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Secondary 2 English · Poetry: rhythm, rhyme and structure

Name: ______________________

Date: ____________

1. Which rhyme scheme is most typical of a traditional ballad stanza?
- ☐ (a) AABB
- ☐ (b) ABCB
- ☐ (c) ABBA
- ☐ (d) AAAA
2. What is the term for a line or group of lines repeated throughout a poem or song? (one word)
3. What is enjambment?
- ☐ (a) A pause in the middle of a line
- ☐ (b) A sentence that runs on from one line to the next without a pause
- ☐ (c) A pair of rhyming lines
- ☐ (d) A line that ends with a full stop
4. What is the term for a strong pause in the middle of a line of poetry? (one word)
5. What is the main purpose of a ballad?
- ☐ (a) To tell a story
- ☐ (b) To give instructions
- ☐ (c) To list facts
- ☐ (d) To describe a single object
6. What effect does enjambment often create in free verse?
- ☐ (a) It stops the reader completely.
- ☐ (b) It creates momentum or surprise as the meaning spills into the next line.
- ☐ (c) It makes the poem rhyme.
- ☐ (d) It removes all rhythm.
7. How many stressed beats are in this line? 'The SKY was CLEAR and BLUE.' Type a number.
8. Why might a poet repeat a refrain throughout a tragic ballad?
- ☐ (a) To fill space
- ☐ (b) To build a haunting, memorable mood that deepens as the story darkens
- ☐ (c) To change the rhyme scheme
- ☐ (d) To confuse the reader

Answer sheet

1. ABCB — Ballads usually rhyme only lines 2 and 4: ABCB.
2. refrain — A refrain recurs, like a chorus, and can gain meaning each time.
3. A sentence that runs on from one line to the next without a pause — Enjambment carries the sense across a line break.
4. caesura — A caesura is a mid-line pause, often marked by punctuation.
5. To tell a story — Ballads are narrative poems that tell a story, often dramatic or tragic.
6. It creates momentum or surprise as the meaning spills into the next line. — Running a sentence across a line break pulls the reader forward and can delay a key word for effect.
7. 3 — SKY, CLEAR and BLUE are stressed – three beats.
8. To build a haunting, memorable mood that deepens as the story darkens — A refrain returns with growing emotional weight as events unfold.