South Carolina SCDMV Motorcycle Practice Test 19

1. A bag strapped to the back of your motorcycle works loose and starts to shift as you ride. What should you do?

• A Reach back with one hand and hold the bag in place until the next exit
• B Speed up so the airflow presses the load down against the seat and rack
• C Slow smoothly, pull off the road, and secure the load before riding on
• D Lean the opposite way to counter the movement and continue to your destination

2. An overhead lane-use control signal shows a steady red X above the lane you are traveling in. What does it require?

• A Continue in the lane but at a reduced speed
• B Use the lane for turning movements only
• C Prepare to stop because the lane will reopen shortly
• D Leave that lane, because it is closed to you

3. Which clue best warns a rider that the door of a parked car is about to open?

• A The car has its parking lights switched on although the engine is stopped
• B Someone visible in the seat, or exhaust showing at the tailpipe
• C The car is parked closer to the curb than the vehicles on either side of it
• D The car is a two door model, since long doors open wider than short doors

4. What matters most about the armor built into a riding jacket?

• A That it can be removed easily so the jacket washes more conveniently
• B That it sits over the joints and stays there during a fall
• C That it is thick enough to be visible from outside through the fabric
• D That it is made of metal, which resists impact better than any plastic

5. You approach an intersection where the signal is flashing yellow. What should you do?

• A Stop completely before the crosswalk and then proceed as at a stop sign
• B Stop and wait, because a flashing yellow means the signal is about to turn red
• C Keep your speed, since a flashing yellow tells cross traffic to stop for you
• D Slow down and cross the intersection with caution

6. You are entering a freeway using an on-ramp with an acceleration lane. What is the correct technique?

• A Stop at the end of the ramp and wait there until a very large gap appears, because traffic already on the freeway will not adjust for you
• B Enter at a low speed and let the traffic already on the freeway slow down to make room for you
• C Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic, then merge into a gap while yielding to traffic already on the freeway
• D Merge immediately at the start of the ramp, before you have gained any speed

7. What is the purpose of a wide solid white line painted straight across your lane on the approach to an intersection?

• A It separates lanes carrying traffic in opposing directions
• B It marks the outer edge of a marked bicycle lane
• C It shows the point where a required stop must be made
• D It marks the strip where pedestrians usually walk

8. What eye protection does South Carolina require of motorcycle operators?

• A All operators of any age must wear goggles or a face shield of an approved type
• B Operators under 21 must wear approved goggles or a face shield
• C Eye protection is only required after dark or in poor visibility
• D Eye protection is never required of any rider in South Carolina

9. You are driving through a long curve on a road with two lanes in your direction. What is correct?

• A Stay within your own lane all the way through, adjusting speed before you enter
• B Drift toward the inside of the curve to straighten your path, using part of the lane beside you
• C Move into the outside lane at the start of the curve and back into your own lane at the exit
• D Change into the lane beside you in the middle of the curve if that lane is moving more freely

10. At many crossings the walk indication appears only after a button is pressed. What happens if a pedestrian does not press it?

• A The walk indication is shown on every second cycle instead
• B The signal may cycle without showing a walk indication
• C The walk indication appears anyway but lasts a shorter time
• D The signal holds traffic on red until someone presses it

11. You have just ridden over a large object lying in the road. What should you do next?

• A Pull over when it is safe and check the tires and rims for damage
• B Brake hard immediately to see whether both brakes are still working
• C Accelerate briefly so that any object caught in the tread is thrown clear
• D Nothing, because a motorcycle that is still rolling has taken no damage

12. At the scene of a crash you were part of, what are you required to do besides stopping?

• A Wait for the other driver to call the police before you say anything at all
• B Give your name, your address and vehicle details, and help anyone who is hurt
• C Admit fault to the other driver so that the insurance claim is settled quickly
• D Move both vehicles off the road at once, even if somebody has been injured

13. A rider adjusts the mirrors and finds each one mostly filled with a view of an elbow. What should be done?

• A Nothing, because a view of the rider gives a fixed reference for judging distance
• B Lower both mirrors so they show the pavement immediately behind the rear wheel
• C Remove the mirrors, since a shoulder check covers everything a mirror could show
• D Readjust them outward so that more of the lane behind becomes visible

14. Why is the front brake avoided during a very slow, tightly leaned turn?

• A It has almost no stopping power at all once the machine is below ten miles an hour
• B It will overheat the disc because the wheel is turning so slowly at that moment
• C It causes the rear tire to lift clear of the pavement and lose all of its traction
• D It can upset the balance of a leaned machine and drop it at low speed

15. Why do many crashes happen on routes the driver knows very well?

• A Familiar roads carry more traffic than unknown ones do
• B Crashes close to home are always the other driver's fault
• C Short trips near home do not need full concentration
• D Familiar roads let attention slip into routine

16. You have driven at 70 mph for an hour and then exit onto a town street. What is the common risk?

• A Your engine will be too hot to idle safely at the lower speed in town
• B Your sense of speed adapts, so 35 mph feels slow and you drive too fast
• C Your brakes will not work properly until they have cooled down completely again
• D Your tires lose air quickly whenever the road speed drops by a large amount

17. You have a green left-turn arrow but a pedestrian is still walking in the crosswalk you must cross. What should you do?

• A Turn behind the pedestrian, since the arrow protects your movement
• B Wait until the crosswalk is clear before turning
• C Turn in front of the pedestrian, because the arrow gives you priority
• D Edge into the crosswalk so the pedestrian steps back to the curb

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

• A About 100 feet, roughly the length of six parked cars end to end
• B About 1,000 feet, which is close to a quarter of a mile of road
• C About 50 feet, which is roughly the width of a two-lane street
• D About 350 to 500 feet ahead of the vehicle

19. Which statement about standard drinks is correct?

• A A can of regular beer holds far less pure alcohol than a single shot of distilled spirits
• B Wine cannot cause impairment in the way that spirits do, because it is fermented rather than distilled
• C A standard serving of beer, of table wine and of distilled spirits each contain about the same amount of pure alcohol
• D Only distilled spirits raise blood alcohol, because the alcohol in beer and in table wine is too weak to have any effect

20. You are entering a marked school zone during the posted hours. What should you do?

• A Slow to the school zone limit and watch for children
• B Keep the normal street limit unless a crossing guard is standing in the road
• C Slow only when you can actually see children on the sidewalk or in the street
• D Sound your horn as you enter so that children near the curb hear you coming

21. Permanent signs must be retroreflective or lighted so that

• A they show the same shape and color at night as by day
• B they can be seen from behind as well as from the front
• C they do not need to be cleaned during the winter months
• D they can be read by drivers who do not use headlights

22. Where do the greatest number of collisions involving motorcycles occur?

• A On the shoulder of divided highways, where riders pull off to rest
• B In parking areas and driveways, where speeds are lowest of all
• C On long open curves outside built-up areas, where speeds are highest
• D At intersections

23. The lane you are in is marked with a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow together. What does that mean?

• A Drivers in that lane must turn right and may not continue straight ahead from it at all
• B The lane becomes a right turn lane during the hours shown on the sign posted beside it
• C Traffic going straight has to give way to every vehicle turning right out of that lane
• D Drivers in that lane may either go straight or turn right

24. You and a driver coming from the opposite direction reach a four-way stop at the same time and you are both going straight ahead. What happens next?

• A The driver on the wider of the two approach roads goes through first
• B You must wait, because a vehicle facing you always has to move first
• C Both drivers must wait until one of them signals the other to go on
• D Both of you may move off together, because your paths do not cross each other

25. You have dropped some distance behind the rest of your group. What should you do?

• A Ride faster than the group until the gap has been closed completely
• B Use the shoulder to move up past the riders between you and your place
• C Keep your own safe pace, because the group should slow to bring you back
• D Signal the riders ahead to pull over so that the group can regroup at once

26. How does riding in a formation change your responsibility for your own space cushion?

• A The leader becomes responsible for the space cushion of every single rider in the formation
• B The sweep rider becomes responsible for the space cushion of every rider
• C It does not change it, because each rider still manages their own space and decisions
• D Space cushions become unnecessary once the group has formed up in formation

27. Where among these is parking specifically prohibited?

• A On a bridge, in a tunnel or on railroad tracks
• B On any street with a posted speed limit
• C On any street with more than two lanes
• D In any space that is not marked with lines

28. How long is the suspension for a South Carolina driver who reaches twelve to fifteen points?

• A One month
• B Three months
• C Four months
• D Six months

29. You find yourself in a lane that must turn, you wanted to go straight, and you cannot change lanes safely. What should you do?

• A Continue straight ahead anyway, because a lane arrow is a recommendation rather than a rule
• B Stop where you are and wait in the lane until another driver lets you change lanes safely
• C Reverse back to the previous intersection and take the correct lane from that point on
• D Make the required turn and find another route

30. You are in the middle lane of a one-way street with three lanes when a police car approaches from behind with lights and siren. What should you do?

• A Always cross to the right curb, however far away it happens to be
• B Stay in the middle lane and slow down so the car can choose a side
• C Pull to the nearest curb and stop clear of the lanes
• D Speed up and turn off at the corner