Which type of poetry includes an octave and a sestet?

• A. Shakespearean sonnet
• B. Italian or Petrarchan sonnet
• C. Spenserian sonnet
• D. Courtly sonnet

Answer: (B)

The defining feature here is the two-part structure: an octave followed by a sestet. This split is the hallmark of the Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet. The octave (eight lines) typically presents a situation or problem, and the volta signals a shift into the sestet (six lines), which offers reflection, commentary, or resolution. The usual rhyme pattern for the octave is ABBA ABBA, with the sestet often CDE CDE or CDC CDC, though variations exist.

This contrasts with the Shakespearean (English) sonnet, which is built from three quatrains and a final couplet, not an octave and a sestet. Spenserian sonnets connect quatrains with a different chain rhyme, and “Courtly” isn’t a standard formal type. So the poem’s division into an octave and a sestet points to the Italian or Petrarchan form.