What term indicates the number of beats in a measure?

• A. Key signature
• B. Bar line
• C. Measure
• D. Time signature

Answer: (D)

Understanding how rhythms are counted in measures is tested here. The time signature communicates how many beats live in each measure and what kind of note gets one beat. It appears at the start of a staff as two numbers stacked. The top number tells you the number of beats per measure; the bottom number tells you which note value counts as one beat. For example, 4/4 means four beats per measure with a quarter note counting as one beat; 3/4 means three beats per measure with a quarter note as the beat; 6/8 has six eighth-note beats per measure, typically felt as two main beats. The other terms serve different roles: a key signature shows tonal center with sharps or flats; a bar line marks the boundary between measures; a measure is the span of time defined by the beat count, not the indicator of how many beats occur.