Iowa Motorcycle: Road Signs Practice Test

Question 1

A traffic sign with a green background carries what kind of information?

Accepted Answer

Direction — where a place is and how far away it is — The Iowa driver's manual assigns green to direction: it tells you where a destination lies and its distance from you.

Answer

A warning about a hazard ahead

Answer

An enforceable regulation

Answer

Services for travelers

Question 2

You see a round sign with a black X and two R's on a yellow face. What does it warn of?

Accepted Answer

A railroad crossing ahead — The circular shape is used for the advance warning of a railroad crossing ahead.

Answer

A traffic circle ahead

Answer

A right lane closure

Answer

A rest area ahead

Question 3

A diamond sign warns that two lanes are about to become one. Who must yield?

Accepted Answer

The traffic that is merging — Where lanes end and two streams become one, the manual states that merging traffic must yield.

Answer

Neither driver — the wider vehicle goes first

Answer

Whichever vehicle is traveling faster

Answer

The traffic already in the surviving lane

Question 4

What does a blue traffic sign point you toward?

Accepted Answer

Services such as rest areas, hospitals, fuel and lodging — Blue is the color for traveler services — rest areas, hospitals, fuel stations, restaurants, lodging and tourist attractions.

Answer

Historical sites and state parks

Answer

A temporary construction detour

Answer

A school crossing

Question 5

You pass a brown sign on an Iowa highway. What is it for?

Accepted Answer

Recreation and cultural points of interest, such as parks or historical sites — Brown signs direct drivers toward recreational and cultural destinations — historic places, parks and recreation areas.

Answer

An upcoming work zone

Answer

A hospital ahead

Answer

A minimum speed limit

Question 6

What does a sign shaped like an equilateral triangle tell you to do?

Accepted Answer

Give up the right of way — The three-sided sign is the yield sign: you must give way to the traffic it protects.

Answer

Stop completely

Answer

Watch for a school crossing

Answer

Expect a railroad crossing

Question 7

A yellow sign shows the road ahead running downhill. What does the Iowa manual say to do?

Accepted Answer

Check your brakes before you start down — The hill sign warns every vehicle that a descent is coming, and the manual tells drivers to check their brakes before going down.

Answer

Speed up so you carry momentum up the far side

Answer

Change into the left lane

Answer

Expect a stop sign at the bottom

Question 8

What is the blue Emergency Notification System sign at a railroad crossing for?

Accepted Answer

It gives a phone number for the railroad and a unique crossing ID so problems can be reported — The ENS sign carries the railroad's phone number and the crossing's identification number so a stalled vehicle, a failed signal or another hazard can be reported.

Answer

It shows the maximum speed for crossing

Answer

It marks the crossing as exempt from stopping

Answer

It shows how far the next crossing is

Question 9

At a railroad crossing, a small number sign hangs beneath the crossbuck. What does that number mean?

Accepted Answer

How many sets of tracks you must cross — The number under the crossbuck tells you how many sets of tracks lie across the road at that crossing.

Answer

The speed limit for crossing the tracks

Answer

The number of trains that use the crossing each day

Answer

The crossing's identification number for emergencies

Question 10

What kind of warning sign uses a fluorescent yellow-green background in Iowa?

Accepted Answer

Signs warning of pedestrians, bicycles and schools — That bright yellow-green background is set aside for pedestrian, bicycle and school warning signs.

Answer

Signs for incident management, such as crash cleanup

Answer

Signs marking recreation areas

Answer

Signs giving distances to cities

Question 11

Which sign shape marks a school area or a school crossing?

Accepted Answer

The pentagon — The five-sided pentagon is used for school areas and school crossings.

Answer

The circle

Answer

The rectangle

Answer

The octagon

Question 12

Fluorescent pink signs have been added to the Iowa manual. What do they cover?

Accepted Answer

Warning and guide information for incidents such as crash cleanup, debris removal and traffic problems — Pink is used for incident management — warning and guide signs put out for crash cleanup, debris removal and similar disruptions.

Answer

School zones during arrival and dismissal

Answer

Bicycle detour routes

Answer

Snow route designations

Iowa Motorcycle: Road Signs practice test

Study questions with answers

1. A traffic sign with a green background carries what kind of information?

2. You see a round sign with a black X and two R's on a yellow face. What does it warn of?

3. A diamond sign warns that two lanes are about to become one. Who must yield?

4. What does a blue traffic sign point you toward?

5. You pass a brown sign on an Iowa highway. What is it for?

6. What does a sign shaped like an equilateral triangle tell you to do?

7. A yellow sign shows the road ahead running downhill. What does the Iowa manual say to do?

8. What is the blue Emergency Notification System sign at a railroad crossing for?

9. At a railroad crossing, a small number sign hangs beneath the crossbuck. What does that number mean?

10. What kind of warning sign uses a fluorescent yellow-green background in Iowa?

11. Which sign shape marks a school area or a school crossing?

12. Fluorescent pink signs have been added to the Iowa manual. What do they cover?

More Motorcycle topics

Practice Road Signs in another state