Oregon DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 19

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

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

  1. 1. A driver who wants to reverse direction arrives at this sign. What is allowed?

    A white square showing a U shaped arrow inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer C: Going on and reversing direction only where the maneuver is permitted

    The restriction removes that maneuver at that spot entirely, so the driver has to continue and turn the vehicle around at a place where it is not prohibited.

  2. 2. What does a steady yellow traffic light tell the driver facing it?

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    Answer A: The green movement is ending and a red indication is about to appear

    A steady yellow warns that the related green movement is being terminated and that red will follow, so you should stop if you can do so safely.

  3. 3. You are turning right onto a one-way street. Which lane of that street should you enter?

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    Answer C: The lane closest to the right curb

    Even though every lane on a one-way street runs your way, a right turn must end in the lane nearest the right curb; you may change lanes afterwards when it is safe.

  4. 4. You are about to accelerate hard to merge with traffic. What should you have arranged with your passenger?

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    Answer D: That you warn them beforehand so they can tighten their grip

    A passenger who is not expecting a burst of acceleration is thrown backward, and the sudden shift of weight upsets the machine just when the rider needs it settled.

  5. 5. Two left-turn lanes are marked at the intersection and you are in the left one. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Stay in your own lane all the way around the turn

    With dual turn lanes each driver must hold a lane through the whole turn and come out in the matching lane of the new street.

  6. 6. The crossbuck, formed by two rectangular arms crossed in an X, is placed

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    Answer D: on each highway approach to a railroad grade crossing

    The crossbuck marks the location of a highway-rail grade crossing and is required on each highway approach to that crossing.

  7. 7. You are stopped at a stop sign waiting to turn onto a highway where traffic moves at 55 mph. How should you choose your gap?

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    Answer A: Wait for a much larger gap than the one you would accept on a city street

    Fast traffic covers ground while you are still accelerating, so the gap that feels adequate at 25 mph is dangerously short at highway speed.

  8. 8. You are waiting to turn and the traffic ahead has stopped. Where must you not come to rest?

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    Answer D: On the crosswalk, which people need in order to cross the street

    Stopping on a crosswalk forces pedestrians out into the traffic lanes to get around you, so you hold back before it instead.

  9. 9. Rain has been falling steadily for half an hour. How does traction compare with the first minutes of the shower?

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    Answer C: It usually improves somewhat, because the early oil film has washed away

    Rain floats oil and dust to the top at first, so the road is most slippery in the early minutes, and a longer downpour rinses much of that film away. The pavement is still wet and grips less than when it is dry.

  10. 10. You have stopped on the shoulder of a busy freeway with a flat tire that you cannot change safely. Where should you and your passengers wait?

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    Answer A: Well away from the traffic side, behind a barrier or up the bank if there is one

    People struck on the shoulder are a common cause of roadside deaths, so wait away from the traffic side and behind any barrier.

  11. 11. You and a driver coming from the opposite direction reach a four-way stop at the same time and you are both going straight ahead. What happens next?

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    Answer D: Both of you may move off together, because your paths do not cross each other

    Opposing vehicles that are both going straight do not cross paths, so they can move off together once the intersection is clear.

  12. 12. What is a driver being warned about here?

    A yellow diamond showing two black arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down
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    Answer B: The pavement ahead carries vehicles traveling in the opposite direction

    Beyond this point vehicles come the other way on the same pavement, which commonly happens where a one-way section or a separated stretch comes to an end.

  13. 13. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?

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    Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle

    High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.

  14. 14. A bee gets inside your jacket while you are riding. What is the recommended action?

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    Answer B: Pull off the road and stop before you try to deal with the insect

    Being stung hurts, but losing control while swatting hurts much more, so ride to a safe place, stop and then deal with the insect.

  15. 15. A yellow curve warning sign carries a yellow plaque showing a speed. What does that number mean?

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    Answer D: The recommended maximum safe speed for the curve under ideal conditions

    An advisory speed plaque on a yellow warning sign gives the recommended maximum speed for the hazard ahead when conditions are good.

  16. 16. What is the friction zone of the clutch?

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    Answer A: The range of lever travel where power starts to reach the rear wheel

    Easing the clutch lever into the friction zone lets the engine drive the rear wheel gradually, which is what makes a smooth start from a stop possible.

  17. 17. A sign showing a figure with an outstretched thumb inside a red circle with a slash means that

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    Answer B: soliciting a ride is prohibited there

    The no hitchhiking sign bars standing beside the road to solicit a ride, and it is common along freeway ramps and shoulders.

  18. 18. 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.

  19. 19. Red pavement markings are used on a roadway to show that

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    Answer A: it must not be entered from that direction

    Red markings identify a roadway that is not to be entered or used, and they also mark the pavement of truck escape ramps.

  20. 20. Your front wheel drops off the edge of the pavement onto a lower shoulder. What is the safest way back?

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    Answer D: Ride straight, slow down, then turn back sharply enough to cross the edge

    Trying to climb a raised pavement edge at a shallow angle lets the tire slide along it, so the rider settles first and then crosses the edge at a sharp angle.

  21. 21. Why must a rider turn the head and look before changing lanes?

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    Answer A: Mirrors leave blind spots that only a direct look can cover

    Motorcycles have blind spots just as cars do, and a vehicle hidden in one will not appear in the mirrors at all.

  22. 22. A vehicle is sitting in your blind spot and you need to change into that lane. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Adjust your speed to open a clear gap, then check again and move over

    Changing your speed either drops the other vehicle behind you or lets it move ahead, which turns the blind spot back into open space.

  23. 23. When should tire pressure be measured?

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    Answer B: Before riding, while the tires are still cold

    Riding heats the air inside a tire and raises the reading, so pressure is set cold to match the figure the manufacturer specifies.

  24. 24. When no speed is posted, what speed is prima facie evidence of a basic speed rule violation on an alley or narrow residential roadway in Oregon?

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    Answer C: 15 miles per hour

    ORS 811.105 sets 15 miles per hour as the prima facie evidence speed for an alley or narrow residential roadway when no other speed is posted.

  25. 25. Why is a motorcycle particularly hard for other drivers to judge at night?

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    Answer A: Its single headlight gives no width cues for distance and speed

    Drivers judge distance from the spacing between a pair of headlights, and a single lamp gives them nothing to measure, so they routinely misjudge how close and how fast a motorcycle is.