Which meter features four trochaic feet per line?

• A. Iambic Tetrameter
• B. Trochaic Tetrameter
• C. Anapestic Tetrameter
• D. Dactylic Tetrameter

Answer: (B)

In poetry, a foot is a unit of two syllables that carries a pattern of stress. A trochaic foot has a strong syllable followed by a weaker one (DUM-da). When a line has four of these trochaic feet, you get four strong-weak units in sequence, which is called trochaic tetrameter. So the line follows a steady pattern of stressed-unstressed, four times in a row, totaling eight syllables.

This is distinct from other tetrameters that use different patterns, such as iambic tetrameter (unstressed-stressed repeated four times) or anapestic/dactylic tetrameter (two or three unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable, repeated four times). The question is asking for the meter defined by four trochaic feet per line, which is trochaic tetrameter.