A couplet is defined as which of the following?

A couplet is defined as which of the following?

• A. A stanza of two lines, rhymed or unrhymed
• B. A stanza of four lines with a fixed rhyme
• C. A single line of verse
• D. A three-line stanza

Answer: (A)

A couplet is defined by its number of lines: a two-line stanza. The lines can rhyme or be unrhymed, but the important thing is that there are two lines forming a single unit of thought or image. This is why a two-line stanza fits the term, while the other options describe different stanza lengths—four lines make a quatrain, a single line is a monostich, and three lines form a tercet. In English poetry you’ll also hear about heroic couplets when two rhymed lines in a regular meter (often iambic pentameter) create a complete, impactful thought.

A couplet is defined by its number of lines: a two-line stanza. The lines can rhyme or be unrhymed, but the important thing is that there are two lines forming a single unit of thought or image. This is why a two-line stanza fits the term, while the other options describe different stanza lengths—four lines make a quatrain, a single line is a monostich, and three lines form a tercet. In English poetry you’ll also hear about heroic couplets when two rhymed lines in a regular meter (often iambic pentameter) create a complete, impactful thought.