Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 29

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

Minimum age: 16 years; applicants aged 16 or 17 must also complete an IDOT-approved motorcycle training course

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

  1. 1. You are starting from a stop on a snowy, icy street and the drive wheels begin to spin. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and start again more gently

    Spinning tires polish the surface and dig in. Very gentle pressure on the accelerator, and a higher gear if you have one, gives the tires the best chance to grip.

  2. 2. A regulatory sign reads TURN ON HEADLIGHTS NEXT 15 MILES. What does it require?

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    Answer C: Low beam headlights on for that stretch, day or night

    Such a section is signed where a road is hard to see along, and the requirement is to run headlights, not just daytime running lamps, through the whole stretch even in bright daylight.

  3. 3. What is the danger of releasing the brake too early when moving off uphill?

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    Answer C: The motorcycle rolls backward before the clutch has taken hold

    On a grade the brake has to stay on until the engine is actually pulling, otherwise the machine runs back into whatever is behind it.

  4. 4. You are in the right-hand lane of a multilane street and that lane becomes a right-turn-only lane ahead, but you want to go straight. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Change into a through lane before you reach the markings for the turn lane

    A lane-use arrow is a regulatory marking, so a driver who wants to continue straight has to leave that lane before it becomes a mandatory turn lane.

  5. 5. A white diamond symbol is painted in a highway lane. What does it identify?

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    Answer C: A lane reserved for high-occupancy vehicles

    The diamond symbol marks a preferential lane, most often one reserved for vehicles carrying a minimum number of occupants.

  6. 6. A barricade carries a sign reading ROAD CLOSED TO THROUGH TRAFFIC. What does it permit?

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    Answer B: Local access for people whose destination is on that road

    This closure keeps out drivers who are only passing through while still allowing residents and deliveries to reach addresses within the closed section.

  7. 7. Your loaded vehicle weighs more than the figure shown on a posted weight limit sign. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Find another route, because crossing is not permitted

    A posted weight limit is a legal maximum, not advice, so an overweight vehicle has to take a different route.

  8. 8. You are stopped at a stop sign where your road ends at a two-way through street and you plan to turn left. What must you yield to?

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    Answer B: Traffic from both directions and any pedestrians crossing

    A left turn from the stem of a T crosses the near lane and joins the far one, so you give way to traffic in both directions and to pedestrians.

  9. 9. You are driving on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What is the safest adjustment?

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    Answer A: Reduce speed and keep a firm grip, expecting gusts on bridges and beside large vehicles

    Gusts hit hardest in open gaps, on bridges and when passing high-sided vehicles, so a lower speed and a firm grip let you correct before you are pushed out of your lane.

  10. 10. A sign at the signal reads LEFT TURN ON GREEN ARROW ONLY. The ball turns green but no arrow appears. What may you do?

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    Answer C: Wait, because your turn is allowed only while the arrow is showing

    The sign removes the permissive turn, so the left is legal only during the green arrow and you must wait behind the line until it appears.

  11. 11. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above your lane. What does it mean?

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    Answer B: You may not use that lane and must move out of it

    A steady red X means the lane below it is closed to you, while a steady yellow X is the warning to prepare to vacate the lane and a downward green arrow means the lane is open.

  12. 12. You are approaching the entry of a roundabout and a pedestrian is crossing the marked crosswalk on your approach lane. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Stop before the crosswalk and let the pedestrian cross

    Roundabout crosswalks sit a short distance back from the yield line, and drivers must yield there before they ever reach the circulating lanes.

  13. 13. You are on a country road with no sidewalk and two people are walking toward you on your side of the shoulder. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Slow down and move over to give them room

    Where there is no sidewalk, people are expected to walk on the shoulder facing traffic, and drivers must slow and give them space.

  14. 14. A sign beside the signal reads STOP HERE ON RED. What does it tell you?

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    Answer B: Stop at that point on red, not closer to the intersection

    The sign marks the required stopping point, which is set back from the corner so that turning vehicles and sight lines are not blocked.

  15. 15. What is the main danger of grabbing the front brake lever abruptly?

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    Answer D: The front wheel can lock, and a locked wheel cannot steer or balance

    The front brake must be squeezed progressively so that weight transfers onto the front tire before full braking force is asked of it.

  16. 16. A crossing guard steps into the roadway ahead of this sign with one hand raised. What must the driver do?

    A five sided sign with a pointed top, a bright yellow green background and a black legend
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    Answer B: Stop and stay stopped until the guard waves traffic on

    An adult guard is controlling traffic at that crossing, so the instruction given by that person governs and the driver waits to be released.

  17. 17. A school crossing guard has returned to the curb but two children are still walking across the road. When may you go?

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    Answer C: Only after the children have reached the far sidewalk

    The guard leaving the road does not end your duty; you stay stopped until every child is clear of the roadway.

  18. 18. The sign over the leftmost lane reads LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFT. You are in that lane and want to go straight. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Move out of the lane before the intersection if it is safe

    A mandatory movement lane control sign makes the turn compulsory for that lane, so a driver who wants another movement must change lanes in advance.

  19. 19. You are turning left at an intersection and an oncoming bicyclist is approaching in the bike lane. What must you do?

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    Answer B: Yield and complete the turn only after the bicyclist has passed

    A bicycle in the roadway has the same right of way as a vehicle, so a left-turning driver must yield to an oncoming rider just as to an oncoming car.

  20. 20. In heavy fog at night on a rural two-lane road, which marking best helps a driver hold position?

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    Answer C: The solid white line along the right edge

    Steering by the right edge line keeps a driver clear of oncoming traffic, while watching the center line tends to pull the vehicle toward it.

  21. 21. What actually lowers the amount of alcohol in a person's blood?

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    Answer D: The passage of time

    The body eliminates alcohol at its own steady rate, so only time reduces blood alcohol. Coffee or a cold shower may make a person feel more awake while still impaired.

  22. 22. For how long after an Illinois DUI conviction must a driver typically carry high-risk (SR-22) auto insurance?

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    Answer C: Three years

    A DUI conviction in Illinois typically requires the driver to carry high-risk auto insurance for three years.

  23. 23. When should a rider avoid a tinted face shield or tinted goggles?

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    Answer C: At night and in other low light conditions

    A tint cuts the amount of light reaching the eyes, which makes hazards much harder to pick out once daylight fades.

  24. 24. Small green signs with white numerals posted at regular intervals along a highway are used to

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    Answer B: show distance along the route and give a reference point for reporting a location

    Reference location signs, commonly called mileposts, carry white numerals on green and let a driver describe exactly where a breakdown or crash has occurred.

  25. 25. Illinois' general headset ban while driving includes a specific exception for motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, and moped riders. What does it allow?

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    Answer A: Intercom helmets that let a rider and passenger speak to one another

    Illinois' headset restriction specifically exempts intercom helmets that allow a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or moped operator and passenger to communicate with each other.