Sharing the Road

Study questions with answers

12 sample Sharing the Road questions with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the official handbook reference. Read through them, then take the quiz above.

1. 1. When you approach a person leading or riding an animal, what should you do?

   Correct answer: Slow down, avoid your horn, and yield to the animal

   Give the animal the right-of-way, slow down, avoid sounding your horn, and be ready to stop, since animals spook easily around motor vehicles.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Right-of-Way Rules: Animals and Horse-Drawn Vehicles

2. 2. The manual advises riders not to travel between rows of what?

   Correct answer: Rows of stopped motor vehicles

   Riding between rows of stopped vehicles ('lane splitting') is discouraged because of the high risk of a car moving unexpectedly.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Lane Sharing

3. 3. If a riding group grows beyond five or six motorcycles, what does the manual suggest?

   Correct answer: Split into two smaller groups

   Larger groups should split into two smaller groups so they can react to hazards and let other traffic pass without long strings of bikes.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Group Riding: Small Groups

4. 4. If an animal you are passing appears frightened, what does the law require?

   Correct answer: Pull to the roadside and stop

   If the animal looks frightened, you must move to the roadside and come to a stop, and you must also stop whenever the handler or rider signals you.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Right-of-Way Rules: Animals and Horse-Drawn Vehicles

5. 5. Where should less-experienced riders be placed within a group?

   Correct answer: Toward the front where they can be watched

   Put newer riders toward the front where more experienced riders behind can keep an eye on them.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Group Riding: Group Cohesion

6. 6. Which group-riding formation does the manual recommend?

   Correct answer: A staggered formation

   A staggered formation keeps the group compact and visible while leaving each rider room; single file is used for curves and when entering or leaving freeways.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Group Riding: Group Cohesion

7. 7. What does Massachusetts law say about riding a motorcycle alongside another vehicle in the same marked lane?

   Correct answer: It is prohibited to ride alongside a car in one marked lane

   Lane sharing is prohibited; riders may not travel next to a car within a single marked lane, and positioning in the center of the lane discourages cars from squeezing by.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Lane Sharing

8. 8. How close may you drive to a trolley that is letting passengers on or off?

   Correct answer: No closer than 8 feet of the passenger step

   State law says you must not come within 8 feet of the passenger step of a trolley that is loading or unloading passengers.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Right-of-Way Rules: Buses and Trolleys

9. 9. As you merge onto a highway, what should you assume about drivers already on it?

   Correct answer: That they may not notice you, so give them room

   Do not assume other drivers see you; give merging traffic room and yield the right-of-way to vehicles already on the highway.

   Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Keeping Your Distance: Merging Traffic

10. 10. In a staggered group, how should riders pass another vehicle?

    Correct answer: One rider at a time

    Riders in a staggered formation pass one at a time; the lead rider passes and returns to position, then the next rider follows in the same way.

    Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Group Riding: Passing Information

11. 11. When you meet a funeral procession on the road, what must you do?

    Correct answer: Yield until all procession vehicles have passed

    Yield to a funeral procession until each of its vehicles has gone by; cutting through or breaking up the procession is against the law.

    Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Right-of-Way Rules: Funeral Processions

12. 12. Why must you keep a safe distance from a trolley sharing the roadway?

    Correct answer: A trolley cannot leave its tracks to avoid you

    A trolley is confined to its tracks and cannot swerve to avoid you, so you must leave room and not turn in front of an approaching one.

    Source: MA Motorcycle Manual — Right-of-Way Rules: Buses and Trolleys