Which term describes 14 lines with 3 quatrains and 1 closing couplet, usually in iambic pentameter?

Which term describes 14 lines with 3 quatrains and 1 closing couplet, usually in iambic pentameter?

• A. Shakespearean Sonnet
• B. Resolution
• C. Denouement
• D. Villanelle

Answer: (A)

Recognizing the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet is what this item is getting you to identify. It describes a 14-line poem organized into three quatrains and a closing couplet, usually written in iambic pentameter. The rhyme pattern for many examples is abab cdcd efef gg, which helps create that familiar three-quatrain structure ending with a two-line conclusion. Because it matches these features—the 14 lines, three quatrains, a final couplet, and the typical meter—the Shakespearean sonnet is the best fit. A villanelle has 19 lines with repeating refrains, not this three-quatrain-plus-couplet setup. Resolution and denouement describe how a story ends, not a poetic form. So the Shakespearean sonnet best fits.

Recognizing the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet is what this item is getting you to identify. It describes a 14-line poem organized into three quatrains and a closing couplet, usually written in iambic pentameter. The rhyme pattern for many examples is abab cdcd efef gg, which helps create that familiar three-quatrain structure ending with a two-line conclusion. Because it matches these features—the 14 lines, three quatrains, a final couplet, and the typical meter—the Shakespearean sonnet is the best fit.

A villanelle has 19 lines with repeating refrains, not this three-quatrain-plus-couplet setup. Resolution and denouement describe how a story ends, not a poetic form. So the Shakespearean sonnet best fits.