Indiana BMV Motorcycle Practice Test 35

  • 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. You face a red light at an intersection that has no stop line and no marked crosswalk. Where must you stop?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Before entering the intersection

    With no line and no crosswalk, the stopping point is the near edge of the intersecting roadway, close enough to see cross traffic but clear of it.

  2. 2. You need to leave the road and pull onto the shoulder. What should you check first?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Whether the shoulder surface is firm enough to support the motorcycle

    Soft or loose shoulder material can grab the wheels or let the side stand sink, so confirm the surface is firm, signal, and then pull well clear of traffic.

  3. 3. Partway through a tight turn in a parking area you realize the motorcycle will not come around in the space available. What is the safest thing to do?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Stop, put a foot down and reposition the motorcycle before trying again

    At very low speed there is no cost to stopping and starting the turn over, while forcing a turn the space does not allow simply drops the machine.

  4. 4. There is a driveway and a side street between you and the corner where you will turn right. When should you signal?

    Show answer

    Answer C: After passing the openings, so nobody pulls out in front of you

    A signal switched on before an opening tells drivers waiting there that you are turning in, and they may pull out into your path.

  5. 5. The handlebars begin to shake violently in a wobble at speed. What is the correct response?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Grip the bars firmly and close the throttle gradually, without braking

    Braking or accelerating during a wobble usually makes it worse, so the rider holds on, rolls off gradually, and pulls off the road to find the cause.

  6. 6. The car ahead drifts across the lane line and back again several times. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer C: Assume that the driver is distracted or impaired, and keep well back

    Drifting is a classic sign of a distracted, drowsy or impaired driver, and distance is your protection from all three.

  7. 7. Why should the leader of a group signal turns and lane changes early?

    Show answer

    Answer D: So the message has time to reach the riders at the back of the group

    An early signal gives the whole formation, including the riders far back in the line, time to see the change and prepare for it.

  8. 8. What does this sign require of the driver?

    A yellow diamond showing a traffic signal with three stacked lights
    Show answer

    Answer D: Reducing speed and being ready to stop at the intersection ahead

    The advance notice asks the driver to slow and be ready to stop, while whether a stop is actually needed depends on the indication displayed on arrival.

  9. 9. Why should two riders never travel side by side in the same lane?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Because neither rider has room to swerve if a hazard appears

    Riding directly alongside another motorcycle removes the escape path each rider needs to avoid a hazard, a pothole or another vehicle.

  10. 10. Why can an oncoming vehicle that looks comfortably far away leave you far less room than you expect?

    Show answer

    Answer D: You and that vehicle close the gap at the sum of both your speeds

    Two vehicles approaching at 55 mph each close the distance between them at about 110 mph, so the gap disappears in half the time you would expect.

  11. 11. Traffic is backed up beyond a railroad crossing. When may you start across the tracks?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Only when there is room for your whole vehicle on the far side

    Never enter a crossing you cannot clear; a vehicle stopped on the tracks in a queue has nowhere to go if the signals start.

  12. 12. You have turned onto a street and see parked cars facing you and headlights coming toward you. What has probably happened?

    Show answer

    Answer C: You have turned the wrong way onto a one-way street

    Vehicles parked facing you and headlights approaching in your lane are the classic signs of driving against the flow on a one-way street.

  13. 13. How far below the established limit must an Indiana worksite speed limit be set?

    Show answer

    Answer B: At least ten miles per hour below

    A temporary worksite speed limit must be set at least ten miles per hour below the maximum established speed limit for that stretch of road.

  14. 14. An ambulance has just gone by and traffic starts to move again. Why should you wait a moment before pulling back out?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Another emergency vehicle may be following the first one

    Emergency calls often bring several vehicles, so check that nothing else is coming before you rejoin the traffic lane.

  15. 15. Why is parking against the flow of traffic dangerous even when nobody complains?

    Show answer

    Answer D: Because you had to cross traffic to get there and must cross again to leave

    Parking on the wrong side means driving against traffic at both ends of the stop, and your reflectors and lights face the wrong way while you are there.

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

    Show answer

    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.

  17. 17. A signal beside a fire station stays dark until apparatus is about to leave, when it shows yellow and then red. What must a driver do?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Stop on the red and wait until the signal goes dark again

    An emergency vehicle signal is a real traffic signal, so its red indication must be obeyed while the apparatus pulls out into the street.

  18. 18. Where is this sign normally installed?

    A white vertical rectangle with a black border and black legend
    Show answer

    Answer A: At an island or other obstruction in the roadway, to show which side traffic must take

    It is placed at a divider, island or fixed obstruction so that drivers approaching it know without hesitating which side to pass on.

  19. 19. What do the letters in the SEE riding strategy stand for?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Search, Evaluate, Execute

    Riders search for hazards, evaluate how those hazards could interact, and execute a plan by adjusting speed, position or communication.

  20. 20. Why do safety agencies put head protection first among riding gear?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Because head injuries are the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes

    Head injury is the most common cause of death in motorcycle crashes, which is why a certified helmet is the single most important piece of gear.

  21. 21. On loose gravel or deep fresh snow, how does an antilock system affect the stopping distance?

    Show answer

    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.

  22. 22. You are turning left across tracks that run along the center of the street. What should you do before crossing them?

    Show answer

    Answer B: Look along the tracks in both directions and cross only when clear

    Rail vehicles running in the street can arrive from either direction and cannot stop quickly, so look along the tracks before you turn across them.

  23. 23. Your light is green but the traffic beyond the intersection is stopped and there is no room on the far side. What should you do?

    Show answer

    Answer A: Wait behind the line until you can clear the far side

    Entering an intersection you cannot clear blocks the cross traffic when their signal turns green, so you wait behind the line.

  24. 24. How should a group decide how often to stop for fuel?

    Show answer

    Answer A: By the range of the machine with the smallest fuel tank

    Planning around the smallest tank keeps the group from splitting up when one rider has to leave the route to look for fuel.

  25. 25. How should a rider and passenger arrange to communicate during a ride?

    Show answer

    Answer A: By agreeing on simple signals or taps before the ride starts

    Wind and engine noise make speech unreliable, so a short set of signals agreed in advance is the dependable way for a passenger to say they need to stop.