New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 46
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age13 years
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1. A large X with the letters R and R beside it is painted across your lane. What does it mean?
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Answer A: A railroad crossing lies a short distance ahead
The pavement marking repeats the advance warning for a grade crossing, and it is used on paved approaches where speeds are high or where gates are installed.
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2. It is cold and the road looks wet, but you notice the tires of vehicles ahead are throwing up no spray. What does this suggest?
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Answer B: The surface has frozen and is probably icy
Water throws spray, but ice does not. A shiny road with no spray in freezing temperatures is a strong sign of black ice, so slow down and avoid sudden inputs.
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3. Why do experienced riders squeeze the clutch lever while starting the engine, even with the neutral light showing?
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Answer A: In case a gear is engaged, so the motorcycle cannot lurch forward
A neutral light can be wrong, and a disengaged clutch means the machine stays still even if the transmission is actually in gear.
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4. Why should you avoid parking over tall dry grass or a pile of dead leaves?
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Answer B: Because the hot exhaust can set the dry material on fire
The exhaust system stays hot for a long time after a drive and can ignite dry vegetation underneath the vehicle.
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5. You are passing a tractor-trailer on a wet freeway and its wheels throw heavy spray. What is the best technique?
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Answer B: Increase your wipers and pass steadily without hesitating
Spray blinds you for as long as you stay beside the truck, so prepare the wipers first and then spend as little time in the spray as possible.
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6. Which action becomes clearly more risky beyond this sign?
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Answer A: Using the left side of the roadway to overtake
With vehicles coming the other way on the same pavement, overtaking on the left needs enough clear road to pull out, pass and return, which is often not available.
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7. A signal on an entrance ramp changes from red to green and lets one vehicle at a time onto the highway. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stop on the red and go on the green, one vehicle for each green
A ramp meter spaces vehicles out so they join the highway one at a time instead of arriving as a group, and it is a traffic signal like any other.
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8. How often should a rider change position within the lane?
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Answer C: As often as the traffic, the road surface and the hazards around you change
Lane position is a tool for keeping space and visibility, and both of those change constantly as traffic and road conditions change.
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9. What must you check about a load before riding away with it?
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Answer C: That it does not cover the tail light, the brake light or the signals
Luggage that hides the lights leaves drivers behind with no warning that the motorcycle is slowing or turning.
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10. Rain has been falling steadily for half an hour. How does traction compare with the first minutes of the shower?
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Answer C: It usually improves somewhat, because the early oil film has washed away
Rain floats oil and dust to the top at first, so the road is most slippery in the early minutes, and a longer downpour rinses much of that film away. The pavement is still wet and grips less than when it is dry.
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11. You are making a legal U-turn at an intersection. Who has the right of way?
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Answer C: Everyone else, until your turn is complete
A U-turn crosses several paths at once, so you yield to oncoming vehicles, to crossing traffic and to pedestrians before starting it.
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12. You enter a work zone at night where one lane is closed and a flagger is on duty. What is the safest approach?
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Answer A: Slow early, merge before the closure and be ready to stop
Merging early at a reduced speed keeps the queue orderly and leaves you room to stop for equipment, workers or traffic that has halted ahead.
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13. An orange sign reading END ROAD WORK is posted beside the highway. What does it mark?
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Answer C: The point where the work zone restrictions stop
The sign is installed at the downstream end of the temporary traffic control zone to tell drivers that normal conditions apply again.
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14. You are moving at walking pace through a crowded parking area. Which combination gives the steadiest control?
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Answer B: Steady throttle, the clutch held in the friction zone and light rear brake
Slipping the clutch in the friction zone against a steady throttle and a light drag of rear brake keeps power smooth and the machine stable below walking speed.
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15. A school crossing guard steps into the roadway and holds up a stop paddle. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop and stay stopped until the guard and the children have left the road
A crossing guard directs traffic with legal authority; you must remain stopped until both the guard and the children are clear of the roadway.
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16. You feel dizzy, weak and clammy after an hour of riding in high heat. What should you do?
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Answer B: Stop in the shade, drink water and cool down before riding further
Those are early signs of heat illness and they get worse with continued exertion, so get out of the sun, rehydrate and cool off before you ride on.
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17. On loose gravel or deep fresh snow, how does an antilock system affect the stopping distance?
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Answer D: It can lengthen it, although you keep the ability to steer
On loose surfaces a locked wheel piles up a wedge of gravel or snow that helps it stop, so the antilock stop can be longer even though steering still works.
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18. A black on white regulatory sign at an intersection reads NO TURNS. What may a driver do there?
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Answer B: Only continue straight through the intersection
The NO TURNS sign bans turns in every direction at that intersection, so the only lawful movement from that approach is straight through.
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19. A traffic signal is displaying a flashing red light. How must you treat it?
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Answer D: Stop completely, then proceed when the way is clear
A flashing red carries the same meaning as a stop sign: come to a full stop, then go only when it is safe.
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20. Why do bridges and overpasses deserve extra caution when temperatures are near freezing?
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Answer A: They lose heat from above and below, so they ice over before the surrounding road
A bridge deck is exposed to cold air on both surfaces and has no ground beneath it to hold heat, so ice can form there while the connecting road is still only wet.
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21. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?
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Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you
A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.
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22. You are first in the queue at a red light with a marked crosswalk. Where should your vehicle stop?
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Answer A: Behind the stop line, so that the crosswalk stays clear
Stopping short of the line keeps the crosswalk usable for people on foot and keeps your vehicle out of the path of turning traffic.
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23. What should be adjusted on the motorcycle before carrying a passenger?
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Answer C: The suspension and the tire pressure, following the owner's manual
The extra weight compresses the suspension and loads the tires, so both should be set to the values the manufacturer specifies for riding with a passenger.
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24. A driver reaching a stop sign is required to do what?
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Answer D: Come to a complete stop and then proceed only when it is safe
A stop sign requires a full stop before the stop line, crosswalk or intersection, after which the driver may go on once the way is clear.
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25. You are traveling beside a tractor-trailer and cannot see the truck driver's face in any of the truck's mirrors. What does that tell you?
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Answer A: The truck driver probably cannot see your vehicle
Large trucks have deep blind spots on all four sides, so if the driver's face is not visible in a mirror the driver has no view of you. Move ahead or drop back until you are out of that area.