Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 36
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. Why is an inexperienced rider a poor choice to lead a group?
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Answer C: The leader picks the pace, the gaps and the hazards for everyone behind
Every decision the leader makes is imposed on the riders behind, so leading demands more traffic judgment than any other position in the group.
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2. This sign leads to a crossing that has no gates and no flashing lights. What does that mean for the driver?
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Answer D: Nothing will warn of an approaching train, so the driver must check the tracks personally
At a passive crossing there is no active device to announce a train, so the whole judgment rests on the driver, who must approach slowly enough to stop after looking along the track.
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3. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?
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Answer D: Familiar roads let attention slip into routine
When a route is automatic the mind wanders and hazards get missed, which is why a well known road deserves the same attention as a strange one.
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4. You are driving at night through heavy falling snow. Which headlight setting works better and why?
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Answer C: Low beams, because high beams bounce off the falling flakes back at you
Falling snow reflects light the way fog does, so high beams build a white wall of glare while low beams still give a usable view.
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5. You have stopped on the shoulder of a busy freeway with a flat tire that you cannot change safely. Where should you and your passengers wait?
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Answer A: Well away from the traffic side, behind a barrier or up the bank if there is one
People struck on the shoulder are a common cause of roadside deaths, so wait away from the traffic side and behind any barrier.
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6. What do yellow lines painted on a roadway separate?
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Answer D: Traffic moving in opposite directions
Yellow markings separate opposing streams of traffic, and they also mark the left edge of a divided highway or a one-way roadway.
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7. A highway lane is marked with a large white diamond and signed as a high-occupancy vehicle lane. Who may use it?
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Answer B: Only vehicles carrying at least the number of occupants shown on the sign, during the posted hours
The diamond marking identifies a preferential lane whose occupancy requirement and hours of operation are stated on the accompanying signs.
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8. You want to turn right at a steady red light and no sign prohibits the turn. What is required?
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Answer B: Come to a complete stop, then yield to traffic and pedestrians before turning
A right turn on a steady red is permitted only after a complete stop and only after yielding to cross traffic and to pedestrians, and a posted sign can prohibit it entirely.
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9. A yellow diamond showing a bicycle is posted on a rural road. What should a driver expect?
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Answer A: Bicyclists crossing or riding along the roadway there
The bicycle warning sign is used where a bikeway crosses the road or where riders are likely to be in the traffic lanes, so drivers should look carefully and pass wide.
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10. Studies of damaged helmets show that the most frequently struck area is which part?
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Answer C: The chin and jaw area, which an open face helmet leaves uncovered
The chin and face area takes a large share of helmet impacts, which is the main safety argument for a full face helmet over an open face one.
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11. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
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Answer B: Stay back and give it room until it leaves the roundabout
Long vehicles need extra width to get around the central island, so drivers behind must hold back rather than share the space beside them.
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12. Where is this sign normally installed?
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Answer A: At an island or other obstruction in the roadway, to show which side traffic must take
It is placed at a divider, island or fixed obstruction so that drivers approaching it know without hesitating which side to pass on.
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13. On a narrow residential street, why does parking tight against the curb matter so much?
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Answer C: Because fire trucks and ambulances need the width to get through
Cars parked even a foot out from the curb on both sides can narrow a street until a fire truck or ambulance cannot pass.
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14. The engine has warmed up and idles smoothly. What should be done with the choke?
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Answer C: Turn it off
A warm engine running on a rich mixture wastes fuel, runs poorly and can foul the spark plugs, so the choke is closed once it is no longer needed.
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15. The lights at a highway-rail grade crossing begin to flash red as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer B: Stop short of the tracks and wait until the lights stop and no train is near
Flashing red lights at a crossing require a stop clear of the tracks, and you may proceed only once the lights have stopped, any gates are fully raised and no train is approaching.
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16. You are stopped at a steady red arrow pointing right, and no sign or state rule permits turning on a red arrow. May you turn right?
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Answer A: No, you must wait until the red arrow goes out and a green signal appears
A steady red arrow prohibits the movement it points to until a signal permitting it appears. Only a posted sign or a specific state rule allows a turn on a red arrow after a complete stop, so without one you must wait.
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17. What is the correct order of steps for taking a turn or a curve?
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Answer D: Slow, look, press, roll
Reduce speed before the turn, look through it to where you want to go, press the handgrip to lean, then roll on the throttle to steady the motorcycle.
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18. You notice that the driver ahead of you is holding a phone to the ear. What should you do?
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Answer C: Assume slower reactions and leave extra space, or else hold back
A driver on the phone reacts late and misses things, so the safe response is distance rather than a lesson.
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19. You have just had bad news and you feel very upset. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until you have calmed down, or else let somebody else drive
Strong emotion takes attention away from the road as surely as alcohol or fatigue, so it is a reason not to drive yet.
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20. Why should a load never be fastened to the handlebars or the front forks?
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Answer D: The weight upsets the steering and makes the front end handle unpredictably
Anything hung on the steering moves with it and changes how the motorcycle turns, which is why loads belong low and behind the rider instead.
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21. You are involved in a collision, even a minor one. What is your first legal duty?
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Answer A: Stop at or near the scene without blocking traffic more than necessary
Every driver involved in a crash must stop at the scene, and leaving before meeting that duty is a serious offense. Move the vehicles only as far as needed to clear the traffic lanes.
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22. Which clue best warns a rider that the door of a parked car is about to open?
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Answer B: Someone visible in the seat, or exhaust showing at the tailpipe
Occupied cars are the ones that open doors, so scan through rear windows and mirrors and look for exhaust or wheels turning as you approach.
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23. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did
A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.
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24. Why must a rider turn the head and look before changing lanes?
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Answer A: Mirrors leave blind spots that only a direct look can cover
Motorcycles have blind spots just as cars do, and a vehicle hidden in one will not appear in the mirrors at all.
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25. Is it acceptable to drive far below the flow of traffic on an open highway?
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Answer B: No, driving too slowly can obstruct traffic and create a hazard
Traffic that is much slower than the surrounding flow forces other drivers into sudden braking and unnecessary passing maneuvers, and impeding traffic is itself a violation.