Texas DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 35
- Questions20
- Correct to pass16
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. Is a helmet worth wearing on a short trip to a store a few blocks away?
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Answer C: Yes, since many crashes happen close to home at ordinary street speeds
A large share of motorcycle crashes occur on short, familiar trips at moderate speeds, and injuries at those speeds are still severe.
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2. What should you do with the key and your belongings when you leave the vehicle in a public lot?
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Answer D: Take the key with you, lock up and put valuables out of sight
Most vehicle thefts are opportunistic: a key left behind or a bag in plain view is the invitation.
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3. A broken white line separates your lane from the lane beside it. What does it indicate?
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Answer C: Both lanes carry traffic in the same direction and lane changes are permitted
White lines separate lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, and a broken white line means changing lanes across it is permitted when it is safe.
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4. A yellow diamond on an exit ramp shows a truck tipping over onto two wheels. Which drivers does it concern most?
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Answer D: Those in tall vehicles carrying a high load
The truck rollover sign warns that the curve can overturn a vehicle with a high center of gravity, so such drivers must slow well below the normal ramp speed.
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5. Which federal standard must a motorcycle helmet meet to be sold for on-road use in the United States?
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Answer B: FMVSS No. 218
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 sets the impact, penetration and retention requirements for motorcycle helmets sold in the United States.
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6. You know in advance that you will be drinking at an event. What is the most reliable plan?
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Answer A: Arrange a driver who will not drink, or another way home, before the event begins
A decision made before drinking is not affected by alcohol, while judging your own fitness afterward relies on the very ability alcohol impairs first.
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7. What training does Texas require before an applicant can be licensed to ride a motorcycle?
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Answer D: A motorcycle operator training course approved by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
Texas law requires all applicants to pass a TDLR approved motorcycle operator training course before applying for licensing, and the completion certificate stays valid for two years.
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8. Where should a rider keep the knees while riding?
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Answer B: Against the fuel tank
Knees held against the tank anchor the rider to the motorcycle and improve balance, which matters most in turns.
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9. You are already inside a roundabout when an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren. What should you do?
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Answer B: Continue to your exit, leave the roundabout, then pull over and stop
Stopping inside a roundabout blocks the circulating roadway, so you should exit first and then pull over clear of the intersection.
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10. Why do streetcar or light rail rails set into a street deserve extra care from a rider?
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Answer B: The groove alongside the rail can catch a front tire crossed at a shallow angle
The groove beside an embedded rail is just wide enough to trap a motorcycle tire, so cross rails at as steep an angle as your lane allows.
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11. How should you handle a prescription or over the counter medicine before driving?
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Answer D: Read the label and ask a pharmacist or doctor whether it affects driving
Many common medicines, including allergy and cold remedies, cause drowsiness or slowed reactions, and the label or a pharmacist can tell you whether driving is safe.
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12. A pedestrian signal displays a steady walking person symbol. What does it mean for a pedestrian at that corner?
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Answer B: The pedestrian may start crossing in the direction of the signal
The steady walking person permits a pedestrian to begin the crossing, while still yielding to vehicles already lawfully in the intersection.
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13. Why does the situation ahead of this sign deserve extra care from a motorcyclist?
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Answer C: Because a narrow machine is easy to overlook in a mirror or a blind spot
A motorcycle fills very little of a mirror and disappears easily into a blind spot, so the rider should adjust speed and lane position to stay visible where the streams come together.
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14. 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.
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15. You are turning left at an intersection and an oncoming bicyclist is approaching in the bike lane. What must you do?
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Answer B: Yield and complete the turn only after the bicyclist has passed
A bicycle in the roadway has the same right of way as a vehicle, so a left-turning driver must yield to an oncoming rider just as to an oncoming car.
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16. 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.
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17. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?
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Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing
A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.
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18. When must Texas drivers yield and pull to the right for a police vehicle?
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Answer C: Even when it uses only an audible or only a visual signal
Drivers must yield, pull parallel to the right edge clear of intersections and stop for emergency vehicles using lights and siren, and for a police vehicle lawfully using only an audible or a visual signal.
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19. Traffic is heavy and you find yourself riding level with a car in the next lane. What is the problem with staying there?
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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.
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20. 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.