Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 19
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
-
1. You are following a tractor-trailer so closely that its rear doors fill your windshield. What is the main problem?
Show answer
Answer D: You cannot see the road ahead and the truck driver cannot see you
A truck has a deep blind spot directly behind it, and tailgating also hides everything in front of the truck from you. Drop back so you can see and be seen.
-
2. Which warning sign keeps its yellow background even when it is used inside a work zone?
Show answer
Answer D: The grade crossing advance warning sign
The round grade crossing advance warning sign keeps its black legend on yellow inside temporary traffic control zones because the railroad hazard it describes is not temporary.
-
3. A yellow diamond showing the silhouette of a deer warns that
Show answer
Answer D: large animals may cross the road in that area
The sign marks a stretch where animals are known to cross, so drivers should reduce speed and scan both roadsides, especially around dawn and dusk.
-
4. What is the recommended minimum following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
Show answer
Answer C: Two seconds
A two second gap is the minimum in good conditions and should be stretched to three seconds or more on slippery roads, in poor visibility or in heavy traffic.
-
5. To make a motorcycle lean into a turn at normal riding speed, the rider should:
Show answer
Answer C: Press forward on the handgrip on the side of the turn
This is countersteering: press left to lean left and go left, press right to lean right and go right.
-
6. Why should baggage be kept as low as possible on a motorcycle?
Show answer
Answer C: A high load raises the center of gravity and makes the machine unstable
Weight carried high changes the balance of the motorcycle and makes it feel top heavy in turns and in crosswinds.
-
7. Why should you stay out of an intersection you cannot clear, even on a green light?
Show answer
Answer B: Because you would block cross traffic when their signal turns green
A vehicle stranded in the intersection blocks the cross street when its light turns green, which stalls the whole junction and traps emergency vehicles.
-
8. A driver is thinking about overtaking a slower vehicle and sees this sign a short distance ahead. What does it mean for that pass?
Show answer
Answer B: The pass must be finished before the restricted section begins
The sign marks the start of a section where passing is prohibited, so a driver may not be on the left side of the road beyond it; any pass has to be completed before that point or not started at all.
-
9. You are approaching a blind left hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?
Show answer
Answer C: The right portion of your lane
On a left hand bend the outside of the lane is the right side, and moving there lets the rider see farther around the curve before entering it.
-
10. Besides motorist services and tourist information, a blue sign background is also used for
Show answer
Answer B: evacuation route signing
Blue is assigned to road user services, tourist information and evacuation routes, so hurricane and other evacuation routes are signed in blue.
-
11. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.
-
12. Which surfaces usually offer less grip than the pavement around them when wet?
Show answer
Answer B: Painted markings, metal plates and bridge decks
Paint, steel and bridge decks all shed grip when wet or cold, so brake before you reach them rather than on top of them.
-
13. What must an Illinois driver do about phone use when approaching a marked school zone on a school day when children are present?
Show answer
Answer D: Discontinue wireless and cellphone use, except a hands-free device that may include a single-sided headset
Between 6:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on school days when children are present, an Illinois driver must stop using a wireless or cellphone device unless it is hands-free, reduce speed to 20 mph and yield to anyone in the crosswalk.
-
14. A pedestrian with a white cane draws the cane back and steps away from the curb as you approach. What does that usually mean?
Show answer
Answer B: They are signaling you to go ahead and drive on
Pulling the cane in and stepping back from the curb is the customary way a blind pedestrian tells drivers to proceed.
-
15. What is a manageable size for a single group of motorcycles?
Show answer
Answer A: No more than four or five riders
Four or five machines can hold a formation, stay in sight of one another and clear an intersection together, while larger groups quickly become unmanageable.
-
16. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?
Show answer
Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane
A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.
-
17. How does alcohol change the time a driver needs to respond to a hazard?
Show answer
Answer A: It slows it, so stopping takes longer
Alcohol is a depressant that lengthens the time between seeing a hazard and acting on it, which adds directly to the distance needed to stop.
-
18. What does the RESERVE position on a fuel supply valve do?
Show answer
Answer C: It draws on the small amount of fuel left at the bottom of the tank
A fuel supply valve normally offers OFF, ON, RESERVE and PRIME, and RESERVE taps the last of the fuel so the rider can reach a station.
-
19. You have just been involved in a crash on a city street. Which sequence of first steps is correct?
Show answer
Answer A: Stop where you are, check everyone for injuries, and then make the scene safe
You are required to stop, and the first priority at the scene is people, followed by preventing a second collision.
-
20. A driver stopped at a red signal wants to turn right and this sign is posted at the corner. What is permitted?
Show answer
Answer A: Nothing: the turn is barred whether the signal is red or green
The restriction works independently of the signal, so the usual permission to turn right after stopping at a red light does not exist where this sign is posted.
-
21. Traffic has built up behind you while you wait for a gap to turn left. How should that affect your decision?
Show answer
Answer C: It should not change it; wait for a gap that is genuinely safe
Pressure from behind does not make a small gap bigger, and rushing a left turn across traffic is a common cause of serious crashes.
-
22. Beyond the point this sign refers to, which movement becomes unlawful?
Show answer
Answer D: Driving on the far side of the separation, against the flow
Once the two directions are separated, each roadway carries one-way traffic, so crossing to the other side means driving into oncoming vehicles.
-
23. Why is a drive chain adjusted with too little slack a problem?
Show answer
Answer A: It strains the chain, the sprockets and the output shaft bearings
Suspension movement changes the distance between the sprockets, so a chain pulled tight at rest is stretched hard over bumps and wears everything it touches.
-
24. Which rain suit is the better choice for a rider?
Show answer
Answer A: A bright one with reflective panels, since rain cuts visibility
Drivers see less in the rain, so rain gear is exactly where bright color and reflective material pay off most.
-
25. You come around a bend and find loose sand spread across your lane. What should you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Ease off the gas, avoid sudden braking or steering, and keep straight
Loose material acts like ball bearings under the tires; smooth inputs preserve what little grip remains, while sudden braking or steering breaks it.