What type of narrative poem is characterized by its epic subject and lyric form?

The correct answer is a ballad. A ballad is a type of narrative poem that tells a story, often focusing on themes of love, tragedy, or adventure. It is distinctively structured to include a rhythmic and musical quality, which aligns with its lyric form, making it engaging and easy to remember when recited or sung. Ballads traditionally employ a simple rhyme scheme and meter that enhance their lyrical quality while narrating significant events, thereby merging the epic scope of their subjects with a catchy, lyrical style.

In contrast, a sonnet is a specific form of lyrical poetry that typically presents a single theme or idea in a structured format, often exploring emotion without necessarily telling a narrative. A lyric poem encompasses a broad category of poetry that expresses personal thoughts and feelings, again, without the storytelling element inherent in ballads. An ode is another form of lyrical poetry that reflects deep emotion, often celebrating a particular subject, but it does not focus on storytelling and is not characterized by narrative elements. Each of these other forms lacks the combination of narrative storytelling and lyrical quality that defines a ballad.