This question is based on General Literary Principles. A poem of eight rhyming lines is

Analyze the question: You are asked to name the term for a poem or stanza of eight rhyming lines.

Explain the concept: Each option is defined by its number of lines:

• Quatrain: 4 lines
• Octave (octet): 8 lines
• Sonnet: 14 lines
• Limerick: 5 lines, a humorous poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme

Step-by-step solution:

1. The question asks for eight lines.
2. A quatrain has four lines, so it is out.
3. A sonnet has fourteen lines, so it is out.
4. A limerick has five lines, so it is out.
5. "Octave" comes from the Latin octo, meaning eight. It is an eight-line stanza or poem, and in a Petrarchan sonnet it is the first eight lines.

Answer: B. octave.

Exam tip: Link the prefix to the number. Quat- is 4, oct- is 8 (like an octopus with 8 legs), and a sonnet is 14 lines. Questions like this often test line counts, so memorize them: couplet 2, tercet 3, quatrain 4, quintain/limerick 5, sestet 6, septet 7, octave 8.