Practice a College Board-style free response question on Music Fundamentals III. Write your response, then reveal the model answer to see exactly what earns each point.
Free Response Question · Unit 3 · Chord Spelling, Roman Numerals & Figured Bass
The chords below appear in a passage in the key of G major. Answer each part using note names and standard labels. (No staff paper is needed — describe each answer in words, note names, Roman numerals, and figures.)
A
Spell the dominant seventh (V7) chord of G major in root position, listing all four notes from the bottom up. Identify its chord quality using the standard label (e.g., MM7, Mm7).
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
The V of G major is built on D, so the V7 in root position is D – F♯ – A – C. It is a major triad (D–F♯–A) with a minor 7th (C) added, so its quality is a dominant seventh (Mm7).
Why it scores: Lists all four notes with the correct F♯ AND names the quality (Mm7 / dominant seventh). Forgetting the F♯ or mislabeling the quality loses the point.
B
A chord contains the notes G, B, and D with B in the bass. Identify the chord's root, give its Roman numeral in G major, and state its inversion with the correct figured-bass symbol.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
Re-stacked in thirds, the notes form a G major triad (G–B–D), so the root is G. In G major that is the tonic, I. Because B (the third) is in the bass, the chord is in first inversion, labeled I⁶.
Why it scores: Identifies the root (G), the Roman numeral (I), AND the inversion with the figure (first inversion, ⁶). Answering "G major" without the Roman numeral and figure earns only partial credit.
C
Explain why the dominant seventh chord (V7) creates a strong pull toward the tonic. Refer to a specific interval within the chord and describe how its notes resolve.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
The V7 contains a tritone between its third and its seventh — in G major, F♯ (the leading tone) and C. A tritone is dissonant and unstable, so it wants to resolve. The F♯ resolves up by a half step to G (the tonic), and the C resolves down by step to B (the third of the tonic chord). Because both tendency tones move to notes of the I chord, the V7 pulls powerfully to tonic.
Why it scores: Names the specific interval (tritone between the 3rd and 7th), AND explains the resolution of both tones (leading tone up to tonic, seventh down by step). Simply saying "it sounds like it wants to resolve" without the interval and voice-leading earns no point.
How to score points on AP Music Theory free response
Answer the exact verb. "Identify" wants a name; "explain" or "justify" wants the name plus the reasoning or rule behind it.
Re-stack chords in thirds. Finding the root first makes the Roman numeral and quality fall into place.
Spell accidentals correctly. In G major's V7 the third is F♯ (not G♭) — the right pitch with the wrong spelling can still be marked wrong.
Label both quality and inversion. A Roman numeral needs the right case, and inversions need the right figure (⁶, 6/4, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2).
Be concise and specific. A few precise sentences with correct terminology score higher than long, vague descriptions.