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AssignmentMultiple Choice

Poetic Structure in Pope’s Essay on Man

Question 1 • CARE_24_25_TX-English IV A

Which line is written in iambic pentameter?

Answer
A
The night sky shimmers with stars
B
She wandered up and down the hills and picked a bunch of daffodils
C
A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain

Explanation

Iambic pentameter has five pairs of syllables, with each pair moving from an unstressed syllable to a stressed one. “A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain” can be read as “a THOU | sand MOVE | ments SCARCE | one PUR | pose GAIN,” giving five iambs. The other lines do not have the same five-pair rhythm.

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