Songwriters Rhyme Schemes and Meter 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the basic unit of meter consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables called?
- A foot (Correct answer)
- A line
- A stanza
- A bar
Correct answer: A foot
A metrical foot is the repeating syllable-stress unit.
Question 2: An iamb consists of which stress pattern?
- Unstressed then stressed (Correct answer)
- Stressed then unstressed
- Two stressed
- Two unstressed
Correct answer: Unstressed then stressed
An iamb is da-DUM: unstressed followed by stressed.
Question 3: A trochee is the opposite of an iamb. What is its pattern?
- Stressed then unstressed (Correct answer)
- Unstressed then stressed
- Three unstressed
- Two stressed
Correct answer: Stressed then unstressed
A trochee is DUM-da: stressed followed by unstressed.
Question 4: A line of poetry with five metrical feet is written in what?
- Pentameter (Correct answer)
- Tetrameter
- Trimeter
- Hexameter
Correct answer: Pentameter
'Penta' means five, so five feet is pentameter.
Question 5: A foot with two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable is called what?
- Anapest (Correct answer)
- Dactyl
- Spondee
- Iamb
Correct answer: Anapest
An anapest is da-da-DUM.
Question 6: A dactyl has which stress pattern?
- Stressed, unstressed, unstressed (Correct answer)
- Unstressed, unstressed, stressed
- Stressed, stressed
- Unstressed, stressed
Correct answer: Stressed, unstressed, unstressed
A dactyl is DUM-da-da.
Question 7: A foot made of two stressed syllables, often used for emphasis, is a what?
- Spondee (Correct answer)
- Pyrrhic
- Trochee
- Anapest
Correct answer: Spondee
A spondee is DUM-DUM, two stresses in a row.
Songwriters Rhyme Schemes and Meter 3
What is the basic unit of meter consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables called?