Music · Unit 2

Sounds and Silence

Loud and soft, high and low, fast and slow, and quiet

Before notation there are the qualities of sound itself, and these can be heard and described long before anyone reads a stave.

The unit covers loud and soft, high and low, fast and slow, long and short, and the role of silence - the four pairs that later become dynamics, pitch, tempo and note values.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 118 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 4. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 118
Difficulty: 1-4

What this unit covers

Loud and Soft
High and Low
Fast and Slow
Long and Short Sounds
Sound and Silence

Where this fits

Follows What is Music? Each pair is developed in a later unit.

Where people slip

High and loud are different qualities and get confused constantly. A piccolo playing quietly is high and soft; a bass drum is low and loud.

How the unit is structured

Sounds and Silence runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 4 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 118 in the unit altogether.

Fast and Slow

Fill the blankLevel 1
1. A calm, sleepy song is played ____, not in a hurry.
- slowlycorrect
- quickly
- loudly
- highly
Calm, sleepy songs are played slowly.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
2. A gentle lullaby that helps a baby fall asleep is usually played...
- Slowlycorrect
- Very fast
- In a big hurry
- As quick as running
A lullaby is slow and calm to help someone drift off to sleep.
Match the pairsLevel 2
3. Match each everyday sound to the music word that fits it.
Answer: A whisper = Soft; A shout = Loud; A race song = Fast; A lullaby = Slow
A whisper is soft, a shout is loud, a race song is fast and a lullaby is slow.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
4. Sort each piece by whether its tempo is Fast or Slow.
Answer: A lullaby = Slow; A race song = Fast; A sleepy tune = Slow; A lively dance = Fast
A lullaby and a sleepy tune are slow, while a race song and a lively dance are fast.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
5. Which of these describe a slow tempo? (pick two)
- Calm and relaxedcorrect
- Beats far apartcorrect
- Racing quickly
- Beats very close together
A slow tempo is calm and relaxed, with beats spread far apart.
Guess the numberLevel 4
6. At a tempo of 120 beats per minute, how many beats happen in one second?
Answer: 2 beats
120 beats over 60 seconds is 2 beats each second.

High and Low

Fill the blankLevel 1
7. A big elephant's call sounds low, while a small mouse's squeak sounds ____.
- highcorrect
- low
- soft
- slow
Small animals usually make high sounds.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
8. A very big bass drum usually makes a sound that is...
- Lowcorrect
- High
- Fast
- Long
Big instruments usually make low sounds.
True or falseLevel 1
9. A little bird chirping makes a high sound.
Answer: True
Small creatures like birds usually make high sounds.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
10. Which of these usually make LOW sounds? (pick two)
- A tubacorrect
- A big bass drumcorrect
- A tiny bell
- A bird's chirp
Large instruments like a tuba and a bass drum make low sounds.
Odd one outLevel 2
11. Which one usually makes a LOW sound, not a high one?
- A big tubacorrect
- A tiny bird
- A small whistle
- A little bell
A tuba is low, while the others are high.
Sort into groupsLevel 3
12. Sort each instrument by its usual pitch range.
Answer: Piccolo = High; Flute = High; Tuba = Low; Double bass = Low
The piccolo and flute are high, while the tuba and double bass are low.

Long and Short Sounds

Multiple choiceLevel 1
13. Which of these is a short sound?
- A quick hand clapcorrect
- A siren that keeps going
- A note held on a horn
- Humming for a whole minute
A clap is over in an instant, so it is a short sound.
True or falseLevel 1
14. A short sound ends very quickly.
Answer: True
A short sound is over almost as soon as it starts.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
15. Which of these are short sounds? (pick two)
- A finger snapcorrect
- A single hand clapcorrect
- A siren wailing for a while
- A long held note
A snap and a clap are both quick, short sounds.
Match the pairsLevel 2
16. Match each music word to its opposite.
Answer: Loud = Soft; Fast = Slow; Long = Short; High = Low
Loud, fast, long and high each have a clear opposite.
Odd one outLevel 2
17. Which one is a LONG sound, not a short one?
- A siren held for a whilecorrect
- A quick clap
- A finger snap
- A short tap
A held siren is long, while the others are short.
Put in orderLevel 2
18. Put these sounds in order from shortest to longest.
Answer: A quick tap -> A one-second note -> A four-second note -> A note held for the whole song
A quick tap is shortest and a note held for the whole song is longest.

Loud and Soft

Fill the blankLevel 1
19. A tiny kitten's meow is a very ____ sound.
- softcorrect
- loud
- fast
- high
A kitten's meow is small and gentle, so it is soft.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
20. Which word describes music that has a big, strong sound?
- Loudcorrect
- Soft
- Slow
- High
Loud music has a big, strong sound that is easy to hear.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
21. Which of these are usually soft, gentle sounds? (pick two)
- A whispercorrect
- A purring catcorrect
- A crashing cymbal
- A shouting crowd
A whisper and a purring cat are both soft and gentle.
Odd one outLevel 2
22. Which one is NOT usually a loud sound?
- A whispercorrect
- A drum
- A shout
- A thunderclap
A whisper is soft, while the others are loud.
Match the pairsLevel 3
23. Match each music word to what it describes.
Answer: Forte = Loud; Piano = Soft; Tempo = Speed of the beat; Pitch = How high or low
Forte means loud, piano means soft, tempo is speed and pitch is how high or low.
Put in orderLevel 4
24. Put these dynamics in order from softest to loudest.
Answer: pianissimo -> piano -> forte -> fortissimo
From softest to loudest: pianissimo, piano, forte, fortissimo.

Sound and Silence

Multiple choiceLevel 1
25. In music, silence means...
- No sound at allcorrect
- A very loud sound
- A fast beat
- A high note
Silence is a moment when there is no sound.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
26. Which of these are true about silence in music? (pick two)
- It means there is no soundcorrect
- It can be part of a songcorrect
- It is the loudest part of the music
- It means playing very fast
Silence means no sound, and songs use it too.
Fill the blankLevel 2
27. A short silence written into music is called a ____.
- restcorrect
- note
- drum
- song
A rest is a musical silence.
Guess the numberLevel 2
28. During a moment of complete silence, how many sounds do you hear?
Answer: 0 sounds
Complete silence means no sound at all, so the answer is zero.
Odd one outLevel 2
29. Which one is NOT a silence?
- A ringing notecorrect
- A rest
- A pause
- A quiet gap
A ringing note is a sound, while the others are silences.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
30. Sort each one into Sound or Silence.
Answer: A drum beat = Sound; A rest sign = Silence; Singing = Sound; A quiet pause = Silence
A drum beat and singing are sounds, while a rest and a quiet pause are silence.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Sounds and Silence

118 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

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