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Difficulty: EasyLiterary Genres and Forms

A fourteen-line poem structured into an eight-line octave with the rhyme scheme ABBAABBA followed by a six-line sestet with the rhyme scheme CDECDE is classified as which poetic form?

  1. Petrarchan sonnetAnswer
  2. B
    Shakespearean sonnet
  3. C
    Spenserian sonnet
  4. D
    Ballad stanza

Answer

Petrarchan sonnet
The Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet is characterized by a fourteen-line structure divided into an eight-line octave (rhyming ABBAABBA) that introduces a theme or dilemma, followed by a six-line sestet (rhyming CDECDE or CDCDCD) that resolves it.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the overall line count and stanza divisions given in the prompt.
The poem contains 14 lines divided into an 8-line octave and a 6-line sestet.
Fourteen-line poems with octave-sestet organization belong to the sonnet family.
2
Match the specific rhyme scheme to standard poetic form classifications.
The ABBAABBA octave and CDECDE sestet strictly define the Italian or Petrarchan sonnet pattern.
Differentiating sonnet types depends on identifying their distinctive internal stanza structures and rhyme patterns.

Key Concept

Poetic Forms and Sonnet Structures
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Literary Genres and Forms

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