A group of lines forming a unit
Explanation
A stanza is a group of lines that forms a structural unit within a poem. A single verse unit is a line, not a stanza.
Syllables into a rhythmic unit
Explanation
A foot groups syllables into a unit of rhythm within a poetic line. One syllable is a single sound unit rather than a complete foot.
A sestet
Explanation
A sestet is a stanza containing six lines. A cinquain has five lines, a septet has seven, and an octet has eight.
Fourteen lines
Explanation
A sonnet contains fourteen lines as a defining structural feature. Other line counts describe different poetic forms or structures.
One unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable
Explanation
An iamb follows the pattern unstressed–stressed, represented as ˘ /. The stressed–unstressed pattern describes a trochee.
A trochee
Explanation
A trochee begins with a stressed syllable and ends with an unstressed syllable, represented as / ˘. An iamb reverses that order, while a spondee and pyrrhic contain two syllables with equal stress levels.
Two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable
Explanation
An anapest has the pattern ˘ ˘ /, with the stress arriving on the third syllable. The pattern / ˘ ˘ belongs to a dactyl.
A dactyl
Explanation
A dactyl follows the pattern / ˘ ˘, placing stress on the first syllable. An anapest has the reverse three-syllable pattern, ˘ ˘ /.
Hexameter
Explanation
A line with six feet is called hexameter, also known as an Alexandrine. Pentameter has five feet, tetrameter has four, and heptameter has seven.
By combining the foot type with the number of feet
Explanation
A meter combines the type of metrical foot with the number of feet in each line. The foot identifies the rhythm, while the number identifies the meter's count component.
Iambic pentameter
Explanation
Iambic pentameter combines the iambic foot with five feet per line. Trochaic pentameter changes the foot type, while iambic tetrameter contains four feet.
An end-stopped line completes its meaning at the line ending, while an enjambed line carries the sentence onward.
Explanation
An end-stopped line completes its grammatical or semantic unit at the line ending, whereas enjambment continues that unit into the next line. The metrical and syllabic changes described in the other choices concern different features of verse.
Acephaly
Explanation
Acephaly refers to missing unstressed syllables at the beginning of a line. Anacrusis adds unstressed syllables at the beginning, while catalexis concerns missing syllables at the end and hypercatalepsis concerns added syllables there.
Identify stresses, identify the foot, count the feet, and name the meter.
Explanation
Scansion proceeds by identifying stressed and unstressed syllables, determining the foot, counting the feet, and assigning the meter’s name. The other sequences describe related poetic analysis tasks but do not give the steps of scansion.
An inversion
Explanation
An inversion is a temporary reversal of the usual rhythm, such as an iambic pattern becoming trochaic in one position. A wrenched accent concerns stress that conflicts with the expected metrical pattern rather than a temporary reversal of the foot’s arrangement.
Lock in the answers with 31 flashcards on Poetic Structure and Meter.
What is a stanza in poetry?
A group of lines in a poem.
What does a foot represent in poetry?
A group of syllables that forms the rhythm of a line.
What are stressed syllables in poetry?
Syllables that are accentuated.
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