South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 10
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
-
1. How does the crown of a road affect a turn made on it?
Show answer
Answer C: Turning toward the low side leaves less ground clearance for leaning
Leaning down the slope of the crown adds the slope to the lean angle, so the footrests and other parts reach the pavement sooner than they otherwise would.
-
2. In a work zone a flagger is directing traffic in a way that conflicts with the posted signs. Whom do you follow?
Show answer
Answer B: The flagger's directions
A flagger controls traffic through a work area that changes from day to day, and those instructions take precedence over the fixed signs and markings in that zone.
-
3. A piece of farm machinery ahead of you is wider than its own lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Hold back until you can see far enough to pass safely
Wide equipment leaves no gap inside the lane and may use part of the other side, so a pass needs a long clear view of the road ahead.
-
4. Besides the certification label, what does a novelty helmet typically lack?
Show answer
Answer B: A thick, firm liner of impact absorbing foam under the shell
The energy absorbing layer is what makes a helmet work, and a novelty shell has little or none of it, so it offers almost no protection in a crash.
-
5. Smoke and flames appear from the engine compartment after you stop. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Get everyone well away from the vehicle first, and then call the fire service
A vehicle fire can spread within seconds, so people come out first and firefighting is left to the fire service.
-
6. On what recurring schedule does a standard South Dakota operator's license expire, according to state law?
Show answer
Answer A: On the licensee's birthday in the fifth year after issuance
South Dakota operator's licenses expire on the holder's birthday in the fifth year following issuance, not on a fixed calendar date unrelated to birthday.
-
7. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
Show answer
Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
-
8. In heavy stop-and-go traffic, why does using both lanes right up to a merge point help?
Show answer
Answer D: It stores the queue in two lanes, so the backup is shorter
Filling both lanes halves the length of the queue and keeps it away from the traffic upstream, which is why alternating at the merge point works better when traffic is slow.
-
9. Without a depth gauge, how can a rider tell that a tire has worn out?
Show answer
Answer A: The tread has worn down level with the wear bars set into the grooves
Wear bars are molded across the bottom of the tread grooves, and once the tread surface reaches them the tire has no usable depth left.
-
10. What is the job of the hard outer shell of a motorcycle helmet?
Show answer
Answer D: To spread impact force and to resist objects punching through
The shell distributes a concentrated blow over a wide area and stops sharp objects from reaching the head, while the liner underneath absorbs the energy.
-
11. On a narrow residential street, why does parking tight against the curb matter so much?
Show answer
Answer C: Because fire trucks and ambulances need the width to get through
Cars parked even a foot out from the curb on both sides can narrow a street until a fire truck or ambulance cannot pass.
-
12. A signal stands part way up a freeway entrance ramp and turns green briefly again and again. How many vehicles does such a signal normally release on each green?
Show answer
Answer A: One for each lane of the ramp
A ramp control signal releases a single vehicle per lane on each green so that vehicles reach the merge one at a time instead of in a bunch.
-
13. You are the second vehicle waiting to turn left on a green ball. Where should you wait?
Show answer
Answer A: Behind the stop line, until the first vehicle has actually turned
Only the lead vehicle should move into the intersection to wait; a second vehicle inside it is likely to be stranded there when the light changes.
-
14. The curb ahead is signed as a bus stop. May you wait there with your vehicle?
Show answer
Answer C: No, the space must stay clear for buses
A bus stop must stay open so that a bus can reach the curb and let passengers on and off safely, so no other vehicle may occupy it.
-
15. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?
Show answer
Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind
A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.
-
16. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
Show answer
Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.
-
17. You are passing a tractor-trailer on a wet freeway and its wheels throw heavy spray. What is the best technique?
Show answer
Answer B: Increase your wipers and pass steadily without hesitating
Spray blinds you for as long as you stay beside the truck, so prepare the wipers first and then spend as little time in the spray as possible.
-
18. What does a windshield on a motorcycle genuinely provide?
Show answer
Answer B: Relief from wind pressure, rain and cold, which reduces fatigue
A windshield cuts wind blast, weather and fatigue, but air and debris still come around it, so the rider still needs eye protection and full gear.
-
19. A bicyclist ahead of you extends the left arm out with the forearm bent upward. What does that signal mean?
Show answer
Answer A: The bicyclist intends to turn right
Bicyclists use the same hand signals as drivers: left arm straight out means left, left arm bent up means right, and left arm bent down means stop or slow.
-
20. What is the correct way to think about protective gear?
Show answer
Answer D: It reduces injury in a crash but does nothing to prevent one
Gear is the last line of defense. Avoiding the crash depends on skill, speed choice, space and visibility, and gear only limits the damage when those fail.
-
21. Is it acceptable to drive with your vehicle straddling the line between two lanes?
Show answer
Answer D: No, you must drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane
A vehicle astride the line takes up two lanes and leaves the drivers around it unable to predict where it will go.
-
22. Traffic in your lane is backed up and the paved shoulder looks clear. May you drive along it to get past?
Show answer
Answer C: No, the shoulder is not a travel lane
Passing must be done within the roadway; driving on the shoulder to get around traffic is prohibited and surprises anyone entering from the right.
-
23. What is the purpose of a wide solid white line painted straight across your lane on the approach to an intersection?
Show answer
Answer C: It shows the point where a required stop must be made
A stop line indicates the point at which the stop required by a signal or a stop sign is to be made, ahead of the crosswalk and the intersection.
-
24. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?
Show answer
Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane
The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.
-
25. What must vehicles in a South Dakota funeral procession display to keep their right-of-way privilege?
Show answer
Answer D: Lighted headlamps, taillamps, and flashing hazard or turn signal lamps
Procession vehicles must display lighted headlamps, taillamps, and flashing hazard or turn signal lamps to receive the right-of-way privileges the statute grants.