Idaho ITD Motorcycle Practice Test 43

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum ageSee note

Minimum age: Valid Idaho driver's license required; applicants under 21 must also complete an approved rider training course

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. A yellow diamond shows an arrow that doubles back on itself. What kind of curve lies ahead?

    Show answer

    Answer C: A turn of 135 degrees or more, nearly doubling back

    The hairpin curve sign is used where the road changes direction by 135 degrees or more, and it is normally backed up by chevrons or a large arrow through the bend.

  2. 2. You are riding up an entrance ramp to merge onto a freeway. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Build up to traffic speed on the ramp, then signal and check the blind spot

    Matching the speed of freeway traffic before merging avoids forcing others to brake, and a head check covers the area the mirrors do not show.

  3. 3. You approach a stopped tow truck with lights flashing on an Idaho road with one lane in each direction. What does the law require?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Reduce speed below the posted limit and proceed with caution

    Idaho requires drivers to reduce speed below the posted limit and proceed with caution; the additional duty to change lanes applies only where there are two or more lanes in the same direction.

  4. 4. You have shut the engine off with the kill switch because the throttle stuck open. What comes next?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Keep the clutch in, brake to a stop off the road, and find the cause

    With the engine off and the clutch pulled in the motorcycle is only coasting, so brake to a stop clear of traffic and inspect the throttle cable and grip before restarting.

  5. 5. You must cross tracks or pavement seams that run in nearly the same direction as your path of travel. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Move far enough away to cross at an angle of at least 45 degrees, then turn sharply across

    A shallow crossing lets the groove catch and steer the front wheel, so the rider sets up to cross at 45 degrees or more and makes one deliberate turn across it.

  6. 6. A sign with a blue background and a white legend and border tells road users about

    Show answer

    Answer A: services such as fuel, food, lodging, hospitals and rest areas

    Blue is the background of the general service series, which points travelers toward the services available along or near the route.

  7. 7. You are approaching a driveway where a car waits to pull out and the driver is looking your way. What should you assume?

    Show answer

    Answer D: The driver may not have seen you, so cover the brakes and be ready to slow

    Looking in your direction is not proof that a driver has registered a motorcycle, so cover the brakes and be ready to slow until the car is clearly staying put.

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

    Show answer

    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.

  9. 9. On an unlit road, about how far ahead do high beams normally let you see?

    Show answer

    Answer D: About 350 to 500 feet ahead of the vehicle

    High beams light roughly 350 to 500 feet of road and low beams far less, which is why night speeds have to be chosen around the beam, not the limit.

  10. 10. A car is waiting at a side street to pull out as you approach the intersection. What speed adjustment helps most?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Slow enough that you could still stop before reaching the intersection

    Covering the brakes and reducing speed turns a possible collision into a stop the rider can actually make if the driver moves out.

  11. 11. As you approach an intersection, what is a sound search pattern?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Look left, then ahead, then right, then left again before you enter

    Traffic from the left reaches the rider first, so it is checked first and then rechecked, with the road ahead and the traffic from the right covered in between.

  12. 12. What is the danger of releasing the brake too early when moving off uphill?

    Show answer

    Answer C: The motorcycle rolls backward before the clutch has taken hold

    On a grade the brake has to stay on until the engine is actually pulling, otherwise the machine runs back into whatever is behind it.

  13. 13. You are stopped at a red light waiting to turn right where the turn is allowed. Besides traffic from the left, what must you check?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Both crosswalks, and anyone approaching along your right side

    A right turn on red crosses the crosswalk in front of you and enters the one on the cross street, and cyclists often approach along your right.

  14. 14. What is the best path through a curve where you can see all the way to the exit?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Start toward the outside, move toward the inside, then drift back out

    Entering wide, cutting toward the inside and running back out straightens the path, which means less lean angle for the same speed and a better view.

  15. 15. You have just returned to your own lane after passing. Why should you not slow down straight away?

    Show answer

    Answer A: The vehicle you passed is close behind and needs room to stop

    Returning and then braking leaves the driver you just overtook with almost no following distance, which is how a pass turns into a rear-end collision.

  16. 16. The oil pressure warning light comes on while you are riding. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Stop as soon as it is safe and shut the engine off

    That light warns that the engine may not be receiving oil, and every extra minute of running risks destroying it.

  17. 17. You have stopped at a stop sign, but a parked truck blocks your view along the cross street. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Creep forward slowly and stop again where you can see

    When something blocks the view, a second stop closer to the intersection is the only safe way to see, and it must come before your vehicle enters the traffic lane.

  18. 18. Why is a motorcycle particularly hard for other drivers to judge at night?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Its single headlight gives no width cues for distance and speed

    Drivers judge distance from the spacing between a pair of headlights, and a single lamp gives them nothing to measure, so they routinely misjudge how close and how fast a motorcycle is.

  19. 19. How should a face shield be cleaned?

    Show answer

    Answer C: With mild soap and water and a soft cloth, then dried gently

    Plastic shields scratch easily and are damaged by solvents, and a scratched shield scatters light badly at night, so use mild soap, water and a soft cloth.

  20. 20. You are leaving a freeway by an exit ramp. Where should you slow down?

    Show answer

    Answer D: On the ramp itself, after you have left the through lane

    Braking in the through lane surprises the traffic behind, so the rider signals, moves onto the ramp and does the slowing in the space provided for it.

  21. 21. A driver stopped at a red signal wants to turn right and this sign is posted at the corner. What is permitted?

    A white square showing an arrow turning right inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
    Show answer

    Answer A: Nothing: the turn is barred whether the signal is red or green

    The restriction works independently of the signal, so the usual permission to turn right after stopping at a red light does not exist where this sign is posted.

  22. 22. How does a rider open the throttle to increase speed?

    Show answer

    Answer C: By rolling the right handgrip toward the rider

    Rolling the right handgrip toward you opens the throttle, and rolling it away closes it so the engine slows.

  23. 23. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care

    The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.

  24. 24. Two vehicles reach a four-way stop at the same moment from adjacent roads. Who should go first?

    Show answer

    Answer A: The driver on the right

    When two drivers stop at a four-way stop at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.

  25. 25. An exit ramp is separated from the highway by a triangle of pavement painted with white stripes. What may you do there?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Nothing; keep off it and choose either the lane or the ramp

    The striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is not for driving, stopping or last-second changes of direction.