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AP Music Theory MCQs

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Practice Settings

AP Music Theory practice questions by unit

Fiveable has 9,017 AP Music Theory multiple-choice practice questions across 9 units, plus 160 stimulus-based question sets built around a source. Practice one unit or topic at a time.

  • Unit 1 – Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements: 1,389 multiple-choice questions, 10 stimulus sets
  • Unit 2 – Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture: 1,972 multiple-choice questions, 63 stimulus sets
  • Unit 3 – Triads and Seventh Chords: 684 multiple-choice questions, 39 stimulus sets
  • Unit 4 – Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase: 1,259 multiple-choice questions, 9 stimulus sets
  • Unit 5 – Chord Progressions and Predominant Function: 975 multiple-choice questions, 10 stimulus sets
  • Unit 6 – Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices: 1,695 multiple-choice questions, 10 stimulus sets
  • Unit 7 – Secondary Function: 371 multiple-choice questions, 9 stimulus sets
  • Unit 8 – Modes and Form: 646 multiple-choice questions, 10 stimulus sets
  • Big Ideas: 26 multiple-choice questions

Sample AP Music Theory practice question

Which combination of tied note values represents the exact duration of a dotted quarter note in 4/4 time?

A quarter note tied to an eighth note

Correct answer

A quarter note tied to a sixteenth note

A half note tied to an eighth note

An eighth note tied to a sixteenth note

Explanation

Analyzing the components of a dotted note reveals its duration. An augmentation dot adds one-half of the original note's value to its duration; since a quarter note equals one beat and an eighth note equals half a beat, their sum (1.5 beats) equals a dotted quarter note.

More AP Music Theory practice