AGO Music Theory & Sight-Reading 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which chord quality is built by stacking a major third, then a minor third, then another minor third above a root?
- Major-minor seventh chord (dominant seventh) (Correct answer)
- Minor seventh chord
- Major seventh chord
- Half-diminished seventh chord
Correct answer: Major-minor seventh chord (dominant seventh)
A dominant seventh chord consists of a major triad plus a minor third on top, creating intervals M3–m3–m3 from the root.
Question 2: What is the function of a Neapolitan chord (N6) in tonal harmony?
- Pre-dominant, typically resolving to the dominant (Correct answer)
- Tonic, providing a sense of rest
- Subdominant substitute in minor only
- Leading-tone chord resolving to tonic
Correct answer: Pre-dominant, typically resolving to the dominant
The Neapolitan sixth is a pre-dominant chord built on the lowered second scale degree in first inversion.
Question 3: In Renaissance polyphony, what is a 'cantus firmus'?
- A pre-existing melody used as the structural basis of a composition (Correct answer)
- A type of ornament applied to long note values
- A voice-leading rule forbidding parallel fifths
- A tuning system based on pure intervals
Correct answer: A pre-existing melody used as the structural basis of a composition
A cantus firmus is a fixed melody, often borrowed from chant, around which other voices are composed.
Question 4: How many sharps are in the key signature of B major?
- 5 (Correct answer)
- 4
- 6
- 3
Correct answer: 5
B major has five sharps: F#, C#, G#, D#, and A#.
Question 5: When sight-reading four-part chorale style on the organ, what is the recommended approach to handling an unfamiliar key signature?
- Scan the key signature before beginning and silently name the altered pitches (Correct answer)
- Ignore accidentals and correct them on a second pass
- Transpose to C major mentally while playing
- Only read the soprano and bass voices initially
Correct answer: Scan the key signature before beginning and silently name the altered pitches
Identifying the key signature before playing allows the sight-reader to internalize which pitches are altered throughout.
Question 6: Which term describes a cadence where the dominant chord resolves to a chord other than the tonic?
- Deceptive cadence (Correct answer)
- Half cadence
- Plagal cadence
- Authentic cadence
Correct answer: Deceptive cadence
A deceptive cadence occurs when V resolves unexpectedly, most commonly to vi instead of I.
Question 7: What is the result of inverting a major second?
- Minor seventh (Correct answer)
- Major seventh
- Minor second
- Perfect octave
Correct answer: Minor seventh
Intervals that sum to 9 are inversions of each other; a major second (2) inverts to a minor seventh (7).
AGO Music Theory & Sight-Reading 3
Which chord quality is built by stacking a major third, then a minor third, then another minor third above a root?