Which meter is defined as an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable?

Which meter is defined as an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable?

• A. Iambic Meter
• B. Dactylic Meter
• C. Spondaic Meter
• D. Anapestic Meter

Answer: (A)

Meter in poetry comes from patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables. An iamb is a two-syllable foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, creating a light–heavy beat—da-DUM—when the feet are repeated. When a line uses five of these iambs, it forms iambic pentameter, a very natural, speechlike rhythm often heard in English verse. That pattern—unstressed then stressed—is what makes this meter fit. The other patterns differ: a foot that starts with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one is trochaic; a foot with two stressed syllables is spondaic; and a foot with two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one is anapestic.

Meter in poetry comes from patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables. An iamb is a two-syllable foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, creating a light–heavy beat—da-DUM—when the feet are repeated. When a line uses five of these iambs, it forms iambic pentameter, a very natural, speechlike rhythm often heard in English verse. That pattern—unstressed then stressed—is what makes this meter fit. The other patterns differ: a foot that starts with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one is trochaic; a foot with two stressed syllables is spondaic; and a foot with two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed one is anapestic.