Which statement about the major scale's basic property is true?

Which statement about the major scale's basic property is true?

• A. It has a defined pattern of whole and half steps
• B. It uses only white keys
• C. It has a minor third above the tonic
• D. It ends on the submediant

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is the interval pattern that defines the major scale. A major scale is built from a specific sequence of steps: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. This exact pattern is what gives the major scale its distinct bright sound and lets you form the scale from any starting note. For example, starting on C, the steps are C–D (whole), D–E (whole), E–F (half), F–G (whole), G–A (whole), A–B (whole), B–C (half). In other keys you’ll see black keys involved, like G major with F-sharp, which shows the pattern itself—not a restriction to white keys. The idea that the tonic would be followed by a minor third is incorrect because the interval to the third degree in a major scale is a major third, not a minor one. And the scale doesn’t end on the submediant; it ends on the octave of the tonic.

The main idea here is the interval pattern that defines the major scale. A major scale is built from a specific sequence of steps: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. This exact pattern is what gives the major scale its distinct bright sound and lets you form the scale from any starting note. For example, starting on C, the steps are C–D (whole), D–E (whole), E–F (half), F–G (whole), G–A (whole), A–B (whole), B–C (half). In other keys you’ll see black keys involved, like G major with F-sharp, which shows the pattern itself—not a restriction to white keys. The idea that the tonic would be followed by a minor third is incorrect because the interval to the third degree in a major scale is a major third, not a minor one. And the scale doesn’t end on the submediant; it ends on the octave of the tonic.