Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardSound Devices and Musicality

Read the following lines of poetry:

'Deep groan the old oak boughs in cold December,
As low winds moan through the frozen hollow.'

Which sound device is predominantly used across these lines to enhance their auditory musicality?

  1. A
    Alliteration
  2. AssonanceAnswer
  3. C
    Consonance
  4. D
    Onomatopoeia

Answer

Assonance is the correct answer because the excerpt features a pronounced repetition of the internal long 'o' vowel sound.
Assonance is the repetition of internal vowel sounds in close proximity. In this excerpt, the prominent long 'o' sound echoed in 'groan', 'old', 'oak', 'cold', 'low', 'moan', 'frozen', and 'hollow' produces a somber, resonant musicality characteristic of assonance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic structure of the poetic excerpt.
Identify the repeated long 'o' vowel sound across multiple words: 'groan', 'old', 'oak', 'cold', 'low', 'moan', 'frozen', and 'hollow'.
Tracking sound patterns clarifies whether consonant or vowel repetition dominates the passage.
2
Match the observed sound pattern to its precise literary term.
Determine that the recurrence of internal vowel sounds without matching surrounding consonants constitutes assonance.
Assonance specifically denotes internal vowel repetition used to create cadence and atmosphere.

Key Concept

Assonance and Vowel Harmony in Poetry
Rate this question

Topics

Sound Devices and Musicality

More questions from this topic