Question

read the poem
skimming the bottom
in the company of toes,
i observe the deep end
though nobody knows.
in the depths, i am bold,
on the surface—shy
my goggles transform me
an underwater spy.
what is the poem’s rhyme scheme?
○ aabb
○ abab
○ abcb
○ abcd

Explanation:

To determine the rhyme scheme, we label each line's ending sound.

• Line 1: "bottom" - no rhyme yet, label \(a\).
• Line 2: "toes" - rhymes with nothing so far, label \(b\).
• Line 3: "end" - rhymes with nothing so far, label \(c\).
• Line 4: "knows" - rhymes with "toes" (\(b\)).
• Line 5: "bold" - rhymes with nothing so far, label \(d\).
• Line 6: "shy" - rhymes with nothing so far, label \(e\).
• Line 7: "me" - rhymes with nothing so far, label \(f\).
• Line 8: "spy" - rhymes with "shy" (\(e\)).

But if we consider the first four - line stanza:

• Line 1 (\(a\)), Line 2 (\(b\)), Line 3 (\(c\)), Line 4 (\(b\)) (since "knows" rhymes with "toes").

Answer:

abcb