General Driving Knowledge — Michigan
Michigan motorcycle permit practice test: 270 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: 72 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 | Michigan Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 72 (27% of 270 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 (72)
1. When going through a turn on a motorcycle, you should:
- Keep your eyes focused close to the front of the motorcycle.
- Look through the turn to where you want to go. ✓
- Turn your entire body to see through the turn.
- Increase your speed before the turn.
Answer: B. Look through the turn to where you want to go.
You should look through the turn toward where you want the motorcycle to go. The manual's turn sequence puts looking in the middle of the process: slow before the turn, then look through it toward the path you intend to follow, then press the handgrip on the side you want to lean and roll on the throttle. For the look step, it says to turn just your head, not your shoulders, and keep your eyes level with the horizon. That keeps your view aimed at where the motorcycle should go, which is what the correct choice describes.
2. When riding in a group, inexperienced riders should position themselves:
- Just behind the leader. ✓
- In front of the group.
- At the tail end of the group.
- Beside the leader.
Answer: A. Just behind the leader.
Place inexperienced riders just behind the leader when riding in a group. The manual says the lead rider watches ahead for changes in road, traffic or weather and signals early so the message works its way back through the group. Putting newer riders directly behind the leader keeps them from having to chase the group, and lets the experienced riders behind them keep an eye on them. The same rule shows up again in the list of group riding rules: new riders go just behind the leader so they can hold the pace without riding faster than is safe.
3. If your motorcycle is being chased by a dog, you should:
- Kick the dog away.
- Ride alongside the dog.
- Stop until the dog loses interest.
- Approach the dog slowly, then speed up. ✓
Answer: D. Approach the dog slowly, then speed up.
Ease toward the dog slowly, then accelerate and ride away from it. The manual says motorcycles seem to attract dogs, and it gives a clear plan for a chase: downshift, approach the animal slowly, then accelerate and leave it behind. It also says to keep control of the motorcycle and look where you want to go, and it warns against kicking at the animal. So the slow approach followed by speeding up is the recommended response, and the answer choice describing that matches the manual.
4. When riding, goggles:
- Protect your eyes, but not the rest of your face. ✓
- Protect your face, but not your eyes.
- Are not as effective at protecting your eyes as eyeglasses.
- Are not effective in providing any protection.
Answer: A. Protect your eyes, but not the rest of your face.
Goggles protect your eyes, but they do not protect the rest of your face. The manual contrasts goggles with a plastic impact-resistant faceshield. It says a faceshield can help protect your whole face in a crash, while goggles cover your eyes but leave the rest of your face uncovered. That makes the choice about eye-only protection the matching one. The manual also warns that eyeglasses and sunglasses are not substitutes for proper eye protection, so goggles still have a real job protecting your eyes.
5. When riding a motorcycle:
- It is a good idea to drag your feet.
- Your toes should be pointed downward.
- You should keep your feet firmly on the footrests. ✓
- You should try to keep your feet away from the controls.
Answer: C. You should keep your feet firmly on the footrests.
You should keep your feet firmly on the footrests, which is how the manual says you maintain balance. The handbook's riding posture section says to keep your feet firmly on the footrests to maintain balance, and it warns against dragging your feet. It explains that a foot catching on something could injure you and interfere with your control of the bike. The same section tells you to keep your feet near the controls so you can reach them easily, and not to let your toes point downward because they could get caught between the road and the footrests.
6. A proper lane position can help you do all of the following, except:
- Avoid other drivers' blindspots.
- Increase your ability to see and be seen.
- Go faster. ✓
- Set up for turns.
Answer: C. Go faster.
The one thing a proper lane position does not do for you is let you go faster. The manual lists lane position as a visibility and communication tool: it tells you to ride in the best lane position to see and be seen, and to use lane position along with signals and the brake light to show other drivers what you intend. It also ties position to keeping a space cushion around you. Nothing in the manual presents lane position as a way to raise your speed. Speed choices belong to conditions and, in group riding, to staying with the group rather than pushing the pace.
7. To lower the chance of a crash, you should do all of the following, except:
- Be visible.
- Communicate your intentions.
- Be prepared to react to hazards.
- Hope another driver sees you. ✓
Answer: D. Hope another driver sees you.
8. Your lane position should not:
- Increase your ability to see and be seen.
- Help you avoid surface hazards.
- Provide you with an escape route.
- Welcome other drivers into your lane. ✓
Answer: D. Welcome other drivers into your lane.
Your lane position should not welcome other drivers into your lane. The manual tells riders to discourage lane sharing by others. In heavy traffic, when a driver wants to pass, when you are turning, or when you are entering an exit lane, drivers may try to squeeze by. In those cases, the manual says to keep a center-portion position. Lane position is meant to protect your space, not invite another vehicle to share it. The other listed goals are reasons to choose a position, not reasons to avoid one.
9. When being passed from behind, you should:
- Try to move onto the shoulder.
- Use the left portion of your lane.
- Use the center portion of your lane. ✓
- Use the right portion of your lane.
Answer: C. Use the center portion of your lane.
When a vehicle is passing you from behind, stay in the center portion of your lane. The manual addresses this directly: when you are being passed, remain in the middle of your lane. It warns that riding close to the passing vehicle can place you in a hazardous situation, and it lists what to think about while the pass happens — a small error by either driver leading to a sideswipe, extended mirrors that stick out past the fenders, and objects thrown from windows. Staying centered keeps room between you and the vehicle going by.
10. The center portion of a lane usually contains an oily strip. This part of the lane is:
- Never safe for motorcyclists.
- Usually safe, unless the road is wet. ✓
- Usually safe, unless it is sunny outside.
- Always safe, no matter the weather conditions.
Answer: B. Usually safe, unless the road is wet.
The oily center strip is usually safe unless the road is wet. The manual says the center third of a lane is where oil drippings and debris collect, but it also says the typical center strip still gives adequate traction unless the road is wet. It adds that you can ride to the left or right of the grease strip while staying within that center third. That supports treating the center as usually usable in dry conditions, with extra caution when water makes the oily strip slippery.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook