South Carolina SCDMV Motorcycle Practice Test 9
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age15 years
-
1. Two people drink the same amount of alcohol at the same time. Why might their blood alcohol concentrations differ?
Show answer
Answer C: Body weight, gender and food in the stomach affect the concentration
Smaller people and, on average, women reach higher concentrations from the same amount of alcohol, and an empty stomach speeds absorption. Counting drinks alone does not tell you your level.
-
2. How should a rider adjust speed on an unlit road at night?
Show answer
Answer C: Slow enough to stop within the distance the headlight actually lights up
A rider can only react to what is visible, so night speed has to fit the distance the headlight reaches rather than the posted limit.
-
3. A sign on a long descent points to a RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP a mile ahead. What is that ramp for?
Show answer
Answer C: Stopping a vehicle whose brakes have failed
An escape ramp climbs into deep gravel or sand to bring a vehicle with failed brakes to a halt, so no one should stop or park in it.
-
4. Where is the no passing zone pennant sign installed?
Show answer
Answer A: On the left side of the roadway
The pennant is placed on the left side of the roadway at the beginning of the no-passing zone, in the field of view of a driver who is thinking about overtaking.
-
5. Why is a motorcycle particularly hard for other drivers to judge at night?
Show answer
Answer A: Its single headlight gives no width cues for distance and speed
Drivers judge distance from the spacing between a pair of headlights, and a single lamp gives them nothing to measure, so they routinely misjudge how close and how fast a motorcycle is.
-
6. What must a driver be ready for beyond this sign?
Show answer
Answer C: Vehicles approaching from the opposite direction in the next lane over
The separation between the two directions runs out, so from that point oncoming vehicles share the same pavement and the driver has to keep right.
-
7. What fine range applies when a highway worker endangerment violation is the sole cause of great bodily injury to the worker?
Show answer
Answer B: Not less than 2,000 dollars nor more than 5,000 dollars
Section 56-5-1535(B)(3) sets a 2,000 to 5,000 dollar fine when the endangerment causes great bodily injury to the worker.
-
8. Your vehicle stalls on a railroad crossing and will not restart. What should you do first?
Show answer
Answer A: Get everyone out and away from the tracks immediately
Everyone must leave the vehicle and move well clear of the tracks at once, walking toward the train at an angle so that debris from an impact travels away from you.
-
9. How should a rider take curves while carrying a passenger?
Show answer
Answer A: More slowly than when riding alone
The extra weight raises the center of gravity and makes the motorcycle respond more slowly, so curves have to be taken at a lower speed.
-
10. Oil is visible running down the front fork tubes. What does that mean?
Show answer
Answer C: A fork seal has failed and the suspension needs repair
Fork oil escaping past a seal means the front suspension is losing its damping, and the oil can also reach the front brake and ruin its grip.
-
11. It is cold and the road looks wet, but you notice the tires of vehicles ahead are throwing up no spray. What does this suggest?
Show answer
Answer B: The surface has frozen and is probably icy
Water throws spray, but ice does not. A shiny road with no spray in freezing temperatures is a strong sign of black ice, so slow down and avoid sudden inputs.
-
12. Which single event causes the largest share of crashes between a motorcycle and another vehicle at intersections?
Show answer
Answer B: A vehicle turning left across the path of an oncoming motorcycle
The classic motorcycle intersection crash is an oncoming driver who turns left across the rider's path, usually after failing to see the motorcycle or misjudging its speed.
-
13. What is the standard validity period and renewal fee for a South Carolina driver's license?
Show answer
Answer A: Eight years, for a fee of 25 dollars
Section 56-1-140(A) sets an eight-year license with a 25 dollar fee.
-
14. How does marijuana affect a driver?
Show answer
Answer C: It slows reaction time and impairs judgment of time and distance
Marijuana impairs coordination, attention and the ability to judge speed and distance. Driving while impaired by it is illegal everywhere, even where its use is legal.
-
15. You are waiting to pull out of a driveway when a bicyclist comes along the bike lane in front of you. What must you do?
Show answer
Answer D: Wait until the bicyclist has gone past
A driver leaving a driveway yields to everything already on the road, and a bike lane is part of the roadway.
-
16. Which ability does alcohol usually affect first?
Show answer
Answer A: Judgment and self control
Alcohol reduces judgment and inhibition before a drinker notices any clumsiness, which is why an impaired driver often feels perfectly capable while already driving worse.
-
17. What effect does low tire pressure have on a motorcycle?
Show answer
Answer C: It makes steering, braking and general handling worse
An underinflated tire changes shape under load, which makes the motorcycle steer heavily and respond unpredictably.
-
18. You are driving on an open highway in a strong crosswind. What is the safest adjustment?
Show answer
Answer A: Reduce speed and keep a firm grip, expecting gusts on bridges and beside large vehicles
Gusts hit hardest in open gaps, on bridges and when passing high-sided vehicles, so a lower speed and a firm grip let you correct before you are pushed out of your lane.
-
19. You will leave your vehicle for several hours after dark. Where is the best place to park it?
Show answer
Answer D: In a well-lit spot with people and cameras nearby
Light, passing people and cameras all discourage theft and make your own return to the vehicle safer.
-
20. While you wait for the ambulance at a crash, what is the most useful help you can give?
Show answer
Answer C: Keep the person still and warm, and press down firmly on any heavy bleeding
Keeping an injured person still and warm and controlling bleeding are among the few things a bystander can safely do.
-
21. How should a rider use the head and eyes in a turn?
Show answer
Answer A: Turn only the head to look through the turn, keeping the eyes level with the horizon
Turning just the head keeps the upper body from upsetting the motorcycle, and level eyes help the rider judge lean angle and direction.
-
22. A large truck ahead of you in a roundabout is using part of both lanes as it goes around. What is the correct response?
Show answer
Answer B: Stay back and give it room until it leaves the roundabout
Long vehicles need extra width to get around the central island, so drivers behind must hold back rather than share the space beside them.
-
23. Which of these is true of the roadway a driver is being sent onto here?
Show answer
Answer D: Its own signs, signals and speed limits govern for the whole way around
The alternate route is an ordinary public road, so every control posted on it governs as usual; being sent that way grants no extra priority and no relief from the limits in force there.
-
24. What is the most effective way for a rider to be seen by other drivers?
Show answer
Answer C: Wear brightly colored reflective gear, or a reflective vest over dark clothing
The most common thing drivers say after a collision with a motorcycle is that they never saw it, and bright reflective gear on the helmet and torso is the largest visible surface the rider controls.
-
25. What does a light drag of the rear brake do during a slow, tight turn?
Show answer
Answer C: It steadies the motorcycle and smooths out the power reaching the rear wheel
Working the rear brake against a slipping clutch takes the jerkiness out of the drivetrain and holds the machine steady through the turn.
-
26. At roughly what speed can hydroplaning begin when a lot of water is lying on the road?
Show answer
Answer C: At speeds as low as about 35 mph
With enough water and less than perfect tread, a tire can start to ride on the water at around 35 mph, well below normal highway speeds.
-
27. A driver on a hands free call looks straight at a red light and drives through it. What best explains this?
Show answer
Answer B: The eyes saw it but the brain did not process it
Attention, not eyesight, decides what a driver actually sees, and a loaded mind can leave a driver looking straight at a hazard without registering it.
-
28. What should the operator do while a passenger climbs on board?
Show answer
Answer D: Sit on the machine with both feet planted and the front brake held on
The added weight arrives suddenly and off center, so the operator braces the motorcycle with both feet down and the front brake applied to keep it still.
-
29. What is the correct order of a pass on a two-lane road?
Show answer
Answer A: Check ahead and behind, signal left, move out, accelerate past, signal right and return
A pass begins with the decision that the road is clear and ends with a signaled return, and each step warns other drivers before the vehicle moves.
-
30. Why do streetcar or light rail rails set into a street deserve extra care from a rider?
Show answer
Answer B: The groove alongside the rail can catch a front tire crossed at a shallow angle
The groove beside an embedded rail is just wide enough to trap a motorcycle tire, so cross rails at as steep an angle as your lane allows.