Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 45
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. You have just ridden over a large object lying in the road. What should you do next?
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Answer A: Pull over when it is safe and check the tires and rims for damage
An impact can cut a tire, dent a rim or bend a fork without giving any immediate change in how the machine feels, so it deserves a look.
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2. You are turning right on a red light where that is permitted. What does the law require first?
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Answer B: A full stop, then yielding to traffic and pedestrians
A right turn on red is allowed only after stopping completely and giving way to everyone who has the green, including people in the crosswalk.
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3. How does the crown of a road affect a turn made on it?
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Answer C: Turning toward the low side leaves less ground clearance for leaning
Leaning down the slope of the crown adds the slope to the lean angle, so the footrests and other parts reach the pavement sooner than they otherwise would.
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4. What should a passenger be told about where to keep their legs?
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Answer D: To keep them away from the muffler, the chain and other moving parts
Exhaust pipes get hot enough to burn and exposed drive components can catch a loose leg, so the passenger must keep legs in and clear of them.
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5. When may a passenger get off the motorcycle?
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Answer D: Only after the rider has stopped, braced the machine and said so
A passenger climbing off before the rider is ready removes weight from the back of a machine the rider is still holding upright, which can drop it.
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6. Which of these is an early warning that you are too tired to keep driving?
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Answer C: Not remembering the last few miles you drove
Memory gaps, repeated yawning, heavy eyelids and drifting are the body signaling that sleep is winning, and they mean stop rather than push on.
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7. Traffic in your lane is backed up and the paved shoulder looks clear. May you drive along it to get past?
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Answer C: No, the shoulder is not a travel lane
Passing must be done within the roadway; driving on the shoulder to get around traffic is prohibited and surprises anyone entering from the right.
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8. A sign shows a lane joining from the right with no merge required. What does that mean?
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Answer B: The joining traffic gets its own new lane, so nobody has to merge
An added lane means the roadway gains a lane at that point, so entering vehicles have somewhere to go without anyone changing lanes.
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9. A driver is following your motorcycle much too closely. What should you do?
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Answer B: Ease off the throttle and open more space ahead so the driver can pass
Slowing gradually and opening a bigger gap in front encourages the tailgater to pass and gives the rider room to stop gently instead of hard.
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10. As a driver keeps drinking, in what order are driving abilities usually lost?
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Answer C: Judgment, then vision, reaction time and coordination
Alcohol reaches the parts of the brain that handle judgment first, and only later does it visibly affect sight, reactions and muscle control.
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11. A bicyclist ahead of you puts the left arm straight out to the side. What is being signaled?
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Answer B: A left turn or a move to the left
The left arm held straight out is the bicycle signal for a left turn, so hold back and give the rider room to cross toward the center.
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12. Your road ends at a T-intersection with no signs or signals. Who has the right-of-way?
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Answer A: Traffic on the through road, and you must yield before entering
A driver on a road that ends at a T-intersection must yield to traffic on the through road that continues past the junction.
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13. In a staggered formation, where does the second rider belong?
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Answer C: In the right portion of the lane, about one second behind the leader
The second rider uses the opposite side of the lane roughly one second behind the leader, which staggers the group without stretching it out or putting the two riders alongside each other.
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14. How does going a long time without sleep compare with drinking?
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Answer A: It can impair a driver in much the same way
Long periods awake produce slow reactions, poor judgment and lapses of attention that resemble the effects of alcohol, which is why fatigue counts as impairment.
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15. The driver ahead of you is straddling the lane line and is not signaling. How should you respond?
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Answer B: Stay back until you can see which lane that driver will take
A vehicle astride the line could move either way, so the only safe place is behind it where both possibilities are still covered.
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16. How many alcoholic drinks does it take to begin affecting driving ability?
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Answer C: Even one drink can affect it
A single drink can slow reactions and weaken judgment before you feel any change. Impairment starts long before a person feels drunk.
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17. How does riding in a formation change your responsibility for your own space cushion?
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Answer C: It does not change it, because each rider still manages their own space and decisions
A formation organizes the group, but every rider remains responsible for their own following distance, escape paths and riding decisions.
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18. What should a rider check about the size of a motorcycle before riding it?
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Answer C: That both feet reach the ground and the controls are within reach
A motorcycle that fits lets the rider put both feet down at a stop and work every control without stretching, and a machine that is too tall or too heavy is hard to hold up in slow traffic.
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19. You are driving through a neighborhood where several children are riding bicycles. What should you do?
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Answer C: Slow down and expect sudden, unpredictable moves
Young riders lack the judgment and the mirror habits of adults and may swerve or cross without looking, so lower speed is your only reliable margin.
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20. What does a tire with worn tread do on a wet road?
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Answer B: It loses grip and it hydroplanes at a lower speed than a good tire
Tread grooves carry water away from the contact patch, and a worn tire cannot do that, so it floats on the water sooner.
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21. You arrive at an intersection with no signs, no signals and no markings at the same time as a vehicle on the road to your right. What must you do?
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Answer B: Yield to the vehicle on your right
At an uncontrolled intersection you must yield to a vehicle already in the intersection or approaching from your right.
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22. You are the first driver on a road just after a storm. What should you plan for?
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Answer B: Branches, mud and other debris hidden around the next bend
Storm debris lands where nobody has cleared it yet, often just beyond a curve or a crest, so reduce speed and look much further ahead.
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23. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?
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Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it
Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.
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24. You are turning left from a one-way street onto a two-way street. How should the turn be made?
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Answer B: Start in the far left lane and finish just to the right of the center line
Left turns begin from the lane nearest the left edge of the street you are leaving and must finish on the right-hand side of the center line of a two-way street.
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25. You are riding along a street lined with parked cars. What is the safest approach?
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Answer D: Move away from the parked cars, slow down, and watch for doors and people
Doors open, drivers pull out and pedestrians step between vehicles, so extra space and a lower speed give the rider time to see and react.