Limericks are known for humor and wit and have a specific meter pattern described as which of the following?

Limericks are known for humor and wit and have a specific meter pattern described as which of the following?

• A. Five lines of iambic pentameter
• B. Two lines of iambic dimeter followed by two lines of iambic dimeter and another of iambic trimeter
• C. A consistent dactylic pattern throughout
• D. Free verse with variable length

Answer: (B)

Limericks use a lively, regular meter called anapestic rhythm. The five-line form follows a pattern where the first, second, and fifth lines each have three anapestic feet (three da-da-DUM units), while the third and fourth lines have two anapestic feet. This creates the characteristic bounce and punchy cadence that supports the humor. The rhyme scheme is AABBA, which ties the whole five-line stanza together and helps the joke land with a punch at the end of the final line. The option describing iambic dimeter wouldn’t capture this rhythm, since iambs use alternating unstressed-stressed pairs and dimeter means only two feet per line, which isn’t how limericks are structured. Limericks aren’t described by a free, unrhythmed line or by a dactylic pattern across the whole poem.

Limericks use a lively, regular meter called anapestic rhythm. The five-line form follows a pattern where the first, second, and fifth lines each have three anapestic feet (three da-da-DUM units), while the third and fourth lines have two anapestic feet. This creates the characteristic bounce and punchy cadence that supports the humor. The rhyme scheme is AABBA, which ties the whole five-line stanza together and helps the joke land with a punch at the end of the final line. The option describing iambic dimeter wouldn’t capture this rhythm, since iambs use alternating unstressed-stressed pairs and dimeter means only two feet per line, which isn’t how limericks are structured. Limericks aren’t described by a free, unrhythmed line or by a dactylic pattern across the whole poem.