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Difficulty: MediumAnalysis of Poetic Form, Structure, and Rhyme Scheme

Read the poetic passage below carefully:

The winter wind begins its bitter howl,
Across the barren field the shadows creep,
While weary travelers prepare to sleep,
And hungry wolves in distant forests prowl.
The hearth glows warm against the freezing night,
Filling the cozy room with golden light.

What is the rhyme scheme of the passage above?

  1. abba ccAnswer
  2. B
    abab cc
  3. C
    aabb cc
  4. D
    abba cd

Answer

The rhyme scheme of the passage is abba cc.
The first line ending in 'howl' and fourth line ending in 'prowl' rhyme together ('a'), enclosing the second line ('creep') and third line ('sleep') which rhyme together ('b'), forming an envelope rhyme (abba). The fifth line ('night') and sixth line ('light') rhyme with each other using a new sound ('c'), making the total rhyme scheme abba cc.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the end-rhymes of the first four lines
Line 1 ('howl') rhymes with Line 4 ('prowl'), designated as 'a'. Line 2 ('creep') rhymes with Line 3 ('sleep'), designated as 'b'. This produces the pattern abba (envelope rhyme).
Assigning identical letters to rhyming end-words establishes the initial stanza structure.
2
Examine the end-rhymes of the remaining two lines
Line 5 ('night') rhymes with Line 6 ('light'), introducing a new rhyme sound designated as 'c'. This forms the couplet pattern cc.
New rhyming sounds receive subsequent letters of the alphabet.
3
Combine the line patterns to determine the complete rhyme scheme
Joining the first four lines (abba) with the final two lines (cc) yields abba cc.
The full sequence represents the overarching rhyme structure of the six-line poem.

Key Concept

Rhyme Scheme Mapping
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Topics

Analysis of Poetic Form, Structure, and Rhyme Scheme

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