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AP Music Theory Practice Quiz: Embellishing Tones: Identifying Anticipations, Escape Tones, Appoggiaturas, and Pedal Points

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 7 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 7

Which of the following embellishing tones is defined as a sustained or repeated note, typically in the bass, that is held while the harmonies above it change?

All Questions (7)

Which of the following embellishing tones is defined as a sustained or repeated note, typically in the bass, that is held while the harmonies above it change?

A) Appoggiatura

B) Anticipation

C) Pedal Point

D) Escape Tone

Correct Answer: C

A pedal point (or pedal tone) is a sustained note, most often in the bass, over which harmonies change. It can be a chord tone in some chords and a nonharmonic tone in others.

A nonharmonic tone that is approached by leap and resolves by step, usually in the opposite direction, is known as a(n):

A) Appoggiatura

B) Escape Tone

C) Anticipation

D) Pedal Point

Correct Answer: A

The defining characteristic of an appoggiatura is its melodic shape: it is approached by a leap and resolves by a step, most commonly downward. It is often rhythmically accented.

An escape tone (échappée) is a nonharmonic tone that is approached by step and resolves by:

A) step in the same direction.

B) leap in the opposite direction.

C) remaining on the same pitch.

D) leap in the same direction.

Correct Answer: B

An escape tone is approached by step (usually ascending) and then 'escapes' the harmony by leaping in the opposite direction (usually descending) to a chord tone.

In a piece of notated music, a melody note is played just before a downbeat, sounding a pitch that belongs to the chord on the downbeat rather than the chord preceding it. This embellishing tone is called a(n):

A) Pedal Point

B) Escape Tone

C) Appoggiatura

D) Anticipation

Correct Answer: D

An anticipation is a nonharmonic tone that anticipates a note in the following chord. It is approached by step and then remains on the same pitch, which becomes a chord tone in the new harmony.

How does the melodic motion of an appoggiatura differ from that of an escape tone?

A) An appoggiatura is approached by step and resolves by leap, while an escape tone is approached by leap and resolves by step.

B) An appoggiatura is approached by leap and resolves by step, while an escape tone is approached by step and resolves by leap.

C) Both are approached by step, but the appoggiatura resolves by leap and the escape tone resolves by step.

D) Both are approached by leap, but the appoggiatura resolves by step and the escape tone resolves by leap.

Correct Answer: B

The melodic contours of these two nonharmonic tones are opposites. An appoggiatura is approached by leap and resolves by step. An escape tone is approached by step and resolves by leap.

In a performed chorale, the bass singer holds a G for two full measures. During this time, the upper voices move from a G major chord to a C major chord, then to a D major chord, before returning to G major. The sustained G in the bass is best identified as a(n):

A) Anticipation

B) Appoggiatura

C) Pedal Point

D) Escape Tone

Correct Answer: C

This scenario describes the classic function of a pedal point: a single note (G) is sustained in the bass while the harmonies above it change. The G is a chord tone in the G and C chords but a nonharmonic tone in the D major chord.

Consider a harmonic progression from a C major chord to a G7 chord. A soprano sings the note G on the C major chord, then leaps up to an A on the downbeat of the G7 chord, and finally resolves by stepping down to G. The note A is an example of a(n):

A) Escape Tone

B) Anticipation

C) Pedal Point

D) Appoggiatura

Correct Answer: D

The note A does not belong to the G7 chord (G-B-D-F). It is approached by a leap (from G to A) and resolves by a step (from A down to G). This specific melodic pattern—leap to a nonharmonic tone, then step resolution—is the definition of an appoggiatura.