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Read the description of a story and then answer the question:

Pilgrims on their way to Canterbury decide to pass the
time by swapping stories. The stories all reveal something
about the storytellers themselves.
Which term best describes the story?
A. Parable
B. Frame narrative
C. Allegory
D. Parody
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User Itsfarseen
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1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The best term to describe the story, where pilgrims swap stories on their way to Canterbury, is a frame narrative, as it is a primary story that frames a collection of shorter stories.

Step-by-step explanation:

The description given suggests that the correct answer would be B. Frame narrative. A frame narrative occurs when a primary story encompasses or frames a series of shorter stories, which may be related in topic, theme or purpose. This is often used to organize a larger set of narratives that could be stories within a story. Comparatively, a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, an allegory is a complex narrative in which characters and events are symbols representing deeper truths, and a parody mimics the style of a particular writer, artist, genre, or work for comedic effect or criticism.

The story description matches that of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," where a group of pilgrims entertain one another with a variety of stories during their journey to Canterbury, and this is indeed an example of a frame narrative.

User Paul Bartlett
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