Idaho ITD Motorcycle Practice Test 48

  • 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. Besides impact protection, how does a light colored helmet help the rider?

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    Answer A: It sits above surrounding traffic, so drivers pick it out sooner

    A light or high visibility helmet sits above the traffic around the rider and is often the first part of a motorcycle a driver notices.

  2. 2. Besides fitting the machine, what else must a passenger be capable of?

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    Answer B: Following the rider's instructions throughout the ride

    Instructions such as staying still, holding on and not getting off until told are what keep the pair balanced, and a passenger who cannot follow them is unsafe.

  3. 3. The green left-turn arrow ends and a steady red ball comes on for your lane, at an intersection where no turn on red is allowed. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Stop and wait, because no turn is allowed while the red ball is lit

    Once a red indication faces your lane and no turn on red is permitted there, the turn is over; only a vehicle already inside the intersection completes its movement.

  4. 4. 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
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    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.

  5. 5. 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.

  6. 6. An entrance ramp joins a highway just before an exit ramp leaves it. What should you expect in that short section?

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    Answer D: Vehicles crossing paths as some enter and others leave

    In a weaving section entering traffic moves left while exiting traffic moves right over the same short stretch, so lane changes there need extra room and extra care.

  7. 7. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above your lane. What does it mean?

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    Answer B: You may not use that lane and must move out of it

    A steady red X means the lane below it is closed to you, while a steady yellow X is the warning to prepare to vacate the lane and a downward green arrow means the lane is open.

  8. 8. Which family of signs normally uses a rectangle that is wider than it is tall?

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    Answer B: Guide signs, which name routes and destinations

    Guide signs are laid out as horizontal rectangles because they have to carry route numbers, place names and distances side by side.

  9. 9. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?

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    Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road

    The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.

  10. 10. When should a rider use both brakes together?

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    Answer D: Every time the motorcycle slows or stops

    Using both brakes for every stop shortens stopping distance and builds the habit the rider will fall back on when a sudden stop is needed.

  11. 11. A reduced speed limit posted with this sign and a plaque giving hours is in force

    A five sided sign with a pointed top, a bright yellow green background and a black legend
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    Answer C: during the hours shown on the plaque, or while the beacon is flashing

    A school speed limit applies during the periods stated on the plaque or while the attached beacon flashes, and the regular limit governs outside those periods.

  12. 12. How much space should you hold behind the rider who is directly ahead of you in your own portion of the lane?

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    Answer D: At least two seconds

    Riders sharing the same track keep a following distance of at least two seconds so they have the time and the room to react to a hazard.

  13. 13. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?

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    Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on

    Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.

  14. 14. Which statement about standard drinks is correct?

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    Answer C: A standard serving of beer, of table wine and of distilled spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol

    Roughly 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of table wine and 1.5 ounces of 80 proof spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol, so the type of drink does not change the effect.

  15. 15. 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
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    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.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. The posted limit is 55 mph, but heavy traffic and rain make that speed unsafe. What does the law expect of you?

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    Answer D: You must slow to a speed that is safe for the conditions

    The basic speed rule requires a speed that is reasonable for the traffic, weather and road, and that speed is often well below the posted maximum.

  18. 18. What is the basic rule for entering a roundabout?

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    Answer B: Traffic already circulating goes first, and you wait for a gap

    Entering traffic yields to vehicles already going around the circle, which is what keeps a roundabout moving instead of locking up.

  19. 19. Another driver cuts you off and you feel your temper rising. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Take a breath, drop back and let it go, because the whole trip matters more

    Retaliation turns a moment of bad driving into a crash, and dropping back costs you only a few seconds.

  20. 20. What is wrong with slowing to a crawl at a stop sign and then rolling on through?

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    Answer C: It is not a stop, and you may miss a pedestrian or cross traffic

    A rolling stop is a violation and it also cuts short the moment you need in order to look carefully in each direction before entering.

  21. 21. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?

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    Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you

    White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.

  22. 22. Used correctly, roughly how much of a motorcycle's total stopping power comes from the front brake?

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    Answer B: About three quarters of it

    Braking shifts weight onto the front wheel, so a smoothly squeezed front brake supplies roughly 70 percent or more of the stopping power.

  23. 23. How far ahead must an Idaho motorcycle headlight reveal a person or a vehicle at 35 miles per hour or more?

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    Answer C: Not less than 300 feet

    Idaho scales the motorcycle headlight requirement with speed: 100 feet below 25 mph, 200 feet from 25 to 34 mph and 300 feet at 35 mph or more.

  24. 24. A rider in the middle of the group pulls over onto the shoulder. What should the sweep rider do?

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    Answer C: Stop and stay with that rider while the rest of the group continues

    The sweep exists so that no rider is ever left alone at the roadside, while the remainder of the group carries on to a safe place to wait.

  25. 25. You are clear of the tracks after your vehicle stalled on a crossing. Whom should you contact?

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    Answer C: The emergency number posted on the blue sign at the crossing, or 911

    Grade crossings carry an emergency notification sign with a railroad phone number and a crossing identification number so that approaching trains can be stopped, and 911 works if that sign is not visible.