What is the form of The Soldier?

• A. Sonnet
• B. Ballad
• C. Ode
• D. Free verse

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing a sonnet — a compact, 14-line poem written in a regular rhythmic form. The Soldier fits this exactly: it’s a 14-line composition written in a steady iambic pentameter, with a noticeable turn after the opening eight lines that shifts the thought or argument. That combination of line count, meter, and the turn is what defines a sonnet, and it aligns with Rupert Brooke’s War Sonnets, which use this formal shape to frame personal, formal reflections on makeshift patriotism and sacrifice.

The other forms don’t match. A ballad tends to tell a narrative in simple quatrains with possible refrains, not the tight, single-voice, meditative texture of a sonnet. An ode usually adopts a lofty, often multi-stanza address with a broader praise style, while free verse lacks regular meter or a fixed line count. So the 14-line, metrically regular structure with a turn makes the sonnet the best description of this poem.