BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Sight-Singing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When sight-singing in solfège, which syllable represents the raised fourth scale degree (augmented fourth above tonic) in a major key using movable 'do'?
- Fi (Correct answer)
- Si
- Li
- Ri
Correct answer: Fi
In movable-do solfège, the raised fourth scale degree (♯4) is called 'fi' (pronounced 'fee').
Question 2: A melody moves from C4 up to A4. By ear, a student identifies this as a major sixth. What interval has the student identified?
- 8 half steps
- 9 half steps (Correct answer)
- 10 half steps
- 11 half steps
Correct answer: 9 half steps
A major sixth spans 9 half steps (e.g., C to A).
Question 3: In rhythmic dictation, a student hears a pattern in 6/8 time. The beat unit is the dotted quarter note. How many eighth notes equal one beat in this meter?
- 2
- 3 (Correct answer)
- 4
- 6
Correct answer: 3
In 6/8, the dotted quarter note is the beat unit and equals three eighth notes.
Question 4: Which of the following chord qualities, when heard, is typically identified by its characteristic 'brightness' and the presence of a major third and perfect fifth above the root?
- Minor triad
- Diminished triad
- Major triad (Correct answer)
- Augmented triad
Correct answer: Major triad
A major triad contains a major third (4 half steps) and perfect fifth (7 half steps) above the root, giving it a bright, stable sound.
Question 5: A student is asked to identify a mode by ear. The melody sounds like a natural minor scale but with a raised sixth scale degree. Which mode is this?
- Phrygian
- Dorian (Correct answer)
- Mixolydian
- Lydian
Correct answer: Dorian
The Dorian mode has the same structure as natural minor (Aeolian) but with a raised sixth scale degree.
Question 6: In melodic dictation, a student hears a phrase ending on a note that is the fifth scale degree, preceded by a half step below. What type of cadential motion does this suggest?
- Perfect authentic cadence
- Plagal cadence
- Half cadence (Correct answer)
- Deceptive cadence
Correct answer: Half cadence
A half cadence ends on the dominant (scale degree 5), creating an incomplete, open feeling.
Question 7: When performing rhythmic sight-reading, a student encounters a quarter note followed by an eighth rest and two sixteenth notes. In 4/4, how many beats does this pattern occupy?
- 1 beat
- 1.5 beats
- 2 beats (Correct answer)
- 2.5 beats
Correct answer: 2 beats
A quarter note (1 beat) + eighth rest (0.5 beats) + two sixteenth notes (0.5 beats) = 2 beats total.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Sight-Singing 2
When sight-singing in solfège, which syllable represents the raised fourth scale degree (augmented fourth above tonic) in a major key using movable 'do'?