New Mexico MVD Motorcycle Practice Test 9

  • 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. A driver is following your motorcycle much too closely. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Ease off the throttle and open more space ahead so the driver can pass

    Slowing gradually and opening a bigger gap in front encourages the tailgater to pass and gives the rider room to stop gently instead of hard.

  2. 2. What is a marked loading zone for?

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    Answer A: Loading and unloading only, not for general parking

    A loading zone is reserved for actively loading or unloading goods or passengers; leaving a vehicle there for other reasons is a parking violation.

  3. 3. A yellow pennant-shaped sign is posted on the left side of a two-lane road facing you. What is it telling you?

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    Answer B: You are entering a no-passing zone and may not start a pass

    The pennant is placed on the left so that it faces the driver who might pull out, and it marks the beginning of a no-passing zone.

  4. 4. Which facility does this sign direct a traveler toward?

    A blue square with a white letter H
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    Answer B: A hospital offering emergency care

    This is the standard marker for medical care, used to lead a traveler to a hospital where emergency treatment is available.

  5. 5. A small yellow plaque showing a speed number below a curve warning sign gives

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    Answer C: the speed recommended for the condition being warned about

    The advisory speed plaque belongs to the warning series and states the speed judged safe for the condition ahead under good circumstances, not a regulatory limit.

  6. 6. A flagger in a work zone turns a paddle so that the red octagonal face reading STOP is toward you. What must you do?

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    Answer A: Stop completely and wait for the flagger to signal you forward

    The STOP face of a flagger paddle requires a complete stop, and you may move again only when the flagger directs you to.

  7. 7. How far ahead should you normally be looking while driving?

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    Answer D: About 12 to 15 seconds of travel ahead

    Looking that far ahead, roughly a block in town and much farther on a highway, gives you time to see a problem developing and adjust before it becomes an emergency.

  8. 8. You have a green light and are turning right while people are crossing the street you want to enter. Who goes first?

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    Answer B: The pedestrians, and you wait until they are clear of your path

    A green light permits the turn but does not remove the duty to yield to pedestrians already crossing the street you are turning into.

  9. 9. Why would a restriction like this one be applied to a stretch of road?

    A yellow sign shaped like a horizontal triangle pointing right, with black lettering
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    Answer A: Because there is not enough visible road ahead to complete a pass safely

    Limits on overtaking are set where a hill, a curve or an obstruction leaves too little sight distance for a driver to pull out, pass and return before meeting oncoming traffic.

  10. 10. You are fitting a tank bag to your motorcycle. What must you check?

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    Answer B: That it does not foul the handlebars or block your view of the instruments

    A bag that catches the bars at full lock or hides the instruments interferes with control of the motorcycle exactly where the rider needs it most.

  11. 11. On a highway with mileage-based exit numbering, you have just passed exit 42 and are looking for exit 55. About how far is it?

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    Answer B: Thirteen miles

    With mileage-based numbering each exit takes the number of the nearest milepost, so subtracting one exit number from another gives the distance in miles.

  12. 12. You are traveling at the same speed as a vehicle in the next lane, just behind its rear door. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Change your speed so that you leave that driver's blind spot

    That position is the classic blind spot. Slow slightly or move ahead so the other driver can see you before deciding to change lanes.

  13. 13. When may a passenger get off the motorcycle?

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    Answer D: Only after the rider has stopped, braced the machine and said so

    A passenger climbing off before the rider is ready removes weight from the back of a machine the rider is still holding upright, which can drop it.

  14. 14. How should speed and following distance be adjusted beyond this sign?

    An orange diamond with black lettering
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    Answer D: Cut speed and leave a longer gap, because traffic can stop without warning

    Traffic in these areas stops and starts unexpectedly and there is little room to steer around a problem, so extra space is what prevents a rear-end collision.

  15. 15. An orange background with a black legend on a sign indicates

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    Answer B: a temporary traffic control or work zone situation

    Orange is reserved for temporary traffic control signing, so an orange sign means conditions have been altered for work or another temporary operation.

  16. 16. You must slow suddenly on a highway and a vehicle is following close behind you. What helps prevent a rear-end collision?

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    Answer D: Tapping the brake pedal early so your brake lights flash a warning

    Early brake light flashes give the driver behind more time to react, and slowing gradually instead of suddenly reduces the chance of being struck.

  17. 17. What is the best way to handle fatigue on a long ride?

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    Answer C: Take rest breaks regularly and dress to keep wind and cold out

    Wind, vibration and cold tire a rider faster than a driver, and the safe answer is planned breaks and protective clothing rather than pressing on.

  18. 18. Warning signs such as stop ahead, yield ahead and signal ahead are installed mainly where

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    Answer B: the traffic control device cannot be seen from far enough away

    These advance warning signs are used when a crest, curve or obstruction keeps the stop sign, yield sign or signal from coming into view in time for a driver to react.

  19. 19. How can loose spokes be found on a spoked wheel?

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    Answer B: By tapping each spoke and listening for a dull sound instead of a clear ring

    A correctly tensioned spoke rings when tapped, while a loose one gives a flat, dull note that stands out from the rest of the wheel.

  20. 20. Why must a rider turn the head and look before changing lanes?

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    Answer A: Mirrors leave blind spots that only a direct look can cover

    Motorcycles have blind spots just as cars do, and a vehicle hidden in one will not appear in the mirrors at all.

  21. 21. Your vehicle stalls on railroad tracks and you see a train approaching. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Get everyone out and run toward the train at an angle away from the tracks

    Leave the vehicle at once. Running toward the oncoming train and away from the tracks keeps you clear of the wreckage, which is thrown forward in the direction the train is moving.

  22. 22. Your car begins to lose power on a freeway and you must stop. Where should you try to bring it to a halt?

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    Answer A: As far off the right side of the road as you can get, beyond the edge line

    A disabled vehicle should be moved completely clear of the travel lanes, on the right, so that traffic can pass without changing course.

  23. 23. What should a passenger hold on to while the motorcycle is moving?

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    Answer B: The operator's waist, hips or belt, or a handhold provided for the passenger

    Holding the operator's waist, hips or belt, or a handhold designed for the passenger, keeps the passenger secure under acceleration and braking without pulling the operator off balance.

  24. 24. Your light turns green and a driver on the cross street enters against a red. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold back and let that vehicle go through

    Giving up a right of way you are entitled to is the only way to avoid a crash with a driver who has already failed to yield.

  25. 25. Your vehicle breaks down on a busy highway. What is the safest course of action?

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    Answer D: Get it as far off the roadway as possible, switch on the hazard lights and keep clear of the traffic lanes

    A vehicle left in or beside a travel lane is a hazard, so move it well off the road, make it conspicuous with hazard lights and keep yourself away from passing traffic.