Question

how like a winter hath my absence been
from thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
what freezings have i felt, what dark days seen!
what old decembers bareness every where!

and yet this time removed was summers time;
the teeming autumn, big with rich increase,
bearing the wanton burden of the prime,
like widowd wombs after their lords decease:

yet this abundant issue seemd to me
but hope of orphans and unfatherd fruit;
for summer and his pleasures wait on thee,
and, thou away, the very birds are mute;

or, if they sing, tis with so dull a cheer
that leaves look pale, dreading the winters near.

a. 3
b. 4
c. 1
d. 14

Explanation:

Identify the poetic form and structure

The text provided is William Shakespeare's Sonnet 97 ("How like a winter hath my absence been"). A standard Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines, divided into three quatrains (4 lines each) and a final rhyming couplet (2 lines).

Locate the shift in tone or argument

In poetry analysis, the Volta (or turn) represents a sudden shift in thought, tone, or emotion. In a traditional Shakespearean sonnet, this shift typically occurs at the beginning of the third quatrain (Line 9) or sometimes in the final couplet (Line 13).

Analyze the specific lines of Sonnet 97

Let's look at the structure of this specific poem:

• Quatrain 1 (Lines 1–4): The speaker describes the feeling of being away from the beloved as a cold, barren winter.
• Quatrain 2 (Lines 5–8): The speaker reveals that the actual physical season of their separation was summer and autumn, rich with harvest.
• Quatrain 3 (Lines 9–12): The speaker shifts back to their internal emotional state, explaining that despite the abundance of autumn, it felt empty ("hope of orphans and unfather'd fruit") because the beloved was away. This shift is marked by the word "Yet" at the beginning of Line 9.

Determine the number of shifts (voltas)

Using Sonnet Structure analysis, we look for major structural turns. In Sonnet 97, there is one primary, distinct Volta where the argument shifts from describing the physical abundance of the seasons (Lines 5–8) to the emotional emptiness and lack of joy because of the beloved's absence (starting at Line 9: "Yet this abundant issue seem'd to me..."). Therefore, there is exactly 1 major volta in this sonnet.

Answer:

• A. 3
• B. 4
• C. 1 (Correct answer)
• D. 14