West Virginia Motorcycle: Braking & Emergency Stops Practice Test

Question 1

What is the best way to stop quickly when you are already in a curve?

Accepted Answer

Straighten the machine and square the bars, then brake — Bring the machine upright and square the handlebars before braking hard; if that is impossible, brake gently and add pressure as the lean comes off.

Answer

Increase the lean so the tires bite harder

Answer

Use only the rear brake until the curve ends

Answer

Grab the front lever as hard as you can

Question 2

In traffic, how does the room a motorcycle needs to stop compare with a car's?

Accepted Answer

About the same — The manual treats them as needing the same distance, which is why the following gap behind a car is not shortened just because you are on two wheels.

Answer

Roughly half as much

Answer

Three times as much

Answer

It depends only on tire width

Question 3

What does shifting down through the gears give a rider?

Accepted Answer

A slowing effect similar to using the brakes — Dropping a gear slows the machine in much the same way the brakes do — engine braking — and it works best one gear at a time.

Answer

A burst of acceleration in every gear

Answer

Protection against a locked front wheel

Answer

A shorter wheelbase for tighter turns

Question 4

Why can the front brake be squeezed harder once braking has already begun?

Accepted Answer

Weight moves forward, so the front tire finds more traction — Braking pushes the machine's weight forward onto the front tire, and the added load there brings more traction with it.

Answer

The brake pads cool as the machine slows

Answer

The rear brake takes over the work

Answer

The suspension extends and lightens the front

Question 5

The front wheel locks while you are stopping quickly. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Release the lever immediately, then apply it again — Release the front lever the instant it locks, then squeeze it back on firmly; failing to let go at once ends in a crash because steering and balance are gone.

Answer

Hold the lever where it is until you stop

Answer

Add rear brake to balance the machine

Answer

Pull in the clutch and coast to a halt

Question 6

How much of a motorcycle's stopping power can come from the front brake?

Accepted Answer

Seventy percent or more — The front brake is the stronger of the two and can deliver seventy percent or more of the total stopping power.

Answer

About a quarter of it

Answer

Roughly half of it

Answer

None — it is there only for parking

Question 7

How should braking and swerving be combined?

Accepted Answer

Keep them separate — brake before or after, not during — Keep them apart: brake before the swerve or after it, never in the middle of one.

Answer

Brake hardest at the moment the machine changes direction

Answer

Brake only with the rear while swerving

Answer

Swerve first, then release the brakes

Question 8

What is the purpose of an anti-lock braking system on a motorcycle?

Accepted Answer

Stop a wheel from locking up when brake pressure gets too high — ABS steps in when too much pressure goes onto a brake control, releasing and reapplying pressure so a wheel does not lock and skid.

Answer

Shorten the distance needed on dry pavement only

Answer

Replace the need to use the front brake

Answer

Apply the brakes automatically when a hazard appears

Question 9

Which sequence of events produces a high-side crash?

Accepted Answer

The machine snapping upright when a locked rear wheel is released out of line with the front — It occurs when a locked rear wheel is let go while it is out of line with the front: the motorcycle snaps upright and throws the rider forward.

Answer

A fall caused by the front tire washing out in a turn

Answer

A collision with a vehicle entering from the side

Answer

A crash that happens while riding on a raised roadway

Question 10

What is the correct technique for pulling the front brake lever?

Accepted Answer

Squeezed smoothly and firmly with steadily increasing force — Squeeze it smoothly and firmly, building force as you go; grabbing at it or hitting it abruptly invites a locked wheel.

Answer

Grabbed hard at the first sign of trouble

Answer

Pumped on and off in quick pulses

Answer

Held at a fixed light pressure throughout

Question 11

How often should a rider use both brakes?

Accepted Answer

Every time you slow or stop — Both brakes belong in every stop and every slowdown, so that the habit is already there when an emergency arrives.

Answer

Only in an emergency

Answer

Only when the road is dry

Answer

Only below about twenty miles an hour

Question 12

What distinguishes an integrated braking system from an ordinary linked one?

Accepted Answer

It applies part of the front brake whenever the rear is used — A linked system works both brakes from either control; the integrated variation adds a measure of front braking whenever the rear brake alone is used.

Answer

It disconnects the rear brake above a set speed

Answer

It removes the front brake lever altogether

Answer

It works only when the engine is running

West Virginia Motorcycle: Braking & Emergency Stops practice test

Study questions with answers

1. What is the best way to stop quickly when you are already in a curve?

2. In traffic, how does the room a motorcycle needs to stop compare with a car's?

3. What does shifting down through the gears give a rider?

4. Why can the front brake be squeezed harder once braking has already begun?

5. The front wheel locks while you are stopping quickly. What should you do?

6. How much of a motorcycle's stopping power can come from the front brake?

7. How should braking and swerving be combined?

8. What is the purpose of an anti-lock braking system on a motorcycle?

9. Which sequence of events produces a high-side crash?

10. What is the correct technique for pulling the front brake lever?

11. How often should a rider use both brakes?

12. What distinguishes an integrated braking system from an ordinary linked one?

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