AP Music Theory — Practice Questions flashcards
6 of 60 questions free to study here · 18 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys
Multiple-choice practice questions, one best answer each, on meter, scales and modes, intervals, Roman numerals and figured bass, voice leading, cadences, non-chord tones, modulation and form.
Practice deck · part of AP Music Theory · written against: College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (eight units). Updated 2026-10-10.
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Which meter signature indicates compound triple meter with the dotted quarter note as the beat?
A) 6/8
B) 3/4
C) 9/8
D) 9/4C) 9/8Rhythm and Meter
In 9/8 the nine eighths group into three dotted-quarter beats, each divided in three. 9/4 is also compound triple, but its beat is the dotted half note, and 6/8 has only two beats. -
What is the interval from E♭ up to C♯?
A) Major sixth
B) Augmented sixth
C) Minor seventh
D) Diminished seventhB) Augmented sixthIntervals and Transposition
E♭ up to C is a major sixth, and raising the top note to C♯ makes an augmented sixth. It sounds like a minor seventh (E♭–D♭) but is spelled as a sixth. -
What is the quality of the seventh chord D–F–A♭–C?
A) Minor seventh
B) Dominant seventh
C) Half-diminished seventh
D) Fully diminished seventhC) Half-diminished seventhSeventh Chords
D–F–A♭ is a diminished triad and D up to C is a minor seventh, so the chord is half-diminished. A fully diminished seventh would need C♭ on top. -
A phrase in F major ends with a C major chord moving to an F major chord, both in root position, with A in the soprano on the final chord. Name the cadence.
A) Perfect authentic cadence
B) Half cadence
C) Plagal cadence
D) Imperfect authentic cadenceD) Imperfect authentic cadenceCadences
V–I in root position is authentic, but A is the third of the tonic chord, not do, so it is an imperfect authentic cadence. A perfect authentic cadence would need F in the soprano. -
Which list contains only keys that are closely related to D major?
A) G major, C major, B minor, E minor, A minor
B) A major, G major, D minor, E minor, F♯ minor
C) A major, E major, B minor, C♯ minor, F♯ minor
D) A major, G major, B minor, E minor, F♯ minorD) A major, G major, B minor, E minor, F♯ minorModulation
Closely related keys differ by no more than one accidental: D major has two sharps, so the keys with one, two or three sharps qualify. D minor (one flat) is the parallel minor, which is not closely related. -
In a harmonic dictation in a major key, the bass arrives on sol and holds it while the upper voices fall do to ti and mi to re, and then the bass moves to do. What should you write over the held sol?
A) A cadential six-four resolving to V before the tonic
B) A pedal six-four over a tonic bass
C) Deceptive motion from V to vi
D) A passing six-four between I and I6A) A cadential six-four resolving to V before the tonicDictation and Aural Skills
Upper voices stepping down over a held dominant bass are the sound of the cadential six-four (I6/4–V) before the final tonic. A pedal six-four needs its bass note already sounding before it, but this bass arrives on sol only as the six-four begins, and option B would put the six-four over the tonic, not sol.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Topic outline follows the College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (effective Fall 2026); no text copied.
- Facts checked against Open Music Theory (Gotham et al., CC BY-SA 4.0); reference only, no text copied. Every interval, key signature and chord spelling was verified by script.
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