Mississippi DPS Motorcycle Practice Test 36
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum ageSee note
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1. You are about to descend a long steep grade. How should you control your speed?
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Answer D: Select a lower gear before starting down and use the brakes in firm, brief applications
Engine braking in a lower gear carries most of the load down the grade, while continuous brake pressure overheats the brakes and reduces their effectiveness.
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2. A yellow horizontal rectangular sign showing one large arrow pointing left or right, facing traffic on the far side of a sharp bend, tells the driver
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Answer C: which way the roadway turns at that point
The large arrow sign is mounted on the outside of a sharp change in alignment so that a driver approaching head on immediately sees which way the road goes.
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3. You are approaching a highway-rail grade crossing marked only with a crossbuck sign. What does that sign require?
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Answer A: Yield to any approaching train and cross only when the tracks are clear
The crossbuck is a regulatory yield sign, and a train can never stop or steer around a vehicle, so the driver must always give way.
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4. A sign reads REDUCED SPEED LIMIT AHEAD. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: A lower limit begins further along the road
The sign gives advance notice so a driver can slow gradually, and the new figure takes effect at the speed limit sign that follows.
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5. On an undivided two-lane road you meet a school bus coming toward you with its red lights flashing and its stop arm out. What must you do?
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Answer C: Stop and wait until the red lights stop flashing
On an undivided road drivers in both directions must stop for a school bus loading or unloading, because children may cross in front of it.
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6. Why should a rider pull in the clutch at the first sign that the engine is seizing?
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Answer B: So a locking engine cannot lock the rear wheel through the drive train
A seizing engine can lock up, and with the clutch engaged that would lock the rear wheel, so disconnecting the drive keeps the wheel rolling while you coast off the road.
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7. How should a group plan its rest stops on a long day?
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Answer A: Around the rider who tires first, with breaks before anyone is worn out
Fatigue destroys judgment long before a rider admits to it, so the break schedule follows the least rested rider rather than the strongest one.
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8. You have entered a work zone where crews are working close to the open lane. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and be ready for workers and machines
Workers and equipment cross the open lane without warning in a work zone, so reduced speed and attention on the road ahead are what keep them safe.
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9. Why is parking next to a fire hydrant or in a marked fire lane prohibited?
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Answer D: It would delay firefighters who need immediate access to the hydrant or the building
Fire hydrants and fire lanes must remain clear at all times so emergency crews can connect hoses and reach a building without delay.
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10. Why should reflective material be placed on the front, back and sides of a rider's gear?
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Answer D: A driver may approach the rider from any of those directions
Threats come from ahead, behind and from the sides at intersections, so reflective material should be visible from every direction a vehicle can approach.
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11. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?
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Answer C: Not remembering the last few miles you drove
Memory gaps, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids and drifting are the body signaling that sleep is winning, and they mean stop rather than push on.
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12. A pedestrian steps off the curb without looking your way. What should you assume?
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Answer B: That the person has not seen you at all, and be ready to stop for them
Defensive driving means assuming you have not been seen until there is clear evidence that you have.
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13. Used correctly, roughly how much of a motorcycle's total stopping power comes from the front brake?
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Answer B: About three quarters of it
Braking shifts weight onto the front wheel, so a smoothly squeezed front brake supplies roughly 70 percent or more of the stopping power.
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14. You are approaching a multilane roundabout. When should you choose your lane?
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Answer C: Before you enter, using the lane-choice sign on the approach
You select your lane on the approach the way you would at any multilane intersection, then stay in that lane all the way around, because changing lanes inside a roundabout creates side-impact conflicts.
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15. You are in the acceleration lane and the gap you were aiming for is now beside you. What is the best adjustment?
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Answer A: Change your speed a little to line up with a gap, then merge smoothly
The acceleration lane is for matching both the speed and the position of a gap, and small speed adjustments are what line the two up.
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16. The light turns yellow when your front wheels are already past the stop line inside the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going and clear the intersection without speeding up
Once you are legally in the intersection the safest and correct action is to continue through and clear it, without accelerating.
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17. A driver sees this sign on a quiet road with no other traffic in either direction. What is the correct response?
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Answer C: Slow down, look and listen for a train, and be ready to stop
The sign gives advance notice of a highway-rail grade crossing, so the driver reduces speed, checks both directions along the tracks and keeps enough room to stop short of the rails.
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18. Why is a U-turn on a one-way street a problem?
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Answer A: You would end up facing the wrong way against all the traffic
Every lane of a one-way street runs the same way, so turning around leaves you driving head-on against all of the traffic.
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19. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing
Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.
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20. A flagger turns the paddle to the orange face reading SLOW. What does that tell approaching drivers?
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Answer D: Reduce speed and continue through the work area with care
The SLOW face keeps traffic moving at a reduced speed while workers or equipment are close to the travel lanes.
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21. Why is a sign reading BRIDGE ICES BEFORE ROAD worth heeding even when the road itself is merely wet?
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Answer C: Cold air passes under a bridge as well as over it
A bridge deck loses heat from below as well as above, so it can be frozen while the road on either side of it is only wet.
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22. What are painted curb markings mainly used for?
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Answer D: Conveying parking and stopping regulations
Colored curbs tell drivers where waiting or parking is restricted, and because the exact color meanings are set locally a driver should also read the posted signs.
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23. The light ahead is green, but traffic beyond the intersection is backed up so far that you could not clear it. What is the correct action?
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Answer D: Wait behind the stop line until there is room on the far side
Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks cross traffic and pedestrians, so you should hold your position until space opens on the other side.
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24. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?
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Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it
Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.
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25. Partway through a curve you realize you have carried in more speed than you wanted. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Look through the curve and lean the motorcycle further with steady throttle
Most motorcycles can lean further than the rider believes, and looking where you want to go while pressing the inside grip harder will usually bring the machine around.
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26. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have the tire replaced before driving far, because it could blow out
A sidewall bulge means the internal cords have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. The tire can fail suddenly at any speed.
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27. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?
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Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street
Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.
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28. What happens to a motorcycle's ground clearance when a passenger is carried?
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Answer A: It is reduced, so parts touch down at a smaller lean angle
The extra load compresses the suspension and lowers the machine, so footrests and other parts can drag on the road sooner in a turn.
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29. A disabled vehicle is blocking your lane on a two-lane road with a single solid yellow line on your side. What should you do?
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Answer C: Wait until the oncoming lane is clear, then go around carefully
The solid line prohibits overtaking a moving vehicle, but in most states a driver may go around an obstruction such as a disabled vehicle once the oncoming lane is clear and the move can be made safely.
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30. A yellow diamond showing two vertical arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down, warns that
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Answer A: the road ahead carries traffic in both directions
The two-way traffic sign warns that the roadway ahead is not divided and that vehicles will be coming from the opposite direction.