Illinois SOS Motorcycle Practice Test 47
- Questions25
- Correct to pass20
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. At a freeway exit, the paved triangle between the ramp and the through lanes is filled with diagonal white lines. What do they mean?
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Answer A: Stay out of that area, because it is not meant to be driven on
Chevron and diagonal markings fill paved areas that traffic is not intended to use, so drivers should keep out of them.
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2. The car ahead of you slows down for no reason that you can see. Should you pull out and pass?
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Answer B: No, find out why it is slowing before you commit to the other lane
A driver usually slows for something, such as a turn, a hazard or a pedestrian, and that something is often exactly where your pass would take you.
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3. A rectangular marker with alternating black and retroreflective yellow stripes set at a slant is used to
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Answer C: mark an obstruction, with the stripes sloping down toward the side on which traffic should pass
This striped panel is an object marker, and the direction in which the stripes slope shows the driver which side of the obstruction to pass on.
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4. You are entering a marked school zone during the posted hours. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow to the school zone limit and watch for children
The school zone limit applies throughout the posted hours, whether or not you can see any children at that moment.
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5. You notice a bulge on the sidewall of one of your tires. What should you do?
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Answer D: Have the tire replaced before driving far, because it could blow out
A sidewall bulge means the internal cords have broken and only the rubber is holding the air. The tire can fail suddenly at any speed.
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6. What is the benefit of looking far down the road rather than just ahead of the hood?
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Answer A: You steer with smaller corrections and you see trouble in plenty of time
A distant view steadies your steering and gives you time to plan, because you meet hazards after you have already seen them.
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7. You reach the end of the acceleration lane and there is still no gap in the traffic. What should you do?
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Answer B: Slow down and merge behind the traffic rather than forcing your way in
Merging behind the traffic costs you only a little speed, while forcing into a space that is not there puts you alongside a vehicle with nowhere to go.
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8. What changes most when a rider moves from a light motorcycle to a much heavier one?
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Answer A: It takes longer to stop and is harder to hold up at low speed
Extra mass means longer stopping distances and more effort in slow maneuvers and when holding the machine up, so build up gradually on an unfamiliar heavy motorcycle.
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9. What color scheme does a standard stop sign use?
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Answer B: White legend and border on a red background
The stop sign carries a white legend and border on a red background, the color set aside for stop, yield and prohibition messages.
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10. You know in advance that you will be drinking at an event. What is the most reliable plan?
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Answer A: Arrange a driver who will not drink, or another way home, before the event begins
A decision made before drinking is not affected by alcohol, while judging your own fitness afterward relies on the very ability alcohol impairs first.
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11. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?
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Answer B: Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
After a long stretch at high speed the brain adapts, so town speeds feel unnaturally slow; check the speedometer instead of trusting the feeling.
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12. A yellow diamond in which one line joins another at an angle warns that
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Answer B: traffic from another roadway will merge into the driver's lane ahead
The merge sign warns that another traffic stream will join the same lane ahead, so drivers on both roadways must adjust speed and spacing.
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13. What do two solid yellow lines down the middle of a two-way road mean?
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Answer D: Passing is prohibited for traffic in both directions
A double solid yellow line marks a two-direction no-passing zone, so neither direction may cross it to overtake another vehicle.
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14. Besides fitting the machine, what else must a passenger be capable of?
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Answer B: Following the rider's instructions throughout the ride
Instructions such as staying still, holding on and not getting off until told are what keep the pair balanced, and a passenger who cannot follow them is unsafe.
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15. What does a steady yellow traffic light tell the driver facing it?
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Answer A: The green movement is ending and a red indication is about to appear
A steady yellow warns that the related green movement is being terminated and that red will follow, so you should stop if you can do so safely.
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16. You have stopped at a stop sign, but a parked truck blocks your view along the cross street. What should you do?
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Answer A: Creep forward slowly and stop again where you can see
When something blocks the view, a second stop closer to the intersection is the only safe way to see, and it must come before your vehicle enters the traffic lane.
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17. You are about to pass a long tractor-trailer on a two-lane road. What should you expect?
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Answer B: You will need more clear road, since the vehicle is much longer
A tractor-trailer can be 70 feet long, so passing it takes more distance and more time than passing a car at the same speed difference.
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18. You are on a one-way street with two marked lanes. May you pass a slower vehicle on the right?
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Answer A: Yes, using the right lane, provided that the move is safe and signaled
On a roadway with two or more marked lanes in your direction, moving into the free lane and going by is a normal lane change rather than an unlawful pass.
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19. A driver passes this sign on an entrance ramp while merging onto a freeway. Who has priority?
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Answer B: The traffic already traveling on the freeway
The sign places the duty on the entering driver, who must adjust speed and fit into a gap without forcing through traffic to brake or swerve.
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20. What is the first thing to do once your disabled vehicle is stopped on the shoulder?
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Answer A: Switch on the hazard warning lights so other drivers can see the vehicle
Hazard lights are the fastest way to make a stopped vehicle visible, and everything else can follow once traffic has been warned.
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21. A driver has to stop for a train at this sign. How far back from the nearest rail should the vehicle be held?
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Answer C: No closer than roughly fifteen feet
A train and its load overhang the rails, so stopping no closer than about fifteen feet keeps the vehicle outside the space the train actually sweeps.
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22. At which location is this sign normally installed?
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Answer D: Facing traffic that could turn into a one-way roadway or ramp against the flow
It is posted where a driver could otherwise enter a ramp or a one-way roadway from the wrong end, so it faces exactly the traffic that has to be kept out.
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23. Red pavement markings are used on a roadway to show that
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Answer A: it must not be entered from that direction
Red markings identify a roadway that is not to be entered or used, and they also mark the pavement of truck escape ramps.
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24. What do flashing yellow lights on a school bus mean?
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Answer A: The bus is about to stop to load or unload, so prepare to stop
The amber lights are the warning phase that comes before the red lights and the stop arm, so drivers should slow down and get ready to stop.
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25. An orange sign reading END ROAD WORK is posted beside the highway. What does it mark?
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Answer C: The point where the work zone restrictions stop
The sign is installed at the downstream end of the temporary traffic control zone to tell drivers that normal conditions apply again.