New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 18

  • 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. What is wrong with slowing to a crawl at a stop sign and then rolling on through?

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    Answer C: It is not a stop, and you may miss a pedestrian or cross traffic

    A rolling stop is a violation and it also cuts short the moment you need in order to look carefully in each direction before entering.

  2. 2. On a long uphill grade a second lane opens on the right and a sign directs slower traffic into it. You are towing a trailer and holding up a line of vehicles. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and let the faster traffic use the left lane

    A climbing lane exists so that slow vehicles can be passed safely, and the slower vehicle is the one that belongs in it.

  3. 3. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?

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    Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance

    A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.

  4. 4. You and an opposing driver reach a four-way stop at the same time and both of you are turning right. What should happen?

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    Answer C: Both may turn at the same time into their own lanes

    Two opposing right turns take drivers into different lanes without crossing, so both can proceed together once pedestrians are clear.

  5. 5. You notice that the driver ahead of you is holding a phone to the ear. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Assume slower reactions and leave extra space, or else hold back

    A driver on the phone reacts late and misses things, so the safe response is distance rather than a lesson.

  6. 6. Your left-turn lane shows a flashing yellow arrow. What does that indication allow?

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    Answer B: A left turn after yielding to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians

    A flashing yellow arrow marks a permissive left turn: the movement is allowed, but oncoming vehicles and pedestrians keep the right-of-way.

  7. 7. A reduced speed limit posted with this sign and a plaque giving hours is in force

    A five sided sign with a pointed top, a bright yellow green background and a black legend
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    Answer C: during the hours shown on the plaque, or while the beacon is flashing

    A school speed limit applies during the periods stated on the plaque or while the attached beacon flashes, and the regular limit governs outside those periods.

  8. 8. You have just been involved in a crash on a city street. Which sequence of first steps is correct?

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    Answer A: Stop where you are, check everyone for injuries, and then make the scene safe

    You are required to stop, and the first priority at the scene is people, followed by preventing a second collision.

  9. 9. Snow has covered the pavement markings on a two-lane road. How should a driver judge lane position?

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    Answer B: By the tracks of other traffic and the roadside features

    With the markings hidden, ruts left by earlier traffic, signs, poles and the line of the shoulder are the best clues to where the lane runs.

  10. 10. Your motorcycle starts to wander while you ride over rain grooves or a bridge grating. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Relax, hold a steady speed and ride straight across

    The wandering feeling on grooved surfaces and gratings is unsettling but generally not hazardous, while zigzagging to fight it is far more dangerous.

  11. 11. You back into an unattended parked car in a lot and cause visible damage. What must you do?

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    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.

  12. 12. How does braking distance change if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: It grows much more than twice as long

    Braking distance increases with the square of speed, so doubling speed roughly quadruples the distance needed to stop.

  13. 13. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?

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    Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely

    Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.

  14. 14. You have turned right into the nearest lane but you need the left lane soon. When should you move over?

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    Answer A: After the turn is finished, once you have checked mirrors and blind spot

    Complete the turn in the proper lane first, then make a normal lane change with mirror and blind spot checks once you are established on the new street.

  15. 15. Why is the front brake avoided during a very slow, tightly leaned turn?

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    Answer D: It can upset the balance of a leaned machine and drop it at low speed

    At low speed and full lock there is little momentum holding the motorcycle up, and the sudden weight shift from the front brake easily topples it.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. 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?

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    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.

  18. 18. In a work zone, the flagger's instructions conflict with the pavement markings still visible on the road. Which do you follow?

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    Answer B: The flagger, because a person directing traffic outranks the markings

    An authorized flagger controlling a temporary traffic control zone overrides signs, signals and markings, and drivers must obey the flagger's signals.

  19. 19. A raised area crosses the roadway and carries a series of white markings on its face. What are those markings for?

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    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.

  20. 20. A driver passes this sign and the signal beyond it is already showing green. What is the safest response?

    A yellow diamond showing a traffic signal with three stacked lights
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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and be ready to stop, because an indication that has been showing for a while is about to change

    A signal that has been displaying the same indication for some time is close to changing, so arriving at a controlled speed with the brake covered is safer than accelerating to beat it.

  21. 21. Is it acceptable to drive with your vehicle straddling the line between two lanes?

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    Answer D: No, you must drive as nearly as practical entirely within a single lane

    A vehicle astride the line takes up two lanes and leaves the drivers around it unable to predict where it will go.

  22. 22. The rider ahead of you has just passed a slow vehicle on a two lane road. What does that tell you about your own pass?

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    Answer C: Nothing, because you must judge the oncoming traffic yourself

    Every pass uses up part of the gap, so the space that was ample for the rider ahead may be far too short by the time it is your turn.

  23. 23. You are stopped at an intersection where bushes block your view of cross traffic. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Edge forward slowly until you can see, then proceed when clear

    Creeping forward a little at a time lets you gain a view without committing to the crossing. Never enter an intersection you cannot see into.

  24. 24. Where should a passenger sit on the motorcycle?

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    Answer A: As far forward as possible without crowding the operator

    Sitting well forward keeps the passenger weight close to the center of the motorcycle, which helps it handle closer to normal.

  25. 25. What does this sign warn a driver about?

    A yellow diamond showing two black lines joining into one as they go up
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    Answer A: Traffic from another roadway will enter the same lane ahead

    Two traffic streams come together into one lane beyond this point, so drivers on both roadways have to adjust speed and spacing to fit together.