In poetry, which term refers to the pattern of beats and accents in verse?

In poetry, which term refers to the pattern of beats and accents in verse?

• A. Meter
• B. Tempo
• C. Pitch
• D. Timbre

Answer: (A)

Meter is the pattern of beats and accents in verse. In poetry, meter organizes syllables into feet with a regular stressed/unstressed sequence, creating the poem’s rhythmic backbone. Each line might have a specific number of feet—like iambic feet, which are unstressed followed by stressed, giving an overall rhythm such as five feet per line in iambic pentameter. This structured rhythm guides how a line should flow when read aloud and shapes the poem’s musical feel. The other terms don’t name this verse structure: tempo refers to speed, pitch to highness or lowness of sound, and timbre to tone color.

Meter is the pattern of beats and accents in verse. In poetry, meter organizes syllables into feet with a regular stressed/unstressed sequence, creating the poem’s rhythmic backbone. Each line might have a specific number of feet—like iambic feet, which are unstressed followed by stressed, giving an overall rhythm such as five feet per line in iambic pentameter. This structured rhythm guides how a line should flow when read aloud and shapes the poem’s musical feel. The other terms don’t name this verse structure: tempo refers to speed, pitch to highness or lowness of sound, and timbre to tone color.