A novel is defined as a

A. thick book

B. mystery book

C. long story

D. profound tale

I am a Penn Foster Student, so if you've taken the literary course this may look familiar.

C is the correct answer. A novel is a long fiction story, typically printed and bound as a book. It is mainly written in prose. The genre of the novel has its origins in the antiquity, but the oft-cited first modern novel, Don Quixote, was published in the 1600s.