Which statement about major and minor scales is true?

Which statement about major and minor scales is true?

• A. They share the same starting note
• B. They share the same collection of pitches
• C. They have identical rhythms
• D. They always have the same mode

Answer: (B)

Think about the notes themselves. A major scale and its relative minor are built from the same seven pitch classes, just starting on a different note. For example, C major uses C D E F G A B, and its relative minor, A minor, uses the same notes—A B C D E F G—just ordered to begin on A. So the collection of pitches is identical, even though the tonal center and mood differ. That’s why the statement about sharing the same collection of pitches is true. The major/minor pairing relies on the same set of notes under a different tonic, which is why they can sound distinct in feeling while still using the same notes. The other ideas don’t hold as a general rule: they don’t start on the same note, the rhythm isn’t what defines the relationship between major and minor, and major and minor don’t always share the same mode since one is associated with the Ionian mode and the other with the Aeolian mode.

Think about the notes themselves. A major scale and its relative minor are built from the same seven pitch classes, just starting on a different note. For example, C major uses C D E F G A B, and its relative minor, A minor, uses the same notes—A B C D E F G—just ordered to begin on A. So the collection of pitches is identical, even though the tonal center and mood differ.

That’s why the statement about sharing the same collection of pitches is true. The major/minor pairing relies on the same set of notes under a different tonic, which is why they can sound distinct in feeling while still using the same notes.

The other ideas don’t hold as a general rule: they don’t start on the same note, the rhythm isn’t what defines the relationship between major and minor, and major and minor don’t always share the same mode since one is associated with the Ionian mode and the other with the Aeolian mode.