Use the poem to complete the sentences

The Correct Answer and Explanation is:

Of course. Here are the correct answers and a detailed explanation.

The correct term for the first blank is quatrain.
The correct term for the second blank is couplet.

The selection in the image for the first statement is correct. A quatrain is a stanza in a poem that has exactly four lines. Quatrains are one of the most common stanzaic forms in poetry and can follow a variety of rhyme schemes, such as AABB, ABAB, or ABCB. They function as the building blocks of a poem, with each quatrain often containing and developing a single, unified thought or image. By grouping lines into fours, the poet creates a sense of rhythm and structure, guiding the reader through the poem’s ideas in organized segments. Thus, identifying the first four lines as a quatrain is an accurate observation of the poem’s structure.

The selection for the second statement, “paraphrase,” is incorrect. The correct literary term for the last two lines of a poem is a couplet. A couplet is a pair of successive lines of poetry that usually rhyme and have the same meter. Couplets are often used to create a sense of closure or to deliver a powerful concluding thought. For example, Shakespearean sonnets famously end with a rhyming couplet that summarizes the poem’s theme or provides a clever twist.

paraphrase, on the other hand, is not a structural part of the poem itself. It is an act of restating the poem’s content in your own words to clarify its meaning. A reader might paraphrase a couplet to better understand it, but the couplet itself exists as the poet wrote it. Therefore, a couplet is a structural element created by the poet, while a paraphrase is an interpretive tool used by the reader.

Scroll to Top