Practice question · Numerical answer
Ottava rima rhymes ABABABCC. How many distinct rhyme sounds does one stanza use?
Hints
- Count the distinct letters in the scheme.
- A, B and C.
Show the answer
3
Why
Three. Six lines alternating between two sounds, then a couplet on a third. The alternation builds tension and the couplet resolves it, which is why the form carries narrative so well, each stanza is a small argument that reaches a conclusion.
Practise Poetic Traditions I: the Medieval and Renaissance Lyric
The app has 4 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. Literature I is free to start.
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