The minor scale with a raised seventh degree is the

• A. Melodic Minor
• B. Harmonic Minor
• C. Natural Minor
• D. Pentatonic Minor

Answer: (B)

Raising the seventh degree in a minor scale creates a leading tone to the tonic, giving the scale its strong dominant-function. In A minor, for example, natural minor is A B C D E F G A, but with the seventh raised you get A B C D E F G# A. That G# pulls decisively toward A, allowing the dominant chord on E to be major (E–G#–B) and to resolve smoothly to A. This leading-tone feature is the hallmark of the harmonic minor. (For contrast, melodic minor raises both the sixth and seventh degrees when ascending, not just the seventh.)