AP Music Theory Unit 1: Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements Practice Exam

1. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.1] A single note is notated in treble clef. Which pitch (letter name and octave) is shown? [Image Cue]: Staff notation, "Single Pitch in Treble Clef"; treble clef with one notehead placed on the second ledger line above the staff (the note is on a ledger line, not a space). No accidentals. No key signature. Stem direction irrelevant.

2. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.1] A single note is notated in alto clef (C clef). Which pitch (letter name and octave) is shown? [Image Cue]: Staff notation, "Single Pitch in Alto Clef"; alto clef with one notehead placed on the top space of the staff. No accidentals. No key signature. Stem direction irrelevant.

3. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.1] Consider the notated melody below in treble clef. Which pitch is notated on beat 3 of measure 1? [Image Cue]: Staff notation, "Two-Measure Melody (Treble Clef)"; treble clef, 4/4 time. Measure 1: four quarter notes on beats 1–4: G4, A4, B4, C5 (ascending stepwise). Measure 2: four quarter notes on beats 1–4: D5, C5, B4, A4 (descending stepwise). Barline between measures clearly shown.

4. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.1] A performer plays the notated melody below exactly as written, except that the third note is performed one half step lower than notated. Which pitch is heard on the third note? [Image Cue]: Staff notation, "Melody for Performance Check (Bass Clef)"; bass clef, 4/4 time, four quarter notes on beats 1–4: C3, D3, E3, F3. No accidentals. No key signature.

5. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 1.1] A student is sight-singing the melody below, using pitch names. Which sequence correctly lists the pitch names (with octave numbers) for the four notes shown? [Image Cue]: Staff notation, "Sight-Singing Prompt (Bass Clef)"; bass clef, 4/4 time, four quarter notes on beats 1–4: F3, A3, G3, C4. No accidentals. No key signature.

6. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.1] In the excerpt below, the notation shows two voices (treble clef and bass clef). In performance, everything matches the score except one pitch: at beat 1 of measure 2, the sounded sonority is E5 in the upper voice and B3 in the lower voice. Which pitch discrepancy occurred at beat 1 of measure 2? [Image Cue]: Staff notation, "Two-Voice Error Detection"; grand staff (treble and bass clefs), 4/4 time, two measures. At beat 1 of measure 2, the upper voice note is E5 (treble clef) and the lower voice note is C4 (bass clef). No accidentals. No key signature. Other beats can be filled with simple placeholder quarter notes; only beat 1 of measure 2 must be unambiguous.

7. **1. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.10]** A score excerpt includes the dynamic marking **mp** at the beginning of the phrase and later indicates **ff**. Which statement correctly identifies these dynamics?

8. **2. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.10]** A notated melody shows **p** in measure 1 and **f** in measure 5, with no other dynamic markings between them. Which description best matches the dynamics indicated in the notation?

9. **3. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.10]** The excerpt below shows a note with a staccato dot. What articulation should the performer use on the marked note?

10. **4. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.10]** The excerpt below shows two measures. In the first measure, a slur covers four eighth notes. In the second measure, the same rhythm appears, but each note has a staccato dot. Which statement best identifies the change in articulation from measure 1 to measure 2?

11. **5. [Skill: 3.A | Topic: 1.10]** A notated melody includes the following performance markings: - Measure 1: **mf** under the staff - Measure 2: **p** under the staff - Measure 2: a **marcato accent** (accent wedge) above the first note only When sight-singing this melody, how should measure 2 be performed compared with measure 1?

12. **6. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.10]** A student listens to a short performed excerpt and reports: - The passage begins **very softly**. - The passage then becomes **moderately loud**. Which pair of dynamics best matches this performed change (in order)?

13. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.2] A student is studying the rhythmic figure shown in the excerpt. [Image Cue]: Notated music excerpt, “Tie Within a Measure (4/4)”, shows a quarter note tied to an eighth note (same pitch), with no augmentation dots. In 4/4 time, what is the total duration of the tied note?

14. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.2] A student sees a double-dotted half note in a measure. [Image Cue]: Notated rhythm symbol, “Double-Dotted Half Note”, shows a half note with two augmentation dots. In 4/4 time, how many beats does a double-dotted half note last?

15. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.2] A student is identifying rest values from a notated measure. [Image Cue]: Notation graphic, “Rest Identification”, shows a whole rest (small filled rectangle) hanging from the 4th line of the staff. What rhythmic value does the rest shown represent?

16. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.2] Consider the notated example below. [Image Cue]: Notated excerpt, “Tie Across Barline”, shows a note at the end of one measure tied to the same pitch at the beginning of the next measure (tie arc crossing the barline). What is the primary function of the tie in this example?

17. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.2] A student hears the following rhythm in a simple 4/4 context: one pitch is sustained for 3 beats, followed by a new pitch for 1 beat. Which notation most directly represents the first sustained sound (3 beats) using a single note value (no ties)?

18. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.2] A student analyzes the note shown below. [Image Cue]: Notated rhythm symbol, “Dotted Eighth Note”, shows an eighth note with a single augmentation dot. In 4/4 time, what is the duration of the dotted eighth note?

19. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 1.3] [Image Cue]: Notated music on treble staff, "Two Successive Notes." Show a quarter note C4 followed by a quarter note D-flat4 (D with a flat sign). No key signature. Based on the notated pitches, what is the distance between the two notes?

20. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 1.3] A student points to two adjacent white keys on a piano: E and F. What is the pitch distance between E and F?

21. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 1.3] Consider the following succession of pitch names: G → A → B-flat → B → C Which adjacent pair forms a whole step?

22. [Skill: 1B | Topic: 1.3] In a listening exercise, a performer plays two pitches in succession: first B, then C-sharp. What is the pitch distance between the two pitches?

23. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 1.3] [Image Cue]: Notated music on treble staff, "Three Notes." Show three consecutive quarter notes: F-sharp4, G-sharp4, A4. No key signature. Accidentals clearly shown on F and G. In the notated excerpt, which adjacent pair forms a half step?

24. [Skill: 1A | Topic: 1.3] A student is asked to identify the pitch distance between B-sharp and C-sharp. What is the distance between these two notated pitches?

25. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.4] A student transcribes the following ascending scale from a performance: G A B C D E F# G Which major scale is represented?

26. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.4] The notated excerpt below shows a key signature and a short melodic fragment. Which pitch is the tonic (central pitch) of the major key implied by the key signature?

27. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.4] In E major, what is the scale degree number and name of the pitch D#?

28. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.4] A performer plays an ascending major scale with the following pitch content: A B C# D E F# G# A Which major scale is being performed?

29. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.4] In the key of D major, the pitch G functions as which scale degree?

30. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.4] A melody is notated in B-flat major. Which pitch in the excerpt functions as the leading tone?

31. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.5] A student examines the notated excerpt below. [Image Cue]: Musical notation excerpt, "Key Signature Only". Treble staff showing a key signature of three sharps (F#, C#, G#) and a 4/4 time signature. No other notes are necessary. Based on the key signature, the excerpt is most likely in which major key?

32. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.5] A short passage is notated with a key signature of four flats. Which of the following is the tonic (scale degree ^1) of the major key implied by this key signature?

33. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 1.5] Consider the melody below. [Image Cue]: Musical notation excerpt, "Melody in G Major". Treble clef, key signature of one sharp (F#), 4/4. Measure contains the notes (in order): G4, A4, B4, F-natural4 (written with a natural sign), G4. Rhythms may be all quarter notes. In the context of the key implied by the key signature, which pitch in the excerpt is chromatic?

34. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 1.5] A passage is notated with a key signature of two flats (B-flat and E-flat). Which pitch listed below is diatonic to the major key implied by this key signature?

35. [Skill: 3.A | Topic: 1.5] A teacher performs a short melody in C major. The student determines the following: - The melody begins on the tonic. - The melody uses only diatonic pitches. - Time signature: 4/4. - The rhythm is eight quarter notes (no rests, no eighth notes). - The scale-degree pattern is: ^1 ^2 ^3 ^5 ^4 ^3 ^2 ^1. Which of the following notations best matches the performed melody?

36. 1. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.6] A student is analyzing the notated excerpt shown. [Image Cue]: Music notation, "One-measure excerpt in 6/8", shows six eighth notes beamed as two groups of three (3+3). Accent marks appear on the first and fourth eighth notes; no other accents. Which of the following best describes the meter type and the relationship between beat, beat division, and measure in this excerpt?

37. 2. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.6] A performer describes the rhythmic feel of a passage as follows: - The music is conducted in TWO large beats per measure. - Each large beat is consistently subdivided into THREE equal pulses. - The subdivision is felt as “ONE-and-a TWO-and-a.” Which time signature best matches this description?

38. 3. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 1.6] A student is given a notated excerpt in 3/4 that primarily uses eighth notes grouped in pairs within each beat (with occasional sixteenth-note motion). The student must describe beat division and meter type. Which statement is most accurate?

39. 4. [Skill: 2.B | Topic: 1.6] A notated passage is in 12/8. Which of the following correctly describes the three interlocking pulse speeds (beat, beat division, and measure) implied by this meter as it is most commonly felt?

40. 5. [Skill: 3.A | Topic: 1.6] A measure is notated in 2/4. Within the measure, the composer writes two groups of eighth-note triplets (each group marked with a “3”), so that each quarter-note beat contains three equal notes. Which statement best describes the meter type and beat division in this passage?

41. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.7] A student analyzes the notated excerpt below. The measure contains six eighth notes beamed in two groups of three (3+3). The first eighth note of each group is marked with an accent (>) to show the strongest pulses. Which meter type is best represented by this excerpt?

42. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.7] A performer describes a passage they hear: “The music feels like it has three beats in each measure. Each beat naturally splits into two equal parts, like stepping evenly in pairs.” Based on this description, which meter type is most likely?

43. [Skill: 2.A | Topic: 1.7] A score uses the time signature 6/8. Which statement best describes how the upper and lower numbers work together to imply the meter?

44. [Skill: 2.B | Topic: 1.7] A student sees a notated excerpt in which ONE measure contains twelve eighth notes. The beams clearly show four groups of three eighth notes (3+3+3+3), and the first eighth note of each group is marked with a tenuto line (–) to indicate a consistent beat-level stress. Which time signature best matches the excerpt?

45. [Skill: 1.C | Topic: 1.7] In a recording, a listener consistently perceives four main beats per measure. Each main beat has a clear three-part subdivision (the pulse feels like “ONE-and-a TWO-and-a THREE-and-a FOUR-and-a”). Which time signature is most consistent with this description?

46. [Skill: 1.A | Topic: 1.8] The notated excerpt shows one beat in a simple meter. [Image Cue]: Music notation, "One Beat in Simple Meter", single beat bracketed; within the beat are five notes beamed as: sixteenth, sixteenth, eighth, sixteenth, sixteenth (total duration equals one quarter-note beat). No rests or ties. Which of the following best identifies the rhythmic pattern shown?

47. [Skill: 1.B | Topic: 1.8] A student is notating a full measure of continuous sixteenth notes in 6/8. [Image Cue]: Music notation, "Beaming in 6/8", one measure in 6/8 containing twelve sixteenth notes (no rests, no ties). Four answer-choice images show different beaming groupings: (A) all 12 sixteenths beamed together across the entire bar; (B) beamed as two groups of 6 sixteenths (one group per dotted-quarter beat); (C) beamed as three groups of 4 sixteenths; (D) beamed as four groups of 3 sixteenths. Which beaming best clarifies the beat structure?