South Carolina SCDMV Motorcycle Practice Test 35
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. The rider behind you is closing right up on your machine and crowding you. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Let them go past and take a position behind them instead
Speeding up to escape a rider who is following too closely usually brings them with you, while letting them past removes the pressure entirely.
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2. How long can cannabis affect a driver?
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Answer A: For hours after the strongest effects have passed
Slowed reactions, poor tracking and weak judgment of distance can last for hours, well beyond the point where the user believes the effects are over.
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3. 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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4. What is the recommended way to park a motorcycle at a curb?
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Answer C: At an angle, with the rear wheel touching the curb
Backing the rear wheel to the curb at an angle keeps the motorcycle clear of traffic and lets the rider ride out forward instead of backing into the lane.
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5. Which common non-prescription medicine is most likely to make a driver drowsy?
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Answer C: A cold or allergy remedy containing an antihistamine
Antihistamines in cold and allergy remedies are a leading cause of drowsiness behind the wheel, which is why the label carries a warning.
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6. Traffic is heavy and you find yourself riding level with a car in the next lane. What is the problem with staying there?
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Answer B: You sit in the driver's blind spot, so a lane change could hit you
Motorcycles disappear easily in a blind spot, so adjust your speed to ride ahead of or behind the other vehicle instead of beside it.
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7. Cones and drums mark a shifted lane through a work zone. What should you do?
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Answer A: Follow the path that they mark and stay inside it
Channelizing devices define the temporary travel path, and the space on the other side of them belongs to the workers.
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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. In a work zone the temporary lane lines conflict with the old lines still visible on the pavement. Which do you follow?
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Answer C: The temporary markings, which show the current traffic pattern
Temporary markings define the traffic pattern in force, and the old lines are simply the layout that no longer applies.
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10. A yellow diamond shows two lanes narrowing into one. What does it require of a driver?
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Answer D: Adjusting speed and merging before the lane disappears
The lane ends sign gives notice that one lane will be dropped, so drivers should adjust speed and blend into the continuing lane in good time.
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11. It is very hot and a rider is tempted to take off the riding jacket. Why can that make the heat worse?
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Answer C: A bare arm in hot moving air loses fluid fast and burns in the sun
In hot, dry air a covering layer slows the evaporation of sweat and blocks the sun, so ventilated gear can keep a rider cooler and better hydrated than bare skin.
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12. Children are playing close to the edge of a residential street. What is the right speed choice?
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Answer D: Well below the limit, slow enough to stop for a sudden dash
Children can step out without warning, so the safe speed is the one that lets you stop within the distance you can see to be clear.
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13. A driver in the left lane of a freeway realizes only when level with this sign that the ramp beside it is the one they need. What is the correct action?
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Answer A: Carry on to the next interchange and turn back from there
There is no safe way back to a ramp once it has been reached from the wrong lane, so the driver keeps going to the next interchange, where the ramps are built for that movement.
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14. You are approaching the entry of a roundabout and a pedestrian is crossing the marked crosswalk on your approach lane. What must you do?
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Answer D: Stop before the crosswalk and let the pedestrian cross
Roundabout crosswalks sit a short distance back from the yield line, and drivers must yield there before they ever reach the circulating lanes.
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15. You are stopped in a shared through and right-turn lane with your right signal on, and a bicyclist rides up along your right side. What should you do?
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Answer A: Let the bicyclist clear the intersection or move ahead before you turn
A cyclist alongside your right side is in the path your turn will sweep across, so wait until that space is clear before turning.
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16. What is the recommended minimum following distance behind the vehicle ahead?
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Answer C: Two seconds
A two second gap is the minimum in good conditions and should be stretched to three seconds or more on slippery roads, in poor visibility or in heavy traffic.
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17. You are stopped at a red light ready to turn right when a person pushing a stroller steps into the crosswalk. What should you do?
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Answer A: Stay stopped until they have crossed your path
A turn on red gives way to every pedestrian in the crosswalk, and someone pushing a stroller has even less room to react.
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18. Why is smooth, early braking better than hard, late braking?
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Answer D: It keeps you in control and gives the driver behind more warning
Braking early and gently keeps the tires well within their grip and gives following drivers time to react to your brake lights.
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19. The route marker used for an Interstate highway is a shield with
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Answer A: white numerals on a blue field under a red band carrying the word INTERSTATE
The Interstate route marker is a cutout shield with a white border, the word INTERSTATE in white on red across the top and the route number in white on blue.
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20. The lane control signal above your lane changes to a steady yellow X. What should you do?
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Answer A: Prepare to leave the lane, because it is about to be closed
A steady yellow X is the warning that the lane below it is about to close, giving drivers time to move over before the red X appears.
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21. On a divided highway you see a median opening marked for authorized vehicles only. May you use it to turn around?
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Answer D: No, those openings are for emergency and maintenance vehicles
Official crossovers are reserved for emergency and highway maintenance use; turning there puts a slow vehicle across high-speed traffic.
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22. The lane you are in has a right-turn-only arrow painted on the pavement. What must you do?
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Answer C: Turn right, because a lane-use arrow is a legal requirement
Lane-use arrows painted on the pavement are regulatory markings, so a driver in that lane must travel in the direction shown.
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23. How should you position your vehicle for a right turn from a two-way street?
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Answer B: As close as practical to the right curb or edge, then turn into the nearest right lane
Right turns are made from the lane nearest the right edge into the nearest available lane, which keeps the turn tight and prevents a wide sweep into other traffic.
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24. Traffic is backed up on the far side of a railroad crossing. What should you do before driving onto the tracks?
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Answer D: Wait behind the tracks until there is room to clear them completely
Never enter a crossing until you are certain you can drive completely across without stopping, because a vehicle trapped on the tracks cannot get out of a train's way.
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25. A vehicle in front of you has already begun turning left into a driveway when the gap you were waiting for opens up. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait and let that driver finish the turn
A vehicle that has lawfully started a maneuver keeps the right of way until it is finished.
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26. How many points does a hit-and-run conviction involving only property damage add to a South Carolina driving record?
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Answer A: Six points
Section 56-1-720 places a property-damage-only hit-and-run at six points, the same tier as reckless driving.
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27. Which of these places should never be used to turn your vehicle around?
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Answer C: The driveway of a fire station or the roadway in front of it
Turning around in or in front of a fire station driveway can block emergency vehicles leaving, and most states prohibit it.
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28. You are riding in the right hand lane of a freeway and vehicles ahead are merging on from an entrance ramp. What is the best response?
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Answer C: Change lanes if you safely can, or adjust speed to open a gap for them
Merging drivers are looking over a shoulder for a gap and easily miss a motorcycle, so the rider makes room rather than waiting to be seen.
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29. Heavy rain has left water standing on the highway. What is the main risk to a rider?
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Answer D: The tires can ride up on the water and lose contact with the road surface
At higher speeds a tire can no longer push standing water aside and starts to hydroplane, so the rider slows and eases off rather than braking or turning hard.
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30. When should a helmet be replaced?
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Answer B: After a crash, or if the shell is cracked or the straps are frayed
The energy absorbing liner is designed to crush once, so a helmet that has taken an impact or shows damage no longer offers full protection.