Which ornament is typically described as being approached by the same tone and resolved by stepping down?

• A. Suspension
• B. Mordent
• C. Appoggiatura
• D. Mazurka

Answer: (C)

This describes a suspension. In a suspension, a voice holds a note from the previous harmony into the new harmony, so the pitch is carried over as a common tone against the new chord. That held note creates a temporary dissonance with the incoming harmony, and it resolves by stepping downward to a chord tone in the new harmony. The pattern of keeping the same tone and then moving downward by a step is the classic signature of a suspension.

By contrast, a mordent is a quick alternation with a neighboring pitch, returning to the main note, which is not about a held common tone resolving stepwise. An appoggiatura is typically approached by a leap from the preceding note and resolves by step to the main note, not via a held common tone into a new harmony. A mazurka is a dance form, not an ornament.