Ohio BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 29

  • 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. A hands free phone conversation is which kind of distraction?

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    Answer C: Cognitive, because your mind leaves the road

    Hands free equipment removes the manual and visual parts of a call but not the mental load, and it is the mental load that makes a driver miss hazards.

  2. 2. A yellow diamond shows the two edges of the road pinching toward each other. What does it mean?

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    Answer B: The pavement gets narrower but the lanes continue

    The road narrows sign warns that the traveled way becomes tighter, leaving less room beside passing vehicles even though no lane is dropped.

  3. 3. On a long drive you notice repeated yawning, missed exits and drifting toward the lane line. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Pull off at a safe place and sleep, or change drivers

    Those are warning signs that sleepiness is already interfering with driving, and only rest restores alertness. Fresh air, music and caffeine do not reverse it.

  4. 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.

  5. 5. A stop line is painted across the pavement at this sign. Where must the vehicle come to rest?

    A red eight sided sign with a white border and white lettering
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    Answer A: Behind the stop line, with no part of the vehicle across it

    The vehicle must halt behind the stop line; where no line is painted the driver stops before the crosswalk, and where there is neither, before entering the intersection.

  6. 6. What must a driver be prepared to do at the point this sign refers to?

    A yellow diamond showing a black T shape
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    Answer D: Turn left or right, because the road being traveled ends there

    The road ends at another roadway, so the driver must slow, give way to traffic on the through road and turn in one direction or the other.

  7. 7. 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.

  8. 8. The rider who was behind you has vanished from your mirrors. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Ease off and pass the word forward so the group can respond

    A rider missing from the line may have stopped or had trouble, and the group needs to know at once so it can slow down or pull over safely.

  9. 9. What happens to your field of vision as your speed increases?

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    Answer C: It narrows, so you notice less at the sides of the road

    The faster you travel, the more your useful field of view narrows toward the center, so a hazard coming from the side is seen late or missed altogether.

  10. 10. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?

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    Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle

    High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.

  11. 11. A sign showing a walking figure carries a plaque below it with an arrow slanting down to the right. What does the plaque add?

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    Answer B: The crossing is at that very spot

    A downward-slanting arrow plaque marks the crossing itself, whereas an AHEAD or distance plaque would place it further along the road.

  12. 12. 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.

  13. 13. Permanent signs must be retroreflective or lighted so that

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    Answer A: they show the same shape and color at night as by day

    Retroreflective sheeting throws headlight light back to the driver, so a sign keeps its daytime shape and color after dark.

  14. 14. Your passenger has ridden on other people's motorcycles before. What should you do before setting off?

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    Answer A: Brief them anyway, because your machine and your instructions differ

    Handholds, footrests, exhaust position and the signals a rider uses all vary from machine to machine, so every passenger is briefed on the machine they are about to ride on.

  15. 15. 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.

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

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    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.

  17. 17. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up

    Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.

  18. 18. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back

    Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.

  19. 19. On a rainy road, where can a rider usually find the best traction?

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    Answer A: In the tire tracks left by the vehicles ahead

    Vehicles ahead push water aside and keep their tracks clearer of oil, so those tracks generally give better grip than the rest of the lane.

  20. 20. What is meant by keeping a space cushion?

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    Answer C: Keeping open space on all sides of your vehicle so you always have somewhere to go

    Open space ahead, behind and to the sides gives you time to react and an escape path when a hazard appears, which is the core idea of defensive driving.

  21. 21. Why is hard braking the wrong response to a tire blowout at speed?

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    Answer C: Because it can pull the vehicle further out of line and start it spinning

    With one tire gone the braking forces are uneven, so heavy braking increases the pull to one side and can spin the vehicle.

  22. 22. Studies of damaged helmets show that the most frequently struck area is which part?

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    Answer C: The chin and jaw area, which an open face helmet leaves uncovered

    The chin and face area takes a large share of helmet impacts, which is the main safety argument for a full face helmet over an open face one.

  23. 23. On a long, straight highway you feel your attention fading. What helps you stay alert?

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    Answer A: Keep your eyes moving, scan mirrors and signs, and take regular breaks

    Staring at one point brings on highway hypnosis. Active scanning keeps the mind engaged, and a break every couple of hours restores alertness.

  24. 24. The only person offering you a ride home has been drinking. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Do not get in; find another way home

    A passenger in an impaired driver's vehicle shares all of the risk and can do nothing about it from the seat, so the only safe answer is another ride.

  25. 25. Why does a motorcycle with a manual fuel supply valve have an OFF position?

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    Answer A: It stops fuel reaching the engine while the machine is parked

    Shutting the valve keeps fuel from seeping past the carburetor into the engine or onto the ground while the motorcycle stands unused.

  26. 26. You are stopping for a red light in the rain and your stopping point is on a wide painted stop line and crosswalk. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow earlier and gently, since wet paint offers much less grip than pavement

    Painted stop lines and crosswalks turn slick when wet, so start braking early and squeeze gently rather than braking hard on the markings.

  27. 27. What happens when an Ohio driver reaches six points within a two-year period?

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    Answer B: The BMV sends a six-point warning letter

    At six points in two years the Ohio BMV mails a warning letter; the suspension and the SR-22 filing come only at 12 or more points.

  28. 28. A school bus ahead of you has its red lights flashing and its stop arm extended. What are you required to do?

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    Answer A: Stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus starts moving

    Flashing red lights and an extended stop arm mean children are getting on or off, so traffic must stop and wait until the bus withdraws the signals and moves again.

  29. 29. The leader gives a hand signal that you can see clearly from your place in the group. What should you do with it?

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    Answer A: Repeat the signal so the riders behind you also receive it

    Signals are passed down the line rider by rider, because riders further back cannot see the leader through the machines in between.

  30. 30. You are riding directly into a low sun that is glaring off your face shield. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down and assume that drivers ahead of you cannot see you either

    Glare cuts what everyone can see, so lower speed buys reaction time, and a driver blinded by the same sun is even less likely to notice a motorcycle.

  31. 31. You are stopped at a stop sign where your road ends at a two-way through street and you plan to turn left. What must you yield to?

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    Answer B: Traffic from both directions and any pedestrians crossing

    A left turn from the stem of a T crosses the near lane and joins the far one, so you give way to traffic in both directions and to pedestrians.

  32. 32. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?

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    Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path

    A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.

  33. 33. A bag strapped to the back of your motorcycle works loose and starts to shift as you ride. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow smoothly, pull off the road, and secure the load before riding on

    A load that moves changes the balance of the motorcycle and can foul a wheel or the chain, so stop as soon as you safely can and fasten it properly.

  34. 34. You are waiting to turn left and an oncoming vehicle stopped in the near lane to turn left blocks your view of the far lane. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Wait where you are until you can see that the far lane is completely clear

    The lane you cannot see is where the crash comes from, so you hold your position until the view opens up.

  35. 35. You are fitting a tank bag to your motorcycle. What must you check?

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    Answer B: That it does not foul the handlebars or block your view of the instruments

    A bag that catches the bars at full lock or hides the instruments interferes with control of the motorcycle exactly where the rider needs it most.

  36. 36. You are stopped in a line of traffic on a steep uphill grade. What should you do about the gap to the vehicle ahead?

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    Answer B: Leave more room than usual, because vehicles can roll back as they pull away

    A vehicle ahead can roll back a foot or more as its driver releases the brake, and a motorcycle stopped tight behind it has nowhere to go.

  37. 37. A pedestrian waiting at a curb faces a steady upraised hand. What does that indication mean?

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    Answer A: Do not start to cross in that direction

    A steady upraised hand forbids entering the crosswalk, while a flashing hand only forbids starting a new crossing.

  38. 38. You make eye contact with a driver waiting to pull out of a side street. What should you assume?

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    Answer D: The driver may still not have seen you, so stay ready to slow or stop

    Drivers can look directly at you and still not register your vehicle, especially a small one. Eye contact helps, but never rely on it.

  39. 39. The route marker used for an Interstate highway is a shield with

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    Answer A: white numerals on a blue field under a red band carrying the word INTERSTATE

    The Interstate route marker is a cutout shield with a white border, the word INTERSTATE in white on red across the top and the route number in white on blue.

  40. 40. How does marijuana affect a driver?

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    Answer C: It slows reaction time and impairs judgment of time and distance

    Marijuana impairs coordination, attention and the ability to judge speed and distance. Driving while impaired by it is illegal everywhere, even where its use is legal.