Iowa DOT Motorcycle Practice Test 58

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age14 years

Minimum age: 14 years for a motorcycle instruction permit

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. When is the right time to put on rain gear?

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    Answer C: Before the rain reaches you, at a safe place off the roadway

    Once you are wet you stay cold for the rest of the ride, so stop somewhere safe and put the rain suit on while you are still dry.

  2. 2. Where should a rider in the middle of a group direct their attention?

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    Answer A: Well ahead through the group and around it, not just at the rider in front

    Watching only the machine ahead hides the traffic and hazards further up the road, and it leaves the rider reacting late to everything the group meets.

  3. 3. Which part of the body operates the gearshift lever?

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    Answer B: The left foot

    The gearshift lever sits ahead of the left footrest and is moved up or down with the left foot.

  4. 4. What does a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 mean for the driver of a car?

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    Answer B: It is the level almost every state treats as legally intoxicated

    In almost every state a driver at 0.08 or above is legally intoxicated whatever the driver seems like, but impairment starts well before that level is reached.

  5. 5. A disabled vehicle is blocking your lane on a two-lane road with a single solid yellow line on your side. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Wait until the oncoming lane is clear, then go around carefully

    The solid line prohibits overtaking a moving vehicle, but in most states a driver may go around an obstruction such as a disabled vehicle once the oncoming lane is clear and the move can be made safely.

  6. 6. You are turning right from a one-way street onto a two-way street. Where should the turn end?

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    Answer A: In the lane nearest the right curb of the street you are entering

    A right turn starts and finishes as close to the right as practical, so you leave the one-way street from the right lane and arrive in the lane nearest the right curb.

  7. 7. 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.

  8. 8. A driver's blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit, but the driver is visibly impaired. Can the driver be arrested?

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    Answer C: Yes, driving while impaired by alcohol is an offense at any concentration

    The per se figure, 0.08 percent in most states and 0.05 percent in Utah, is the level at which impairment is presumed. Impairment shown by driving behavior and field tests is enough on its own, because alcohol affects skills well before that number.

  9. 9. What is the proper use of the horn?

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    Answer C: To give a brief warning when another road user may not have seen you

    The horn is a warning device meant to alert someone to your presence when a collision is possible, and using it in anger tends to escalate conflict rather than prevent crashes.

  10. 10. What does a tire with worn tread do on a wet road?

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    Answer B: It loses grip and it hydroplanes at a lower speed than a good tire

    Tread grooves carry water away from the contact patch, and a worn tire cannot do that, so it floats on the water sooner.

  11. 11. Many signs use a symbol instead of words. The main advantage is that a symbol

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    Answer C: can be read from farther away and by more people

    A symbol is recognized at greater distance than a line of text and does not depend on the reader knowing English.

  12. 12. A small yellow plaque showing a speed number below a curve warning sign gives

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    Answer C: the speed recommended for the condition being warned about

    The advisory speed plaque belongs to the warning series and states the speed judged safe for the condition ahead under good circumstances, not a regulatory limit.

  13. 13. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?

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    Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway

    Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.

  14. 14. What is the role of the sweep rider in a group?

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    Answer B: To ride last, watch the group, and notice when a rider drops back or has trouble

    The sweep rider takes the last position so that any rider who slows, stops or has a problem is noticed instead of being left behind.

  15. 15. A parking space is marked with the international symbol of access. Who may use it?

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    Answer A: Only a vehicle displaying the required placard or plate

    Accessible spaces may be used only by a vehicle that displays a valid disability placard or plate, no matter how short the stop would be.

  16. 16. A center lane is bordered by a solid yellow line on the outside and a broken yellow line on the inside, with left-turn arrows painted in it. How may you use that lane?

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    Answer A: Only to make a left turn or to prepare for one from either direction

    That marking identifies a two-way left turn lane, which may only be used for left turns or to prepare for a left turn and never for travel or passing.

  17. 17. Your group is turning left across oncoming traffic. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Wait until you personally have a large enough gap to turn

    Each rider needs a gap of their own, and turning on the strength of the rider ahead means turning into traffic you have not actually judged.

  18. 18. The queue for an exit ramp has backed up into the right lane of the highway. What should you do if you want that exit?

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    Answer B: Join the back of the queue in the lane instead of cutting in later

    Passing a queue and forcing in at the front stops the whole line, and using the shoulder puts you where broken-down vehicles are expected to be.

  19. 19. A pedestrian signal displays a steady walking person symbol. What does it mean for a pedestrian at that corner?

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    Answer B: The pedestrian may start crossing in the direction of the signal

    The steady walking person permits a pedestrian to begin the crossing, while still yielding to vehicles already lawfully in the intersection.

  20. 20. Where should a rider keep the knees while riding?

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    Answer B: Against the fuel tank

    Knees held against the tank anchor the rider to the motorcycle and improve balance, which matters most in turns.

  21. 21. How should your following distance change in heavy rain?

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    Answer D: It should be increased well beyond what you use on dry pavement

    Wet pavement lengthens stopping distance and rain cuts visibility at the same time, so a larger gap gives you the extra seconds needed to see a problem and stop for it.

  22. 22. A white regulatory sign shows the silhouette of a truck inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What does it mean?

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    Answer A: Trucks are not allowed to use that road

    The circle and slash over a symbol always means the movement or vehicle shown is prohibited, so trucks must keep off that roadway.

  23. 23. What do white lane lines painted between travel lanes indicate?

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    Answer A: Traffic in the adjacent lane moves in the same direction as you

    White markings separate lanes carrying traffic in the same direction and mark the right edge of the roadway.

  24. 24. A driver is following you far too closely. What is the best response?

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    Answer D: Increase your own following distance and let the driver pass when it is safe

    More room ahead of you means you can slow gradually instead of braking hard, which reduces the chance of being struck from behind, and letting the driver by removes the problem entirely.

  25. 25. 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.