If a line’s meter is formed by four iambs per line, what is it called?

Prepare for the Honors English Semester Exam with our comprehensive quiz. Study with interactive questions that provide hints and explanations. Boost your confidence and ace your exam!

Multiple Choice

If a line’s meter is formed by four iambs per line, what is it called?

Meter in poetry hinges on feet. An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, and four iambic feet in a line give iambic tetrameter. The term tetrameter signals four feet (tetra = four), so a line built from four da-DUM units has eight syllables with alternating stresses. This contrasts with iambic pentameter (five iambic feet) and with other patterns like trochaic tetrameter (four feet of stressed-unstressed) or anapestic tetrameter (four feet of unstressed-unstressed-stressed). Since the line has four iambs, the proper label is iambic tetrameter.

Meter in poetry hinges on feet. An iamb is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, and four iambic feet in a line give iambic tetrameter. The term tetrameter signals four feet (tetra = four), so a line built from four da-DUM units has eight syllables with alternating stresses. This contrasts with iambic pentameter (five iambic feet) and with other patterns like trochaic tetrameter (four feet of stressed-unstressed) or anapestic tetrameter (four feet of unstressed-unstressed-stressed). Since the line has four iambs, the proper label is iambic tetrameter.

More practice questions