Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 12
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. A pedestrian using a white cane or walking with a guide dog starts to cross the street ahead of you. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer A: Yield and stay stopped until the person has finished crossing
A white cane or guide dog identifies a pedestrian who may not be able to see your vehicle, so you must yield and wait rather than maneuver around the person. The horn can confuse the pedestrian or the dog.
-
2. You are approaching a driveway where a car waits to pull out and the driver is looking your way. What should you assume?
Show answer
Answer D: The driver may not have seen you, so cover the brakes and be ready to slow
Looking in your direction is not proof that a driver has registered a motorcycle, so cover the brakes and be ready to slow until the car is clearly staying put.
-
3. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer C: Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes
On a one-way street you clear to whichever curb is closest, so the emergency vehicle gets a clear path down the open lanes.
-
4. Is a windshield an adequate substitute for eye protection?
Show answer
Answer A: No, because air and debris still reach the rider's eyes around and over the screen
Airflow passes over and around a windshield, so a face shield or goggles are still needed to keep the rider's vision clear.
-
5. Which part of the body operates the gearshift lever?
Show answer
Answer B: The left foot
The gearshift lever sits ahead of the left footrest and is moved up or down with the left foot.
-
6. You are on a two-lane road where a broken yellow line runs on your side of the center. What does that pattern allow?
Show answer
Answer C: Passing when the way ahead is clear and it is otherwise legal
A broken yellow center line marks a stretch where passing is permitted for traffic on that side when it can be completed safely.
-
7. In addition to license revocation, what mandatory minimum punishment does Illinois impose on a second DUI conviction?
Show answer
Answer C: Five days in jail or 240 hours of community service
Illinois law requires a second DUI conviction to carry either a mandatory five days in jail or 240 hours of community service.
-
8. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?
Show answer
Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly
Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.
-
9. A black and white regulatory sign facing traffic at a divided section reads KEEP LEFT. What does it require?
Show answer
Answer D: Passing the island or obstruction on its left side
Keep Left is posted at an island or obstruction that traffic must pass on the left, which is the opposite of the far more common Keep Right situation.
-
10. A sign on a long downgrade points to a runaway vehicle ramp. What is that ramp for?
Show answer
Answer C: Trucks that have lost braking ability on the grade
A runaway ramp is an escape lane of loose material that stops a heavy vehicle whose brakes have overheated or failed, so it must always be left clear.
-
11. Two solid white lines are painted between your lane and the lane beside it. What do they mean?
Show answer
Answer D: Crossing from one lane to the other is prohibited
Double solid white lines separate lanes of traffic going the same way and may not be crossed.
-
12. How can you check that you are keeping a safe following distance?
Show answer
Answer A: Count at least three seconds between the vehicle ahead passing a fixed object and your reaching it
Pick a fixed roadside object, start counting when the vehicle ahead passes it and make sure at least three seconds elapse before you reach it, adding more time in poor conditions.
-
13. What has to be done with the helmet chin strap on every ride?
Show answer
Answer B: Fastened snugly, because an unfastened helmet comes off in a crash
A helmet only protects while it stays on the head, and an unfastened or loose strap lets it leave the head in the first moments of a crash.
-
14. How far forward should a rider sit on the seat?
Show answer
Answer D: Far enough forward that the arms are slightly bent on the grips
Slightly bent arms let the rider steer with the handlebars instead of using the arms to prop up the upper body.
-
15. What should the operator do before a bump, a sharp turn or a sudden stop?
Show answer
Answer C: Warn the passenger so they can brace for it
A warning lets the passenger tighten their grip and prepare, which keeps the passenger weight from shifting unexpectedly at the worst moment.
-
16. A bee gets inside your jacket while you are riding. What is the recommended action?
Show answer
Answer B: Pull off the road and stop before you try to deal with the insect
Being stung hurts, but losing control while swatting hurts much more, so ride to a safe place, stop and then deal with the insect.
-
17. A driver stopped on suspicion of impaired driving refuses to take a chemical test. What happens?
Show answer
Answer D: A license penalty follows for the refusal itself
Under implied consent, holding a license means agreeing to testing, so a refusal brings its own suspension separately from anything the court decides.
-
18. A driver ignores this sign and passes on the opposite side. What is the main risk?
Show answer
Answer B: Ending up on the wrong side of a divider, facing traffic coming the other way
The sign settles which side of a fixed divider is the legal one, so taking the other side sends the vehicle into the opposing stream or straight at the obstruction.
-
19. What does research say about the effect of a full coverage helmet on a rider's ability to see and hear traffic?
Show answer
Answer B: It leaves the view and the useful hearing a rider needs largely intact
Certified helmets leave far more peripheral vision than a rider needs to check traffic, and riders wearing them still hear the sounds that matter.
-
20. A vehicle in front of you has already begun turning left into a driveway when the gap you were waiting for opens up. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer B: Wait and let that driver finish the turn
A vehicle that has lawfully started a maneuver keeps the right of way until it is finished.
-
21. You have finished a distracting task and your eyes are back on the road. What is true?
Show answer
Answer A: Your full attention takes a while to come back
Studies of drivers show attention lags behind the eyes for many seconds after a phone or a screen task, so the danger continues after the task is over.
-
22. You are approaching a narrow bridge where the road has one lane in each direction and no shoulder. What should you do about passing?
Show answer
Answer B: Do not pass on or near the bridge
A narrow bridge gives neither vehicle anywhere to go, so passing is prohibited there in the same way as on a hill or in a tunnel.
-
23. When should a helmet be replaced?
Show answer
Answer B: After a crash, or if the shell is cracked or the straps are frayed
The energy absorbing liner is designed to crush once, so a helmet that has taken an impact or shows damage no longer offers full protection.
-
24. Rain is falling and the outside temperature reads close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is that dangerous?
Show answer
Answer A: The rain can freeze on contact and glaze the road with ice
Near freezing, rain landing on cold pavement can turn to a glaze of ice almost at once, so a road that looks merely wet may have no grip at all.
-
25. When should you enter a destination into a navigation device?
Show answer
Answer B: Before you start driving, or after parking in a safe place
Programming a route is a visual, manual and mental task at the same time, so it belongs to the moments before the vehicle moves rather than to any point in traffic.