General Driving Knowledge — Missouri
Missouri motorcycle permit practice test: 340 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: 129 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 | Missouri Motorcycle permit test |
| Topic questions | 129 (38% of 340 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 (129)
1. When riding, you should:
- Turn your head and shoulders to look through turns.
- Keep your arms straight.
- Keep your knees away from the gas tank.
- Turn just your head and eyes to look through turns. ✓
Answer: D. Turn just your head and eyes to look through turns.
When riding through a turn, turn just your head and eyes to look through the turn. The manual's turn steps say to look through the turn to where you want to go. It specifically says to turn just your head, not your shoulders, and to keep your eyes level with the horizon. That matches turning only your head and eyes. The other choices either add a body movement the manual warns against or describe arm or knee positions the passages do not give as riding rules.
2. The center portion of a lane:
- Is always the best part of the lane for a motorcycle.
- Often contains oil and grease, but is usually safe for riding. ✓
- Often contains oil and grease, and is never safe for riding.
- Is the smoothest part of the lane.
Answer: B. Often contains oil and grease, but is usually safe for riding.
The center portion of a lane often collects oil and grease, but it is usually safe to ride there because the typical center strip still gives adequate traction unless the road is wet. The manual says the center third is where debris and oil drippings gather, and it warns about big oil buildups at busy intersections and tollbooths. When the road is dry, the usual center strip provides enough traction, and you can ride just left or right of the grease strip while staying in that center third. It also says the center portion usually puts you in view of drivers ahead when traffic allows. So the center can hold oil and grease but remains generally usable.
3. 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.
4. An advantage to keeping the size of a group of riders small is:
- A small group is less easily separated in traffic than a larger group. ✓
- A small group can disregard traffic laws to stay together.
- Riders will always be trying to catch up to the group.
- It will be difficult to keep track of where everyone is.
Answer: A. A small group is less easily separated in traffic than a larger group.
A small group is less easily separated in traffic than a larger group. The manual's group-riding section explains that a close group takes up less space on the road, is easier for others to see, and is less likely to get split apart. A smaller group is easier to hold together than a long line of riders, which is why keeping the group compact matters. The manual also tells riders to watch the person behind in their mirrors and to slow down if someone drops back, so the group stays together. The point of a small, tight group is that it stays intact and stays visible.
5. A way to lower the risk of being involved in a crash is to:
- Communicate your intentions to other road users. ✓
- Not look ahead while riding.
- Wear dark clothes.
- Ride in the parts of a lane that make it difficult to be seen.
Answer: A. Communicate your intentions to other road users.
Communicate your intentions to other road users; the manual lists this as one of the ways to reduce your chance of a crash. The manual's crash-reduction list tells riders to be visible, communicate intentions through signals, brake light and lane position, keep a space cushion, look well ahead, spot hazards, and stay ready to act. Signaling and positioning yourself so others know what you plan to do fits the communication item on that list. The other choices work against the same list: they hide you, reduce your view ahead, or place you where others are less likely to notice you.
6. 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.
7. When riding in a group, the best way to keep ranks close while maintaining an adequate safety cushion is to ride:
- In pairs.
- In a staggered formation. ✓
- In a single-file line.
- In a passing formation.
Answer: B. In a staggered formation.
The best way is to ride in a staggered formation. The manual says a staggered formation lets the group stay close while each rider still has a safe space cushion. It describes the leader on the left, the second rider at least one second back on the right, and the third back on the left at least two seconds behind the first. That alternating pattern gives room ahead, behind, and to the sides. The manual also lists maintaining a staggered formation among its group-riding rules.
8. When riding with a passenger, you should tell them to do all of the following, except:
- Get on the motorcycle after the engine has been started.
- Sit as far forward as they can without crowding you.
- Hold firmly onto your waist, hips, or belt.
- Feel free to talk whenever they want. ✓
Answer: D. Feel free to talk whenever they want.
9. When riding a motorcycle, you should:
- Always avoid the left portion of a lane.
- Always avoid the right portion of a lane.
- Always avoid the center portion of a lane.
- Use whichever portion of the lane is safest. ✓
Answer: D. Use whichever portion of the lane is safest.
You should use whichever portion of the lane is safest for the traffic and visibility conditions. The manual tells riders to be flexible about lane position. You move to the portion of the lane that best helps you see, be seen, and keep an adequate space cushion. It also notes that the center portion is usually best when traffic allows, while riding at the far side may let a driver see you in a sideview mirror. That means no portion of the lane is always off-limits; the right choice depends on the situation.
10. If you are transporting a passenger, they should:
- Lean as you lean. ✓
- Hold onto the seat.
- Sit as far back on the seat as possible.
- Never hold onto you.
Answer: A. Lean as you lean.
A passenger should lean as you lean, staying directly behind you and moving with you through turns and curves. The manual tells passengers to stay directly behind the rider and lean with the rider through turns and curves. It also says looking over the rider's shoulder in the direction of a turn can help, and that the passenger should avoid leaning or turning around or making sudden moves that could affect stability. That makes leaning as the rider leans the right behavior, not sitting back or bracing against the seat.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · Based on the official driver handbook