Iowa DOT Motorcycle Practice Test 36
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
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1. What is the most common cause of rear-end collisions?
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Answer C: Following too closely to stop in time
A driver who leaves too little space has no room to perceive, react and brake when the vehicle ahead slows, which is why space management prevents rear-end crashes.
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2. Why is passing on a curve prohibited even when the traffic seems light?
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Answer C: You cannot see far enough around it to know the lane is clear
A pass is only as safe as the distance you can see, and a curve hides the very lane the maneuver uses.
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3. You are waiting to turn left and an oncoming vehicle stopped in the near lane to turn left blocks your view of the far lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Wait where you are until you can see that the far lane is completely clear
The lane you cannot see is where the crash comes from, so you hold your position until the view opens up.
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4. Why do experienced riders cover the clutch lever and the brake lever in heavy traffic?
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Answer B: It shortens the time needed to react if they suddenly have to stop
With fingers already resting on the levers the rider skips the time it takes to reach for them, which shortens overall stopping distance.
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5. What should you avoid when a hostile driver pulls alongside you?
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Answer A: Making eye contact, or answering the gestures in any way at all
Any response, including a look, encourages an aggressive driver, so give none and let the vehicle go.
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6. A squirrel darts into your path a short distance ahead. What is normally the safest response?
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Answer C: Hold your line, brake as much as is safe, and accept hitting a small animal
Swerving without space, or crashing while braking, hurts the rider far more than a small animal does, so stay in your lane and slow as much as traction allows.
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7. When is a rider ready to start carrying passengers?
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Answer B: After enough solo experience to handle the machine without thinking
A passenger changes how the machine accelerates, brakes and turns, and only a rider who no longer has to think about the basics has attention to spare for that.
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8. A pedestrian is crossing at a corner where no crosswalk is painted on the pavement. What is your duty?
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Answer A: Yield, because a legal crosswalk exists at the corner even without paint
Every intersection has a crosswalk whether or not it is marked, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there.
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9. What does a yield sign require of a driver?
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Answer A: Slow down, and stop when necessary, so conflicting traffic can go first
A yield sign obliges the driver to reduce to a speed suited to conditions and to stop when needed so that conflicting traffic or pedestrians are not interfered with.
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10. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?
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Answer C: Not remembering the last few miles you drove
Memory gaps, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids and drifting are the body signaling that sleep is winning, and they mean stop rather than push on.
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11. A yellow diamond shows an arrow that doubles back on itself. What kind of curve lies ahead?
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Answer C: A turn of 135 degrees or more, nearly doubling back
The hairpin curve sign is used where the road changes direction by 135 degrees or more, and it is normally backed up by chevrons or a large arrow through the bend.
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12. 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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13. In a work zone a flagger signals you to stop, but the sign beside the road says the lane is open. What should you do?
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Answer C: Obey the flagger
A flagger controls the work zone in real time and the instruction outranks the signs and markings, which cannot reflect what is happening at that moment.
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14. A driver stopped at a red signal wants to turn right and this sign is posted at the corner. What is permitted?
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Answer A: Nothing: the turn is barred whether the signal is red or green
The restriction works independently of the signal, so the usual permission to turn right after stopping at a red light does not exist where this sign is posted.
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15. How does alcohol affect a driver's ability to handle several things at once?
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Answer B: It cuts the ability to divide attention between tasks
Driving means watching the road, the mirrors and the instruments together, and alcohol narrows attention so that one of those tasks is dropped without the driver noticing.
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16. What has to be done with the helmet chin strap on every ride?
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Answer B: Fastened snugly, because an unfastened helmet comes off in a crash
A helmet only protects while it stays on the head, and an unfastened or loose strap lets it leave the head in the first moments of a crash.
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17. Why does riding in moderately cold weather call for extra layers of clothing?
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Answer B: Chill and fatigue set in quickly and reduce the rider's control
Wind at riding speed strips body heat away fast, and a chilled, tired rider reacts more slowly and can slide into hypothermia.
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18. A rider signals that they need to stop, although nobody else in the group wants a break. What should happen?
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Answer A: The group stops, because a rider who needs a break should get one
A rider who is tired, cold or uncomfortable is a hazard to the whole group, and stopping costs far less than the mistake that follows.
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19. 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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20. A sign at the curb reads Tow-Away Zone. What does it mean for you?
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Answer C: That a vehicle left there can be removed at the owner's expense
In a tow-away zone the vehicle can be removed immediately and the owner pays the towing and storage charges to get it back.
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21. There is a driveway and a side street between you and the corner where you will turn right. When should you signal?
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Answer C: After passing the openings, so nobody pulls out in front of you
A signal switched on before an opening tells drivers waiting there that you are turning in, and they may pull out into your path.
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22. A sign at the approach to a bridge reads WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS. What does the figure set?
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Answer B: The heaviest vehicle the bridge may legally carry
A weight limit sign is a regulation based on what the structure can bear, and it applies to the loaded weight of the whole vehicle.
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23. Where should the least experienced riders be placed in a group?
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Answer C: Just behind the leader
Placing newer riders just behind the leader keeps the pace manageable for them and lets the more experienced riders behind keep an eye on them.
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24. A freeway sign shows a minimum speed limit. What does it require?
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Answer B: That you keep up with it unless conditions make that unsafe
A minimum speed limit keeps very slow vehicles off the highway, but weather, traffic or a mechanical problem may make a lower speed necessary and lawful.
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25. What is the correct technique for a maximum effort stop in a straight line?
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Answer A: Squeeze the front lever progressively and press the rear pedal, staying upright
Both brakes together give the shortest stop, the front is squeezed progressively as weight transfers forward, and the machine must be upright with the bars square.