Final answer:
It is true that pop ballads have a large range. They often feature a wide array of emotional and thematic content, stemming from their roots in storytelling and accompanied by musical elements. The correct option is a.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pop ballads generally exhibit a large range, both musically and thematically. This is true. Ballads, with their origins as an oral tradition, typically convey stories that can be nuanced and emotionally driven. Initially, folk ballads were used to pass stories from one generation to another. These stories were often tragic and recited to musical accompaniment.
The term ballad originates from the Latin word ballare, which means “to dance,” highlighting the rhythmical nature of these songs. In contemporary times, the structure of a ballad may commonly be found in quatrains with an A B C B rhyme scheme. The ballad can also contain a mixture of iambic tetrameter alternating with iambic trimeter. Poet Muriel Rukeyser's work exemplifies the ballad form, and her reading of 'Ballad of Orange and Grape' is a modern illustration of this enduring poetic and musical form.
Hence, Option a is correct.