Terza Rima is defined by which rhyme pattern?

Terza Rima is defined by which rhyme pattern?

• A. AABBCCDDEE
• B. aba, bcb, cdc, ded, and so forth
• C. ABAB CDCD EF EF GH GH
• D. ABABABCC

Answer: (B)

Terza Rima relies on an interlocking three-line stanza pattern. Each stanza is a tercet, and the rhyme links from one to the next: the first tercet follows aba, the next is bcb, then cdc, then ded, and so on. The middle line of each tercet rhymes with the outer lines of the following tercet, creating a continuous chain through the poem. This chaining is what gives terza rima its distinct flow, unlike simple couplets (AABB) or regular alternating quatrains (like ABAB CDCD EF EF GH GH). Dante’s Divine Comedy is a famous example of this form, illustrating how the interlocking pattern moves the poem forward. So the sequence aba, bcb, cdc, ded, and so forth accurately captures the terza Rima rhyme pattern.

Terza Rima relies on an interlocking three-line stanza pattern. Each stanza is a tercet, and the rhyme links from one to the next: the first tercet follows aba, the next is bcb, then cdc, then ded, and so on. The middle line of each tercet rhymes with the outer lines of the following tercet, creating a continuous chain through the poem. This chaining is what gives terza rima its distinct flow, unlike simple couplets (AABB) or regular alternating quatrains (like ABAB CDCD EF EF GH GH). Dante’s Divine Comedy is a famous example of this form, illustrating how the interlocking pattern moves the poem forward. So the sequence aba, bcb, cdc, ded, and so forth accurately captures the terza Rima rhyme pattern.