Iowa DOT Motorcycle Practice Test 29
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. A minor drop has left the clutch lever bent, although it still works. What should be done?
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Answer B: Have the lever replaced before the motorcycle is ridden again
A bent lever has already been weakened and can break off in use, leaving the rider without that control at the worst possible moment.
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2. You are riding through a curve behind another rider in your group. Which line should you take?
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Answer A: The line your own machine and your own speed require
Riders enter a curve at different speeds and on different machines, and copying somebody else's line can put you wide or into the wrong part of the lane.
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3. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?
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Answer C: A left turn
The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.
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4. What should a rider do if the front wheel locks during braking?
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Answer A: Release the front brake immediately, then reapply it firmly
A locked front wheel cannot steer or hold the motorcycle up, so the brake must be released to let the wheel roll again and then reapplied smoothly.
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5. You are parked legally, but a police officer tells you to move the vehicle. What should you do?
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Answer B: Move it as directed, because an officer overrides the signs
Directions from a police officer or a firefighter take precedence over signs and markings, whether they are directing traffic or clearing a street.
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6. Low sun is shining onto the signal ahead and you cannot tell which light is lit. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow down and be ready to stop until you can be sure
An unreadable signal has to be treated as one that may be red, so approach slowly enough to stop while you work out what it shows.
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7. What is the correct order of actions when passing a vehicle on a two lane road?
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Answer D: Signal, check the mirrors and blind spot, pass in the left lane, signal and return
The rider signals and checks behind before moving out, completes the pass in the passing lane, then signals and checks again before returning.
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8. You find that the road surface has turned to sheet ice. What speed is appropriate?
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Answer A: A crawl, slow enough that you could stop without braking hard
Ice can cut grip to a fraction of normal, so stopping takes many times the usual distance and only a crawl leaves any margin.
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9. A bicyclist in the bike lane ahead of you signals and starts to move left toward the turn lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and let the rider move across
A bicyclist who needs to leave the bike lane to turn left is changing lanes like any driver, and following traffic should make room.
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10. Why is being predictable an important part of driving safely?
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Answer A: Because other road users are able to plan around what you are doing
Other drivers make their decisions from what they expect you to do, so surprises are what produce collisions.
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11. What is the purpose of carrying a first aid kit in your vehicle?
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Answer D: It lets you treat cuts and bleeding while the help is on its way
A kit is for simple first aid such as controlling bleeding until trained help arrives, not a substitute for calling for that help.
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12. A streetcar is coming along tracks in the middle of the street as you wait to turn across them. What should you do?
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Answer A: Let the streetcar pass before you cross the tracks
Rail vehicles cannot steer around you and need a long distance to stop, so drivers yield to a streetcar or light rail train.
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13. What is the main reason a rider should keep a generous following distance on a rough, broken road?
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Answer B: So the rider can see and plan for holes and broken pavement in time to react
The vehicle ahead hides the pavement, so extra space gives you time to spot a hole or a broken edge and to choose a path around it.
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14. A friend asks for a ride and has no gear at all. What is the correct approach?
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Answer A: Provide a certified helmet, eye protection and covering clothing
A passenger hits the ground the same way the rider does, so a passenger needs the same protection: a certified helmet, eye protection, gloves, boots and covering clothing.
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15. A steady green downward arrow is displayed above the lane you are in. What does it tell you?
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Answer A: You may drive in that lane
A green downward arrow means the lane beneath it is open for travel in your direction.
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16. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?
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Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb
All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.
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17. At a four-way stop you and an opposing driver arrive together. You are going straight and the other driver is turning left across your path. Who goes first?
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Answer B: You do, because the left turn crosses your path
When two opposing drivers arrive together, the one going straight goes first and the left-turning driver yields.
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18. What is the purpose of the padding built into the shoulders, elbows and knees of riding gear?
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Answer C: It absorbs impact energy at the joints most likely to strike first
Armor at the joints spreads and absorbs the force of an impact in the places that usually hit the ground first in a fall.
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19. 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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20. What fine does Iowa attach to driving while a license is denied, canceled, suspended, or revoked?
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Answer D: Not less than two hundred fifty dollars nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars
Iowa Code section 321.218 makes the offense a simple misdemeanor and requires a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars nor more than one thousand five hundred dollars.
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21. What is the statutory speed limit on Iowa highways that are part of the interstate road system?
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Answer B: 70 miles per hour
Iowa Code section 321.285 sets the speed limit at seventy miles per hour for highways that are part of the interstate road system.
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22. Under Iowa law, for how long after a license expires is a driver not considered to be driving with an invalid license?
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Answer B: 60 days
Iowa Code section 321.196 provides that a person shall not be considered to be driving with an invalid license during the sixty days following the license expiration date.
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23. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?
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Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance
Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.
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24. You feel dizzy, weak and clammy after an hour of riding in high heat. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop in the shade, drink water and cool down before riding further
Those are early signs of heat illness and they get worse with continued exertion, so get out of the sun, rehydrate and cool off before you ride on.
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25. Why is a U-turn on a one-way street a problem?
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Answer A: You would end up facing the wrong way against all the traffic
Every lane of a one-way street runs the same way, so turning around leaves you driving head-on against all of the traffic.