Minnesota Motorcycle practice
Minnesota Motorcycle: Hazards & Road Surfaces practice test
Gravel, wet pavement, grooved roads, and railroad tracks — reading and handling surfaces that matter far more on two wheels.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
11 questions · pass with 9 correct. You get instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.
Study questions with answers
11 sample Hazards & Road Surfaces questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.
Show all 11 questions with answers
1. Painted lane lines and pavement markings are a hazard for motorcyclists mainly because they:
Correct answer: become slippery, especially when wet
Lane markings, steel plates, and surface covers offer poor traction, particularly when they are wet.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Handling Dangerous Surfaces
2. At night, one way to gain a better view of the road is to:
Correct answer: use the headlights of the car ahead
The headlights of the car ahead, and its bouncing taillights, can reveal the road and bumps beyond your own beam.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Riding at Night
3. If you cannot avoid an animal while riding in traffic, the manual advises you to:
Correct answer: stay in your lane, since hitting something small beats hitting a car
Remain in your lane; hitting something small is less dangerous than swerving into a car.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Animals
4. Wet pavement offers the least traction:
Correct answer: Just after the rain starts, before the surface oil is washed aside
The first minutes of a shower lift oil off the surface, and it takes time for the rain to flush that oil toward the edge of the road.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Slippery Surfaces
5. When rain begins to fall, the best place to ride is:
Correct answer: In the tire tracks left by the vehicles ahead, often the left one
The middle of the lane holds oil that floats up once it is wet, while the tracks swept clear by car tires offer better grip.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Slippery Surfaces
6. To get across tracks or a pavement seam that runs the same way you are traveling, you should move over far enough to cross them at an angle of at least:
Correct answer: 45 degrees
Take one deliberate turn across parallel grooves so the front wheel is not knocked off line and your balance is not upset.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Railroad Tracks, Trolley Tracks and Pavement Seams
7. Patches of ice are most likely to linger:
Correct answer: In shaded or low spots and on bridges and overpasses
Those spots lose heat first and dry last, so they can still be icy after the rest of the road has cleared.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Slippery Surfaces
8. If a dog begins chasing your motorcycle, you should:
Correct answer: downshift, approach slowly, then accelerate away as you reach it
Downshift and approach slowly, then accelerate away as you reach the dog while keeping control and looking ahead.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Animals
9. To ride over an unavoidable obstacle, you should approach it:
Correct answer: as close to a 90-degree angle as possible and rise slightly off the seat
Hit obstacles as squarely as possible, slow first, and rise slightly off the seat with weight on the footrests.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Handling Dangerous Surfaces
10. Riding over rain grooves or a bridge grating makes a motorcycle weave. You should:
Correct answer: Relax, hold a steady speed and ride straight across
The wandering sensation is unsettling but not really dangerous; taking these surfaces at an angle is what forces the risky zigzag.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Grooves and Gratings
11. The safest way to cross railroad or trolley tracks is usually to:
Correct answer: ride straight within your lane across them
Crossing straight within your lane is generally safer than angling toward the tracks and into another lane.
Source: Minnesota Motorcycle and Motorized Bicycle Manual — Handling Dangerous Surfaces
More Motorcycle topics
Practice Hazards & Road Surfaces in another state
Every Minnesota question is written from the official Minnesota driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free