Which name describes a major triad with a minor seventh?

• A. Major Seventh Chord
• B. Dominant Seventh Chord
• C. Minor Seventh
• D. Half Diminished Seventh Chord

Answer: (B)

A major triad with a minor seventh is called a dominant seventh chord. A major triad gives you a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When you add a seventh above the root and make it a minor seventh, you get the sound C–E–G–B♭ (in C), for example. That minor seventh above the root creates a strong, pulling tension—the tritone formed between the third and the seventh—that wants to resolve, typically moving to the tonic in tonal progressions. This is what gives the dominant seventh its characteristic function and feel.

If you think about other options: a major seventh would add a major seventh interval (C–E–G–B), not a minor seventh. A minor seventh starts from a minor triad (C–E♭–G–B♭), which isn’t a major triad to begin with. A half-diminished seventh starts with a diminished triad (C–E♭–G♭–B♭), again not a major triad.