Texas DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 8
- Questions20
- Correct to pass16
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. You are riding on a multi-lane road with a car traveling beside you in the lane on your right. Which lane position is usually best?
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Answer D: The left portion, so you keep a cushion of space from the car alongside
Lane position is chosen to hold space between the motorcycle and the nearest hazard, and here that hazard is the vehicle on the right.
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2. In a tight, slow speed turn such as a parking lot U-turn, the rider should:
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Answer C: Lean the motorcycle while keeping the body upright
Keeping the body upright while the motorcycle leans lets the machine turn tightly and helps the rider hold balance at very low speed.
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3. You have stopped on the shoulder of a highway and want to rejoin the traffic. What is the correct way?
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Answer D: Signal, build up speed along the shoulder, then merge into a gap
Entering a fast lane at a slow speed is what causes the conflict, so the shoulder is used to gain speed before the merge in the same way as an acceleration lane.
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4. You are about to slow down sharply for a turn. Which check comes first?
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Answer A: A look in the mirror to see how close the traffic behind you is
Any hard slowing needs a mirror check first, because the driver behind is the one who has to react to it.
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5. A black and white regulatory sign facing traffic at a divided section reads KEEP LEFT. What does it require?
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Answer D: Passing the island or obstruction on its left side
Keep Left is posted at an island or obstruction that traffic must pass on the left, which is the opposite of the far more common Keep Right situation.
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6. You reach an intersection showing a steady red light, and a stop line is painted across your lane. Where must you bring the vehicle to a complete stop?
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Answer C: Before the stop line
A steady red requires a complete stop before the marked stop line. Where there is no stop line you stop before the crosswalk, and where there is neither, before entering the intersection.
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7. How does Texas classify a first offense of driving while license invalid, with no aggravating factors?
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Answer A: A Class C misdemeanor
Driving while license invalid is generally a Class C misdemeanor, rising to Class B with a prior conviction, no insurance or a prior DWI-related suspension, and to Class A if uninsured and at fault in a serious crash.
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8. Why is backing up on a freeway or on its shoulder prohibited?
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Answer A: Traffic arrives far too fast to expect a vehicle moving the wrong way
Freeway traffic closes on a stopped or reversing vehicle at highway speed and has almost no time to react to something moving against the flow.
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9. You are turning left from a divided highway through a median opening into a business on the other side. Who has the right of way?
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Answer C: The traffic on the roadway you are crossing
Turning through a median opening means crossing the opposite roadway, so you yield to all traffic on it before you go.
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10. Some toll facilities use signs and markings with a purple background or a purple stripe. What do they identify?
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Answer D: Lanes reserved for vehicles with an electronic toll account
Purple is assigned to lanes and ramps restricted to vehicles with a registered electronic toll collection account, so drivers without one must stay out.
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11. You are following closely behind a vehicle you intend to pass on a two-lane road. What should you do first?
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Answer D: Drop back to give yourself room to build speed before you pull out
From close behind you cannot see far enough ahead and you have no room to gather speed, so the pass takes longer and starts blind.
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12. How should a rider approach a curve whose radius keeps tightening the further you go into it?
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Answer A: Enter more slowly than the curve first appears to need, saving lean for the exit
In a decreasing radius curve the sharpest part comes last, so a slower entry leaves both speed and lean angle in reserve for where they are needed.
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13. What is a marked loading zone for?
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Answer A: Loading and unloading only, not for general parking
A loading zone is reserved for actively loading or unloading goods or passengers; leaving a vehicle there for other reasons is a parking violation.
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14. You park at the roadside on a hill, facing downhill. What keeps the motorcycle from rolling away?
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Answer D: Leaving it in first gear with the front wheel turned toward the curb
A motorcycle has no parking brake, so the transmission left in gear stops the wheel turning and the front wheel turned into the curb blocks any roll.
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15. When a passenger who must wear a helmet rides without one in Texas, who commits an offense?
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Answer B: Both the passenger and the operator carrying the passenger
The law makes it an offense to ride as a passenger without required headgear and also to carry a passenger who is not wearing it.
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16. Why should baggage be kept as low as possible on a motorcycle?
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Answer C: A high load raises the center of gravity and makes the machine unstable
Weight carried high changes the balance of the motorcycle and makes it feel top heavy in turns and in crosswinds.
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17. 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.
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18. You are riding in the middle of a tight cluster of cars on a multilane road. What is the best way to improve your safety?
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Answer C: Ride slightly faster or slower to open space and get clear of the cluster
A rider hemmed in on all sides has nowhere to go, so change your speed a little to open an escape path and leave the crowd.
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19. Your group arrives at a stop sign at a busy crossroad. How should each rider treat it?
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Answer C: Stop and pull out only when there is an adequate gap of your own
Following the machine ahead through a junction without looking is a common cause of group crashes, because the gap the leader used has already closed.
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20. Which of these is a known cause of a high speed wobble?
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Answer C: Incorrect tire pressure or a load carried too far back and too high
Wobble is usually traced to tires, wheels, loading or poorly mounted accessories such as a windshield or fairing, so check pressures and how the machine is loaded.