Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature Practice Exam

What is the term for a fixed form of verse comprised of five tercets and a quatrain?

1. Sestina

2. Sonnet

3. Villanelle

4. Ode

The correct answer is: Villanelle

The term that describes a fixed form of verse composed of five tercets followed by a quatrain is a villanelle. This poetic structure is characterized by its specific rhyme scheme, which is typically ABA for the tercets and ABAA for the quatrain. A pivotal feature of a villanelle is the repetition of two refrains, which creates a musical quality and emphasizes the emotional weight of the poem’s themes. In contrast, a sestina consists of six stanzas of six lines each, followed by a three-line envoi but does not fit the criteria of having the specified number of tercets and a quatrain. A sonnet, on the other hand, is traditionally a 14-line poem with various rhyme schemes, such as the Shakespearean or Petrarchan format, and therefore does not match the description of this specific fixed form. An ode is a type of lyrical stanza that doesn’t adhere to a fixed structure of tercets and quatrains but is typically dedicated to a person, place, or thing. Thus, the villanelle stands out as the correct term for the poetic form mentioned in the question.