MUS 301

Test 1

NAME:

Multiple Choice (20 pts)

1. __________ can be defined as the rational organization of sounds and silences passing through
time.
a. melody
b. ballet
c. rhythm
d. timbre
e. music

2. What part of the body recognizes and sorts sound patterns, sending information to the brain via
the auditory nerve?
a. basilar membrane
b. parietal lobe
c. frontal lobe
d. ear lobe
e. amygdala

3. In musical terminology, __________ means “type” of music.

a. motive
b. encore
c. sound waves
d. genre
e. syncopation

4. A symphony is:
a. a small group of acoustic instruments, chiefly the clarinet, trumpet, and
trombone, that are accompanied by a rhythm section
b. an ensemble that normally includes synthesizers and electrically amplified
guitars
c. an instrumental genre for orchestra consisting of four separate instrumental
pieces
d. a generic term describing any composition of classical music
e. a large group of wind instruments, such as the clarinets, trumpets, and
saxophones, as well as a substantial battery of percussion

5. Which term means the speed at which beats progress?

a. tempo
b. syncopation
c. accent
d. dissonance
e. homophony

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Test 1

6. Which term describes placing an accent on a weak beat or between the beats?
a. ritard
b. tempo
c. syncopation
d. triad
e. downbeat

7. Which definition is appropriate to melody?

a. a recognizable and memorable series of notes that form a cohesive musical line
b. an arrangement of pitches that ascend and descend in a fixed, unvarying pattern
c. the movement of music through time
d. a short, distinctive figure
e. the element that adds depth and dimension to music

8. The distance between two pitches in music is called the __________.

a. motive
b. mode
c. interval
d. tonality
e. key

9. What is the term for a purposeful movement of chords?

a. dissonance
b. meter
c. harmony
d. chord progression
e. ostinato

10. Chords that are __________ consist of pitches that sound agreeable and stable.
a. accented
b. syncopated
c. consonant
d. motivic
e. contrapuntal

11. The term referring to the level of volume at which sounds are produced is:
a. homophony
b. crescendo
c. texture
d. dynamics
e. fortissimo

12. The term “crescendo” describes a gradual increase in the volume of sound.
a. True b. False

13. Which term is synonymous with “tone color”?

a. tempo
b. glissando
c. tremolo
d. timbre
e. counterpoint

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Test 1

14. What is the name of the musical element that refers to the density and disposition of musical
lines within a composition?
a. counterpoint
b. modulation
c. texture
d. color
e. form

15. Which term consists of a single melody without accompaniment?

a. consonant
b. monophony
c. homophony
d. counterpoint
e. timbre

16. __________ describes the harmonious opposition of two or more independent musical lines.
a. syncopation
b. canon
c. cadenza
d. timbre
e. counterpoint

17. Identify the time span associated with the Middle Ages.
a. 1750–1820
b. 900–1550
c. 476–1450
d. 1600–1690
e. 1450–1600

18. This genre, consisting of a large body of unaccompanied monophonic vocal music set to Latin
texts, was composed for the Western Church over the course of fifteen centuries.
a. Gregorian chant
b. trouvère songs
c. motet
d. opera
e. madrigal

19. Hildegard of Bingen is remarkable for her contribution to the repertoire of:
a. Gregorian chant
b. motet
c. fugue
d. madrigal
e. chanson

20. ________ is a style in which each syllable of text has one, and only one, note.
a. madrigalism
b. falsetto singing
c. syllabic singing
d. monophony
e. tremolo