New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 20
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age13 years
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1. Where should a rider in the middle of a group direct their attention?
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Answer A: Well ahead through the group and around it, not just at the rider in front
Watching only the machine ahead hides the traffic and hazards further up the road, and it leaves the rider reacting late to everything the group meets.
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2. A dog is running toward the road from a yard ahead of you. Why is it a mistake to simply accelerate past it?
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Answer A: A dog aims at where you will be, so more speed can bring you together
A dog runs at an intercept point rather than at where you are now, which is why the recommended technique is to slow as you approach and then accelerate away once you are beside it.
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3. Which of these makes you unpredictable to other drivers?
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Answer B: Changing lanes suddenly without signaling, to save a moment
An unsignalled, sudden lane change gives nobody time to react and is a common cause of sideswipe collisions.
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4. Why is an underinflated tire especially risky on a long drive in hot weather?
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Answer C: It flexes more, builds up heat and can fail at speed
A soft tire flexes on every rotation, and that flexing makes heat that the hot road and high speed add to until the tire can come apart.
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5. 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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6. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?
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Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you
Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.
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7. A face shield keeps fogging up in cool, damp weather. What helps?
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Answer A: Cracking the shield open slightly, or using an anti fog shield
Fog forms when warm breath meets a cold shield, so moving a little air behind the shield or using an anti fog design is the safe fix.
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8. You are about to pass a long tractor-trailer on a two-lane road. What should you expect?
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Answer B: You will need more clear road, since the vehicle is much longer
A tractor-trailer can be 70 feet long, so passing it takes more distance and more time than passing a car at the same speed difference.
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9. What does the traffic law actually say about the right of way?
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Answer B: It says who must yield; no driver is ever entitled to take the right of way
The law describes who must yield. Right of way is something you give; insisting on it when another driver does not yield causes crashes.
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10. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
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Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.
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11. Is it safe to check your phone while stopped at a red light?
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Answer B: No, you may miss the signal change and hazards around you
Attention does not return instantly when the light changes, and emergency vehicles, pedestrians or a rear-end threat can appear while you are stopped. Stay focused on the road.
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12. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?
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Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle
High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.
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13. A small plaque mounted under this sign shows a numeral such as 2 or 3. What does that numeral report?
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Answer A: How many sets of tracks the crossing carries
The plaque states the number of tracks at that location, which is a warning that a second train may be running on another track behind the first.
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14. You are the first driver on a road just after a storm. What should you plan for?
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Answer B: Branches, mud and other debris hidden around the next bend
Storm debris lands where nobody has cleared it yet, often just beyond a curve or a crest, so reduce speed and look much further ahead.
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15. The crossing gates begin to lower while your vehicle is still on the railroad tracks. What should you do?
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Answer B: Keep going forward and push through the gate if it should block your way
Gates are made to break away, and driving forward off the tracks is far safer than staying between them or backing up.
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16. You realize you have driven several miles without remembering any of it. What kind of distraction is this?
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Answer C: Cognitive distraction, because your mind was not on driving
Daydreaming or being lost in thought is a cognitive distraction. Your eyes may be on the road, but your brain is not processing what they see.
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17. A highway lane is marked with a large white diamond and signed as a high-occupancy vehicle lane. Who may use it?
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Answer B: Only vehicles carrying at least the number of occupants shown on the sign, during the posted hours
The diamond marking identifies a preferential lane whose occupancy requirement and hours of operation are stated on the accompanying signs.
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18. What is the main source of the noise that damages a rider's hearing?
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Answer A: Wind turbulence around the helmet, which rises sharply with speed
Wind noise around a helmet is loud enough at highway speed to cause permanent hearing loss over time, which is why earplugs are recommended even on quiet machines.
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19. 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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20. The neutral light is on, but you are not sure the transmission is really out of gear. How can you confirm it?
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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.
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21. Two roads come together at a shallow angle under a MERGE sign, with no yield line on either one. What is expected of you?
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Answer D: Adjust your speed and position so you blend smoothly into the other traffic
A merge means neither road ends at a stop; drivers adjust speed and position so that the two streams fit together without stopping.
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22. When may a driver of a motor vehicle use a marked bicycle lane?
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Answer C: Only to cross it when turning or entering the road where the markings allow
A bike lane is a lane for cyclists. Motor vehicles may only cross it to enter or leave the road or to make a turn where the markings permit.
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23. In a staggered formation, where does the second rider belong?
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Answer C: In the right portion of the lane, about one second behind the leader
The second rider uses the opposite side of the lane roughly one second behind the leader, which staggers the group without stretching it out or putting the two riders alongside each other.
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24. You and an oncoming driver are both turning left at the same intersection. What is the usual rule?
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Answer D: Both turn in front of each other unless markings show otherwise
The normal practice is to pass driver side to driver side, turning in front of one another, unless pavement markings or signs direct a different path.
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25. Which of these is announced with the same family of signs as the facility shown here?
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Answer A: A rest area for travelers
A rest area belongs to the same motorist service series, which points travelers toward facilities such as fuel, food, lodging and medical care.