A limerick has

Analyze the question: The question asks which features describe a limerick, a type of light verse.

Explain the concept: A limerick is a short, witty, often nonsensical poem. Its main features are:

• Five lines in total
• Rhyme scheme AABBA (lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme with each other, and lines 3 and 4 rhyme with each other)
• Humour, often bawdy, absurd or witty
• A punchline or twist in the last line
• A bouncy rhythm (anapaestic metre)

Solution, option by option:

• A. Ornate style, humour, irony and seven lines. Wrong. A limerick has five lines, not seven, and its style is simple and playful, not ornate.
• B. Formal and elaborate style and humour. Wrong. Limericks are informal and light, not elaborate.
• C. Humour, rhyme scheme and five lines. Correct. It names three real features of a limerick: humour, a fixed rhyme scheme (AABBA) and five lines.
• D. A stinging climax, rhyme scheme and five lines. Partly right, since the rhyme scheme and five lines are correct. However, "stinging climax" is not a standard defining feature. The final line is a punchline, but "stinging" suggests satire or bitterness, which is not typical of a limerick. Humour is the key defining element, and D leaves it out.

Example: > There was an old man with a beard, (A) > Who said, "It is just as I feared! (A) > Two owls and a hen, (B) > Four larks and a wren, (B) > Have all built their nests in my beard!" (A)

This has five lines, an AABBA rhyme scheme and a humorous twist, which matches option C.

Exam tip: For limerick questions, remember 5 lines + AABBA + humour. Any option that gives a different number of lines or an "ornate" or "formal" style can be eliminated straight away.