South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 33
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?
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Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street
Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.
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2. You are turning right off a street into a parking lot driveway that crosses a bike lane and a sidewalk. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: Pedestrians on the sidewalk and riders in the bike lane
Turning into a driveway means crossing the paths of people who were already traveling straight, so you give way to both the bike lane and the sidewalk.
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3. How should a load be distributed between the two saddlebags?
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Answer B: Evenly, so the weight is balanced from side to side
An uneven load pulls the motorcycle toward the heavy side and makes it behave differently in left turns than in right turns.
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4. What does a sign showing a bicycle inside a red circle with a diagonal slash prohibit?
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Answer D: Riding a bicycle on that roadway
This is a selective exclusion sign, used where bicycles are banned from a road such as a freeway or a tunnel.
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5. 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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6. How does weight transfer during braking change what each brake can do?
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Answer A: Weight moves forward, so the front tire grips harder and the rear grips less
Deceleration pitches the machine forward onto the front wheel, which is why the front brake supplies most of the stopping power and the rear locks easily.
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7. Except for specific situations named in the law, what is the maximum length of time the Department of Public Safety may suspend a South Dakota driver license under its general suspension authority?
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Answer C: One year
The department's general suspension authority caps a suspension at one year, apart from listed statutory exceptions.
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8. Besides motorist services and tourist information, a blue sign background is also used for
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Answer B: evacuation route signing
Blue is assigned to road user services, tourist information and evacuation routes, so hurricane and other evacuation routes are signed in blue.
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9. The sun is low behind you and shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. What should you do?
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Answer C: Turn on your headlights and expect oncoming drivers not to see you
Drivers facing the low sun may not see you at all, so make yourself as visible as possible and give way rather than insisting on your right of way.
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10. The route marker used for an Interstate highway is a shield with
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Answer A: white numerals on a blue field under a red band carrying the word INTERSTATE
The Interstate route marker is a cutout shield with a white border, the word INTERSTATE in white on red across the top and the route number in white on blue.
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11. A NO LEFT TURN sign carries a plaque reading 7 AM TO 9 AM MON TO FRI. What does the assembly mean?
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Answer A: The turn is banned only during those hours on those days
A time plaque limits the restriction to the periods shown, so outside those hours and days the left turn may be made normally.
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12. What does this sign tell a driver about the road ahead?
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Answer A: The roadway changes direction ahead, so speed should be reduced before reaching it
It gives advance notice of a change in alignment so the driver can slow down before entering, since braking inside a bend uses up grip that is needed for steering.
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13. Parked cars block your view of a cross street you are about to enter. How should you proceed?
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Answer A: Edge forward slowly until you can see along the cross street, then go
Creeping forward buys a view of the cross street a little at a time, and it keeps the rider slow enough to stop if something is coming.
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14. You are about to descend a long steep grade. How should you control your speed?
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Answer D: Select a lower gear before starting down and use the brakes in firm, brief applications
Engine braking in a lower gear carries most of the load down the grade, while continuous brake pressure overheats the brakes and reduces their effectiveness.
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15. You are backing out of a space in a parking lot. Who has the right of way?
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Answer D: Traffic already moving in the lane, and pedestrians walking behind you
A driver backing out must yield to vehicles and pedestrians already using the lane, because backing is the movement with the poorest view.
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16. You are on a two-lane road where a broken yellow line runs on your side of the center. What does that pattern allow?
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Answer C: Passing when the way ahead is clear and it is otherwise legal
A broken yellow center line marks a stretch where passing is permitted for traffic on that side when it can be completed safely.
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17. A driver passes this sign and the signal beyond it is already showing green. What is the safest response?
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Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and be ready to stop, because an indication that has been showing for a while is about to change
A signal that has been displaying the same indication for some time is close to changing, so arriving at a controlled speed with the brake covered is safer than accelerating to beat it.
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18. You have a green light at a school crossing, but the crossing guard steps out and holds up a stop sign toward you. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop, because the crossing guard controls this crossing and outranks the signal
Directions from a crossing guard or a police officer take priority over signals and signs.
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19. A small signal face beside a bikeway shows red, yellow and green lenses that each carry a bicycle symbol. Whom does it control?
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Answer C: Bicyclists using that crossing or bikeway
A bicycle signal face governs bicycle movements only, and people on foot at the same corner still follow the pedestrian signal.
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20. A diamond-shaped sign is used to
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Answer A: warn of a condition on or next to the road that may call for caution
The diamond is the standard shape of the warning series, which alerts drivers to conditions that would otherwise not be obvious in time to react.
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21. What is the danger of riding in cold weather with thin gloves?
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Answer C: Cold, numb hands respond slowly and lose their feel for the controls
Wind chill at riding speed cools the hands quickly, and numb fingers are slower and less precise on the clutch, throttle and brake.
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22. You and an oncoming driver are both turning left at the same intersection. What is the usual rule?
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Answer D: Both turn in front of each other unless markings show otherwise
The normal practice is to pass driver side to driver side, turning in front of one another, unless pavement markings or signs direct a different path.
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23. Why may the mirrors and the headlight need readjusting when a passenger is carried?
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Answer D: Because the added weight changes the angle at which the motorcycle sits
Weight on the rear of the motorcycle raises the front, which aims the headlight and the mirrors higher than the rider intends.
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24. You are passing a crash on the other side of a divided highway. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep your eyes on your own lane and the traffic around you
Staring at a crash scene, often called rubbernecking, causes sudden slowing and secondary collisions. Your attention belongs on the traffic in front of you.
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25. Who should set the pace of a group ride?
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Answer A: The last rider in the group, so that nobody is forced to hurry to keep up
The tail ender sets the pace: every rider watches the mirrors for the rider behind, and if someone falls back the whole group slows a little to stay together.