A humorous poem with five lines, the first two ryhming with the last is______________

Analyze the question: We need a humorous poem with five lines, where lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme (the question says "the first two rhyming with the last").

Explain the concept: Let's look at each option:

• Ode: A long, serious, dignified lyric poem praising a person, object, or idea (e.g., Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale"). It isn't humorous and has no fixed five-line form.
• Sestet: A six-line stanza, especially the last six lines of a Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet. It has six lines, not five.
• Octave: An eight-line stanza, usually the first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet. It has eight lines, not five.
• Limerick: A short, witty, humorous (often nonsensical) poem of five lines with the rhyme scheme AABBA. Lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme with each other, and lines 3 and 4 are shorter and rhyme with each other.

Solution: Here is a classic 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)

The features match the question: five lines, humorous, and lines 1 and 2 rhyme with line 5.

Answer: The correct option is D. A Limerick.

Exam tip: Remember the line counts: Sestet = 6 (think "sex" = six), Octave = 8 (think "octopus" = eight legs), Limerick = 5, funny, rhyme scheme AABBA. If you see "humorous" and "five lines" together, think Limerick immediately.