In poetry, what is the term for the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that gives a poem its rhythm?

• A. Rhythm
• B. Meter
• C. Cadence
• D. Rhyme

Answer: (B)

The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables that gives a poem its rhythm is meter. Meter names the regular beat created by arranging syllables as unstressed and stressed in a repeating unit, like iambs (unstressed followed by stressed) in iambic pentameter. Rhythm is a broader term for the overall beat and flow, but meter specifically describes the repeating pattern of emphasis that structures a poem. Cadence refers to the natural rise and fall in speaking or writing and can vary within a line, while rhyme is about ending sounds, not the beat itself.