Question

Which is one characteristic of iambic pentameter, which is used in "Sonnet 29”?

Answer 1

In iambic pentameter, each verse consists of five metrical feet. Meter is a poem's rhythm, and feet are units of that rhythm.

In an iamb, an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable, as in the word "hello."

"Penta" means five, so a verse of iambic pentameter has five iambs. Five pairs of unstressed syllables followed by stressed syllables.

Five pairs gives a total of ten syllables. So the answer is B, "each line contains ten syllables."

Answer 2

B. Each line contains ten syllables. Iambic pentameter is a rhythmic pattern common to poetry made up of an unrhymed line containing five metrical feet wherein each foot contains an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable.