Study Guide

Field 212: Music 
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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General Directions

This test consists of two sections: (1) a listening section in which you will listen to audio excerpts and answer multiple-choice questions, and (2) a multiple-choice section in which you will respond to questions presented on the screen. The directions for each section appear immediately before that section.

Read each question and answer choice carefully and choose the ONE best answer. You should answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all.

Select the Next button to continue.

Directions for Listening Section

This section of the test contains multiple-choice questions that involve listening to a recorded excerpt. Excerpts will vary in length. Unless otherwise indicated, each listening excerpt will be played once.

The audio will begin automatically once you advance to the next screen. There will be 20 seconds of silence before the audio excerpt begins to play. During these 20 seconds, you should familiarize yourself with the test question(s).

Once the audio begins, you will not be able to pause, stop, or replay it. Therefore, listen carefully. You will not be able to go back and review your answers to questions in this section of the test. Once you move to the next question, you will not be able to go back to previous questions in this section. Therefore, be sure to select your answer carefully before you move to the next question.

Please be aware that the visual enhancements example of the color scheme visual enhancement control and example of the font size visual enhancement control are NOT available during this section of the test. Please DO NOT use these features until you have completed all listening items and proceeded to the remaining sections of the test.

Click the Next button when you have finished reading these directions and are ready to begin the listening section of the test. Be sure you have your headset on before proceeding.

Select the Next button to continue.

Sample Listening Questions

Objective 0002 
Understand the elements of rhythm and expressive qualities in recorded music.

1. Which of the following terms best describes the tempo of this excerpt by Maria Szymanowska?

[The examinee would listen to an excerpt from a nineteenth-century dance.]

  1. allegretto
  2. largo
  3. vivace
  4. adagio
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Allegretto is a moderate tempo. The only moderate tempo is response option A.

Objective 0003 
Understand the historical and cultural characteristics of recorded music.

2. This excerpt was most likely composed during which of the following historical periods?

[The examinee would listen to an excerpt from a Baroque Cantata.]

  1. Baroque
  2. Classical
  3. Romantic
  4. Modern
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Baroque music is marked by dense imitative textures and harpsichord basso continuo. The harpsichord was used often throughout the Baroque era but almost never appears in music later than the Baroque era.

Objective 0004 
Understand the elements of timbre in recorded music.

3. Which of the following types of instrumental ensembles is featured in this excerpt?

[The examinee would listen to an excerpt from Caribbean steel drum music.]

  1. reggae band
  2. mariachi band
  3. salsa band
  4. steel drum band
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Steel drums, or steelpans, have a distinct pinging metallic tone. The only ensemble that includes the unmistakable steelpans is D, a steel drum band.

The next section of this test includes questions that require the identification of musical errors. When listening to the musical example, read the score shown. Select the best response to the question presented. Each example will be played twice.

You will not be able to go back and review your answers to questions in this section of the test. Once you move to the next question, you will not be able to go back to previous questions in this section of the test. Therefore, be sure to select your answer carefully before you move to the next item.

Select the Next button to continue.

Objective 0005 
Detect errors in a recorded musical performance.

4. Use the score below and listen to the excerpt to answer the question that follows.

The score is of 12 measures in 2 4 time for clarinet in B flat

Treble clef, one flat.

Measure 1.

Quarter note rest, connected dotted eighth note C4, 3 sixteenths note D4.

Both tied to the first note of measure 2.

Mf below the first note.

Measure 2.

Connected eighth notes F4, F4.

The second note tied to the following note.

Connected eighth notes F4, C4.

The last note tied across the next measure to the first note in measure 4.

Measure 3.

Triplet eighth notes A4, G4, F4, followed by eighth note F4 tied to the first note in measure 4.

Measure 4.

Quarter note F4, quarter note rest.

Measure 5.

Accacciatura G4 into eighth note F4 connected to eighth note F4, which is tied to the following note and across the next 3 notes.

Connected eighth notes F4, C4.

Measure 6.

Quarter note D4, quarter note rest.

Measure 7.

Dotted quarter note F5 marked with a turn, eighth note C5 tied across the notes of the next measure.

Measure 8.

Triplet eighth notes A5, G5, F5, followed by eighth note F5.

Measure 9.

Quarter note rest, quarter note C4 marked with a trill.

Measure 10.

Connected eighth notes B3, A3.

The second note tied to the following eighth note A3.

Eighth note rest.

Measure 11.

Accacciatura A3 into eighth note A4 connected to eighth note A4, which is tied across the remaining notes.

Connected eighth notes A4, G4.

The second note is tied to the note in the next measure.

Measure 12.

Quarter note G4, quarter note rest.

In this excerpt, the clarinetist makes an embellishment error in which of the following measures? (The excerpt will be played twice.)

[The examinee would listen to an excerpt from a clarinetist playing a tremolo instead of a turn in measure 7.]

  1. measure 5
  2. measure 7
  3. measure 9
  4. measure 11
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Measure 7 contains a turn, which is complete upper and neighbor notion surrounding a note. In this case the turn would include the notes F-G-F-E-F. Instead of those pitches, the clarinetist played a tremolo of thirty-second notes on F and C.

This is the end of the listening section of the test. You may now remove your headphones.

Select the Next button to continue with the remainder of the test.

Directions for Multiple-Choice Section

Each of the questions in this section is followed by four answer choices. Read each question and answer choice carefully and select the ONE best answer.

You should answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all.

Select the Next button to continue.

Objective 0006 
Understand music notation and vocabulary.

5. Which of the following terms indicates a tempo acceleration?

  1. più mosso
  2. allargando
  3. ritenuto
  4. calando
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
In Italian, più means more and mosso comes from the past tense of the verb muovere, to move. Thus, più mosso is often translated as "more quickly" or "more motion," which is synonymous with a faster or accelerating tempo.

Objective 0007 
Understand melodic elements of music.

6. Which of the following pitch collections represents an octatonic scale?

Each response is a base clef with quarter notes ascending from octave 2 into octave 3.
  1. A, B flat, C, D, E, F, G, A
  2. A, B, C sharp, D sharp, F, G, A
  3. A, B, C, D sharp, E, F, G sharp, A
  4. A, B, C, D, E flat, F, F sharp, G sharp, A
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
The octatonic scale contains eight different pitches that alternate by either half- and whole-steps or whole- and half-steps. The only scale with eight different pitches and the only scale that alternates whole- and half-steps is response option D.

Objective 0008 
Understand harmonic elements of music.

7. Which of the following chords represents a German augmented sixth?

Each response is a base clef with 3 flats and a whole note chord.
  1. A3, C4, D4, F4 sharp
  2. A2 natural, C3, D3, F3
  3. F3, A3, D4 flat, F4
  4. A2, C3, E3, F3 sharp
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
A German augmented sixth chord sounds like a root-position dominant seventh chord. But instead of having the interval of a minor seventh, the chord features its enharmonic equivalent, an augmented sixth. One half-step larger than a major sixth, the augmented sixth resolves outward by half steps. Most augmented sixth-chords have a pre-dominant function and are built upon the lowered sixth scale degree in the bass, one half-step above the dominant. The other chords listed are a French augmented sixth chord, a dominant seventh in second inversion, and a Neapolitan sixth chord, respectively.

Objective 0009 
Understand the forms, rhythmic structures, and styles of music.

8. Which of the following musical elements is most likely to occur in a typical Classical-era sonata-allegro first movement?

  1. a contrast between the primary and secondary themes
  2. an orchestral introduction leading to an exposition featuring the solo instrument
  3. a presentation of the subject in the tonic followed by the answer a fifth higher
  4. an adagio opening with double-dotted rhythms introducing an imitative section
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Sonata-allegro form is one of the most important musical forms of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and occurs in the first movement of sonatas, symphonies, and string quartets. During the exposition of most sonata-allegro movements, the first theme in tonic leads to the secondary theme, which provides melodic, dynamic, textural, and, most importantly, harmonic contrast. The other response options refer to a concerto, a fugue, and French overture, respectively.

Objective 0010 
Understand techniques for creating music.

9. When arranging music for a B-flat bass clarinet, the composer must transpose the concert-pitch music by which of the following intervals?

  1. up a major second
  2. down a minor ninth
  3. up a major ninth
  4. down a minor second
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
A B-flat bass clarinet player who plays a written middle C will produce the pitch in the "name" of the instrument, thus a "B-flat," a major ninth below it, namely the B-flat on the second line of the bass clef. Just like in algebra, to balance this sounding lowered major ninth, the written music needs to appear a major ninth higher than the desired sounding pitch. For example, if a composer would like a bass clarinet to sound a C on the second line of the bass clef, the music must be written a major ninth higher, meaning the pitch D in treble clef just below the staff.

Objective 0011 
Understand techniques for performing vocal music.

10. Which of the following actions is most associated with producing a vocal tone consistent with classical vocal technique?

  1. lowering the soft palate
  2. lifting the shoulders while inhaling
  3. dropping the lower jaw
  4. holding the hands in front of the diaphragm
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Classical vocal tone requires singers to raise the soft palate, thus eliminating response option A. In response option B, raising the shoulders does not necessarily produce proper vocal tone. In response option D, holding the hands in front of the diaphragm does not affect tone. In response option C, classical vocal tone requires most singers to drop the lower jaw, allowing the vocalist to project a resonant tone.

Objective 0012 
Understand techniques for performing instrumental music

11. Which of the following is an appropriate technique for playing an Orff barred instrument?

  1. using a quick wrist action to bounce the mallets on the bars
  2. placing the lower pitched bars to the right of the player
  3. holding the mallets lightly with the fingertips
  4. playing the metal barred instruments with metal or wooden mallets
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Barred instruments of the Orff instrumentarium include the xylophone, metallophone, and glockenspiel. Their bars are patterned like a piano with low notes to the player's left. Proper performance technique requires performers to strike the bar with a mallet using a swift rebounding motion in the wrist. This wrist action resembles the motion when dribbling a basketball and allows for maximal resonance.

Objective 0013 
Understand techniques for rehearsing and conducting.

12. During a high school instrumental ensemble rehearsal, which of the following types of pieces should be most useful for tuning purposes?

  1. chorale
  2. scherzo
  3. canon
  4. march
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Middle school and high school instrumental ensembles such as bands and orchestras often play chorales during rehearsals, especially as a warm-up. Chorales, such as those by Johann Sebastian Bach, possess a texture in which all four voices (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) are sustained and move in relatively similar rhythms. Within this chorale texture, players can listen to and tune the sustained tones.

Objective 0014 
Understand the characteristics, contexts, composers, and works of Western art music, including those from underrepresented groups and major historical periods.

13. Which of the following statements best describes the innovation of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony?

  1. The symphony's innovative inclusion of lyrics allowed more precise expression than nontexted music.
  2. The symphony's innovative imitation of bird calls and thunderstorms alluded to extramusical ideas.
  3. The symphony's innovative motive of three short notes and a long note provided unrivaled motivic unity.
  4. The symphony's innovative dedication to Napoleon reflected the world of nineteenth-century Vienna.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 to 1827) was the first major composer to add voices to a symphony. The final movement of his Ninth Symphony contains a setting of Friedrich Schiller's (1759 to 1805) poem "Ode to Joy." Later composers, such as Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler, interpreted Beethoven's inclusion of words as a sign that wordless instrumental music communicated less exact meaning than music with text. The other responses refer to Beethoven's sixth, fifth, and third symphonies, respectively.

Objective 0015 
Understand the characteristics and contexts of popular, folk, and traditional music of the United States.

14. Which of the following musicians most strongly developed bebop on the alto saxophone?

  1. Stan Getz
  2. Charlie Parker
  3. Sidney Bechet
  4. Lester Young
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Charlie Parker (1920 to 1955), one of the most influential alto saxophone players of all time, profoundly influenced the development of jazz and bebop. Stan Getz and Lester Young are primarily associated with tenor saxophone, and Sidney Bechet played soprano saxophone and clarinet.

Objective 0016 
Understand the characteristics and contexts of world music.

15. In traditional Indonesian gamelan music, melodies incorporate which of the following elements?

  1. whole-tone scales
  2. repetitive patterns
  3. triple meters
  4. question-and-answer textures
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Gamelan describes traditional music ensembles from Indonesia, which includes the islands of Java and Bali. Gamelan ensembles feature two rows of pitched metallophone instruments, one being tuned to a pentatonic scale and the other to a seven-note scale similar to the Phrygian mode. This style relies on colotomic structures in which various gongs play on specific beats according to a given cycle. These cycles consist of repeated beat patterns.

Objective 0017 
Understand the relationship between technological advances in music and the evolution of music.

16. Mid-twentieth-century advances in technology enabled musique concrète composers and researchers to perform which of the following actions?

  1. amplifying instruments to produce a wider range of dynamics
  2. producing computer-generated music scores
  3. tape-recording natural sounds and altering them by manipulating the audio
  4. electronically synthesizing new sounds in a studio
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
The French experimental composer Pierre Schaeffer invented the term musique concrète to describe a style of electroacoustic music. In this avant-garde style, composers capture concrete, or actual, sounds either from nature or from man-made sources like musical instruments. Composers then transform those sounds electronically.

Objective 0019 
Understand appropriate content and pedagogical methodologies for elementary school music classes (pre k to grade 5).

17. A fifth-grade band is struggling to correctly play a one-measure syncopated rhythm in a folk song. Which of the following presents the most appropriate sequence for the students to perform?

  1. playing the rhythm as written in the folk song; playing the rhythm on a concert B-flat; clapping the rhythm
  2. clapping the rhythm while tapping the foot; playing the rhythm as written in the folk song; counting the rhythm while tapping the foot
  3. counting and clapping the rhythm; playing the rhythm on a concert B-flat; playing the rhythm as written in the folk song
  4. tapping the foot while counting the rhythm; playing the rhythm as written in the folk song; playing the rhythm on a concert B-flat
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Pedagogically speaking, teachers should begin with simple activities and progress to more complicated tasks. Accordingly, the series of actions that proceeds from simplest to most difficult begins with students clapping the rhythm while counting the rhythm. This activity removes the challenges posed by the pitches and the instrument. Next, students should transfer that rhythmic success to the instrument by playing it on one isolated note, the most familiar being a concert B-flat. After succeeding at those two activities, the students are now prepared to play the rhythm as it occurs within the piece.

Objective 0020 
Understand appropriate content and pedagogical methodologies for middle school/secondary music classes (grades 6 to 12).

18. A beginning middle school jazz band that meets twice a week should warm up by improvising using which of the following pitch collections?

  1. octatonic
  2. whole-tone
  3. Locrian
  4. blues
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
The blues scale is foundational to jazz music. Jazz band students are more likely to encounter the blues scale than any of the other pitch collections listed above. Thus, jazz band students should improvise on the blues scale during each rehearsal.

Objective 0021 
Understand appropriate methods and tools for assessing students in music programs.

19. A high school music teacher instructs students in a music theory class to listen to and critique a variety of musical compositions. Which of the following elements should students most appropriately cite as providing a sense of unity in a musical work?

  1. the use and resolution of dissonance
  2. the use of a tempo change at the end of the piece
  3. the use of a recurring motive or theme
  4. the use of transition passages within the piece
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
A characteristic of well-composed music is organic unity, which results from the reappearances of motives and themes throughout a composition. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century composers often began their works by planting motivic or thematic seeds that would grow and develop during the piece. Such a balance between unity and variety provides compositional cohesion and is enabled by recurring motives and themes.

Objective 0022 
Understand aesthetic principles, evaluation criteria, and methods for connecting various types of musical knowledge and skills within and across the arts and other areas of the curriculum.

20. A music teacher is planning activities for a heterogeneous general music class. The teacher can best support the purpose for the education of students with special needs in inclusive settings by performing which of the following actions?

  1. modifying the activities so that students with special needs can participate
  2. selecting a music repertoire that is equally accessible to all students
  3. establishing consistent levels of musical accomplishment for all students in the class
  4. providing alternative activities for students with special needs
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
According to the special education approach called inclusion, special needs students should learn in the same classroom environment as non–special needs students. To accomplish this goal, the music teacher may need to modify learning activities rather than provide entirely different activities. Response options B and C fail to modify instruction at all, which is not characteristic of inclusion.