster traffic pass

    The limit is a legal maximum, and the safe way to differ from the traffic around you is to keep right and let it go by.

  20. 20. Why can a mild afternoon still chill a rider dangerously on the highway?

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    Answer B: Riding speed creates a wind chill well below the air temperature

    Air moving over the body at highway speed strips heat far faster than still air, so a comfortable temperature at a standstill can cause serious chilling in an hour of riding.

  21. 21. What is the right speed for a normal right turn at a city corner?

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    Answer C: Slow enough to hold your lane and stop for a pedestrian

    A city right turn is tight and crosses a crosswalk, so the correct speed is one that keeps you inside your lane and still allows a stop.

  22. 22. When should tire pressure be measured?

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    Answer B: Before riding, while the tires are still cold

    Riding heats the air inside a tire and raises the reading, so pressure is set cold to match the figure the manufacturer specifies.

  23. 23. 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.

  24. 24. An Ohio driver's vehicle is damaged in excess of $400 in a crash, and the other driver had no insurance. Within how long after the crash may this driver file a BMV Crash Report, form BMV 3303, documenting that fact?

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    Answer B: Six months

    Ohio allows a driver to file a Crash Report with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles within six months after a crash when damage exceeds $400 or there is personal injury, and the other party lacked insurance.

  25. 25. A sign with a brown background and a white legend guides road users to

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    Answer B: parks, campgrounds and other recreational or cultural sites

    Brown is reserved for recreational and cultural interest area signing, such as parks, historic sites and scenic areas.

  26. 26. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Keep going and clear the intersection without speeding up

    Once you are legally in the intersection the safest and correct action is to continue through and clear it, without accelerating.

  27. 27. You want to turn left across the oncoming lane into a shopping center driveway. Who must you yield to?

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    Answer B: Oncoming traffic and anyone using the sidewalk

    A left turn into a driveway crosses both the oncoming lane and the sidewalk, so you give way to traffic and to pedestrians before completing it.

  28. 28. Why should riding boots come above the ankle?

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    Answer C: The ankle is easily broken and is left bare by a low shoe

    The ankle takes a lot of damage when a motorcycle goes down or a foot is trapped, and a low shoe leaves it completely unprotected.

  29. 29. A traffic signal separates you from the rest of your group. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Continue at a safe and legal pace and rejoin the group farther along

    Staying with a group never justifies breaking a traffic law, so a separated rider proceeds normally and the group regroups at a planned point.

  30. 30. What are Ohio's minimum liability insurance limits?

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    Answer D: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property damage

    Ohio law requires at least $25,000 for injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people and $25,000 for property damage.

  31. 31. Why is the staggered formation abandoned in a curve?

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    Answer D: Because each rider needs the full width of the lane to choose a line through the curve

    In a curve every rider must be free to use the whole lane to set up an entry and an exit line, which is impossible while holding a fixed side position.

  32. 32. What does it mean to scan the road while driving?

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    Answer A: Moving your eyes constantly over the road, the sides and the mirrors

    Scanning keeps information coming in from every direction, while a fixed stare leaves you blind to everything else.

  33. 33. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above the lane you are traveling in. What does it require?

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    Answer D: Leave that lane, because it is closed to you

    A steady red X means road users are not permitted to use the lane beneath it, so you must move into a lane that is open.

  34. 34. The trapezoid sign shape is associated with

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    Answer C: recreational and cultural interest area signing

    The trapezoid is used for recreational and cultural interest area guide signs and for national forest route markers.

  35. 35. A driver has to stop for a train at this sign. How far back from the nearest rail should the vehicle be held?

    Two white crossed boards forming an X, with black lettering along each board
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    Answer C: No closer than roughly fifteen feet

    A train and its load overhang the rails, so stopping no closer than about fifteen feet keeps the vehicle outside the space the train actually sweeps.

  36. 36. A yellow diamond shows a horse with a rider. Besides slowing down, what else should a driver do?

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    Answer C: Avoid using the horn or revving the engine

    The equestrian crossing sign warns of horses on or across the road, and a sudden noise can startle an animal into the traffic lane.

  37. 37. 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.

  38. 38. Why are motorcycles so often missed by other drivers?

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    Answer C: Their narrow shape is easily hidden in traffic

    A motorcycle presents a narrow outline that disappears behind pillars, mirrors and other vehicles, and it is harder to judge its speed and distance.

  39. 39. How should a passenger swing their leg when getting off the motorcycle?

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    Answer D: High and clear of the exhaust and the rear of the machine

    A leg dragged low across the back of the motorcycle can catch the seat or the luggage and will find the hot exhaust, so it is lifted well clear.

  40. 40. What is a driver being warned about here?

    A yellow diamond showing two black arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down
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    Answer B: The pavement ahead carries vehicles traveling in the opposite direction

    Beyond this point vehicles come the other way on the same pavement, which commonly happens where a one-way section or a separated stretch comes to an end.