Which cadence ends on V and is commonly used to pause before continuing?

• A. Half cadence
• B. Authentic cadence
• C. Plagal cadence
• D. Deceptive cadence

Answer: (A)

The main idea is tonal tension and pause. A cadence that ends on the dominant harmony (V) creates a strong sense of anticipation rather than finality. Because V sounds unfinished, it leaves the music hanging, signaling that more will come and prompting the listener to continue. This is exactly what a half cadence does: it finishes a musical phrase on V, often after progressions like I–V or IV–V, and then the music moves forward to resolve later, typically back to I.

This is different from an authentic cadence, which resolves from V to I and feels conclusive; a plagal cadence ends softly from IV to I; and a deceptive cadence moves from V to a chord like vi, which avoids the expected resolution. So ending on V to pause before continuing uniquely matches the half cadence.