Colorado DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 53
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. A yellow sign ahead of an underpass reads LOW CLEARANCE 12 FT 6 IN. What does the figure tell you?
Show answer
Answer B: The greatest height that can pass beneath the structure
The figure is the actual clearance available, so a vehicle taller than that must leave the road and take a marked alternative route.
-
2. When should headlights be switched on besides during the hours of darkness?
Show answer
Answer C: Whenever rain, fog, snow or dust makes it harder to see or to be seen
Headlights are as much about being seen as about seeing, so they go on whenever visibility drops.
-
3. The sun is low behind you and shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Turn on your headlights and expect oncoming drivers not to see you
Drivers facing the low sun may not see you at all, so make yourself as visible as possible and give way rather than insisting on your right of way.
-
4. A deer crosses the road in front of you and disappears into the trees. What should you expect?
Show answer
Answer B: That other deer are likely to follow it across the very same stretch of road
Deer usually move in groups, so one crossing the road is a warning that more may follow.
-
5. How often should you check your mirrors while driving?
Show answer
Answer C: Every few seconds, so you always know what is around you
Traffic behind and beside you changes constantly. Frequent, brief mirror checks keep a picture of your surroundings current so nothing surprises you.
-
6. After completing a turn you notice your signal is still flashing. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Switch it off at once, before other drivers act on it
A signal left on after a turn is a false message, and drivers waiting to pull out may move into your path because of it.
-
7. Why are dawn and dusk especially difficult times to be seen on a motorcycle?
Show answer
Answer A: Low contrast light makes a small vehicle blend into the scene
In the flat light of dawn and dusk a motorcycle blends into its background, so bright color, reflective material and the headlight matter most at exactly those hours.
-
8. You cannot avoid an obstacle lying in the road. At what angle should you try to cross it?
Show answer
Answer D: As close to 90 degrees as possible
Meeting the obstacle squarely keeps the front wheel from being deflected sideways as it climbs over the edge.
-
9. Traffic ahead of you has stopped in your lane while the next lane is still moving. What is the first thing to do?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow down first and check the next lane before moving over
Braking is the action that keeps you from hitting the stopped traffic, and the lane change is only safe once you have looked.
-
10. Two left-turn lanes are available and you must turn right again a short distance after the turn. Which of the two should you use?
Show answer
Answer D: The right one, so you finish nearer the right side of the new street
Each turn lane feeds the matching lane of the new street, so choosing the right-hand of the two left-turn lanes leaves you closer to the side you will need.
-
11. A raised area crosses the roadway and carries a series of white markings on its face. What are those markings for?
Show answer
Answer A: To make the hump visible so drivers slow for it
Speed hump markings warn drivers that the pavement rises, which matters most at night or when the hump is in shadow.
-
12. Apart from other vehicles, who else must a driver let go first at this sign?
Show answer
Answer A: Pedestrians and cyclists already in or entering the crossing
The duty to give way covers every road user who has the right of way at that point, including people walking or cycling across the driver's path.
-
13. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?
Show answer
Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did
A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.
-
14. How should a passenger behave through a turn?
Show answer
Answer B: Look over the operator's shoulder in the direction of the turn and avoid sudden movement
Looking over the operator's shoulder into the turn keeps the passenger aligned with the motorcycle, and avoiding sudden movement prevents unexpected changes in balance.
-
15. The neutral light is on, but you are not sure the transmission is really out of gear. How can you confirm it?
Show answer
Answer B: Release the clutch and rock the motorcycle to see whether it rolls freely
A machine that rolls without resistance while the clutch is released is genuinely in neutral, which a burnt out or faulty neutral switch cannot tell you.
-
16. What is the usual result of driving well above the flow of traffic on a typical trip?
Show answer
Answer B: Very little time saved, with much greater risk
Signals, traffic and short distances swallow the theoretical gain, while crash risk and crash severity both climb sharply with speed.
-
17. You are traveling beside a solid white lane line. What does it tell you?
Show answer
Answer B: Crossing it is discouraged or prohibited, so stay in your lane
A solid white line separates lanes going the same direction where lane changing is discouraged or prohibited, such as where a through lane meets a mandatory turn lane.
-
18. In most states, when are headlights required apart from times of poor visibility?
Show answer
Answer A: From about half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise
Most states require lights from about half an hour after sunset until about half an hour before sunrise, and some simply say sunset to sunrise; lights are also required whenever visibility is poor.
-
19. Why can a motorcycle ahead of you slow down without any warning light showing?
Show answer
Answer B: The rider may slow by downshifting or rolling off
Riders often lose speed by closing the throttle or changing down, which does not switch on the brake light, so watch the machine itself and keep back.
-
20. When should you arrange your way home if you plan to drink?
Show answer
Answer C: Before the first drink
Judgment is the first thing alcohol weakens, so the plan has to be made while you can still make a good one.
-
21. What is the correct way to think about protective gear?
Show answer
Answer D: It reduces injury in a crash but does nothing to prevent one
Gear is the last line of defense. Avoiding the crash depends on skill, speed choice, space and visibility, and gear only limits the damage when those fail.
-
22. You have a green light at a school crossing, but the crossing guard steps out and holds up a stop sign toward you. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop, because the crossing guard controls this crossing and outranks the signal
Directions from a crossing guard or a police officer take priority over signals and signs.
-
23. Why is it useful to watch the vehicle two or three places ahead of you?
Show answer
Answer C: You get an earlier warning of slowing traffic than brake lights give
Trouble travels back through a line of traffic, so seeing it start several vehicles ahead gives you a head start on braking.
-
24. Before pulling out to pass on a two lane road, which lane position gives the best view of the road ahead?
Show answer
Answer B: The left portion of your lane
Moving to the left of your own lane lets you see past the vehicle ahead and judge the oncoming lane before committing any part of the machine to it.
-
25. A pedestrian has stepped into a crosswalk at an intersection ahead of you. What is your obligation?
Show answer
Answer C: Yield and let the pedestrian finish crossing before you proceed
Drivers must yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and an intersection has a legal crosswalk whether or not lines are painted on the pavement.