Read the following stanza and answer the question:

'Give me a flower delicious as the rose
And stately as the lily in her pride' –
But of what colour?' – 'Rose-red', Love first chose,
Then prayed – 'No, lily – white – or, 'both provide:'

Choose the correct rhyme scheme in the above stanza :

Question

Read the following stanza and answer the question:

'Give me a flower delicious as the rose
And stately as the lily in her pride' –
But of what colour?' – 'Rose-red', Love first chose,
Then prayed – 'No, lily – white – or, 'both provide:'

Choose the correct rhyme scheme in the above stanza :

Accepted Answer

The rhyme scheme of a stanza refers to the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line. To determine the rhyme scheme, we assign a letter to each line based on its end sound. Lines that rhyme with each other are given the same letter.

Let's analyze the given stanza:

1. 'Give me a flower delicious as the rose
2. And stately as the lily in her pride' –
3. But of what colour?' – 'Rose-red', Love first chose,
4. Then prayed – 'No, lily – white – or, 'both provide:'

Now, let's identify the end sounds:

- The first line ends with "rose."
- The second line ends with "pride."
- The third line ends with "chose."
- The fourth line ends with "provide."

Lines 1 and 3 end with "rose" and "chose," which rhyme with each other. Therefore, they are assigned the same letter, "a."

Lines 2 and 4 end with "pride" and "provide," which rhyme with each other. Therefore, they are assigned the same letter, "b."

This gives us the rhyme scheme: a b a b.

Now, let's explain why each option is correct or incorrect:

1. **Option 1: a a b b** - This option suggests that the first two lines rhyme with each other and the last two lines rhyme with each other. However, this is incorrect because "rose" and "pride" do not rhyme, nor do "chose" and "provide."

2. **Option 2: a b a b** - This is the correct rhyme scheme. As explained, lines 1 and 3 rhyme with each other (a), and lines 2 and 4 rhyme with each other (b).

3. **Option 3: a b b a** - This option suggests that the first and last lines rhyme with each other, and the second and third lines rhyme with each other. This is incorrect because "rose" and "provide" do not rhyme, nor do "pride" and "chose."

4. **Option 4: a b c d** - This option suggests that none of the lines rhyme with each other. This is incorrect because, as established, lines 1 and 3 rhyme, and lines 2 and 4 rhyme.

Therefore, the correct rhyme scheme for the stanza is a b a b, which corresponds to Option 2.