AP Exams (Advanced Placement) AP Arts and Electives (Art History, Music Theory, Psychology, Economics) Syllabus

What is the difference between a major third and a minor third in half steps?

A major third spans 4 half steps; a minor third spans 3 half steps.

What notes make up a major triad, and how is it built by intervals?

Root, major third, and perfect fifth (a major third stacked below a minor third). Example: C–E–G.

How do major, minor, diminished, and augmented triads differ?

Major = M3 + m3; minor = m3 + M3; diminished = m3 + m3 (lowered 5th); augmented = M3 + M3 (raised 5th).

In a time signature, what do the top and bottom numbers indicate?

The top number gives beats per measure; the bottom number gives the note value that receives one beat (e.g., 4 = quarter note, 8 = eighth note).

What is the difference between simple and compound meter?

In simple meter the beat divides into two (e.g., 4/4); in compound meter the beat divides into three (e.g., 6/8, where the dotted quarter is the beat).

In four-part voice leading, what are parallel fifths and octaves, and why are they avoided?

Two voices moving in the same direction while keeping a perfect fifth or octave between them; avoided in common-practice harmony because they weaken voice independence.

What is a cadence, and what defines an authentic (perfect) cadence?

A harmonic close to a phrase; an authentic cadence moves V→I, and is 'perfect' when both chords are in root position and the soprano lands on the tonic.

What is the function of the dominant (V) chord in tonal harmony?

It creates tension that resolves to the tonic (I), largely because its leading tone pulls up to the tonic pitch.

In aural/sight-singing, what does a movable-do solfège system assign to the tonic of any major key?

'Do' always represents the tonic; the major scale is do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do regardless of the actual key.

What part of the neuron carries signals away from the cell body, and what gap do signals cross between neurons?

The axon carries signals away; neurons communicate across the synapse (synaptic cleft) via neurotransmitters.

What is the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?

Sympathetic arouses the body ('fight or flight'); parasympathetic calms and conserves energy ('rest and digest').

What is the difference between sensory memory, short-term/working memory, and long-term memory?

Sensory memory holds brief raw input (<1 sec); short-term/working memory holds ~7 items for seconds; long-term memory stores information relatively permanently with large capacity.

What is the difference between assimilation and accommodation in Piaget's theory?

Assimilation fits new information into existing schemas; accommodation modifies schemas to incorporate new information that doesn't fit.

What is the fundamental attribution error in social psychology?

The tendency to overemphasize personality/dispositional causes and underestimate situational causes when explaining others' behavior.

What are the five factors in the 'Big Five' model of personality?

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN).

What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation?

Intrinsic motivation comes from internal satisfaction/interest in the activity itself; extrinsic motivation comes from external rewards or avoiding punishment.

What distinguishes the major mood disorders of major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder?

Major depression involves persistent low mood/loss of interest without mania; bipolar disorder alternates between depressive episodes and manic (or hypomanic) episodes.

In clinical treatment, what is the core idea of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)?

That maladaptive thoughts drive distress and behavior, so changing distorted thinking patterns and behaviors reduces psychological problems.

What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable?

The independent variable is manipulated by the experimenter; the dependent variable is measured to see the effect of that manipulation.

Why is random assignment essential to a true experiment?

It distributes confounding variables evenly across groups, allowing cause-and-effect conclusions by ensuring groups differ only by the independent variable on average.

What does a correlation coefficient indicate, and what is its key limitation?

It measures the strength and direction (-1 to +1) of a linear relationship between two variables; correlation does not prove causation.

What is opportunity cost?

The value of the next-best alternative foregone when a choice is made.

What does the law of demand state, and what is the law of supply?

Law of demand: as price rises, quantity demanded falls (inverse). Law of supply: as price rises, quantity supplied rises (direct), all else equal.

How is price elasticity of demand calculated, and what does elastic vs. inelastic mean?

% change in quantity demanded ÷ % change in price. Elastic (|E|>1) means quantity is very responsive to price; inelastic (|E|<1) means it is not very responsive.

What is the law of diminishing marginal returns?

As successive units of a variable input are added to fixed inputs, the marginal product of the variable input eventually declines.

What characterizes perfect competition versus monopoly?

Perfect competition: many firms, identical products, price takers, free entry. Monopoly: a single seller, no close substitutes, high barriers to entry, price maker.

In a competitive factor (labor) market, how many workers will a firm hire?

Up to the point where the marginal revenue product of labor (MRP) equals the wage (marginal resource cost).

What is a negative externality, and a typical government remedy?

A cost imposed on third parties not reflected in market prices (e.g., pollution); a common remedy is a corrective (Pigouvian) tax to internalize the cost.

What is GDP, and what are the four components of the expenditure approach?

GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a year. Components: C + I + G + (X − M) — consumption, investment, government, net exports.

What causes the aggregate demand curve to slope downward, and name one factor that shifts it?

Wealth, interest-rate, and exchange-rate effects cause the downward slope; it shifts with changes in C, I, G, or net exports (e.g., a tax cut shifts AD right).

What is expansionary fiscal policy, and what tools does it use?

Policy to increase aggregate demand during a recession by increasing government spending and/or cutting taxes.

How does an open-market purchase of bonds by the central bank affect the economy?

It increases the money supply and bank reserves, lowering interest rates, which stimulates borrowing, investment, and aggregate demand (expansionary monetary policy).

What is comparative advantage, and why does it drive international trade?

A country has comparative advantage in a good it can produce at lower opportunity cost; specializing and trading by comparative advantage increases total output and gains for all parties.