Mississippi DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 20
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum ageSee note
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1. When is a driver or rider most likely to need hand and arm signals instead of the vehicle turn signal lamps?
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Answer D: When the lamps have failed or cannot be seen because of glare or a load
Hand and arm signals replace or reinforce the lamps whenever the lamps do not work or cannot be seen clearly by other road users.
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2. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to
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Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location
Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.
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3. What does the T-CLOCS pre-ride inspection routine cover?
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Answer B: Tires and wheels, controls, lights, fluids, chassis and stands
T-CLOCS is a memory aid for a walk around check of tires and wheels, controls, lights and electrics, oil and other fluids, chassis, and side and center stands.
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4. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back
Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.
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5. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?
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Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it
Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.
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6. You reach an uncontrolled intersection at the same moment as a vehicle approaching from your left. What should you do?
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Answer A: Proceed, but only once you see that driver slowing
You have the right of way over the vehicle on your left, but a right of way is something the other driver has to give, so confirm it before you commit.
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7. Mississippi's speed table lists a minimum as well as a maximum for interstates and four-lane state and US highways. What is that minimum?
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Answer A: 40 mph
Mississippi sets a minimum speed of 40 mph for interstates and four-lane state and US highways so that slow vehicles do not obstruct the flow.
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8. How does Mississippi law rank reckless driving against careless driving?
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Answer C: Reckless driving is treated as the greater offense of the two
Mississippi defines reckless driving as willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property and states that it is a greater offense than careless driving.
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9. Which pair of documents does Mississippi accept as the two required proofs of identification?
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Answer C: A social security card and a certified birth certificate
Mississippi requires a social security card and a certified birth certificate as the two proofs of identification.
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10. Which of these is a known cause of a high speed wobble?
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Answer C: Incorrect tire pressure or a load carried too far back and too high
Wobble is usually traced to tires, wheels, loading or poorly mounted accessories such as a windshield or fairing, so check pressures and how the machine is loaded.
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11. A warning sign showing two children on a see-saw is posted beside a residential street. What does it mean?
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Answer D: A play area lies beside the road and children may run out
The playground sign warns that children are present next to the roadway and may enter it without looking, so drivers should cover the brake and slow down.
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12. What kind of sole and heel suit motorcycle boots?
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Answer A: A hard, slip resistant sole with a low heel that will not catch
Boots have to grip the pavement when you put a foot down and grip the footrests while you ride, and a tall heel can catch on the ground or on the machine.
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13. Apart from a crash, when do helmet makers generally advise replacing a helmet?
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Answer A: After several years of use, as the liner and materials age
Liners, glues and straps degrade with sweat, sunlight and time, so manufacturers commonly recommend replacing a helmet after several years even if it looks fine.
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14. What is the function of a regulatory sign?
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Answer A: To inform road users of traffic laws or regulations that apply at that location
Regulatory signs state requirements that carry the force of law where they are posted, so disregarding one is a violation rather than a lapse of judgment.
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15. Your exit from a three-lane highway is about a mile ahead on the right, and you are in the left lane. What should you do?
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Answer B: Start moving right now, one lane at a time
Plan ahead and change lanes one at a time well before the exit, so you never have to cut across several lanes at the gore.
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16. Does using a hands free device remove the risk of distraction?
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Answer A: No, the conversation still takes attention away from driving
Hands free equipment removes the manual part of the distraction but not the mental part, and a driver deep in conversation can look straight at a hazard without registering it.
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17. You are on a four-lane divided highway and a vehicle in your lane is stopped waiting to turn left across the median. What is the normal way past?
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Answer D: Slow down and go by in the lane to the right when it is clear
On a multilane road the free lane beside you is the lawful place to go past a vehicle waiting to turn, and the median is not part of the roadway.
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18. How should a load be distributed between the two saddlebags?
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Answer B: Evenly, so the weight is balanced from side to side
An uneven load pulls the motorcycle toward the heavy side and makes it behave differently in left turns than in right turns.
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19. Some drivers believe they can multitask while driving. What does research show?
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Answer C: The brain switches rapidly between tasks and driving performance suffers
The brain does not truly do two attention-demanding tasks at once; it alternates between them, and the driving task gets less attention each time.
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20. A new Mississippi resident surrenders a valid, unexpired license from another state. What examination still applies?
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Answer D: The vision screening applies although the knowledge exam is waived
Mississippi waives the computerized knowledge exam for a valid out-of-state license but still screens the applicant's vision.
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21. Your loaded vehicle weighs more than the figure shown on a posted weight limit sign. What must you do?
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Answer D: Find another route, because crossing is not permitted
A posted weight limit is a legal maximum, not advice, so an overweight vehicle has to take a different route.
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22. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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23. Federal law lets a state open its high-occupancy vehicle lanes to certain vehicles carrying only one person. Which of these is covered by that allowance?
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Answer B: Motorcycles
Federal law lets states allow motorcycles into high-occupancy vehicle lanes regardless of the number of occupants, because keeping riders in the flow is safer than the alternative.
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24. What is the danger of riding in cold weather with thin gloves?
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Answer C: Cold, numb hands respond slowly and lose their feel for the controls
Wind chill at riding speed cools the hands quickly, and numb fingers are slower and less precise on the clutch, throttle and brake.
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25. You want to turn right from a lane marked for through traffic and right turns, and the driver behind you wants to go straight. What should you do?
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Answer C: Signal, stay in the lane and make the turn when it is safe
A shared lane is the correct place to turn right from, so signal early and turn from the lane; the driver behind must wait or use another lane.
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26. What is the correct order of a pass on a two-lane road?
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Answer A: Check ahead and behind, signal left, move out, accelerate past, signal right and return
A pass begins with the decision that the road is clear and ends with a signaled return, and each step warns other drivers before the vehicle moves.
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27. Why does full riding gear matter on a short trip around the neighborhood?
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Answer D: Pavement takes skin off at 25 miles an hour just as it does at 55
Serious injuries happen at ordinary street speeds and close to home, so gear that is worth wearing on a long trip is worth wearing on a short one.
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28. What should a rider check about the size of a motorcycle before riding it?
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Answer C: That both feet reach the ground and the controls are within reach
A motorcycle that fits lets the rider put both feet down at a stop and work every control without stretching, and a machine that is too tall or too heavy is hard to hold up in slow traffic.
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29. Why do watering eyes matter so much to a rider?
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Answer D: Blurred vision delays the moment you see and react to a hazard
Wind makes unprotected eyes water, and even a brief loss of clear vision at road speed costs you the distance you need to react.
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30. At a freeway exit ramp, this sign normally backs up which other regulatory sign posted nearer to the ramp terminal?
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Answer D: The sign that forbids entering that roadway at all
The two work as a pair at ramp terminals: one keeps drivers from turning in, and this one sits farther along to catch a driver who has already entered.