Washington DOL Motorcycle Practice Test 28
- Questions50
- Correct to pass40
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. How does going a long time without sleep compare with drinking?
Show answer
Answer A: It can impair a driver in much the same way
Long periods awake produce slow reactions, poor judgment and lapses of attention that resemble the effects of alcohol, which is why fatigue counts as impairment.
-
2. How should a face shield be cleaned?
Show answer
Answer C: With mild soap and water and a soft cloth, then dried gently
Plastic shields scratch easily and are damaged by solvents, and a scratched shield scatters light badly at night, so use mild soap, water and a soft cloth.
-
3. Apart from giving you room to stop, what else does a longer following gap do for you?
Show answer
Answer D: It widens your view of the road and the traffic ahead
Sitting further back lets you see past and around the vehicle in front, so hazards reach your eyes seconds earlier.
-
4. Which of these is checked in the Chassis step of T-CLOCS?
Show answer
Answer C: The frame, the suspension, the chain or belt and the fasteners
The chassis step covers the frame and its welds, the front and rear suspension, the final drive and the nuts and bolts holding everything together.
-
5. Which driver is exempt from Washington's electronic device restrictions while performing their duties?
Show answer
Answer B: An operator of an authorized emergency vehicle
Washington's electronic device law exempts operators of authorized emergency vehicles while performing their duties.
-
6. How may a two-way left-turn lane never be used?
Show answer
Answer B: As a through travel lane or a passing lane
The lane exists only for turning movements, so traveling or passing along it puts you head-on with vehicles turning from the opposite direction.
-
7. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Try to find the owner, or leave a note with your name and contact details, and report the crash
Hitting an unattended vehicle carries the same duties as any crash. Leaving without identifying yourself is a hit-and-run offense.
-
8. On a wet road, how should a driver adjust after passing this sign?
Show answer
Answer B: Start braking earlier, because a slippery surface lengthens the stopping distance
A wet surface lengthens stopping distance, so the extra warning distance should be spent braking gently and early instead of late and hard.
-
9. How can you keep space at the sides of your vehicle in heavy traffic?
Show answer
Answer D: Drive in the gaps between the other vehicles rather than beside them
Travelling in the open spaces rather than alongside others keeps a way out open on at least one side.
-
10. Why does a motorcycle with a manual fuel supply valve have an OFF position?
Show answer
Answer A: It stops fuel reaching the engine while the machine is parked
Shutting the valve keeps fuel from seeping past the carburetor into the engine or onto the ground while the motorcycle stands unused.
-
11. How can you check that you are keeping a safe following distance?
Show answer
Answer A: Count at least three seconds between the vehicle ahead passing a fixed object and your reaching it
Pick a fixed roadside object, start counting when the vehicle ahead passes it and make sure at least three seconds elapse before you reach it, adding more time in poor conditions.
-
12. Why are sign shapes and colors standardized across the whole country?
Show answer
Answer D: So a driver knows the kind of message before reading it
Uniform shapes and colors let a driver classify a sign as regulatory, warning or guide from a distance, before the legend can be read.
-
13. You have a steady green ball to turn left, and the oncoming traffic gets a green left arrow. What does that mean for you?
Show answer
Answer C: Oncoming vehicles will turn across your path, so you must wait
A green ball is permissive, so when the oncoming side receives a protected arrow those vehicles have priority and you must yield until they clear.
-
14. When are the hazard warning lights properly used?
Show answer
Answer A: When your vehicle is stopped or barely moving and is a hazard
Hazard lights warn that your vehicle is an obstruction; they do not authorize illegal parking and they hide your turn signals while driving.
-
15. The car ahead of you slows down for no reason that you can see. Should you pull out and pass?
Show answer
Answer B: No, find out why it is slowing before you commit to the other lane
A driver usually slows for something, such as a turn, a hazard or a pedestrian, and that something is often exactly where your pass would take you.
-
16. When should most of your braking for a turn be finished?
Show answer
Answer B: Before you begin to turn the wheel
Slow to the right speed before the turn begins; braking hard while turning uses up the grip the tires need for steering.
-
17. The sign over the leftmost lane reads LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT. You are in that lane and want to go straight. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Move out of the lane before the intersection if it is safe
A mandatory movement lane control sign makes the turn compulsory for that lane, so a driver who wants another movement must change lanes in advance.
-
18. Which formation lets a group of riders stay close together while every rider keeps an adequate space cushion?
Show answer
Answer A: A staggered formation
A staggered formation keeps the group compact enough for traffic while still leaving each rider room to the front, the rear and both sides.
-
19. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?
Show answer
Answer C: Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway
The acceleration lane exists so you can match the speed of freeway traffic before merging, and drivers already on the freeway have the right-of-way.
-
20. You are stopped at a stop sign on a two-way stop intersection and the cross street has no stop signs at all. What does that mean for you?
Show answer
Answer A: You yield to all cross traffic no matter how long that takes
At a two-way stop only your direction is controlled, so there is no taking turns; you wait for a gap big enough to enter safely.
-
21. What is the only reliable remedy for a driver who is sleepy?
Show answer
Answer A: Sleep
Caffeine, fresh air and noise may make you feel alert for a few minutes, but they do not remove the need for sleep. Stop somewhere safe and rest.
-
22. The left-turn signal facing you shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does it mean?
Show answer
Answer C: You may turn left after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians
A flashing yellow arrow permits a left turn but gives no protection, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to people in the crosswalk.
-
23. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?
Show answer
Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance
Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.
-
24. What is the what if habit of a defensive driver?
Show answer
Answer C: Thinking through what you would do if a hazard ahead of you turned bad
Rehearsing an answer before the hazard develops means you act at once instead of spending time deciding.
-
25. How long should a glance at a mirror or an instrument take?
Show answer
Answer A: A brief glance of about a second, returning your eyes to the road at once
Checks should be quick flicks of the eyes. At highway speed, a few seconds with your eyes off the road covers a distance long enough for a hazard to appear.
-
26. You are waiting to turn left at a solid green light with no green arrow. Oncoming traffic is approaching. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when there is a safe gap
A solid green light permits the left turn but does not protect it, so you must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians before turning.
-
27. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?
Show answer
Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit
Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.
-
28. You are riding up an entrance ramp to merge onto a freeway. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Build up to traffic speed on the ramp, then signal and check the blind spot
Matching the speed of freeway traffic before merging avoids forcing others to brake, and a head check covers the area the mirrors do not show.
-
29. You are driving through patchy fog on a highway. What should you be ready for?
Show answer
Answer B: Sudden dense banks where visibility drops within a few car lengths
Patchy fog can go from clear to nearly blind in a moment, so keep your speed low enough that a sudden bank does not leave you without room.
-
30. You are driving in fog so thick that you can barely see the vehicle ahead. Which pavement marking is the best guide for staying in your lane?
Show answer
Answer A: The white edge line on the right side of the road
The right edge line keeps you positioned away from oncoming traffic and is easy to follow at low speed. Following tail lights closely tempts you to drive faster than you can see.
-
31. What does a sign reading Slower Traffic Keep Right require?
Show answer
Answer C: Traffic moving slower than the general flow must use the right-hand lane
The sign applies to any vehicle traveling below the speed of the traffic around it, which must keep right so faster vehicles can use the lanes to the left.
-
32. 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.
-
33. On a rural two-lane road you pass small blue signs, each naming one business with an arrow and a distance. What are they?
Show answer
Answer D: Tourist-oriented directional signs for traveler businesses
Tourist-oriented directional signs carry a white legend on blue and are used on rural conventional roads to guide travelers to eligible businesses.
-
34. What happens under Washington law if a driver cannot display proof of financial responsibility when a law enforcement officer requests it?
Show answer
Answer C: The driver commits a traffic infraction
Washington makes it a traffic infraction to fail to display proof of financial responsibility when a law enforcement officer requests it.
-
35. At the scene of a crash you were part of, what are you required to do besides stopping?
Show answer
Answer B: Give your name, your address and vehicle details, and help anyone who is hurt
Every state requires drivers involved in a crash to identify themselves and to render reasonable aid to anyone injured.
-
36. What does the traffic law actually say about the right of way?
Show answer
Answer B: It says who must yield; no driver is ever entitled to take the right of way
The law describes who must yield. Right of way is something you give; insisting on it when another driver does not yield causes crashes.
-
37. The oil pressure warning light comes on while you are riding. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Stop as soon as it is safe and shut the engine off
That light warns that the engine may not be receiving oil, and every extra minute of running risks destroying it.
-
38. During the tire check you find a nail driven into the rear tire. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Have the tire repaired or replaced before the motorcycle is ridden
A punctured motorcycle tire can lose air suddenly, and a motorcycle has no second tire on that end to hold the machine up.
-
39. You are about to drive a rental car that you have never driven before. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Adjust the seat and the mirrors and find the controls before moving off
Hunting for the wipers or the lights in traffic is a distraction, so learn the layout while the vehicle is stopped.
-
40. On a two-way street, where and how should you park at the curb?
Show answer
Answer C: On the right side, facing the way traffic moves
On a two-way street you must park on the right, headed in the direction of travel; parking facing traffic is prohibited.
-
41. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
Show answer
Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.
-
42. A bicyclist is riding in the middle of a narrow travel lane ahead of you. What is the correct response?
Show answer
Answer D: Slow down and wait until you can pass with wide clearance, changing lanes if needed
A bicyclist has the same right to use the lane as a driver, and a narrow lane may not leave safe passing room, so wait for a gap that lets you move over and pass with a wide margin.
-
43. Your passenger wants to carry a bag in one hand during the ride. What should you tell them?
Show answer
Answer B: No, both hands are needed to hold on, so the bag must be secured on the machine
A passenger needs both hands on the operator or the handholds, and anything carried loose can be dropped into the wheel or pull the passenger off balance.
-
44. A driver reaching a stop sign is required to do what?
Show answer
Answer D: Come to a complete stop and then proceed only when it is safe
A stop sign requires a full stop before the stop line, crosswalk or intersection, after which the driver may go on once the way is clear.
-
45. Some states allow a left turn against a red light. Which movement is it?
Show answer
Answer A: A left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street
The movement generally allowed on red is one-way to one-way, because the turn does not cross any lane of oncoming traffic; a few states also extend it to a two-way street turning onto a one-way street.
-
46. A sign with a yellow background and a black legend generally conveys
Show answer
Answer B: a general warning
Yellow is the background color used for general warning signs, so a yellow sign tells the driver to expect something ahead rather than to obey a rule.
-
47. The gates at a railroad crossing are down, and you can see that the road beyond them is clear. What is the correct action?
Show answer
Answer A: Wait until the gates rise completely and the lights go out
Lowered gates mean rail traffic is expected, and driving around them removes the only protection the crossing provides.
-
48. What should be adjusted on the motorcycle before carrying a passenger?
Show answer
Answer C: The suspension and the tire pressure, following the owner's manual
The extra weight compresses the suspension and loads the tires, so both should be set to the values the manufacturer specifies for riding with a passenger.
-
49. When is a wet road usually most slippery?
Show answer
Answer C: Just after the rain starts, before the surface oil is washed away
Oil and dirt lying on the pavement mix with the first water and cut traction badly until continued rain washes the residue to the side of the road.
-
50. You turn left onto a road that has a center two-way left-turn lane. In which lane should you be traveling once the turn is finished?
Show answer
Answer D: The first through lane to the right of the center turn lane
The shared center lane is only for turning movements, so even where a state lets you pause in it to merge you must end up in the first ordinary travel lane beside it.