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AP Music Theory Practice Quiz: Part Writing of Secondary Leading Tone Chords

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

According to the provided text, the procedures for part-writing a secondary leading-tone chord are based on the procedures for which other type of chord?

All Questions (7)

According to the provided text, the procedures for part-writing a secondary leading-tone chord are based on the procedures for which other type of chord?

A) Secondary dominant chords

B) Normal (primary) leading-tone chords

C) Subdominant chords

D) Augmented sixth chords

Correct Answer: B

The text explicitly states that 'When part-writing secondary leading-tone chords, all doubling and voice-leading considerations of normal leading-tone chords should be maintained.'

Based on the example given for 18th-century voice leading, how must the chordal seventh of a secondary leading-tone seventh chord be treated?

A) It must resolve down by step.

B) It must resolve up by step.

C) It can leap to another chord tone.

D) It should be held as a common tone.

Correct Answer: A

The content provides a specific example of a voice-leading rule that must be maintained: 'chordal sevenths resolving down by step.' This applies to both primary and secondary leading-tone chords.

A student is engaged in an 'error detection' exercise and finds a passage where a secondary leading-tone chord is part-written with different doubling rules than a primary leading-tone chord. According to the provided principles, this would most likely represent:

A) A standard alternative practice for secondary chords.

B) A common exception found only in instrumental music.

C) A potential violation of common 18th-century procedure.

D) The correct procedure, as secondary chords have unique rules.

Correct Answer: C

The guiding principle is that 'all doubling and voice-leading considerations of normal leading-tone chords should be maintained.' Therefore, using different rules would be a deviation from, and potential violation of, this standard 18th-century practice.

Which of the following is explicitly listed as a method for identifying and applying 18th-century voice-leading procedures for secondary leading-tone chords?

A) Keyboard improvisation

B) Score analysis

C) Figured bass realization

D) Schenkerian analysis

Correct Answer: B

The text lists four methods for identifying and applying 18th-century voice leading: 'a. score analysis b. error detection c. writing exercises d. contextual listening.' Of the options provided, only score analysis is on this list.

In common practice, the leading tone of a primary vii° chord resolves up by step. Based on the principles provided, how should the temporary leading tone within a vii°/V chord resolve?

A) It has no specific resolution tendency.

B) It should resolve down by a third to the root of the tonic chord.

C) It should also resolve up by step to the root of the V chord.

D) It must be held as a common tone into the next chord.

Correct Answer: C

The text states that 'all... voice-leading considerations of normal leading-tone chords should be maintained.' This implies that the tendency of the leading tone to resolve up by step is maintained, but it resolves to its temporary tonic (the root of the V chord) instead of the global tonic.

The core principle for part-writing secondary leading-tone chords, as described in the text, involves:

A) Creating new rules based on the chord's chromaticism.

B) Inverting the rules used for secondary dominants.

C) Applying the established conventions of their primary counterparts.

D) Prioritizing contrary motion above all other rules.

Correct Answer: C

The text's central point is that the part-writing for secondary leading-tone chords is not new but rather an application of existing rules, stating that 'all doubling and voice-leading considerations of normal leading-tone chords should be maintained.'

The instruction to maintain 'all doubling and voice-leading considerations' implies that the treatment of secondary leading-tone chords is:

A) Fundamentally different from primary leading-tone chords.

B) Less strict than for any other chromatic harmony.

C) Analogous to the treatment of primary leading-tone chords.

D) Dependent on the musical form and context.

Correct Answer: C

The instruction to maintain all existing considerations means that the approach is analogous, or comparable, to the way primary leading-tone chords are handled. The function is simply applied to a new temporary tonic.