The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet is characterized by which structure?

• A. An octave and a sestet
• B. Three quatrains and a couplet
• C. Eight lines only
• D. A single volta after the final line

Answer: (A)

This question is about the form of the Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet. Its defining structure is fourteen lines divided into an opening octave of eight lines and a concluding sestet of six lines. The octave typically follows a fixed rhyme pattern, often ABBAABBA, while the sestet has a more flexible pattern, commonly CDECDE or CDCDCD. A turning point, called the volta, usually occurs between the octave and the sestet, signaling a shift in thought or argument.

That combination—octave plus sestet with a volta between them—is what sets the Petrarchan sonnet apart. The option describing three quatrains and a couplet corresponds to the Shakespearean (English) sonnet form, not the Italian one. Saying it has eight lines only ignores the required fourteen. And a single volta after the final line would place the turning point at the end, which doesn’t reflect the standard Petrarchan division where the turn occurs between the two sections.