Tennessee TDOSHS Motorcycle Practice Test 15

  • Questions30
  • Correct to pass24
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years

Minimum age: 15 years for the Class PM learner permit; 16 years for the Class M licence

30 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 24 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. Your passenger keeps leaning out to one side to see the road ahead. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Ask them to stay in line with you and look over your shoulder instead

    Leaning out shifts the combined weight sideways and unsettles the machine, and a passenger can see far enough by looking past the rider's shoulder.

  2. 2. A bicyclist is riding around a single-lane roundabout in the middle of the lane as you wait to enter. What is your duty?

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    Answer C: Yield to the bicyclist just as you would to a car

    A bicyclist using the roundabout is traffic like any other vehicle and has the same claim to the circulating lane.

  3. 3. Where is a road work ahead sign placed?

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    Answer B: In advance of the work space or detour, so drivers are warned before reaching it

    Advance warning signs are placed upstream of the work space or detour so that drivers have time to slow down and change lanes before reaching the activity.

  4. 4. What is the safest way to deal with a vehicle sitting in your blind spot?

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    Answer A: Slow a little or move ahead so that it is no longer beside you

    You cannot control the other driver, but you can change your own speed so that the vehicle is no longer hidden beside you.

  5. 5. How many points does Tennessee assess against a driver caught traveling below the posted minimum speed?

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    Answer B: 3 points

    Driving below the posted minimum speed carries 3 points, the same weight given to several mid-tier moving violations.

  6. 6. Which road feature is most likely to be slippery, particularly when wet?

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    Answer D: Painted lane markings, manhole covers and steel plates

    Paint and metal surfaces laid on top of the road offer far less grip than the pavement around them and become noticeably slick in the rain.

  7. 7. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?

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    Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot

    Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.

  8. 8. A sign with a brown background and a white legend guides road users to

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    Answer B: parks, campgrounds and other recreational or cultural sites

    Brown is reserved for recreational and cultural interest area signing, such as parks, historic sites and scenic areas.

  9. 9. Why does full riding gear matter on a short trip around the neighborhood?

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    Answer D: Pavement takes skin off at 25 miles an hour just as it does at 55

    Serious injuries happen at ordinary street speeds and close to home, so gear that is worth wearing on a long trip is worth wearing on a short one.

  10. 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.

  11. 11. You want to turn right at a steady red light and no sign prohibits the turn. What is required?

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    Answer B: Come to a complete stop, then yield to traffic and pedestrians before turning

    A right turn on a steady red is permitted only after a complete stop and only after yielding to cross traffic and to pedestrians, and a posted sign can prohibit it entirely.

  12. 12. At night you are waiting to turn left and can see only the headlights of an approaching vehicle. Why should you allow a bigger margin?

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    Answer D: Because lights alone make speed and distance hard to judge

    With no other visual cues, two points of light give you very little information about how fast the vehicle is closing, so leave extra margin.

  13. 13. A snow squall cuts visibility to almost nothing while you are on a highway. What must you not do?

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    Answer D: Stop in a travel lane and wait for the squall to blow through

    A vehicle stopped in a lane in a whiteout is invisible until someone hits it. Slow gradually and keep moving until you can leave the roadway completely.

  14. 14. How much clear road do driver manuals say you need before starting a pass at highway speed on a two-lane road?

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    Answer C: Enough to complete the pass and return, roughly ten to twelve seconds of travel

    At highway speed the whole maneuver of pulling out, overtaking and returning takes roughly ten to twelve seconds, and every foot of that has to be visible before you start.

  15. 15. Why should a rider avoid painting a helmet or cleaning it with strong solvents?

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    Answer D: Chemicals can weaken the shell and the liner without showing it

    Solvents and some paints attack the shell and the foam, so use mild soap and water and follow the maker's instructions to keep the helmet's protection intact.

  16. 16. A set of reversible express lanes is closed off with gates and signs while it runs the other way. What must you never do?

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    Answer C: Enter past a closed gate or a sign showing the lanes are closed

    When reversible lanes are closed they may already be carrying traffic in the opposite direction, so entering past a gate can put you head-on into that traffic.

  17. 17. At an intersection where turning on a red arrow is not permitted, the signal shows a red left arrow next to a steady green ball. What may you do?

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    Answer D: Go straight or turn right if permitted, but not left

    An arrow controls only the movement it points to, so here the red arrow stops the left turn while the green ball still allows the other movements.

  18. 18. You are traveling a long distance on a highway with three lanes in your direction, at about the speed of the surrounding traffic. Which lane is generally the best choice?

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    Answer C: The center lane, which keeps you clear of merging traffic and of overtaking traffic

    On a three-lane roadway the center lane avoids both the ramp traffic on the right and the overtaking traffic on the left, so it usually has the steadiest flow.

  19. 19. How much should you normally reduce your speed on a road covered with packed snow compared with dry conditions?

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    Answer C: By about half

    Packed snow roughly doubles the distance needed to stop, so a common guideline is to cut speed by about half. On ice, slow to a crawl.

  20. 20. Where must the engine cut-off switch be set before the starter button will crank the engine?

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    Answer A: In the run position

    The cut-off switch sits in the ignition circuit, so the engine will not start or run while it is set to off.

  21. 21. In heavy fog at night on a rural two-lane road, which marking best helps a driver hold position?

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    Answer C: The solid white line along the right edge

    Steering by the right edge line keeps a driver clear of oncoming traffic, while watching the center line tends to pull the vehicle toward it.

  22. 22. Where is the oil and grease strip in a lane usually widest and most slippery?

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    Answer D: At toll plazas, bus stops and intersections where vehicles sit and idle

    Oil and coolant drip most where vehicles stop, idle and pull away, so the center strip is widest and slickest at toll booths, bus stops and busy intersections.

  23. 23. You must stop for a train at a highway-rail crossing. Where should you stop?

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    Answer B: Behind the stop line, gate or signal and well clear of the nearest rail

    Stop behind the stop line, gate or flashing-light signal and well clear of the nearest rail, because a train overhangs its track by several feet on each side.

  24. 24. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?

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    Answer D: Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right

    A lane marked with two arrows serves both movements, so a driver in it may take either one.

  25. 25. How does Tennessee law require motorcycle riders to protect their eyes?

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    Answer D: The motorcycle must have an approved windshield, or the riders must wear goggles, impact resistant glasses or a helmet with a face shield

    Every motorcycle or motor driven cycle on a public road needs a windshield meeting federal requirements, or else the operator and passenger must wear safety goggles, impact resistant glasses or a helmet with a face shield.

  26. 26. Your green left-turn arrow goes out and a steady green ball stays lit. What may you do?

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    Answer A: Continue turning left, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic

    When the arrow ends and a green ball remains, the turn changes from protected to permissive, so it is still allowed but oncoming traffic goes first.

  27. 27. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes

    On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.

  28. 28. 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.

  29. 29. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?

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    Answer B: A right turn

    The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.

  30. 30. When downshifting as the motorcycle slows, what keeps the rear tire from skidding?

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    Answer A: Easing the clutch lever out smoothly instead of releasing it abruptly

    Letting the clutch out gradually lets engine speed and road speed match, so the rear wheel is not forced to slow suddenly.