Missouri DOR Motorcycle Practice Test 12

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age15 years 182 days

Minimum age: 15 years 182 days with an approved rider training course, otherwise 16 years

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

  1. 1. A parking space is marked with the international symbol of access. Who may use it?

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    Answer A: Only a vehicle displaying the required placard or plate

    Accessible spaces may be used only by a vehicle that displays a valid disability placard or plate, no matter how short the stop would be.

  2. 2. In Missouri, when do you not have to stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing?

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    Answer A: When you are traveling the opposite direction on a highway with four or more lanes of traffic

    Missouri exempts drivers traveling the opposite direction on a highway with four or more lanes, on a highway divided by a median with separate roadways, or when the bus is in a school loading zone where students do not cross.

  3. 3. Your left-turn lane faces a steady green ball and oncoming traffic is heavy. What are you allowed to do?

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    Answer C: Move into the intersection and turn when a safe gap appears

    A green ball permits the turn but gives no priority, so you may move into the intersection and wait there for a gap in the oncoming traffic.

  4. 4. How should a rider use a motorcycle fitted with antilock brakes in an emergency stop?

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    Answer D: Apply firm, steady pressure to both brakes and keep it there

    An antilock system releases and reapplies pressure far faster than a rider can, but only while the rider keeps holding the brakes on.

  5. 5. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?

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    Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles

    Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.

  6. 6. Why is hearing protection recommended even under a full face helmet?

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    Answer D: Long term exposure to wind and road noise can cause permanent hearing damage

    Airflow around a helmet produces high noise levels, and good hearing protection lowers that noise while still letting the rider hear horns and sirens.

  7. 7. An overhead lane signal shows a flashing yellow X above your lane. What does it mean?

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    Answer D: The lane may be used only for a left turn

    A flashing yellow X marks a lane that may be used only to make a left turn; a steady yellow X is the one that warns you to leave the lane.

  8. 8. Which motorcycle riders must wear protective headgear under Missouri law?

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    Answer C: Riders under 26, plus any rider 26 or older who holds an instruction permit

    Missouri statute requires protective headgear for every operator and passenger under 26, and also for a rider 26 or older who is operating on an instruction permit.

  9. 9. You have just passed a large truck on the freeway. Why is it dangerous to pull back in front of it and then brake for your exit?

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    Answer B: A loaded truck needs much more distance to stop than a car

    A fully loaded tractor-trailer can need the length of a football field or more to stop from highway speed. Cutting in and braking leaves the driver no room to avoid hitting you.

  10. 10. 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.

  11. 11. 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.

  12. 12. You are riding on a multi-lane road with a car traveling beside you in the lane on your right. Which lane position is usually best?

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    Answer D: The left portion, so you keep a cushion of space from the car alongside

    Lane position is chosen to hold space between the motorcycle and the nearest hazard, and here that hazard is the vehicle on the right.

  13. 13. What do zero tolerance laws mean for a driver who is under 21?

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    Answer B: They commit a violation at an alcohol level far below the adult limit

    Drivers under 21 may not legally drink, so every state sets a limit far below the adult one and treats even a trace reading as a violation. The exact figure is set by each state, and the penalty usually includes losing the license.

  14. 14. What should a rider do if the front wheel locks during braking?

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    Answer A: Release the front brake immediately, then reapply it firmly

    A locked front wheel cannot steer or hold the motorcycle up, so the brake must be released to let the wheel roll again and then reapplied smoothly.

  15. 15. Why is passing on a curve prohibited even when the traffic seems light?

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    Answer C: You cannot see far enough around it to know the lane is clear

    A pass is only as safe as the distance you can see, and a curve hides the very lane the maneuver uses.

  16. 16. A driver extends the left arm out the window and bends it upward at the elbow. What does this signal mean?

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    Answer B: A right turn

    The left arm bent upward at the elbow is the standard hand signal for a right turn.

  17. 17. On a multi-lane street, a yield line is painted well back from an unsignalized crosswalk rather than right at it. Why?

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    Answer D: So drivers in the other lanes can see the pedestrian

    Setting the yield line back keeps a stopped vehicle from hiding a crossing pedestrian from drivers in the next lane, which is a common cause of these crashes.

  18. 18. A reduced speed limit posted with this sign and a plaque giving hours is in force

    A five sided sign with a pointed top, a bright yellow green background and a black legend
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    Answer C: during the hours shown on the plaque, or while the beacon is flashing

    A school speed limit applies during the periods stated on the plaque or while the attached beacon flashes, and the regular limit governs outside those periods.

  19. 19. How should a rider react to a deer or another large animal in the road?

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    Answer B: Brake and prepare to stop, because large animals move unpredictably

    A large animal can bolt in any direction at any moment, so the only reliable response is to slow down and be ready to stop.

  20. 20. You are stopping for a red light in the rain and your stopping point is on a wide painted stop line and crosswalk. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow earlier and gently, since wet paint offers much less grip than pavement

    Painted stop lines and crosswalks turn slick when wet, so start braking early and squeeze gently rather than braking hard on the markings.

  21. 21. What is the what if habit of a defensive driver?

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    Answer C: Thinking through what you would do if a hazard ahead of you turned bad

    Rehearsing an answer before the hazard develops means you act at once instead of spending time deciding.

  22. 22. You are traveling a long distance on a highway with three lanes in your direction, at about the speed of the surrounding traffic. Which lane is generally the best choice?

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    Answer C: The center lane, which keeps you clear of merging traffic and of overtaking traffic

    On a three-lane roadway the center lane avoids both the ramp traffic on the right and the overtaking traffic on the left, so it usually has the steadiest flow.

  23. 23. A driver hunting for an on-ramp meets this sign at the mouth of the pavement ahead. What is the correct action?

    A red square with a wide white horizontal bar across the middle
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    Answer C: Keep out of that roadway and look for the proper approach elsewhere

    The restriction is absolute and does not depend on how much traffic is present, so the driver has to reach the highway by an approach built for entering vehicles.

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

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    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.

  25. 25. What most often leads to an engine seizure on a motorcycle?

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    Answer A: Loss of engine oil or coolant, so the moving parts overheat and grip

    Seizure is normally a lubrication or cooling failure, which is why oil level and coolant are part of every pre-ride check and why a rising temperature reading deserves attention.