South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 26
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. Traffic is heavy and crawling where a sign warns that your lane ends and two lanes must become one. What is the best practice?
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Answer C: Use the lane to the end, then take turns merging one by one
In stop-and-go traffic the zipper merge, using both lanes up to the merge point and then alternating, keeps the queue shorter and traffic moving; in free-flowing traffic move over as soon as it is safe.
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2. Where is a U-turn generally the most reasonable choice?
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Answer B: At an intersection where it is permitted and you can see well both ways
A U-turn needs a legal place and a long clear view in both directions, which is why a permitted intersection with open sight lines is the usual choice.
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3. On traffic control devices, the color green shows direction to a destination and also shows
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Answer C: that a movement is permitted
Green carries two assignments: guidance toward destinations, and the idea that the movement shown is allowed, as on a green arrow.
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4. When are the hazard warning lights properly used?
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Answer A: When your vehicle is stopped or barely moving and is a hazard
Hazard lights warn that your vehicle is an obstruction; they do not authorize illegal parking and they hide your turn signals while driving.
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5. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?
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Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane
A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.
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6. You have started to pass and you see the no-passing zone beginning ahead. What should you do?
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Answer D: Ease off, drop back and return to your own lane
A pass must be completed before the no-passing zone starts. If it will not fit, abandon it and slot back in behind.
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7. On a South Dakota two-lane highway, how must you react to a vehicle stopped on the shoulder using amber, yellow or blue warning lights?
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Answer A: Slow to at least 20 miles per hour below the posted limit starting 300 feet before the vehicle
Where changing lanes is not possible, drivers must slow to at least 20 miles per hour under the posted limit at least 300 feet before the vehicle and proceed with caution.
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8. 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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9. What should a rider check about the size of a motorcycle before riding it?
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Answer C: That both feet reach the ground and the controls are within reach
A motorcycle that fits lets the rider put both feet down at a stop and work every control without stretching, and a machine that is too tall or too heavy is hard to hold up in slow traffic.
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10. 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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11. You make eye contact with a driver waiting to pull out of a side street. What should you assume?
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Answer D: The driver may still not have seen you, so stay ready to slow or stop
Drivers can look directly at you and still not register your vehicle, especially a small one. Eye contact helps, but never rely on it.
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12. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?
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Answer A: Branches, dust and loose objects blown into your path
High wind strips branches, litter and dust onto the roadway and can push other vehicles out of their lane, so scan much further ahead than usual.
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13. A signal on an entrance ramp changes from red to green and lets one vehicle at a time onto the highway. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stop on the red and go on the green, one vehicle for each green
A ramp meter spaces vehicles out so they join the highway one at a time instead of arriving as a group, and it is a traffic signal like any other.
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14. A flagger in a work zone turns a paddle so that the red octagonal face reading STOP is toward you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop completely and wait for the flagger to signal you forward
The STOP face of a flagger paddle requires a complete stop, and you may move again only when the flagger directs you to.
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15. An upward-pointing pentagon with a yellow legend and border on a blue background is used as
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Answer D: a county route marker
The pentagon serves both the school warning series and county route markers, and the blue background with yellow legend identifies the county route version.
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16. 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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17. You are following a car at night with the high beam on. What should you do?
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Answer C: Switch to the low beam so the driver ahead is not blinded
A high beam fills the mirrors of the vehicle ahead and blinds its driver, which is dangerous for the very driver most able to affect the rider.
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18. Your vehicle is burning at the roadside. How far away should everyone keep?
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Answer D: At least a hundred feet away from the vehicle and upwind, out of the drifting smoke
Burning vehicles give off toxic smoke and parts such as tires and struts can burst, so keep a long distance and stay upwind.
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19. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
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Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.
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20. 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.
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21. You must cross tracks or pavement seams that run in nearly the same direction as your path of travel. What should you do?
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Answer C: Move far enough away to cross at an angle of at least 45 degrees, then turn sharply across
A shallow crossing lets the groove catch and steer the front wheel, so the rider sets up to cross at 45 degrees or more and makes one deliberate turn across it.
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22. You find yourself in a lane that must turn, you wanted to go straight, and you cannot change lanes safely. What should you do?
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Answer D: Make the required turn and find another route
Going straight from a mandatory turn lane surprises everyone around you, while a wrong turn costs only a few extra minutes.
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23. A rider chooses an open face helmet. What does that choice make necessary?
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Answer A: Separate goggles or a face shield, because the face is uncovered
An open face helmet gives no eye or face protection, so the rider must add goggles or a face shield that will not shatter and that seals against the wind.
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24. What is a manageable size for a single group of motorcycles?
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Answer A: No more than four or five riders
Four or five machines can hold a formation, stay in sight of one another and clear an intersection together, while larger groups quickly become unmanageable.
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25. You are about to pass a large truck on a two-lane highway. Which practice is correct?
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Answer A: Finish the pass without delay and expect wind turbulence beside the truck
Lingering beside a truck keeps you in its blind spot and exposes you to air turbulence. Pass on the left, keep moving, and move back only when you can see the whole truck in your mirror.