Study Guide

Field 203: Vocal/General Music 
Sample Listening and Selected-Response Questions

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General Test Directions

This test consists of three sections: 1) a listening section in which you will listen to audio passages and answer selected-response questions, 2) a selected-response section in which you will respond to questions presented on the screen, and 3) a constructed-response assignment. The directions for each section appear immediately before that section.

Each question in the first two sections of this test is a selected-response question with four answer choices. Read each question carefully and choose the  start uppercase ONE end uppercase  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. You will  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  be penalized for guessing.

The third section of this test consists of one constructed-response assignment. You will be asked to provide a written response to the assignment.

You may  start uppercase NOT end uppercase  use any type of calculator or reference materials during the testing session.

Listening Section

Test Directions for Listening Questions

This section of the test contains selected-response questions that involve listening to a recorded passage. Passages will vary in length. Some passages may consist of a single chord or phrase. However, unless otherwise indicated, each passage will be played twice with a five second pause in between.

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

Once the audio begins, you will not be able to pause, stop, or replay it. Therefore, listen carefully.  start bold You will not be able to go back and review your answers to questions in this section of the test. end bold  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.

 start bold [Note to examinee: end bold  This study guide does not include error identification questions as discussed in the directions below. The directions are included here so you can become familiar with them.]

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

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

Competency 0001 
Analyze the elements of music presented in a recorded example.

1. Which of the following terms best describes the tonal organization of this excerpt?

(Excerpt: Choral work in B major. [Note to the examinee: A description of the excerpt will  start italics not end italics  appear in the actual test. This description is presented here only as an aid for preparing for the test.])

  1. pentatonic
  2. major
  3. modal
  4. minor

correct response: b. although listeners infer tonality in various ways, one strategy is for candidates to listen for the difference in chord quality between minor and major triads, which occur on the first left paren roman numeral 1 right paren, fourth left paren roman numeral 4 right paren, and fifth left paren roman numeral 5 right paren, scale degrees of the major scale. additionally, candidates could listen for authentic cadences, which occur in pieces with a major tonality.

Competency 0002 
Analyze the elements of a musical performance presented in a recorded example.

2. Which of the following voice parts occurs in this excerpt?

(Excerpt: Soprano-soprano-alto vocal arrangement. [Note to the examinee: A description of the excerpt will  start italics not end italics  appear in the actual test. This description is presented here only as an aid for preparing for the test.])

  1. soprano-soprano-soprano
  2. soprano-soprano-alto
  3. soprano-alto-alto
  4. soprano-alto-tenor

correct response: b. in this example, the vocal ensemble contains two sopranos and one alto. candidates should listen for differences in range and timbre between soprano and alto voices. compared with sopranos, altos sing in a lower range and have a darker tone color.

Competency 0003 
Analyze the historical or cultural context of a work in a recorded example.

3. Which of the following genres of music best describes this excerpt?

(Excerpt: Mahalia Jackson gospel song. [Note to the examinee: A description of the excerpt will not appear in the actual test. This description is presented here only as an aid for preparing for the test.])

  1. jazz
  2. boogie-woogie
  3. gospel
  4. jump blues

correct response: C. There are various styles of gospel music. One well-known type features a solo vocalist who sings biblical or religious lyrics expressively with wide dynamic contrast. Such vocalists improvise embellishments including melisma and blue notes, which can be heard in the excerpt.

Sample Selected-Response Questions

Competency 0004 
Understand the principles of singing.

4. Which of the following musical elements is likely to be the most difficult for a singer with a changing voice?

  1. sustained pitches
  2. quick tempo
  3. short notes
  4. moderate dynamics

correct response: A. Cambiata, or changing-voice, singers are more likely to have their voices crack or break while singing long notes such as whole notes.

Competency 0005 
Understand choral and vocal ensemble rehearsal and performance techniques and repertoire.

5. A middle school chorus member is learning to improvise using the tune "Mary Had a Little Lamb." Which of the following strategies is most musically and developmentally appropriate for this improvisation exercise?

  1. alternating dynamics between pp and ff
  2. syncopating some of the rhythms
  3. performing with tempo rubato
  4. adding finger snaps to beats 2 and 4

correct response: B. When learning how to improvise, students can begin by altering rhythms in a tune. One developmentally appropriate way to do this is to syncopate some of the rhythms.

Competency 0008 
Analyze musical notation.

6. Which of the following time signatures represents a compound meter?

  1. two-two
  2. three-sixteen
  3. four-eight
  4. six-four

correct response: D. The time signature six-four represents a compound duple meter. The top number six of the time signature indicates a compound meter because it is divisible by three. Each measure in this time signature can be divided into two beat units, with each beat three quarter notes long.

Competency 0010 
Understand elements of harmony.

7.  start bold Use the excerpt below from "Wer weiss, wie nahe mir," arranged by Johann Sebastian Bach, to answer the question that follows. end bold 


The excerpt is six measures of music in the treble and bass clefs with two flats in common time. All of the music is a series of chords. Seven of the chords are marked with asterisks. In this description, all notes are quarter notes unless otherwise specified. With one exception, all chords have two notes in the treble clef and two in the bass clef; the exception has only one note in the base clef.

Measure 1: G2, G3, B3, D4. This chord has an asterisk.

Measure 2: G3, B3, D4, G4. F3 sharp, A3, D4, A4. G3, D4, B4. (This chord has only three notes.) D3, F3 sharp, D4, A4.

Measure 3: E3, G3, B3, G4. C3, C4, E4, A4. This chord has an asterisk. Whole notes D3, A3, D4, F4 sharp.

Measure 4: D2, F3 sharp, A3, D4, fermata. This chord has an asterisk. D3, A3, D4, F4 sharp. G2, B3, C4, E4. This chord has an asterisk. A2, F3 sharp, C4, E4.

Measure 5: B2, F3, B3, D4. E3, G3 eighth note tied to A3 eighth note, B3 eighth note tied to C4 eighth note, G4. D3, B3, D4, G4. This chord has an asterisk. D3, A3, D4, F4 sharp. This chord has an asterisk.

Measure 6: dotted whole notes G2, B3, D4, G4, fermata. This chord has an asterisk. Quarter note rest. Repeat.

In this excerpt, which of the following indicates the correct key and the relationship between the chords marked with asterisks (*) in that key?

  1. G minor, lower case Roman numeral 1, lower case Roman numeral 2 superscript O 6, upper case Roman numeral 5, lower case Roman numeral 1 superscript 7, lower case Roman numeral 1 superscript 6 subscript 4, upper case Roman numeral 5, lower case Roman numeral 1.
  2. B flat major, upper case Roman numeral 1 superscript 6, lower case Roman numeral 2, upper case Roman numeral 1, aug lower case Roman numeral 6 superscript 7, upper case Roman numeral 1 superscript 6, upper case Roman numeral 3, upper case Roman numeral 1.
  3. G minor, lower case Roman numeral 1, lower case Roman numeral 4, upper case Roman numeral 5, lower case Roman numeral 6 superscript 6, lower case Roman numeral 3 superscript 6, upper case Roman numeral 5, lower case Roman numeral 1.
  4. B flat major, lower case Roman numeral 6, upper case Roman numeral 5, upper case Roman numeral 1, aug lower case Roman numeral 3, upper case Roman numeral 1 superscript 6, lower case Roman numeral 7 superscript 6, upper case Roman numeral 1.

correct response: a. the two-flat key signature of the example indicates that the tonic is either b flat major or g minor. the first and last starred chords are root-position g minor triads. moreover, the starred chords 5 and 6 exhibit a dominant function in g minor. therefore, the tonality of the chorale is g minor. starred chord 2 contains the pitches of a first inversion a diminished triad. shorthand for roman numeral 2 sup 6 sub 3 the roman numeral 2 sup o 6 label indicates that above the bass left paren c right paren occurs a sixth left paren a right paren and a third left paren e flat right paren. starred chord 3 is a root-position d major triad, labeled roman numeral 5 in g minor. starred chord 4 is a root position g minor triad with an additional diatonic seventh. starred chord 5 is a "cadential sup 6 sub 4 which could be considered a double suspension because the dissonant 4 dash 3 suspension resolves down in parallel thirds along with a consonant 6 dash 5 suspension. despite this clear dominant left paren roman numeral 5 right paren function, many books would label the fifth starred chord as roman numeral 1 sup 6 sub 4 because it coincidentally appears to contain the notes of a second inversion tonic triad. nevertheless, the correct response is a.

Competency 0011 
Apply knowledge of musical composition and arrangement.

8. Which of the following genres describes a contrapuntal musical form in which a musical subject is introduced at the beginning, then restated periodically on various harmonic levels throughout the work?

  1. scherzo
  2. rondo
  3. invention
  4. fugue

correct response: d. The fugue is a polyphonic genre that typically contains three or more parts. In the first part, called the exposition, one voice presents a theme, called the subject. A second voice then presents the theme starting on the fifth-scale degree, called the answer. A third voice then presents the subject. The exposition ends when all of the voices (usually three or four) have presented the theme. In the second part, subject entries occur on various scale degrees and alternate with episodes, which often use sequence or thematic fragmentation. In the third part, the subject occurs one final time. Though imitative counterpoint can occur in any of the other genres listed, only the fugue completely fits the description found in the question.

Competency 0012 
Demonstrate knowledge of Western music history from the Middle Ages through the Classical period.

9. Compared to music from the Renaissance, music from the Classical era is more likely to have which of the following musical features?

  1. musica ficta
  2. four-bar phrasing
  3. ecclesiastical modes
  4. imitative texture

correct response: B. Classical music often features melodies that are four measures (bars) long. One of the most common phrase structures in this era is called a period, which features a four-measure question, often ending with a half cadence followed by a four-measure answer, which ends on a relatively stronger authentic open parens uppercase Roman numeral 5 dash uppercase Roman numeral 1 close parens cadence.

10. Which of the following musical features is most likely to be mutually shared by traditional Native American and Chinese music?

  1. simple duple meter
  2. chromatic chords
  3. biblical lyrics
  4. functional tonality

correct response: a. Traditional Chinese music uses simple duple meter such as two-four time. Traditional music from many Native American groups also uses simple duple meter.