WJEC Eduqas GCSE Poetry Anthology Practice Test

What is the rhyme scheme of A Wife in London?

ABAB ABBAB Free verse AABB

Correct Answer:

ABBAB

Explanation:

The question is testing your ability to identify end-rhyme patterns in a stanza. In A Wife in London, each stanza is five lines long, and the endings rhyme in this way: the first line and the fourth line share one rhyme, while the second, third, and fifth lines share another rhyme. So the pattern is that line 1 rhymes with line 4, and lines 2, 3, and 5 all rhyme with each other. That five-line pattern fits the description of the rhyme scheme shown, rather than alternating rhymes every line (which would be a different pattern), having no regular rhyme (free verse), or rhyming in two-by-two pairs (AABB). This particular arrangement helps give a quiet, somber rhythm that mirrors the poem’s mood and progression.

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