New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 44

  • 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. The signal ahead has a sign prohibiting left turns, and your route needs a left. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Go straight on and find a legal place to turn and come back

    A turn prohibition applies to every driver, so you continue through and reach your route by another legal turn.

  2. 2. In the code that governs pavement markings, what does a double line stand for?

    Show answer

    Answer B: A maximum restriction

    The marking code is consistent: a double line means the strongest restriction, a solid line discourages or forbids crossing, and a broken line is permissive.

  3. 3. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?

    Show answer

    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.

  4. 4. A rectangular red sign with the white words WRONG WAY means that

    Show answer

    Answer C: the driver is already traveling against the legal flow and must not continue

    The wrong way sign uses a white legend and border on red and addresses a driver who has entered a ramp or one-way roadway in the wrong direction, who should stop and turn around safely.

  5. 5. What does a sign showing a bicycle inside a red circle with a diagonal slash prohibit?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Riding a bicycle on that roadway

    This is a selective exclusion sign, used where bicycles are banned from a road such as a freeway or a tunnel.

  6. 6. What is sensible when you drive in an unfamiliar town for the first time?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Drive a little slower and give yourself more time to read the signs

    In unfamiliar surroundings you need longer to take in signs, junctions and markings, and lower speed buys that time.

  7. 7. What is the best way to keep your phone from distracting you on a trip?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Silence it and stow it before you start

    A phone you cannot hear and cannot reach cannot tempt you, which is far more reliable than deciding case by case while you drive.

  8. 8. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast

    After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.

  9. 9. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning

    A green arrow protects you from other vehicles, but it never removes the duty to yield to a person already in the crosswalk.

  10. 10. You are about to accelerate hard to merge with traffic. What should you have arranged with your passenger?

    Show answer

    Answer D: That you warn them beforehand so they can tighten their grip

    A passenger who is not expecting a burst of acceleration is thrown backward, and the sudden shift of weight upsets the machine just when the rider needs it settled.

  11. 11. You want to turn left across the oncoming lane into a shopping center driveway. Who must you yield to?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Oncoming traffic and anyone using the sidewalk

    A left turn into a driveway crosses both the oncoming lane and the sidewalk, so you give way to traffic and to pedestrians before completing it.

  12. 12. You are waiting inside the intersection to turn left when your light turns red. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Complete the turn as soon as the way is clear

    Once you have legally entered the intersection you should clear it as soon as the oncoming traffic has stopped, rather than sit in the path of cross traffic.

  13. 13. Why is texting considered one of the most dangerous distractions?

    Show answer

    Answer B: It combines visual, manual and cognitive distraction at the same time

    Reading or writing a message takes your eyes off the road, at least one hand off the controls and your attention off driving simultaneously.

  14. 14. How do the traffic laws apply to riders traveling in a group?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Every rider is responsible for obeying the law on their own machine

    Riding in company changes nothing legally, and each rider answers individually for speed, signals and every other rule of the road.

  15. 15. On which approach is this sign normally installed?

    A yellow diamond showing a black T shape
    Show answer

    Answer C: On the road that ends, far enough ahead for the driver to slow down

    The warning belongs on the approach that terminates, placed early enough that the driver can lose speed and choose a direction before reaching the junction.

  16. 16. What is the friction zone of the clutch?

    Show answer

    Answer A: The range of lever travel where power starts to reach the rear wheel

    Easing the clutch lever into the friction zone lets the engine drive the rear wheel gradually, which is what makes a smooth start from a stop possible.

  17. 17. An obstacle appears ahead and you can see there is no room left to stop before it. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Swerve around it

    Once the distance is too short to stop, changing direction is the only option left, and a motorcycle can change direction faster than it can stop.

  18. 18. You are the first to arrive at a crash on a rural road. What should you do first?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Park well clear of the scene, put on your hazard lights and call for help

    Getting trained help on the way and keeping the scene visible does more good than anything an untrained bystander can do.

  19. 19. A sign reads MINIMUM SPEED 40. What does it require of a driver?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Not to drive below that speed when conditions allow

    A minimum speed limit keeps unnecessarily slow vehicles from obstructing traffic, but it never overrides the duty to slow down for weather or congestion.

  20. 20. A signal stands part way up a freeway entrance ramp and turns green briefly again and again. How many vehicles does such a signal normally release on each green?

    Show answer

    Answer A: One for each lane of the ramp

    A ramp control signal releases a single vehicle per lane on each green so that vehicles reach the merge one at a time instead of in a bunch.

  21. 21. Why is it dangerous to make a left turn from the second lane from the center?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Because a driver in the lane beside you is turning into the same space

    Drivers in the proper turn lane are entitled to that space, and turning across them puts two vehicles into one path through the intersection.

  22. 22. A traffic light ahead of the group turns yellow as the leader approaches it. What should the leader do?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Stop normally and let the group be split by the signal

    Keeping the group together never outranks obeying the signal, and the riders left behind simply catch up at the next stop.

  23. 23. What is the main advantage of a face shield over goggles?

    Show answer

    Answer D: It protects the whole face, not only the eyes

    Goggles keep wind and debris out of the eyes, but a shatter resistant face shield also protects the rest of the face in a crash.

  24. 24. You are entering a marked school zone during the posted hours. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Slow to the school zone limit and watch for children

    The school zone limit applies throughout the posted hours, whether or not you can see any children at that moment.

  25. 25. How many alcoholic drinks does it take to begin affecting driving ability?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Even one drink can affect it

    A single drink can slow reactions and weaken judgment before you feel any change. Impairment starts long before a person feels drunk.