Alabama ALEA Motorcycle Practice Test 40
- Questions30
- Correct to pass24
- Passing score80%
- Minimum age16 years
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1. A yellow pennant, an isosceles triangle with its long axis horizontal, is reserved for which message?
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Answer D: No passing zone
The pennant shape is used only for the no passing zone sign, which marks the point where overtaking is no longer allowed.
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2. How does the distance needed to stop change when a rider doubles speed?
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Answer D: It grows to roughly four times the original distance
Braking distance rises with the square of speed, so twice the speed needs roughly four times the distance in which to stop.
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3. You are circulating in a roundabout and a vehicle is waiting to enter ahead of you. What should you do?
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Answer D: Keep going, because circulating traffic does not stop for entering vehicles
Stopping in the circle to be polite surprises the drivers behind you and defeats the design; entering traffic is the side that waits.
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4. 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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5. 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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6. Why is hard braking the wrong response to a tire blowout at speed?
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Answer C: Because it can pull the vehicle further out of line and start it spinning
With one tire gone the braking forces are uneven, so heavy braking increases the pull to one side and can spin the vehicle.
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7. The vehicle ahead of you has pulled out to pass a truck. May you follow it out and pass as well?
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Answer B: No, wait until it is done and judge the road for yourself
You cannot see past the vehicle ahead of you, and if it has to abort the pass there is nowhere for either of you to go.
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8. You want to turn left at an intersection with no signs or signals and a vehicle is coming straight toward you from the opposite direction. What must you do?
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Answer C: Yield and turn after the oncoming vehicle has passed
A driver turning left always gives way to oncoming traffic that is close enough to be a hazard, whether or not the intersection is controlled.
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9. Which statement best describes what the basic speed law requires of you?
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Answer C: That you never drive faster than is reasonable and safe for the conditions
Nearly every state has a basic speed law that makes the conditions the real limit: weather, traffic, light and road surface can all require a speed well below the posted number.
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10. When may an Alabama driver license be renewed before it expires?
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Answer B: At any time within 180 days before the expiration date
Alabama opens the renewal window 180 days ahead of the expiration date printed on the license.
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11. Why does a motorcycle feel less stable at very low speed when a passenger is aboard?
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Answer B: The passenger's weight sits high and to the rear, so balance is easier to upset
A second person adds mass above and behind the rear axle, so slow speed maneuvers such as pulling away, walking pace turns and stops demand more care.
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12. 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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13. A bicyclist stops at a four-way stop just before you do. Who goes first?
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Answer B: The bicyclist, who reached the intersection and stopped there before you did
A bicyclist on the roadway follows the same right of way rules as a driver, so arrival order decides the turn.
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14. What does research say about the effect of a full coverage helmet on a rider's ability to see and hear traffic?
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Answer B: It leaves the view and the useful hearing a rider needs largely intact
Certified helmets leave far more peripheral vision than a rider needs to check traffic, and riders wearing them still hear the sounds that matter.
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15. How should a passenger swing their leg when getting off the motorcycle?
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Answer D: High and clear of the exhaust and the rear of the machine
A leg dragged low across the back of the motorcycle can catch the seat or the luggage and will find the hot exhaust, so it is lifted well clear.
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16. You reach a stretch of road covered by moving flood water of unknown depth. What is the correct decision?
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Answer D: Turn around and take another route
About a foot of moving water is enough to carry away most cars, and the roadbed under the water may already be washed out, so the only safe choice is to turn around.
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17. What is the safest way to deal with the situation this sign announces?
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Answer B: Match the speed of the other traffic stream and open a gap so vehicles can blend without hard braking
Blending works when speeds are matched and gaps are opened, so nobody has to brake hard or swerve where the two streams come together.
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18. What most often leads to an engine seizure on a motorcycle?
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Answer A: Loss of engine oil or coolant, so the moving parts overheat and grip
Seizure is normally a lubrication or cooling failure, which is why oil level and coolant are part of every pre-ride check and why a rising temperature reading deserves attention.
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19. 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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20. How does marijuana affect a driver?
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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.
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21. How far ahead should you normally be looking as you drive?
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Answer C: About 12 to 15 seconds ahead, well beyond the vehicle in front
Looking that far down the road lets you see a problem developing and slow smoothly, instead of discovering it in time only for hard braking.
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22. 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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23. 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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24. Why should pant legs be secured and bootlaces tucked away?
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Answer A: Loose fabric and laces can tangle in the chain, the controls or a wheel
Anything hanging near the moving parts of a motorcycle can be caught and pulled in, which can trap a foot or lock the rear wheel.
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25. A friend who has been drinking insists on driving home. What is the right thing to do?
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Answer B: Take the keys and arrange a sober ride, even if the friend objects
An impaired driver is dangerous on any street at any speed, and coffee does not lower blood alcohol. Keeping the keys and finding another way home is the only safe choice.
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26. 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.
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27. Two people drink the same amount of alcohol at the same time. Why might their blood alcohol concentrations differ?
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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.
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28. A driver who is passing you cannot complete the pass because a vehicle is coming. What should you do?
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Answer C: Ease off the accelerator and make room for them to drop back in
The only place for the passing vehicle to go is the gap behind you, and easing off opens that gap immediately.
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29. Before making a right turn at an intersection, what should you check besides oncoming traffic?
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Answer B: Your right blind spot and the crosswalk, for cyclists and pedestrians
Right turns often catch a cyclist or a pedestrian coming up on the right, so check the blind spot and the crosswalk before you turn.
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30. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?
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Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed
A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.