Question

question 9 of 10
read these lines from emily dickinsons poem \324\ (\some keep the sabbath going to church\):
some keep the sabbath in surplice -
i, just wear my wings -
and instead of tolling the bell, for church,
our little sexton - sings.
what is the rhyme scheme she uses here?
a. abbc
b. abab
c. abca
d. abcb

Explanation:

To determine the rhyme scheme, we label each line. The first line (Surplice) has no rhyme yet - label it 'a'. The second line (Wings) doesn't rhyme with the first - label 'b'. The third line (Church) doesn't rhyme with the first two - label 'c'. The fourth line (sings) rhymes with the second line (Wings has a /ɪŋz/ sound, sings has a /ɪŋz/ sound). So the rhyme scheme is \(abcb\).

Answer:

D. \(abcb\)