South Carolina SCDMV Motorcycle Practice Test 37
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. A row of solid white triangles points toward you across your lane. What does it mark?
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Answer A: The place to yield to traffic or people ahead
A yield line of triangles shows drivers exactly where to give way, and it is used at roundabouts and at midblock crosswalks.
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2. A yield sign is posted where an entrance ramp meets the highway. What must you do?
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Answer C: Give way to the traffic already on the highway and merge into a gap
The yield sign confirms that the merging driver is the one who must fit into the traffic stream rather than the other way round.
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3. Low sun is shining onto the signal ahead and you cannot tell which light is lit. What should you do?
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Answer D: Slow down and be ready to stop until you can be sure
An unreadable signal has to be treated as one that may be red, so approach slowly enough to stop while you work out what it shows.
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4. How much space should the leader of a group keep behind the vehicle ahead of the group?
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Answer D: At least the normal following distance a rider would keep when riding alone
Riding in a group does not shorten the space a motorcycle needs to stop, so the leader keeps the same cushion any rider would keep alone.
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5. Your car begins to lose power on a freeway and you must stop. Where should you try to bring it to a halt?
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Answer A: As far off the right side of the road as you can get, beyond the edge line
A disabled vehicle should be moved completely clear of the travel lanes, on the right, so that traffic can pass without changing course.
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6. A barricade carries a sign reading ROAD CLOSED TO THROUGH TRAFFIC. What does it permit?
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Answer B: Local access for people whose destination is on that road
This closure keeps out drivers who are only passing through while still allowing residents and deliveries to reach addresses within the closed section.
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7. You are riding directly into a low sun that is glaring off your face shield. What should you do?
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Answer A: Slow down and assume that drivers ahead of you cannot see you either
Glare cuts what everyone can see, so lower speed buys reaction time, and a driver blinded by the same sun is even less likely to notice a motorcycle.
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8. 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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9. You have just passed a large truck on the freeway. Why is it dangerous to pull back in front of it and then brake for your exit?
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Answer B: A loaded truck needs much more distance to stop than a car
A fully loaded tractor-trailer can need the length of a football field or more to stop from highway speed. Cutting in and braking leaves the driver no room to avoid hitting you.
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10. Compared with dry pavement, how much room does a vehicle need to stop on packed snow?
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Answer D: Several times as much
Grip on packed snow is a fraction of that on dry pavement, so stopping distance grows several times over. Antilock brakes help you steer, not stop shorter.
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11. On a highway with mileage-based exit numbering, you have just passed exit 42 and are looking for exit 55. About how far is it?
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Answer B: Thirteen miles
With mileage-based numbering each exit takes the number of the nearest milepost, so subtracting one exit number from another gives the distance in miles.
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12. How does South Carolina handle title and registration for a moped, differently from other motor vehicles?
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Answer A: A moped may be registered to an owner even though it is not titled
Sections 56-1-10(3) and 56-3-200 treat a moped's registered owner as the owner even when the moped is not titled, unlike other vehicles.
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13. You are very angry after an argument and about to drive. What should you know?
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Answer A: Strong emotions can impair judgment and attention much like alcohol
Anger, grief and stress pull attention inward and encourage risk taking. Give yourself time to settle down before getting behind the wheel.
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14. Your group arrives at a stop sign at a busy crossroad. How should each rider treat it?
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Answer C: Stop and pull out only when there is an adequate gap of your own
Following the machine ahead through a junction without looking is a common cause of group crashes, because the gap the leader used has already closed.
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15. Rain is falling and the outside temperature reads close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Why is that dangerous?
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Answer A: The rain can freeze on contact and glaze the road with ice
Near freezing, rain landing on cold pavement can turn to a glaze of ice almost at once, so a road that looks merely wet may have no grip at all.
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16. What must a driver be prepared to do at the point this sign refers to?
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Answer D: Turn left or right, because the road being traveled ends there
The road ends at another roadway, so the driver must slow, give way to traffic on the through road and turn in one direction or the other.
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17. You are approaching a blind left hand curve. Which starting lane position gives the best view through it?
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Answer C: The right portion of your lane
On a left hand bend the outside of the lane is the right side, and moving there lets the rider see farther around the curve before entering it.
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18. A steady green arrow pointing left is displayed for your turning lane. What does it tell you?
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Answer D: The turn is protected because conflicting traffic is being held
A steady green arrow gives a protected movement in the direction shown, although you still yield to pedestrians and to any vehicle already inside the intersection.
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19. How much room should a rider try to leave when passing a line of parked cars?
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Answer A: Enough to clear an opening door, roughly the width of a car door
A door swings out about the width of a door, so ride at least that far from parked vehicles and slow down wherever you cannot leave that much space.
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20. On a motorcycle with a standard shift pattern, where is neutral found?
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Answer C: Between first gear and second gear
The usual pattern is one down and the rest up, with neutral sitting half a click between first and second gear.
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21. What does South Carolina law say about blocking access to an emergency scene?
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Answer A: Motor vehicles and bystanders may not block access to or exit from an emergency scene
Section 56-5-1538(C) forbids motor vehicles and bystanders from blocking access to, or exit from, an emergency scene.
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22. How should tire pressure be checked and set?
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Answer B: When the tires are cold, set to the pressure specified by the vehicle manufacturer
Driving heats the air and raises the reading, and the sidewall number is a maximum rather than a recommendation, so check cold and use the figure on the vehicle placard or in the owner's manual.
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23. You are riding in the middle of a tight cluster of cars on a multilane road. What is the best way to improve your safety?
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Answer C: Ride slightly faster or slower to open space and get clear of the cluster
A rider hemmed in on all sides has nowhere to go, so change your speed a little to open an escape path and leave the crowd.
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24. How should the brake light be checked before a ride?
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Answer D: Confirm that the hand lever and the foot pedal each switch it on
Many motorcycles use a separate switch for each brake control, so both the lever and the pedal have to be tested one at a time.
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25. On a rural two-lane road you pass small blue signs, each naming one business with an arrow and a distance. What are they?
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Answer D: Tourist-oriented directional signs for traveler businesses
Tourist-oriented directional signs carry a white legend on blue and are used on rural conventional roads to guide travelers to eligible businesses.
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26. Does this sign settle who has the right-of-way at the intersection ahead?
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Answer D: No, it only gives notice of the intersection; the control there decides priority
A warning prepares the driver for what is coming but grants no priority, so whatever stop control, yield control, signal or right-of-way rule applies at the intersection is what decides.
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27. A sign with a blue background and a white legend and border tells road users about
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Answer A: services such as fuel, food, lodging, hospitals and rest areas
Blue is the background of the general service series, which points travelers toward the services available along or near the route.
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28. A freeway sign reads BUSES ONLY ON SHOULDER 6 AM TO 9 AM. Who may drive on the shoulder then?
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Answer A: Only the vehicles named on the sign, during the hours shown
Shoulder running is granted by the sign to the class of vehicle and the hours the sign names, and it does not turn the shoulder into a general travel lane.
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29. The gates at a railroad crossing begin to come down as you approach. What must you do?
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Answer A: Stop and wait until the gates are fully raised and the lights stop flashing
Once the gates start down you must stop clear of the tracks and wait until they are fully raised and the warning lights have stopped.
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30. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?
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Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway
Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.