2016 O/L Western Music Past Paper: Answers Explained
The December 2016 paper (new syllabus) had 40 multiple-choice questions in Paper I. Paper II began with a compulsory question on an extract from Mozart's Sonata K.570, then two questions from Part A and two from Part B. Here are three Paper I questions explained exactly as they are in the full guide.
Cover the answer and try each question first. Then read the lesson, the working and why each wrong option is wrong.
Paper I, Question 1 · Time signatures
Which compound time signature corresponds to common time?
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Answer: 12/8
The lesson
Common time (C) is 4/4: four crotchet beats in a bar. It is simple quadruple time because each beat divides into two quavers. Every simple time has a matching compound time with the same number of beats, but each beat becomes a dotted note that divides into three.
Working it out
Count the beats in common time: 4 (quadruple).
Turn each crotchet beat into a dotted crotchet: 4 dotted crotchets = 4 × 3 = 12 quavers.
Write it as quavers over 8: 12/8.
Why the other options are wrong
6/8 is compound duple (2 beats). It matches 2/4, not 4/4.
2/2 is cut common time. It is still simple time, with minim beats.
4/4 is common time itself, not its compound partner.
Remember: Simple to compound: multiply the top number by 3/2 and the bottom number by 2. 2/4 → 6/8, 3/4 → 9/8, 4/4 → 12/8. Compound top numbers are always 6, 9 or 12.
Paper I, Question 3 · Note values
What does a dot written after a note tell you to do?
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Answer: Add half of the note's value to its length
The lesson
A dot written after (to the right of) a note adds half the note's value. A dot written above or below the note head is a staccato dot, which means detached.
Working it out
Minim: 2 + 1 = 3 beats.
Crotchet: 1 + ½ = 1½ beats.
Quaver: ½ + ¼ = ¾ of a beat.
Why the other options are wrong
Playing smoothly is legato, shown by a slur.
An accent is shown by the sign >.
Playing detached is staccato: a dot above or below the note, not after it.
Remember: Read the position of the dot. After the note = longer. Over or under the note = staccato.
Paper I, Question 4 · Intervals and inversions
A minor 7th (F up to E♭) is printed. Which interval is its inversion?
Show the answer
Answer: Major 2nd
The lesson
To invert an interval, move the lower note up an octave (or the top note down an octave). The two interval numbers always add up to 9. Major becomes minor and minor becomes major, augmented becomes diminished, and perfect stays perfect.
Working it out
F up to E♭ is a minor 7th.
Invert it: E♭ up to F.
7 + 2 = 9, so it becomes a 2nd, and minor becomes major: a major 2nd.
Why the other options are wrong
Minor 7th is the interval you were given, not its inversion.
A 7th can never invert to another 7th.
Minor 2nd keeps the quality the same, but minor must become major.
