General Driving Knowledge — Maryland
Maryland motorcycle permit practice test: 341 free practice questions (Based on the official driver handbook). The official format is not yet verified; check the official site before your test. General Driving Knowledge: 122 questions.
Questions that do not fit a single topic: lane use, turning, signalling and other rules of the road.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | General Driving Knowledge |
| License test | Maryland Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 122 (36% of 341 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
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Questions (122)
1. Which of the following is not a good safety tip?
- Slow to a safe speed before turning.
- When turning, lean in the direction you wish to go.
- Avoid dragging your feet on the roadway.
- Avoid looking at other vehicles. ✓
Answer: D. Avoid looking at other vehicles.
Avoiding looking at other vehicles is not a good safety tip — riders should keep watching the traffic around them. The manual's whole approach to risk is built on awareness. It describes the SEE strategy, which starts with searching, and says good, experienced riders are always aware of what is going on around them. It also advises pretending you are invisible so you ride in a hyper-aware state and notice more details in your surroundings. A rider who avoids looking at other vehicles is doing the opposite of that. Watching traffic is how you spot problems early and adjust your lane position and speed as situations change.
2. If another driver is following you too closely, it is best to:
- Not worry about them.
- Change lanes and let them pass. ✓
- Speed up.
- Get off the roadway.
Answer: B. Change lanes and let them pass.
Change lanes and let the tailgater pass — putting that driver in front of you is the better way to handle someone following too closely. The manual says that speeding up to lose a close follower can just leave you being tailgated at a higher speed. Instead, it advises getting the tailgater in front of you. Moving over and letting the driver pass does exactly that, and it takes the pressure off you without adding speed. That is why the manual treats this as a better way to handle the situation than trying to outrun the car behind you.
3. To effectively provide protection for a motorcycle rider, pants should:
- Be made of a soft material.
- Be made of a heavy material. ✓
- Fit loosely enough that they flap in the wind.
- Be short and expose some parts of the legs.
Answer: B. Be made of a heavy material.
Pants should be made of a heavy, protective material such as leather or sturdy synthetic fabric. The handbook says pants should cover your legs completely and fit snugly enough that they do not flap in the wind, while still letting you move freely. It names leather as the most protective material and sturdy synthetic material as also giving a lot of protection. That supports a heavy protective material rather than soft fabric. The manual does not use the exact word heavy here, so the match is by meaning rather than an exact phrase.
4. If the chain or belt of your motorcycle breaks, you will:
- Experience a sudden increase in power to the rear wheel.
- Experience a sudden loss of power to the rear wheel. ✓
- Experience a sudden loss of power to the front wheel.
- Experience a sudden increase in power to the front wheel.
Answer: B. Experience a sudden loss of power to the rear wheel.
5. When riding behind a car, you should:
- Ride in a position that will allow the other driver to see you in their rearview mirror. ✓
- Assume the driver sees you.
- Ride in the far left portion of the lane.
- Ride in the far right portion of the lane.
Answer: A. Ride in a position that will allow the other driver to see you in their rearview mirror.
Ride in a position that puts you where the driver ahead can see you in the inside rearview mirror — usually the center portion of your lane. The manual says that when you follow a car, you should ride where the driver can see you in the inside rearview mirror, and that the center of the lane usually puts you in that view. It also notes that the far side of a lane might let a driver spot you in a sideview mirror, but most drivers check the inside mirror far more often than the side ones. So the center position gives you the best chance of being noticed by the driver in front, and it helps keep others from crowding your space.
6. When approaching an uneven surface, such as a bump or pothole, you should rise slightly off of your seat:
- So you can jump off the motorcycle if you need to.
- So your legs can absorb the shock. ✓
- So other drivers can see you better.
- So you can get a better view of the uneven surface.
Answer: B. So your legs can absorb the shock.
You should rise slightly off the seat so your legs can absorb the shock. The manual says that when you must ride over a bump, pothole or similar obstacle, you should slow down, keep the motorcycle straight, and rise slightly off the seat with your weight on the footrests. In that position, your knees and elbows take the shock instead of your body being jolted through the saddle. The purpose given is shock absorption, not leaving the motorcycle or improving your view.
7. Your lane position should not:
- Increase your ability to see.
- Avoid placing you in other drivers' blind spots.
- Encourage other drivers to share your lane. ✓
- Provide you with an escape route.
Answer: C. Encourage other drivers to share your lane.
Your lane position should not encourage other drivers to share your lane; the manual says to discourage lane sharing. The manual treats lane position as a tool for visibility and space, not as an invitation for others to ride alongside you. It warns that riding between rows of cars in one lane exposes you to sudden doors, hands, and turning vehicles, and it says to discourage lane sharing. When drivers are likely to try to squeeze past, such as in heavy traffic, when they want to pass, or as you turn or leave a highway, it advises a center-portion position. A position that invites sharing works against you.
8. When riding in a group, inexperienced riders should position themselves:
- Just behind the leader. ✓
- In front of the group.
- At the rear of the group.
- Beside the leader.
Answer: A. Just behind the leader.
Inexperienced riders should place themselves just behind the leader when riding in a group. The manual says the lead rider and the sweep rider should be the most experienced people in the group. It then tells you to put inexperienced riders right behind the leader, so they don't have to chase the group to keep up, and the experienced riders behind them can keep an eye on them. That is why the spot directly behind the leader is the one reserved for the least experienced rider, not the front, the tail or alongside the leader.
9. More than half of all crashes:
- Involve riders who have operated their motorcycles for less than six months. ✓
- Are caused by faulty ignition systems.
- Occur because of distractions caused by passengers.
- Happen at night.
Answer: A. Involve riders who have operated their motorcycles for less than six months.
10. Of the following, the colors that best allow riders to be seen are:
- Orange and red. ✓
- Green and blue.
- Purple and gold.
- Black and white.
Answer: A. Orange and red.
Bright orange and red are the colors that best help a rider be seen. The manual names bright orange, red, yellow or green jackets and vests as the best choices for being seen, and says any bright color beats drab or dark colors. Paired with a brightly colored helmet and reflective material, that bright clothing helps drivers ahead, behind and coming from the side spot you. Orange and red are both on that list of bright colors, so they fit the rule. The other pairs mix in colors the manual does not call out as bright or that read as dark.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook