South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 48
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. Your group is turning left across oncoming traffic. What should you do?
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Answer D: Wait until you personally have a large enough gap to turn
Each rider needs a gap of their own, and turning on the strength of the rider ahead means turning into traffic you have not actually judged.
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2. A driver waiting to turn left appears to be looking straight at you. What should you assume?
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Answer C: That the driver may still not have seen you, and may turn across your path
Drivers look toward motorcycles without registering them, so eye contact is not evidence that the rider has been seen and no plan should depend on it.
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3. Along a highway the reference markers count upward as you travel. Where does the numbering normally begin?
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Answer C: At the southern or western edge of the state
Mileage numbering starts where the route enters the state from the south or the west, so rising numbers tell a driver which way they are heading.
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4. Which action becomes clearly more risky beyond this sign?
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Answer A: Using the left side of the roadway to overtake
With vehicles coming the other way on the same pavement, overtaking on the left needs enough clear road to pull out, pass and return, which is often not available.
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5. What does a broken line indicate, whatever color it is painted?
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Answer C: That crossing it is permitted
A broken line always describes a permissive condition, and the color then tells the driver whether the traffic beyond it runs the same way or the opposite way.
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6. Alcohol is classified as which kind of drug?
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Answer B: A depressant that slows the central nervous system
As a depressant, alcohol slows the brain and nervous system, which lengthens reaction time and dulls the coordination that driving depends on.
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7. What is the role of the sweep rider in a group?
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Answer B: To ride last, watch the group, and notice when a rider drops back or has trouble
The sweep rider takes the last position so that any rider who slows, stops or has a problem is noticed instead of being left behind.
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8. What should a passenger be told about where to keep their legs?
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Answer D: To keep them away from the muffler, the chain and other moving parts
Exhaust pipes get hot enough to burn and exposed drive components can catch a loose leg, so the passenger must keep legs in and clear of them.
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9. How much space should you hold behind the rider who is directly ahead of you in your own portion of the lane?
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Answer D: At least two seconds
Riders sharing the same track keep a following distance of at least two seconds so they have the time and the room to react to a hazard.
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10. Partway through a curve you realize you have carried in more speed than you wanted. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Look through the curve and lean the motorcycle further with steady throttle
Most motorcycles can lean further than the rider believes, and looking where you want to go while pressing the inside grip harder will usually bring the machine around.
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11. You are overtaking a large tractor trailer on the highway. What should you expect as you ride alongside and then past it?
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Answer D: Changing pushes and pulls as you pass the front, the side and the rear
The air around a large truck moves in different directions along its length, so expect the buffeting to change as you go by. Keep a firm but relaxed grip and a steady throttle.
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12. Your loaded vehicle weighs more than the figure shown on a posted weight limit sign. What must you do?
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Answer D: Find another route, because crossing is not permitted
A posted weight limit is a legal maximum, not advice, so an overweight vehicle has to take a different route.
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13. How does driving on overinflated tires affect the vehicle?
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Answer D: It gives a harsher ride and a smaller contact patch
An overinflated tire bulges in the middle, so less rubber touches the road, grip suffers and the ride becomes hard. The center of the tread wears first.
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14. What is the maximum speed allowed on South Dakota's interstate highways?
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Answer C: 80 miles per hour
South Dakota law sets 80 miles per hour as the top speed on the national system of interstate highways unless a lower limit is posted.
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15. Is it safe to check your phone while stopped at a red light?
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Answer B: No, you may miss the signal change and hazards around you
Attention does not return instantly when the light changes, and emergency vehicles, pedestrians or a rear-end threat can appear while you are stopped. Stay focused on the road.
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16. Why do riders keep the headlight burning in broad daylight?
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Answer B: It makes the motorcycle easier for other drivers to pick out
A motorcycle is a narrow target that other drivers overlook easily, and a lit headlight is one of the few things that makes it stand out at a distance.
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17. How should you follow a school bus in traffic?
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Answer A: Far enough back to see its lights and stop in time
A school bus stops often and with little warning, so a longer following distance gives you time to see the lights come on and stop clear of it.
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18. You are driving at night through heavy falling snow. Which headlight setting works better and why?
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Answer C: Low beams, because high beams bounce off the falling flakes back at you
Falling snow reflects light the way fog does, so high beams build a white wall of glare while low beams still give a usable view.
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19. Which part of the space around your vehicle can you control best?
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Answer A: The space ahead of you
You choose your own following distance, so the gap in front is the space you truly control and the one that gives you time to react.
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20. What is the main function of the guide sign series?
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Answer D: To identify routes and lead road users to their destinations
Guide signs identify routes, name destinations and give distances, so drivers can navigate without stopping to consult a map.
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21. You are the first to arrive at a crash on a rural road. What should you do first?
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Answer C: Park well clear of the scene, put on your hazard lights and call for help
Getting trained help on the way and keeping the scene visible does more good than anything an untrained bystander can do.
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22. You are turning left into a street that is divided by a raised median. Which side should you enter?
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Answer C: The right-hand roadway, so that you travel on the proper side
A raised median separates two directions of travel, so the turn must be completed into the roadway carrying traffic your way.
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23. 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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24. Well before an intersection, an overhead sign shows a diagram of the lanes with an arrow above each one. What is its purpose?
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Answer C: To let drivers pick the correct lane in good time
Advance intersection lane control signs display the lane assignment far enough back that drivers can move over calmly instead of at the last moment.
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25. Why is it harder for a rider to judge distance and closing speed after dark?
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Answer D: Only lights are visible, so closing speeds are hard to read
At night you see lights rather than whole vehicles and the scene around them, which strips away the cues that tell you how far away something is and how fast it is closing.