Question

read this excerpt from the canterbury tales by geoffrey chaucer.1 whan that aprill with his shoures soote2 the droghte of march hath perced to the roote,3 and bathed every veyne in swich licour4 of which vertu engendred is the flour,5 whan zephirus eek with his sweete breath6 inspired hath in every holt and heeth7 the tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne8 hath in the ram his half cours yronne,which literary device is used in lines 5 and 6?allusionalliterationironya non-standard rhyme scheme

Explanation:

Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words. In lines 5-6: "Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breath; Inspired hath in every holt and heeth", the repeated initial "s" (sweete, breath) and "h" (holt, heeth) sounds fit this device. Allusion references external works/figures (no reference here), irony involves contrast (not present), and the lines do not demonstrate a non-standard rhyme scheme.

Answer:

alliteration