Practice a College Board-style free response question on Harmony & Voice Leading IV. Write your response, then reveal the model answer to see exactly what earns each point.
A phrase in C major uses the progression I – V7/V – V – I. Use this information to answer the parts below. (No staff paper is needed — describe each answer in words, note names, and standard labels.)
A
Identify which chord is being tonicized by V7/V, and spell the V7/V chord itself, listing all four notes from the bottom up.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
V7/V tonicizes V (the note G in C major). Since V of G major is built on D, the chord is spelled D – F♯ – A – C — a major triad (D–F♯–A) with a minor 7th (C) added, giving it the same Mm7 quality as any dominant seventh.
Why it scores: Identifies the target (V/G) AND spells all four notes with the correct chromatic F♯. Omitting the F♯ (leaving it as F natural, the diatonic pitch in C major) loses the point.
B
Explain why the F♯ in this chord is necessary, and describe how it resolves into the following V chord.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
The F♯ is the borrowed leading tone of G major (the key being tonicized) — without it, the chord would just be a diatonic ii7 in C major, with no tonicizing pull. Because it functions as a leading tone, the F♯ resolves up by a half step to G, the root of the following V chord.
Why it scores: Explains the F♯'s role as a borrowed leading tone AND states its resolution (up a half step to G). Saying only "it's chromatic" without explaining the leading-tone function and resolution earns partial credit.
C
Explain why this progression is described as tonicization rather than modulation, even though a chromatic pitch outside the key of C major appears.
✓ Model answer (earns the point)
This is tonicization, not modulation, because the effect is brief — only one chord (V7/V) uses the borrowed pitch before the progression returns to V and then I, all still understood as being in C major. A true modulation would require a sustained passage that establishes G major as a genuinely new key, not just a single applied chord.
Why it scores: States that tonicization is brief and doesn't change the overall key AND contrasts this with what a real modulation would require. A vague answer like "it's not fully in G major" without explaining the duration/scope distinction 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.
Name the target chord explicitly. "V7/V tonicizes V" is stronger than just spelling the chord without saying what it points toward.
Explain the chromatic note's role. Say it's a borrowed leading tone AND state its resolution — both parts are needed for full credit.
Contrast tonicization with modulation explicitly. Note the brevity and that the overall key never changes.
Be concise and specific. A few precise sentences with correct terminology score higher than long, vague descriptions.