Free CLEP Humanities Exam Practice Questions

1. Where will you find the terms recitative, aria, and oratorio used?

1. Symphony
2. Concerto
3. Sonata
4. Musical theater
5. Opera

2. Which of the following does not belong with the others?

1. Giselle, Adam
2. Aida, Verdi
3. Orfeo, Monteverdi
4. Parsifal, Wagner
5. The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart

3. Scat” is a singing style in which:

1. Accents are put in unexpected places.
2. A leader sings a line and others respond sympathetically.
3. Performers sit in silence for the entire piece.
4. The voice sings syllables rather than words and is used as another instrument.
5. Computer-generated music is used.

4. Which of these composers wrote exclusively for the piano?

1. Frederic Chopin
2. Richard Wagner
3. Robert Schumann
4. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
5. Felix Mendelssohn

5. Which option correctly lists human voices from lowest to highest?

1. Bass, tenor, baritone, alto, mezzo soprano, soprano
2. Bass, baritone, tenor, alto, mezzo soprano, soprano
3. Bass, tenor, baritone, mezzo soprano, alto, soprano
4. Bass, tenor, baritone, alto, soprano, mezzo soprano
5. Baritone, bass, tenor, alto, mezzo soprano, soprano

6. What do the terms major, minor, diminished and augmented refer to?

1. They are types of key signatures.
2. They are types of scales.
3. They are types of dynamics.
4. They are types of triads or chords.
5. They are examples of syncopation.

7. Which is not a dynamic marking?

1. Forte
2. Fortissimo
3. Mezzopiano
4. Piano
5. Andante

8. What are the four ways that sounds differ from one another?

1. Duration, frequency, intensity and timbre
2. Texture, frequency, intensity and interval
3. Tempo, duration, frequency and timbre
4. Pulse, duration, frequency and timbre
5. Duration, frequency, intensity and dynamics

9. Which is not usually true of a symphony?

1. It has four movements.
2. The first movement is usually in sonata form.
3. The second movement is usually fast.
4. The third movement is in ternary form.
5. It is a work for full orchestra.

10. This classical composer was influenced by the French Revolution, and his music is considered revolutionary because it expanded all the elements of classical style and enlarged the range of expression. He wrote nine symphonies. Who is it?

1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2. Franz Josef Haydn
3. Johann Sebastian Bach
4. Ludwig van Beethoven
5. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• CLEP Humanities Exam Answer Key

Additional Practice Questions