South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 39
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
-
1. Someone appears seriously injured after a crash. What should you generally do?
Show answer
Answer C: Call for emergency help and avoid moving the person unless there is an immediate danger such as fire
Moving an injured person can worsen spinal or internal injuries, so summon trained help and leave the person in place unless staying there is more dangerous than moving.
-
2. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?
Show answer
Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path
A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.
-
3. What is meant by keeping a space cushion?
Show answer
Answer C: Keeping open space on all sides of your vehicle so you always have somewhere to go
Open space ahead, behind and to the sides gives you time to react and an escape path when a hazard appears, which is the core idea of defensive driving.
-
4. A large group has been divided into smaller groups. What should be done between them?
Show answer
Answer A: Leave a gap big enough for other vehicles to move in and pass safely
A gap between sub groups lets other traffic pass or merge without cutting into a formation, which keeps drivers from making sudden moves around the riders.
-
5. You stop at a rest area because you are sleepy. How long a nap is usually recommended?
Show answer
Answer D: About fifteen to twenty minutes
A short nap of fifteen to twenty minutes restores useful alertness without leaving the grogginess a longer sleep can bring, and you should wait a few minutes before driving on.
-
6. What is the best way to handle fatigue on a long ride?
Show answer
Answer C: Take rest breaks regularly and dress to keep wind and cold out
Wind, vibration and cold tire a rider faster than a driver, and the safe answer is planned breaks and protective clothing rather than pressing on.
-
7. What does a sign reading Slower Traffic Keep Right require?
Show answer
Answer C: Traffic moving slower than the general flow must use the right-hand lane
The sign applies to any vehicle traveling below the speed of the traffic around it, which must keep right so faster vehicles can use the lanes to the left.
-
8. In a normal signal cycle, what comes after a steady red indication?
Show answer
Answer A: A green indication that starts the next movement
Yellow is a warning that a movement is ending, so it never precedes a green; a red is followed by a green or a green arrow.
-
9. Does wearing properly fitted earplugs stop a rider from hearing important sounds?
Show answer
Answer C: No, they lower overall noise while horns and speech still register
Earplugs reduce the wind roar that masks everything else, so riders wearing them often hear traffic more clearly, not less, while their hearing is protected.
-
10. A driver reaching a stop sign is required to do what?
Show answer
Answer D: Come to a complete stop and then proceed only when it is safe
A stop sign requires a full stop before the stop line, crosswalk or intersection, after which the driver may go on once the way is clear.
-
11. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive
Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.
-
12. On a regulatory sign, what does a red circle with a diagonal slash drawn over a symbol mean?
Show answer
Answer D: The movement or action shown by the symbol is prohibited
A red circle with a diagonal slash is the standard way of showing that the movement pictured inside it, such as a U-turn or a right turn, is not allowed.
-
13. The vehicle ahead of you has pulled out to pass a truck. May you follow it out and pass as well?
Show answer
Answer B: No, wait until it is done and judge the road for yourself
You cannot see past the vehicle ahead of you, and if it has to abort the pass there is nowhere for either of you to go.
-
14. A crash happens directly in front of you and vehicles are blocking both lanes. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Stop at a safe distance, put on the hazards and warn the traffic behind
The greatest danger after a crash is a second collision, so stop short of it and make sure the traffic behind you can see the problem.
-
15. A driver moves into the space you were keeping ahead of you. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Ease off and rebuild the gap in front of you
Losing a following gap is common in traffic; the answer is simply to drop back and recreate it rather than drive too close.
-
16. How does a NO OUTLET sign differ from a DEAD END sign?
Show answer
Answer B: It warns that a whole group of streets has no way out
No Outlet is posted where the road leads into a network of streets from which there is no through route, while Dead End refers to the single street itself.
-
17. An exit ramp is separated from the highway by a triangle of pavement painted with white stripes. What may you do there?
Show answer
Answer C: Nothing; keep off it and choose either the lane or the ramp
The striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is not for driving, stopping or last-second changes of direction.
-
18. You arrive at a four-way stop after two other vehicles have already stopped there. When is it your turn?
Show answer
Answer A: After both of the earlier vehicles have gone
Vehicles clear a four-way stop in the order they arrived, so the third driver to stop is the third to go.
-
19. How should a rider take curves while carrying a passenger?
Show answer
Answer A: More slowly than when riding alone
The extra weight raises the center of gravity and makes the motorcycle respond more slowly, so curves have to be taken at a lower speed.
-
20. Why is parking too close to a street corner prohibited?
Show answer
Answer D: Because it hides approaching traffic and pedestrians
A vehicle parked at a corner blocks the view that both drivers and pedestrians need before entering the intersection.
-
21. You are driving on a road covered with a layer of wet fallen leaves. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: As little grip as on ice, plus hidden markings and hidden holes
Wet leaves are as slippery as ice and they hide the lane lines and any potholes underneath, so slow well before curves and stops.
-
22. You have begun to move into the next lane when the gap you were aiming for closes. What is the safest action?
Show answer
Answer C: Return to your own lane, cancel the signal and wait for a better gap
An unfinished lane change leaves you in a space that no longer exists, and the lane you came from is still yours.
-
23. The vehicle in front of you has stopped and is waiting to turn left, and there is a paved shoulder to the right. May you use it to get by?
Show answer
Answer D: No, in most states a pass may not be made by leaving the paved travel lanes
Passing on the right is normally lawful only inside the marked travel lanes, and most states prohibit driving onto the shoulder to get around a turning vehicle; the few states that allow it attach strict conditions.
-
24. How can a South Dakota applicant have the motorcycle testing requirement waived?
Show answer
Answer D: By completing a motorcycle safety course approved under state law
The department may waive the motorcycle testing requirement when the applicant completes a motorcycle safety course approved under South Dakota law.
-
25. A sign beside the signal reads STOP HERE ON RED. What does it tell you?
Show answer
Answer B: Stop at that point on red, not closer to the intersection
The sign marks the required stopping point, which is set back from the corner so that turning vehicles and sight lines are not blocked.