South Dakota DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 53
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. Which sign tells you that the vehicles ahead are part of a funeral procession?
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Answer C: Headlights burning in daylight, with small flags or markers on the vehicles
Processions are normally identified by daytime headlights, hazard lights and flags or windshield markers, not by emergency lights or sirens.
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2. Which of these is never a legal place to park?
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Answer C: In a crosswalk, on a sidewalk or within an intersection
Crosswalks, sidewalks and intersections must stay clear so that pedestrians can cross and drivers can see approaching traffic.
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3. You are about to accelerate hard to merge with traffic. What should you have arranged with your passenger?
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Answer D: That you warn them beforehand so they can tighten their grip
A passenger who is not expecting a burst of acceleration is thrown backward, and the sudden shift of weight upsets the machine just when the rider needs it settled.
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4. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?
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Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back
Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.
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5. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?
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Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it
A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.
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6. Why is a rider advised to keep the wrist flat and low on the throttle grip?
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Answer A: It makes it harder to roll on too much throttle by accident
A flat wrist limits how far the grip can rotate in one motion, so a bump or a startled reaction is less likely to open the throttle suddenly.
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7. A ball rolls into the street from between parked cars ahead of you. What should you expect and do?
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Answer A: Expect a child to follow it and be ready to stop
A ball is usually followed by a child who is watching the ball and not the traffic. Slow down and be prepared to stop immediately.
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8. While you swerve around an obstacle, what should the rest of your body be doing?
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Answer C: Staying upright with the knees against the tank while the motorcycle leans
A swerve happens through the handlebars, and a body that stays still and anchored to the tank lets the motorcycle move quickly beneath the rider.
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9. How far ahead should you normally be looking as you drive?
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Answer C: About 12 to 15 seconds ahead, well beyond the vehicle in front
Looking that far down the road lets you see a problem developing and slow smoothly, instead of discovering it in time only for hard braking.
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10. A large truck ahead of you swings toward the left just before turning right at an intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stay back and never try to move into the gap between the truck and the curb
Long vehicles need extra room and often swing wide to complete a right turn, so the space that opens on their right closes again as the trailer sweeps through it.
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11. A white regulatory sign near a state line reads BUCKLE UP IT IS THE LAW. What is it doing?
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Answer A: Reminding occupants that belt use is required
The safety belt sign restates a law that already applies, and it is usually placed where drivers enter a state or a long rural stretch.
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12. What does the implied consent law mean for drivers?
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Answer D: By driving, you have agreed to a chemical test if lawfully arrested for impaired driving
Holding a license and driving on public roads is treated as consent to breath, blood or urine testing when an officer has grounds to arrest you. Refusing normally brings its own license penalties.
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13. Traffic is backed up beyond a railroad crossing. When may you start across the tracks?
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Answer B: Only when there is room for your whole vehicle on the far side
Never enter a crossing you cannot clear; a vehicle stopped on the tracks in a queue has nowhere to go if the signals start.
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14. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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15. You are traveling at 55 mph on a rural road and come up behind a horse-drawn buggy. What is the main danger?
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Answer D: You close on it very quickly because it moves at walking pace
A buggy travels only a few miles an hour, so the gap closes far faster than drivers expect and there is very little time to brake once you see it.
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16. When must a passenger keep both feet on the footrests?
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Answer C: At all times, including while the motorcycle is stopped
Feet stay on the footrests even at a stop, because a foot put down or swung out can unbalance the motorcycle or be caught by the road.
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17. You are following closely behind a vehicle you intend to pass on a two-lane road. What should you do first?
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Answer D: Drop back to give yourself room to build speed before you pull out
From close behind you cannot see far enough ahead and you have no room to gather speed, so the pass takes longer and starts blind.
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18. Where is ice most likely to form first on a cold day?
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Answer B: In shaded areas and on bridges and overpasses
Shaded spots stay cold longer and bridges and overpasses lose heat from below as well as above, so ice appears there before it appears elsewhere.
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19. Is a helmet worth wearing on a short trip to a store a few blocks away?
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Answer C: Yes, since many crashes happen close to home at ordinary street speeds
A large share of motorcycle crashes occur on short, familiar trips at moderate speeds, and injuries at those speeds are still severe.
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20. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning
A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.
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21. A yellow diamond shows a horse with a rider. Besides slowing down, what else should a driver do?
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Answer C: Avoid using the horn or revving the engine
The equestrian crossing sign warns of horses on or across the road, and a sudden noise can startle an animal into the traffic lane.
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22. What should a pre-ride check of the drive chain or belt look for?
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Answer C: Correct slack, adequate lubrication and no worn or damaged links
A chain that is too tight, too loose, dry or damaged can break or jump the sprocket and lock the rear wheel while the motorcycle is moving.
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23. What license or permit does South Dakota require to operate a moped on a public roadway?
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Answer C: A valid motor vehicle driver license or permit, the same general requirement used for a motorcycle
State law requires moped operators to hold a valid motor vehicle driver license or permit, just as it does for motorcycle and certain all-terrain vehicle operators.
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24. Which statement best describes what the basic speed law requires of you?
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Answer C: That you never drive faster than is reasonable and safe for the conditions
Nearly every state has a basic speed law that makes the conditions the real limit: weather, traffic, light and road surface can all require a speed well below the posted number.
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25. How does South Dakota law set the expiration of a driver license or ID card issued to someone under 21, compared with the standard five-year cycle?
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Answer D: It expires thirty days after the holder turns twenty-one, regardless of the standard cycle
Licenses and ID cards issued to those under 21 expire 30 days after the holder's twenty-first birthday instead of following the ordinary five-year schedule.