South Carolina SCDMV Motorcycle Practice Test 44
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. 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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2. Halfway through a curve you realize you are going too fast. What is the best response?
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Answer C: Ease off the gas gently and look where you want to go
Easing off transfers a little weight to the front tires without upsetting the balance, and looking through the curve keeps your steering smooth.
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3. You are driving on a two-lane road approaching the crest of a hill. Where should you position your vehicle?
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Answer D: Toward the right side of your lane, in case an oncoming vehicle is over the center line
You cannot see what is beyond a crest, and oncoming drivers sometimes drift across the center. Keeping right and slowing gives you a margin.
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4. What should a rider do before riding an unfamiliar or borrowed motorcycle?
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Answer B: Locate and try the controls, then ride cautiously until used to the machine
Turn signals, horn, headlight switch, fuel valve and engine cut-off switch sit in different places on different models, and hunting for them in traffic is dangerous.
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5. A driver leaves the vehicle at the curb where this sign is posted and walks away for two minutes. Is that allowed?
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Answer B: No, leaving the vehicle unattended there is prohibited whatever the length of the absence
Walking away leaves the vehicle parked, and the prohibition holds regardless of how long the driver is gone or whether the engine is left running.
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6. A large group has been divided into smaller groups. What should be done between them?
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Answer A: Leave a gap big enough for other vehicles to move in and pass safely
A gap between sub groups lets other traffic pass or merge without cutting into a formation, which keeps drivers from making sudden moves around the riders.
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7. You want to move into the right lane just as an entrance ramp joins the highway at that point. What is the better choice?
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Answer B: Wait until you are past the merge area so you do not squeeze the entering traffic
The merge area is where ramp traffic has to find a gap, so adding a lane change of your own into the same space creates a conflict.
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8. Partway through a curve you realize you have carried in more speed than you wanted. What is the best response?
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Answer D: Look through the curve and lean the motorcycle further with steady throttle
Most motorcycles can lean further than the rider believes, and looking where you want to go while pressing the inside grip harder will usually bring the machine around.
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9. What is a good rule for any task you want to do inside the vehicle?
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Answer D: If it needs more than a moment, do it stopped
A glance of a second or two is manageable, but any task that runs longer belongs to a stopped vehicle, because the road does not pause while you do it.
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10. A truck ahead of you is spreading salt or grit on the road. What should you do?
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Answer B: Drop back so the material does not reach your car
Spreaders throw material backward and sideways, and following close means stone chips and a screen full of spray, so leave extra distance.
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11. Is dictating a message by voice a safe alternative to typing one?
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Answer C: No, it still takes attention from driving
Composing and checking a spoken message loads the mind and usually pulls the eyes to the screen anyway, so research finds it no safer than other phone use.
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12. What happens to a motorcycle's ground clearance when a passenger is carried?
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Answer A: It is reduced, so parts touch down at a smaller lean angle
The extra load compresses the suspension and lowers the machine, so footrests and other parts can drag on the road sooner in a turn.
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13. The road is icy and visibility is poor, but you are driving at the posted speed limit. Is this acceptable?
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Answer A: No, because you may never drive faster than is safe for the conditions
Under the basic speed rule a driver must travel at a speed that is reasonable for the actual conditions, so a legal posted speed can still be an unlawful and unsafe speed.
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14. Which items belong to the Controls step of the T-CLOCS inspection?
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Answer D: Handlebars, levers, cables, hoses and the throttle
The Controls step covers everything the rider operates by hand or foot, plus the cables and hoses that carry those inputs to the machine.
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15. Why is parking next to a fire hydrant or in a marked fire lane prohibited?
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Answer D: It would delay firefighters who need immediate access to the hydrant or the building
Fire hydrants and fire lanes must remain clear at all times so emergency crews can connect hoses and reach a building without delay.
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16. 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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17. Your light turns green and a driver on the cross street enters against a red. What should you do?
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Answer D: Hold back and let that vehicle go through
Giving up a right of way you are entitled to is the only way to avoid a crash with a driver who has already failed to yield.
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18. You are on an entrance ramp merging onto a freeway. Who has to give way?
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Answer B: You must yield and fit into a gap in the traffic already on the freeway
Traffic entering a highway must yield to traffic already on it. Use the acceleration lane to match speed and merge into a gap.
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19. Once the motorcycle is leaned over and settled in a curve, what should the throttle be doing?
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Answer C: Held steady or rolled on gently through the curve
A steady or slightly increasing throttle keeps the suspension settled and the weight balanced, while closing it mid-curve unloads the rear tire.
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20. What is the what if habit of a defensive driver?
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Answer C: Thinking through what you would do if a hazard ahead of you turned bad
Rehearsing an answer before the hazard develops means you act at once instead of spending time deciding.
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21. Two solid yellow lines are painted down the center of a two-way road. What do they mean?
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Answer B: Traffic in neither direction may cross them to pass
A double solid yellow line marks a no-passing zone that applies to traffic traveling in either direction.
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22. You are behind a snow plow working on a highway. What is the correct way to drive?
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Answer C: Stay well back and do not try to pass it
A plow throws snow, runs wider than its body and works on the poor surface ahead of it, so the cleared road behind it is the safest place to be.
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23. You are the first to arrive at a crash on a rural road. What should you do first?
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Answer C: Park well clear of the scene, put on your hazard lights and call for help
Getting trained help on the way and keeping the scene visible does more good than anything an untrained bystander can do.
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24. How does South Carolina's move-over law define 'emergency services personnel' for purposes of the endangerment offense?
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Answer C: Fire, police, or emergency medical services personnel responding to an emergency incident
Section 56-5-1538(I)(2) defines emergency services personnel as fire, police, or EMS personnel responding to an emergency incident.
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25. How should speed and following distance be adjusted beyond this sign?
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Answer D: Cut speed and leave a longer gap, because traffic can stop without warning
Traffic in these areas stops and starts unexpectedly and there is little room to steer around a problem, so extra space is what prevents a rear-end collision.
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26. You are turning left from a two-way street onto a one-way street. Which lane should you enter?
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Answer C: The first lane open to traffic on the left side of the one-way street
Turn left from the lane closest to the center line and finish in the first available lane on the left of the one-way street, then change lanes if you need to.
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27. You reach a T intersection where the cross street has a ONE WAY sign pointing to the right. What may you do?
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Answer B: Turn right only, because the street carries traffic in that direction
The arrow shows the only direction traffic may travel, so the only legal movement from the terminating road is a right turn.
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28. You brake hard on a wet road and need to steer around a stalled car. How do antilock brakes help you do that?
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Answer B: They stop the wheels locking, so the tires can still turn the vehicle
Locked wheels slide and cannot change direction. By preventing lockup the system lets you brake at full force and steer at the same time.
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29. Which part of the body operates the gearshift lever?
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Answer B: The left foot
The gearshift lever sits ahead of the left footrest and is moved up or down with the left foot.
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30. Cannabis is legal for adults in some states. What does that mean for driving?
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Answer C: Driving while impaired by it is still an offense
Legal possession has nothing to do with driving law, and every state treats driving while impaired by cannabis as an offense.