Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 30

  • 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. After completing a turn you notice your signal is still flashing. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Switch it off at once, before other drivers act on it

    A signal left on after a turn is a false message, and drivers waiting to pull out may move into your path because of it.

  2. 2. A driver who wants to reverse direction arrives at this sign. What is allowed?

    A white square showing a U shaped arrow inside a red circle with a red diagonal line through it
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    Answer C: Going on and reversing direction only where the maneuver is permitted

    The restriction removes that maneuver at that spot entirely, so the driver has to continue and turn the vehicle around at a place where it is not prohibited.

  3. 3. Your vehicle has antilock brakes. What should you never do in an emergency stop?

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    Answer A: Pump the pedal up and down

    The system already releases and reapplies the brakes many times a second. Pumping the pedal interrupts it and makes the stop longer.

  4. 4. You are driving along a street lined with parked cars. What should you watch for?

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    Answer B: Doors opening, vehicles pulling out and pedestrians stepping from between cars

    Parked cars hide people and can move without warning. Keep as much space from them as you safely can and cover the brake.

  5. 5. What is a designated driver?

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    Answer A: Someone who agrees to drink nothing at all

    A designated driver drinks no alcohol whatsoever, because any amount begins to affect judgment and the whole point is a sober driver.

  6. 6. How much space should the leader of a group keep behind the vehicle ahead of the group?

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    Answer D: At least the normal following distance a rider would keep when riding alone

    Riding in a group does not shorten the space a motorcycle needs to stop, so the leader keeps the same cushion any rider would keep alone.

  7. 7. You realize you have driven several miles without remembering any of it. What kind of distraction is this?

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    Answer C: Cognitive distraction, because your mind was not on driving

    Daydreaming or being lost in thought is a cognitive distraction. Your eyes may be on the road, but your brain is not processing what they see.

  8. 8. Beyond this sign, cones and temporary signs lead traffic along a path that does not agree with the lines painted on the pavement. Which one must the driver follow?

    An orange diamond with black lettering
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    Answer C: The temporary arrangement, because it replaces the permanent layout while the work lasts

    Temporary traffic control set up for the work takes precedence over the permanent signs and markings, which no longer describe how the road is being used.

  9. 9. Traffic is entering the freeway from a ramp ahead of you and you are in the right lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Move to another lane if it is safe, or adjust your speed to make room

    Merging drivers may have little room to adjust. Helping them in by changing lanes or easing your speed prevents conflicts even though they must legally yield to you.

  10. 10. A dog runs out and chases your motorcycle. What is the recommended response?

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    Answer D: Downshift and approach slowly, then accelerate away as you reach the animal

    Approaching slowly keeps the dog aiming at where you are now, and accelerating as you reach it leaves the animal behind without a sudden swerve.

  11. 11. You stop behind another vehicle at a traffic light. How much space should you leave?

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    Answer D: Enough to see where its rear tires touch the pavement

    Seeing the rear tires on the road leaves room to steer around the vehicle if it stalls, and gives a cushion if you are struck from behind.

  12. 12. You are riding a city street with embedded streetcar rails and it has just started to rain. What is the added risk?

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    Answer D: Wet steel rails offer very little grip, and so does the pavement beside them

    Steel rails give almost no traction when wet, so cross them upright at as close to a right angle as the lane allows, without braking or turning on the metal.

  13. 13. A yellow diamond showing a truck is posted beside a quarry entrance. What is it warning about?

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    Answer A: Trucks turning onto the highway from that entrance

    A truck crossing or trucks entering sign is used where heavy vehicles pull onto the road from a site, and they accelerate slowly once they are on it.

  14. 14. During the tire check you find a nail driven into the rear tire. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Have the tire repaired or replaced before the motorcycle is ridden

    A punctured motorcycle tire can lose air suddenly, and a motorcycle has no second tire on that end to hold the machine up.

  15. 15. You have had to leave the pavement onto a loose gravel shoulder and now need to stop. How should you brake?

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    Answer D: Use both brakes gently and evenly, expecting a much longer stopping distance

    Loose gravel cuts available traction sharply, so apply both brakes lightly and smoothly and allow far more room than you would need on pavement.

  16. 16. What is a good rule for any task you want to do inside the vehicle?

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    Answer D: If it needs more than a moment, do it stopped

    A glance of a second or two is manageable, but any task that runs longer belongs to a stopped vehicle, because the road does not pause while you do it.

  17. 17. Someone has stepped into a marked crosswalk in the middle of a block ahead of you. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Slow down, stop before the markings and let the person cross the street

    A marked mid-block crosswalk carries the same duty as one at a corner: give way to the person crossing, stopping if that is what letting them cross safely takes.

  18. 18. On an unlit road, about how far ahead do high beams normally let you see?

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    Answer D: About 350 to 500 feet ahead of the vehicle

    High beams light roughly 350 to 500 feet of road and low beams far less, which is why night speeds have to be chosen around the beam, not the limit.

  19. 19. What should a rider look for in rain gear?

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    Answer A: A riding rain suit that fits close and will not balloon or tear at speed

    Rain gear designed for riding stays sealed and stays put in the airstream, while loose garments can flap, tear or interfere with the controls.

  20. 20. The front tire suddenly loses air while you are riding. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Hold the bars firmly, ease off the throttle and slow using the rear brake

    A deflating front tire makes the steering feel heavy, so the rider keeps a straight line, avoids the affected wheel when braking and eases off the road.

  21. 21. You are in a marked passing zone but a steady stream of oncoming traffic is coming toward you. What does the broken center line allow?

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    Answer C: A pass only when the road is clear, so you have to stay behind

    A passing zone marks where the sight distance is adequate, but it never gives permission to enter a lane that another vehicle is occupying.

  22. 22. Where should the hooks of an elastic luggage cord be attached?

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    Answer D: To solid points on the frame or the rack that will take the pull

    Hooking a cord to bodywork, a signal stalk or a cable can break the part or damage the wiring, and the load is loose the moment the anchor fails.

  23. 23. You are in the right-hand of two left-turn lanes and the vehicle beside you starts to drift toward your lane during the turn. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Slow slightly, keep to your own lane and give the other vehicle room

    Drivers commonly drift wide in dual turn lanes, so hold your own line, ease off and leave space rather than racing or crowding the other vehicle.

  24. 24. Which action becomes clearly more risky beyond this sign?

    A yellow diamond showing two black arrows, one pointing up and one pointing down
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    Answer A: Using the left side of the roadway to overtake

    With vehicles coming the other way on the same pavement, overtaking on the left needs enough clear road to pull out, pass and return, which is often not available.

  25. 25. Which sign tells you that the vehicles ahead are part of a funeral procession?

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    Answer C: Headlights burning in daylight, with small flags or markers on the vehicles

    Processions are normally identified by daytime headlights, hazard lights and flags or windshield markers, not by emergency lights or sirens.