What is the purpose of the octave of an Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet?
A.to make a comparison
B.to create a narrative
C.to present a problem
D.to offer a solution

D is what I think would make the most sense.

A, Notebooks would be the best answer. Writing speeches is very common now days and some people even go as far as memorizing the speeches. In a general context as well, a lot of people do use outlines in front of them to give them a basic idea of what they plan to talk about.