Iowa DOT Motorcycle Practice Test 43
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age14 years
-
1. A white arrow painted in your lane points only to the right, and a sign above the lane shows the same movement. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Turn right from that lane
Pavement arrows used with lane-use signs are regulatory, so a driver occupying that lane must make the movement shown.
-
2. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?
Show answer
Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance
A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.
-
3. You are riding where fresh pavement meets an older lane that sits an inch or two lower. How should you move across that edge?
Show answer
Answer A: Slow down and cross the edge at as sharp an angle as the lane allows
A pavement edge break can steer the front wheel along it if you meet it at a shallow angle, so slow, hold the bars firmly and cross it steeply.
-
4. A white regulatory sign near a state line reads BUCKLE UP IT IS THE LAW. What is it doing?
Show answer
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.
-
5. A yellow sign reads SOFT SHOULDER. What is it telling you?
Show answer
Answer C: The shoulder may not carry the weight of a vehicle
A soft shoulder is unpaved and can let a wheel sink, so a driver who leaves the pavement there may lose control or become stuck.
-
6. What must be attached to the rear of an Iowa motorized bicycle operated on a highway?
Show answer
Answer B: A triangular bicycle safety flag extending at least five feet above the ground
Iowa Code section 321.275 requires a motorized bicycle on a highway to carry a triangular bicycle safety flag of at least thirty square inches in Day-Glo color, extending not less than five feet above the ground.
-
7. How is the rear brake applied on a standard motorcycle?
Show answer
Answer D: By pressing down a pedal with the right foot
The rear brake pedal is in front of the right footrest and should be pressed down smoothly rather than stamped on.
-
8. A line of short dashes set closer together than an ordinary lane line runs beside your lane where a ramp leaves the highway. What does a dotted line of that kind convey?
Show answer
Answer A: A warning that the lane is about to change function
Dotted lines give guidance or warning about a downstream change, such as a lane that becomes an exit only lane or a lane line carried across an intersection.
-
9. When should you enter a destination into a navigation device?
Show answer
Answer B: Before you start driving, or after parking in a safe place
Programming a route is a visual, manual and mental task at the same time, so it belongs to the moments before the vehicle moves rather than to any point in traffic.
-
10. Why is hearing protection recommended even under a full face helmet?
Show answer
Answer D: Long term exposure to wind and road noise can cause permanent hearing damage
Airflow around a helmet produces high noise levels, and good hearing protection lowers that noise while still letting the rider hear horns and sirens.
-
11. Why do drivers so often misjudge how fast an approaching motorcycle is traveling?
Show answer
Answer C: A narrow vehicle seems to grow slowly, so it appears further away
A small frontal area changes size slowly as it approaches, so drivers read a motorcycle as further away and slower than it really is. Never assume a waiting driver has judged your speed correctly.
-
12. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?
Show answer
Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you
Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.
-
13. Oil is visible running down the front fork tubes. What does that mean?
Show answer
Answer C: A fork seal has failed and the suspension needs repair
Fork oil escaping past a seal means the front suspension is losing its damping, and the oil can also reach the front brake and ruin its grip.
-
14. What should a passenger be told about moving around on the motorcycle?
Show answer
Answer A: To stay directly behind the operator and avoid sudden or unnecessary movement
Unexpected movement by a passenger upsets the balance of the machine, most of all at low speed and while the motorcycle is leaned over in a turn.
-
15. Why does a long downhill grade lengthen the distance you need to stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Because gravity keeps pulling the vehicle forward as you brake
On a downgrade gravity works with the vehicle and against the brakes, so the same speed needs noticeably more distance than it would on level ground.
-
16. You are making a legal U-turn at an intersection. Who has the right of way?
Show answer
Answer C: Everyone else, until your turn is complete
A U-turn crosses several paths at once, so you yield to oncoming vehicles, to crossing traffic and to pedestrians before starting it.
-
17. Which of these would appear as a symbol on a blue general service sign?
Show answer
Answer A: A hospital
General service signs cover facilities such as hospitals, fuel, food, lodging, camping, telephones and rest areas, all shown in white on blue.
-
18. What is the youngest age at which the Iowa DOT may issue an instruction permit?
Show answer
Answer A: 14 years
Iowa Code section 321.180B allows the department to issue an instruction permit to an applicant who is between 14 and 18 years of age.
-
19. What do flashing yellow lights on a school bus mean?
Show answer
Answer A: The bus is about to stop to load or unload, so prepare to stop
The amber lights are the warning phase that comes before the red lights and the stop arm, so drivers should slow down and get ready to stop.
-
20. The blue signs mounted before a freeway interchange that carry the logos of individual businesses are
Show answer
Answer C: specific service signs, which show the brands available at that exit
Specific service signs, often called logo signs, list eligible businesses for categories such as gas, food, lodging, camping, attractions and 24-hour pharmacies at the upcoming interchange.
-
21. Your motorcycle has a grab rail behind the passenger seat. What should the passenger know about using it?
Show answer
Answer C: It is fine to hold, but they must still brace against acceleration
A rail behind the passenger gives a secure grip but does nothing to stop them sliding backward, so they still need to expect the machine to pull away.
-
22. What is the recommended minimum following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
Show answer
Answer C: Two seconds
A two second gap is the minimum in good conditions and should be stretched to three seconds or more on slippery roads, in poor visibility or in heavy traffic.
-
23. Who should set the pace of a group ride?
Show answer
Answer A: The last rider in the group, so that nobody is forced to hurry to keep up
The tail ender sets the pace: every rider watches the mirrors for the rider behind, and if someone falls back the whole group slows a little to stay together.
-
24. After a crash, what information should you exchange with the other driver?
Show answer
Answer B: Name, address, driver license, vehicle registration and insurance details
Identification, registration and insurance information are what the other party and the insurers need. Sensitive financial details are never required.
-
25. A flagger in a work zone turns a paddle so that the red octagonal face reading STOP is toward you. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop completely and wait for the flagger to signal you forward
The STOP face of a flagger paddle requires a complete stop, and you may move again only when the flagger directs you to.