New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 13

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass18
  • Passing score72%
  • Minimum age13 years

Minimum age: 13 years with a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse for a Y or Z endorsement, 15 years otherwise

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 18 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. How should a group merge onto a busy highway from an entrance ramp?

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    Answer D: One rider at a time into gaps in traffic, re-forming once all are on

    Each rider needs a gap and enough speed of their own, so the group merges individually and only takes up the staggered formation again afterward.

  2. 2. An emergency vehicle with flashing lights and a siren is approaching from behind on a two-way street. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes

    Clearing a path by pulling to the right and stopping gives the emergency vehicle a predictable route, while stopping in mid-lane or inside an intersection blocks that path.

  3. 3. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?

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    Answer D: Familiar roads let attention slip into routine

    When a route is automatic the mind wanders and hazards get missed, which is why a well known road deserves the same attention as a strange one.

  4. 4. You are approaching a yield sign and no other vehicle is anywhere in sight. What does the sign require?

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    Answer A: Slow down and be ready to stop, but stop only if needed

    A yield sign requires you to slow and give way, and to stop only when traffic or pedestrians make stopping necessary.

  5. 5. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?

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    Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade

    A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.

  6. 6. A curb lane is marked BUS ONLY 7 AM TO 9 AM. What may the driver of a car do?

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    Answer A: Use the lane outside those hours

    A part-time bus lane is reserved only during the posted period, and outside it the lane serves general traffic like any other.

  7. 7. You have tied a load down with cords that are longer than you need. What should you do with the loose ends?

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    Answer D: Secure the loose ends so nothing can reach the chain, the wheel or the road

    A dangling cord can be caught by the rear wheel or the chain and jam it, which can lock the wheel without any warning to the rider.

  8. 8. A train has just passed a crossing that carries more than one set of tracks. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until the warning devices stop and you can see clearly along every track

    A passing train can hide a second one coming on another track, so wait for the signals to clear and check each track before moving.

  9. 9. The front tire suddenly loses air while you are riding. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold the bars firmly, ease off the throttle and slow using the rear brake

    A deflating front tire makes the steering feel heavy, so the rider keeps a straight line, avoids the affected wheel when braking and eases off the road.

  10. 10. A yellow sign reading DEAD END is posted at the entrance to a street. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: The street ends and there is no way through

    A dead end street stops at its far end, so a driver who enters must come back out the same way.

  11. 11. A line of short dashes set closer together than an ordinary lane line runs beside your lane where a ramp leaves the highway. What does a dotted line of that kind convey?

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    Answer A: A warning that the lane is about to change function

    Dotted lines give guidance or warning about a downstream change, such as a lane that becomes an exit only lane or a lane line carried across an intersection.

  12. 12. Why is passing on a curve prohibited even when the traffic seems light?

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    Answer C: You cannot see far enough around it to know the lane is clear

    A pass is only as safe as the distance you can see, and a curve hides the very lane the maneuver uses.

  13. 13. Traffic has built up behind you while you wait for a gap to turn left. How should that affect your decision?

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    Answer C: It should not change it; wait for a gap that is genuinely safe

    Pressure from behind does not make a small gap bigger, and rushing a left turn across traffic is a common cause of serious crashes.

  14. 14. Which New Mexico off-highway vehicle (OHV) operator does NOT need parental supervision, even though they are under 18?

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    Answer A: A 13-year-old with a valid motorcycle license and an OHV safety permit

    New Mexico excuses a 13-year-old from parental supervision on an OHV if they hold a valid motorcycle license along with an OHV safety permit.

  15. 15. A large group has been divided into smaller groups. What should be done between them?

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    Answer A: Leave a gap big enough for other vehicles to move in and pass safely

    A gap between sub groups lets other traffic pass or merge without cutting into a formation, which keeps drivers from making sudden moves around the riders.

  16. 16. You are following a car at night with the high beam on. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Switch to the low beam so the driver ahead is not blinded

    A high beam fills the mirrors of the vehicle ahead and blinds its driver, which is dangerous for the very driver most able to affect the rider.

  17. 17. A law enforcement officer is directing traffic and waves you forward while the signal facing you shows red. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Follow the officer's direction and proceed

    Directions given by an officer controlling traffic take priority over signals, signs and pavement markings.

  18. 18. On an unlit road, about how far ahead do high beams normally let you see?

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    Answer D: About 350 to 500 feet ahead of the vehicle

    High beams light roughly 350 to 500 feet of road and low beams far less, which is why night speeds have to be chosen around the beam, not the limit.

  19. 19. You have stopped at a stop line but parked cars hide the cross street. What comes next?

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    Answer C: Edge forward to where you can see, stopping again if needed

    The legal stop at the line is only the first stop; you then move up slowly to a point where you can see, and stop again if traffic requires it.

  20. 20. A driver stopped on suspicion of impaired driving refuses to take a chemical test. What happens?

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    Answer D: A license penalty follows for the refusal itself

    Under implied consent, holding a license means agreeing to testing, so a refusal brings its own suspension separately from anything the court decides.

  21. 21. The only person offering you a ride home has been drinking. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Do not get in; find another way home

    A passenger in an impaired driver's vehicle shares all of the risk and can do nothing about it from the seat, so the only safe answer is another ride.

  22. 22. You are approaching a blind right hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?

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    Answer C: The left portion of the lane, toward the outside of the curve

    Starting at the outside of a curve opens up the line of sight through it, and the rider then moves toward the inside as the exit comes into view.

  23. 23. You are leaving a freeway on an exit ramp posted with an advisory speed of 25 mph. Where should you slow to that speed?

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    Answer A: In the deceleration lane, before you reach the curve of the ramp

    Slowing belongs in the deceleration lane so you arrive at the curve already at the advisory speed and do not hold up traffic still in the through lanes.

  24. 24. A regulatory message is normally carried on a sign whose shape is

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    Answer A: a rectangle standing taller than it is wide

    Regulatory signs that state a law, such as speed limits and turn restrictions, use a vertical rectangle with a black legend on a white background.

  25. 25. You are approaching the entry of a modern roundabout. Who must you yield to?

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    Answer C: Traffic already circulating in the roundabout, which approaches from your left

    Traffic in a United States roundabout circulates counterclockwise, so drivers entering must look left and yield to vehicles already in the circulating roadway.