New Hampshire NH DMV Motorcycle Practice Test 43

  • Questions25
  • Correct to pass20
  • Passing score80%
  • Minimum age16 years

Minimum age: 16 years; applicants under 18 must complete a Basic Rider Class and present parental permission

25 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 20 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. When are you expected to switch from high beams to low beams?

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    Answer D: When a vehicle approaches from ahead or you come up behind another vehicle

    High beams blind other drivers, both those coming toward you and those you follow through their mirrors. Dim them whenever another vehicle is within range.

  2. 2. What should a rider confirm about the transmission before starting the engine?

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    Answer B: That it is in neutral, or that the clutch lever is squeezed all the way in

    Starting in gear with the clutch engaged can make the motorcycle lurch forward, so the machine must be in neutral or the clutch held in.

  3. 3. A sign on a long descent points to a RUNAWAY TRUCK RAMP a mile ahead. What is that ramp for?

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    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. 4. A sign at the approach to a bridge reads WEIGHT LIMIT 10 TONS. What does the figure set?

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    Answer B: The heaviest vehicle the bridge may legally carry

    A weight limit sign is a regulation based on what the structure can bear, and it applies to the loaded weight of the whole vehicle.

  5. 5. Rain has been falling steadily for half an hour. How does traction compare with the first minutes of the shower?

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    Answer C: It usually improves somewhat, because the early oil film has washed away

    Rain floats oil and dust to the top at first, so the road is most slippery in the early minutes, and a longer downpour rinses much of that film away. The pavement is still wet and grips less than when it is dry.

  6. 6. What should a rider do if the front wheel locks during braking?

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    Answer A: Release the front brake immediately, then reapply it firmly

    A locked front wheel cannot steer or hold the motorcycle up, so the brake must be released to let the wheel roll again and then reapplied smoothly.

  7. 7. When a New Hampshire driver must give proof of financial responsibility, what amounts does the statute require?

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    Answer D: $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more, and $25,000 for property

    RSA 264:20 defines proof of financial responsibility as the ability to respond in damages of $25,000 for bodily injury or death to one person, $50,000 for two or more persons in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage.

  8. 8. A driver passes this sign on an open road. Over what stretch does the figure it sets stay in force?

    A white vertical rectangle with a black border and black legend
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    Answer A: From the sign onward, in every lane, until another sign sets a different figure

    The figure governs the road from the sign onward and binds every lane, and it stays in force until a later sign sets a different one.

  9. 9. Every signal head at an intersection is flashing red in all directions. How should you treat the intersection?

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    Answer C: As an all-way stop, stopping and then going in turn

    Red flashing in every direction means each approach must stop, so the intersection works exactly like an all-way stop.

  10. 10. Your loaded vehicle weighs more than the figure shown on a posted weight limit sign. What must you do?

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    Answer D: Find another route, because crossing is not permitted

    A posted weight limit is a legal maximum, not advice, so an overweight vehicle has to take a different route.

  11. 11. On a hot summer day you notice long black strips of crack sealant snaking across the pavement. What should a rider know about them?

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    Answer A: They soften in heat and can be slippery, especially under a leaned tire

    Crack sealant gets soft and greasy in the heat, so treat those strips as a low traction surface and avoid braking or hard cornering on them.

  12. 12. A large insect splatters on your face shield and blocks part of your view. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Keep control, look through a clear part, and clean it at the next stop

    Taking a hand off the bars or riding with your eyes closed is far more dangerous than a partly obscured view, so keep riding and clean the shield when you are stopped.

  13. 13. Before making a U-turn on a narrow street, what should the rider do first?

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    Answer A: Check that the street is wide enough and clear in both directions

    A U-turn commits the rider to crossing both directions of traffic in a space the machine may not fit into, so both the width and the traffic are judged before starting.

  14. 14. You are approaching a yield sign on a ramp that joins a busy street. What does the sign require?

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    Answer A: Slow down, be ready to stop, and let the other traffic go first

    A yield sign means you must slow, be prepared to stop and give way to traffic on the road you are entering; a full stop is required only when traffic makes it necessary.

  15. 15. You are on an entrance ramp joining a busy freeway. What should you do with your speed in the acceleration lane?

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    Answer D: Build it up to about the speed of the traffic you are joining

    Merging works when your speed matches the traffic stream, because a large speed difference forces the drivers already on the freeway to brake or swerve.

  16. 16. Why does full riding gear matter on a short trip around the neighborhood?

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    Answer D: Pavement takes skin off at 25 miles an hour just as it does at 55

    Serious injuries happen at ordinary street speeds and close to home, so gear that is worth wearing on a long trip is worth wearing on a short one.

  17. 17. What should you expect while driving through a parking lot?

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    Answer D: Pedestrians and vehicles moving from any direction, so drive slowly

    Parking lots mix walking people, reversing vehicles and poor sight lines, so low speed and constant scanning are the only reliable protection.

  18. 18. Many signs use a symbol instead of words. The main advantage is that a symbol

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    Answer C: can be read from farther away and by more people

    A symbol is recognized at greater distance than a line of text and does not depend on the reader knowing English.

  19. 19. Your light turns green, but a vehicle from the cross street is still finishing a turn inside the intersection. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Wait until that vehicle has cleared the intersection

    A green indication lets you proceed only after yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to vehicles already lawfully within the intersection.

  20. 20. A school sign combined with an AHEAD plaque, or with a plaque giving a distance in feet, forms an assembly that

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    Answer B: warns of a school crossing located further along the road

    The school advance crossing assembly is placed before the crosswalk to give drivers notice, while a different assembly marks the crossing itself.

  21. 21. Besides the certification label, what does a novelty helmet typically lack?

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    Answer B: A thick, firm liner of impact absorbing foam under the shell

    The energy absorbing layer is what makes a helmet work, and a novelty shell has little or none of it, so it offers almost no protection in a crash.

  22. 22. What should the operator do while a passenger climbs on board?

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    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.

  23. 23. A tractor-trailer is backing slowly across the roadway to enter a loading dock. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Stop and wait until the truck has finished the maneuver

    A backing truck driver has a very limited view and the trailer can swing unexpectedly. Trying to squeeze past in either direction risks being crushed.

  24. 24. What is a rider looking for when inspecting the control cables?

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    Answer A: Kinks, fraying and stiff or notchy movement

    A frayed strand or a kinked outer will eventually jam or snap, which can leave a rider without a clutch, a throttle or a front brake.

  25. 25. How should your speed behave while you move from one lane into the next?

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    Answer C: Keep it steady or adjust it smoothly to match the traffic in the new lane

    A lane change works best as a smooth movement at the speed of the lane you are joining, since sudden braking or acceleration surprises the drivers around you.