Question

identify the meter in the following line (stressed syllables are underlined): \tonight we gaze at stars that light the sky.\

trochaic octameter
dactyl
iambic pentameter

Explanation:

Analyze the syllable stress pattern

The given line is: "Tonight we gaze at stars that light the sky."
The underlined (stressed) syllables are: "night", "gaze", "stars", "light", "sky".
The unstressed syllables are: "To", "we", "at", "that", "the".
This creates a repeating pattern of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM).

Determine the meter type and count

An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable is an iamb.
This pattern repeats exactly five times, totaling ten syllables:

1. Tonight (iamb)
2. we gaze (iamb)
3. at stars (iamb)
4. that light (iamb)
5. the sky (iamb)

Five repeating iambs constitute iambic pentameter.

Answer:

• trochaic octameter
• dactyl
• iambic pentameter (Correct answer)