Indiana BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 12

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years and 90 days

Minimum age: 16 years and 90 days for a motorcycle endorsement; a valid Indiana driver's license is required for a motorcycle learner's permit

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. A clutch cable adjusted with no free play at all causes what problem?

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    Answer B: The clutch may slip and never fully engage

    Without a small amount of slack the release mechanism keeps a light load on the plates, so they slip instead of transmitting full power.

  2. 2. For an alert driver, about how long is the reaction time once a hazard has been recognized?

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    Answer A: About three quarters of a second

    Reaction alone takes roughly three quarters of a second for an alert driver, and perception takes about as long again, so a second and a half of travel is added before the brakes bite.

  3. 3. What makes up the total distance needed to bring a vehicle to a stop?

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    Answer A: The distance covered while you perceive the hazard, the distance covered while you react, and the braking distance

    Total stopping distance combines the ground covered while you notice the hazard, the ground covered while you move your foot to the brake, and the ground covered while the brakes slow the vehicle.

  4. 4. Why is a pothole a bigger problem for a motorcycle than for a car?

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    Answer C: A motorcycle has only two wheels, so an impact can deflect it off line

    A car crosses a hole on four wheels and stays balanced, while a hole can knock a motorcycle off its line or damage a wheel, so scan the pavement well ahead and plan a path around holes.

  5. 5. What is the main risk of buying a second hand helmet?

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    Answer B: You cannot know whether it has been dropped or crashed already

    A helmet's protection depends on a liner that may already be crushed by an impact you cannot see, and a stranger's helmet comes with no history you can trust.

  6. 6. You are turning left from a one-way street onto another one-way street. Which lane should you use?

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    Answer B: Turn from the far left lane into the far left lane of the new street

    The general turning rule is to turn from the lane nearest the direction of the turn into the nearest lane of the new roadway, which on a one-way to one-way left turn means far left to far left.

  7. 7. The green arrow protecting your turn changes to a steady yellow arrow. What is it telling you?

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    Answer A: The protected turn is ending and you should prepare to stop

    A steady yellow arrow warns that the arrow movement is being terminated and that a red indication will follow.

  8. 8. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?

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    Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over

    Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.

  9. 9. May you park across the entrance to a fire station?

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    Answer D: No, an emergency exit must never be blocked

    Emergency vehicles must be able to leave the moment a call comes in, so their entrances and exits are kept clear at all hours.

  10. 10. Before making a U-turn on a narrow street, what should the rider do first?

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    Answer A: Check that the street is wide enough and clear in both directions

    A U-turn commits the rider to crossing both directions of traffic in a space the machine may not fit into, so both the width and the traffic are judged before starting.

  11. 11. You are leaving a freeway at an exit that has a deceleration lane. Where should you slow down?

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    Answer C: After you have moved fully into the exit lane

    Braking in a through lane surprises the traffic behind you, so you move into the exit lane at highway speed and then slow down inside it.

  12. 12. Your vehicle stalls on a railroad crossing and will not restart. What should you do first?

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    Answer A: Get everyone out and away from the tracks immediately

    Everyone must leave the vehicle and move well clear of the tracks at once, walking toward the train at an angle so that debris from an impact travels away from you.

  13. 13. You are parking on a one-way street where parking is allowed on both sides. What must still be true?

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    Answer D: The vehicle must face the direction the traffic flows

    Either curb may be used on a one-way street where signs allow it, but the vehicle must always be headed in the direction traffic moves.

  14. 14. You are waiting in a left-turn lane at a green light when a fire engine with lights and siren comes toward you in the oncoming lanes. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold your position and let the fire engine pass

    Turning across the path of an approaching emergency vehicle is exactly what you must not do; stay put until it has gone by.

  15. 15. What should a group agree on before the ride begins?

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    Answer A: The route, the fuel and rest stops, and the hand signals to be used

    Settling the route, the stops and the signals before departure keeps the group together and avoids sudden, confusing decisions once it is moving.

  16. 16. 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.

  17. 17. You are very angry after an argument and about to drive. What should you know?

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    Answer A: Strong emotions can impair judgment and attention much like alcohol

    Anger, grief and stress pull attention inward and encourage risk taking. Give yourself time to settle down before getting behind the wheel.

  18. 18. After an hour on a hot highway your tire pressure reads higher than it did in the morning. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Nothing, because pressure rises when tires heat up

    Air expands as the tire warms, so a hot reading is normally above the cold setting. Bleeding air off would leave the tire underinflated once it cooled.

  19. 19. 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.

  20. 20. You arrive at a four-way stop after two other vehicles have already stopped there. When is it your turn?

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    Answer A: After both of the earlier vehicles have gone

    Vehicles clear a four-way stop in the order they arrived, so the third driver to stop is the third to go.

  21. 21. An exit ramp is separated from the highway by a triangle of pavement painted with white stripes. What may you do there?

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    Answer C: Nothing; keep off it and choose either the lane or the ramp

    The striped area between a ramp and the through lanes is not for driving, stopping or last-second changes of direction.

  22. 22. What is a rider looking for when inspecting the control cables?

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    Answer A: Kinks, fraying and stiff or notchy movement

    A frayed strand or a kinked outer will eventually jam or snap, which can leave a rider without a clutch, a throttle or a front brake.

  23. 23. You expect to be out after dark on a sunny day's ride. What should you plan for eye protection?

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    Answer B: Carry a clear shield to change to when the light drops

    A tint that helps in daylight steals light you need at night, and riding with no eye protection is not the answer, so carry a clear shield and change it at dusk.

  24. 24. What matters most about the armor built into a riding jacket?

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    Answer B: That it sits over the joints and stays there during a fall

    Armor only works where it is, so the jacket must fit closely enough that the pads stay over the shoulders, elbows and spine when the rider hits the ground.

  25. 25. A driver on the street this sign governs is preparing to turn left at the next corner. Which lane should the vehicle be in beforehand?

    A black rectangle with a white arrow and white lettering
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    Answer A: The lane closest to the left curb

    All the traffic here runs the same way, so nothing is coming toward the driver and the turn is taken from the extreme left lane rather than from beside the middle of the roadway.