Which term names the pattern of rhymes in a poem, such as ABAB?

Which term names the pattern of rhymes in a poem, such as ABAB?

• A. Rhyme scheme
• B. Meter
• C. Iamb
• D. Stanza

Answer: (A)

Pattern of rhymes in a poem is described by the rhyme scheme. It assigns a letter to each line based on its end rhyme, so lines with the same letter rhyme with each other. ABAB specifically shows that the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme, creating an alternating scheme that guides how the poem sounds as you read it aloud. This concept focuses on the order of end rhymes, not the poem’s rhythm or its line grouping. Meter, on the other hand, concerns rhythm—the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. An iamb is a common metrical foot (unstressed followed by stressed). Stanza refers to a grouped set of lines, like a paragraph in poetry, which can host one or multiple rhyme schemes.

Pattern of rhymes in a poem is described by the rhyme scheme. It assigns a letter to each line based on its end rhyme, so lines with the same letter rhyme with each other. ABAB specifically shows that the first and third lines rhyme, and the second and fourth lines rhyme, creating an alternating scheme that guides how the poem sounds as you read it aloud. This concept focuses on the order of end rhymes, not the poem’s rhythm or its line grouping.

Meter, on the other hand, concerns rhythm—the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. An iamb is a common metrical foot (unstressed followed by stressed). Stanza refers to a grouped set of lines, like a paragraph in poetry, which can host one or multiple rhyme schemes.