Oregon DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 55

  • 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. How should a rider and passenger arrange to communicate during a ride?

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    Answer A: By agreeing on simple signals or taps before the ride starts

    Wind and engine noise make speech unreliable, so a short set of signals agreed in advance is the dependable way for a passenger to say they need to stop.

  2. 2. Does Oregon's move-over / safe-distance statute apply only to police cars and other government emergency vehicles that are stopped?

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    Answer C: No, it applies to any stopped vehicle displaying required warning or hazard lights, or emergency flares or signs

    ORS 811.147 is written broadly to cover any stopped motor vehicle displaying required warning or hazard lights, or a person indicating distress with emergency flares or signs, not just government emergency vehicles.

  3. 3. What is true about driving away from a crash you were involved in?

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    Answer B: It is a serious offense, even if the other driver has driven away too

    Leaving the scene is a criminal offense in every state, and the behavior of the other driver does not excuse it.

  4. 4. How does being tired change your total stopping distance?

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    Answer A: It lengthens it, because you take longer to notice and react

    Fatigue stretches perception and reaction time, and every extra fraction of a second is added distance before the brakes even begin to work.

  5. 5. Why is the center portion of the lane a useful default on an open road?

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    Answer B: It keeps a space cushion on both sides and discourages lane sharing

    From the middle of the lane the rider has room to move either way, and no driver sees an obvious gap alongside to squeeze into.

  6. 6. What is the purpose of the engine cut-off switch?

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    Answer B: To stop the engine without letting go of the handgrips

    The cut-off switch, usually a red switch near the right handgrip, shuts the engine down while the rider keeps both hands in control of the motorcycle.

  7. 7. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?

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    Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely

    Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.

  8. 8. What is the main risk of buying a second hand helmet?

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    Answer B: You cannot know whether it has been dropped or crashed already

    A helmet's protection depends on a liner that may already be crushed by an impact you cannot see, and a stranger's helmet comes with no history you can trust.

  9. 9. You are crossing a long, high bridge in a strong crosswind. Where should you expect the wind to change most suddenly?

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    Answer A: At the ends of the bridge and where towers or trucks briefly block the wind

    Wind is gustiest where something shelters you and then stops, such as bridge abutments, towers and large vehicles, so be ready for a push as you move in and out of the shelter.

  10. 10. Which rough check suggests that a helmet is a novelty shell rather than a certified helmet?

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    Answer C: It weighs about a pound, far less than a certified helmet

    A certified helmet weighs roughly three pounds because of its shell and thick liner, while a novelty shell is very light. Weight is only a clue, and the certification label is the real check.

  11. 11. Which action makes a wobble worse instead of better?

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    Answer A: Braking or accelerating to try to ride out of it

    Braking or adding power during a wobble can amplify it. Close the throttle gradually, hold the bars firmly and let the speed fall until the machine settles.

  12. 12. Approaching the point this sign refers to, which hazard is most likely?

    A yellow diamond showing a vertical black line with a shorter line joining it from the right
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    Answer A: A vehicle pulling out from the entering road into the driver's path

    The main risk is a driver on the entering road who misjudges the gap and pulls out, so covering the brake and being ready to slow is the sensible response.

  13. 13. Which set of qualities should eye protection for riding have?

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    Answer A: Shatter resistant, free of scratches, and sealed against the wind

    Riding eye protection has to survive an impact, let you see clearly and keep the air out, which is why plastic face shields and goggles are used instead of ordinary glasses.

  14. 14. 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.

  15. 15. You are inside a tunnel with no shoulder when an ambulance comes up behind you with lights and siren. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Keep going at a safe speed and pull over once you are clear of the tunnel

    Stopping in a tunnel or on a narrow bridge blocks the only lane, so continue at a safe speed to the first place where you can pull clear.

  16. 16. The light ahead is green but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait behind the intersection until there is room to clear it completely

    You may not enter an intersection unless you can get completely through it, because stopping inside blocks cross traffic when the signal changes.

  17. 17. You arrive at an intersection with no signs, no signals and no markings at the same time as a vehicle on the road to your right. What must you do?

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    Answer B: Yield to the vehicle on your right

    At an uncontrolled intersection you must yield to a vehicle already in the intersection or approaching from your right.

  18. 18. A driver is thinking about overtaking a slower vehicle and sees this sign a short distance ahead. What does it mean for that pass?

    A yellow sign shaped like a horizontal triangle pointing right, with black lettering
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    Answer B: The pass must be finished before the restricted section begins

    The sign marks the start of a section where passing is prohibited, so a driver may not be on the left side of the road beyond it; any pass has to be completed before that point or not started at all.

  19. 19. You are overtaking a large tractor trailer on the highway. What should you expect as you ride alongside and then past it?

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    Answer D: Changing pushes and pulls as you pass the front, the side and the rear

    The air around a large truck moves in different directions along its length, so expect the buffeting to change as you go by. Keep a firm but relaxed grip and a steady throttle.

  20. 20. The vehicle you want to pass is traveling close to the speed limit. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stay behind, because a pass may not take you over the limit

    The speed limit applies while passing too. If you cannot complete the pass without exceeding it, do not start the pass.

  21. 21. Where is this sign installed in relation to the hazard it announces?

    A yellow circle showing a black cross and the letters R R in the side quarters
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    Answer A: Far enough before the hazard that a driver can slow down and stop short of it

    This is an advance warning sign, placed on the approach so a driver has time to react before reaching a crossing that a curve or a crest may be hiding.

  22. 22. At a railroad crossing with no gates and no flashing lights, the crossbuck is normally combined with which sign?

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    Answer C: A yield sign, or a stop sign where an engineering study calls for one

    At a passive crossing the crossbuck forms an assembly with a yield sign, or with a stop sign when an engineering study or engineering judgment supports it, so the driver knows who must give way to the train.

  23. 23. Where does loose sand and gravel most often collect on a paved road?

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    Answer D: Along the edges of the road and on curves and highway ramps

    Traffic sweeps loose material toward the outside of the travel path, so it builds up at the road edges and on curves and on entrance and exit ramps.

  24. 24. A truck ahead of you is spreading salt or grit on the road. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Drop back so the material does not reach your car

    Spreaders throw material backward and sideways, and following close means stone chips and a screen full of spray, so leave extra distance.

  25. 25. You come up behind a bicyclist who is descending a steep hill in the middle of the traffic lane. What should you take into account?

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    Answer D: The rider may be moving at close to the speed of the traffic

    A bicycle can reach the speed of traffic on a descent, so there is little to gain from a pass and the rider needs the whole lane to steer around surface hazards.