Texas DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 56
- Questions20
- Correct to pass16
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. You reach a T intersection where the cross street has a ONE WAY sign pointing to the right. What may you do?
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Answer B: Turn right only, because the street carries traffic in that direction
The arrow shows the only direction traffic may travel, so the only legal movement from the terminating road is a right turn.
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2. The rear tire loses air suddenly while you are riding. Which symptom should you expect and how should you respond?
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Answer D: The rear sways or feels heavy, so ease off and slow with the front brake
A rear flat makes the back of the motorcycle wallow or sway, so hold your line, close the throttle gently and slow mainly with the brake on the wheel that still has air.
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3. What causes the side to side motion a rider feels when crossing a steel grid deck or rain grooves?
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Answer C: The tires following the ridges and grooves, which is normal and harmless
The tread follows the pattern in the surface, which produces a wandering feel. The motorcycle is not out of control, so relax on the bars and hold your speed.
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4. How long should a head check before a lane change last?
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Answer D: A quick glance, so you do not lose track of what is happening ahead
Traffic ahead can change in a second, so the blind spot check is a fast glance and the rider returns attention to the road immediately.
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5. A driver is following your motorcycle much too closely. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ease off the throttle and open more space ahead so the driver can pass
Slowing gradually and opening a bigger gap in front encourages the tailgater to pass and gives the rider room to stop gently instead of hard.
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6. Your phone is in a mount on the dashboard rather than in your hand. What is true?
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Answer B: It still takes your eyes and mind off the road
A mount solves the hand problem but not the eye or the mind problem, and reading or tapping a mounted screen costs the same seconds of attention.
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7. 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.
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8. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?
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Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back
A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.
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9. If a Texas DWI driver had an open container of alcohol in immediate possession, what minimum jail term applies?
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Answer A: Six days
With an open container in the driver's immediate possession, DWI remains a Class B misdemeanor but the minimum confinement rises from 72 hours to six days.
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10. 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.
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11. Why should the leader of a group signal turns and lane changes early?
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Answer D: So the message has time to reach the riders at the back of the group
An early signal gives the whole formation, including the riders far back in the line, time to see the change and prepare for it.
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12. Why do drivers so often misjudge how fast an approaching motorcycle is traveling?
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Answer C: A narrow vehicle seems to grow slowly, so it appears further away
A small frontal area changes size slowly as it approaches, so drivers read a motorcycle as further away and slower than it really is. Never assume a waiting driver has judged your speed correctly.
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13. Why must a rider turn the head and look before changing lanes?
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Answer A: Mirrors leave blind spots that only a direct look can cover
Motorcycles have blind spots just as cars do, and a vehicle hidden in one will not appear in the mirrors at all.
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14. A traffic light ahead of the group turns yellow as the leader approaches it. What should the leader do?
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Answer C: Stop normally and let the group be split by the signal
Keeping the group together never outranks obeying the signal, and the riders left behind simply catch up at the next stop.
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15. A bicyclist is riding around a single-lane roundabout in the middle of the lane as you wait to enter. What is your duty?
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Answer C: Yield to the bicyclist just as you would to a car
A bicyclist using the roundabout is traffic like any other vehicle and has the same claim to the circulating lane.
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16. After the leader of a staggered group completes a pass, what should the leader do?
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Answer A: Move to the left position and hold passing speed to open room for the next rider
Returning to the left position and keeping speed opens the gap the next rider needs to finish the pass and settle back into formation.
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17. You are approaching a horse and rider on a country road. What about your horn?
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Answer C: Do not sound it at all, because the noise can frighten the animal
A startled horse is dangerous to its rider and to you, so pass wide and slow and leave the horn alone.
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18. In most states, when are headlights required apart from times of poor visibility?
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Answer A: From about half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
Most states require lights from about half an hour after sunset until about half an hour before sunrise, and some simply say sunset to sunrise; lights are also required whenever visibility is poor.
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19. Where should you be looking as you steer through a turn?
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Answer C: Toward the point on the new road where you want to end up
Drivers steer toward what they look at, so looking through the turn to where you want to go keeps the path smooth and accurate.
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20. What does the statewide Texas electronic messaging law prohibit?
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Answer D: Reading, writing or sending an electronic message on a portable wireless device while driving, unless the vehicle is stopped
Texas makes it an offense to read, write or send an electronic message on a portable wireless device while operating a vehicle that is not stopped, with defenses for navigation, emergencies and hands free use.