A Spenserian sonnet is characterized by which rhyme pattern?

A Spenserian sonnet is characterized by which rhyme pattern?

• A. It blends English and Italian form, with rhyme abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee
• B. It uses terza rima throughout
• C. It uses only couplets
• D. It has a free verse stanza

Answer: (A)

The main feature tested is the distinctive rhyme scheme of a Spenserian sonnet: four interlocking quatrains that weave the rhymes together and finish with a final couplet. The pattern moves through ABAB in the first quatrain, then interlocks with BCBC in the second, CDCD in the third, and ends with EE in the couplet. This interlocking design ties the sections of the poem into one flow, rather than keeping each quatrain on its own rhyme block. This reflects a blend of English and Italian influences: it uses the English idea of a sonnet’s concluding couplet, but the way the rhymes weave from one quatrain to the next echoes the tighter, linked feel you see in Italian forms. It’s not terza rima, which chains rhymes through tercets (aba bcb cdc, and so on), and it’s not simply a sequence of couplets, nor is it free verse. So the described pattern ABAB BCBC CDCD EE matches the Spenserian form precisely.

The main feature tested is the distinctive rhyme scheme of a Spenserian sonnet: four interlocking quatrains that weave the rhymes together and finish with a final couplet. The pattern moves through ABAB in the first quatrain, then interlocks with BCBC in the second, CDCD in the third, and ends with EE in the couplet. This interlocking design ties the sections of the poem into one flow, rather than keeping each quatrain on its own rhyme block.

This reflects a blend of English and Italian influences: it uses the English idea of a sonnet’s concluding couplet, but the way the rhymes weave from one quatrain to the next echoes the tighter, linked feel you see in Italian forms. It’s not terza rima, which chains rhymes through tercets (aba bcb cdc, and so on), and it’s not simply a sequence of couplets, nor is it free verse. So the described pattern ABAB BCBC CDCD EE matches the Spenserian form precisely.