Question

instructions
reread lines 9 - 12 of the poem. then answer the multiple - choice questions that follow.
from \sonnet 18\ by william shakespeare
9 but thy eternal summer shall not fade
10 nor lose possession of that fair thou owst;
11 nor shall death brag thou wanderst in his shade,
12 when in eternal lines to time thou growst;

1. which of the following features of the poets style is created by the sonnet form?

a. the capitalization of death
b. the semicolons to connect lines
c. the change from thy to thou
d. the efef rhyme scheme

1. how does the form of this quatrain contribute to its meaning?

a. the arrangement of the lines in the quatrain draws attention to the speakers worry that loves beauty will fade.
b. the iambic pentameter creates a steady rhythm that emphasizes the everlasting beauty of the speakers love.
c. the rhyming of the words fade and shade highlights the speakers anger at the person he or she loves.
d. the personification of death emphasizes the speakers acceptance that love is not forever.

Explanation:

1. Sonnets have specific rhyme schemes. The efef rhyme scheme (lines 9 - 12: fade - ow'st - shade - grow'st) is a feature of the sonnet form. Capitalization (A) is a stylistic choice not unique to sonnets. Semicolons (B) are a punctuation choice. The change from "thy" to "thou" (C) is an archaic language usage, not a sonnet - specific form feature.
2. Iambic pentameter (a line of poetry with five iambs, each iamb being an unstressed - stressed syllable pair) is a common meter in sonnets. It creates a steady rhythm. The lines in the quatrain are about the everlasting nature of the beloved's beauty ("eternal summer shall not fade"). The iambic pentameter's steady rhythm emphasizes this everlasting quality. The speaker is not worried about love's beauty fading (A is wrong). There is no anger at the beloved (C is wrong). The personification of Death is used to show that Death will not claim the beloved, emphasizing the everlasting nature of love, not that love is not forever (D is wrong).

Answer:

1. D. the efef rhyme scheme
2. B. The iambic pentameter creates a steady rhythm that emphasizes the everlasting beauty of the speaker's love.