Unrhymed iambic pentameter is exemplified by which form?

• A. Free Verse
• B. Blank Verse
• C. Lyric
• D. Epic

Answer: (B)

Unrhymed iambic pentameter is a rhythm with five iambs per line (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one) and no end rhyme. The form that uses this exact pattern is blank verse. It creates a steady, elevated cadence that’s common in English dramatic poetry, like Shakespeare’s plays, where the lines have that da-DUM feel but do not rhyme at the ends.

Free verse, by contrast, has no regular meter or rhyme, so it doesn’t follow the five-iamb, unstressed-stressed pattern. A lyric poem centers on personal emotion and can vary in meter, not fixed to iambic pentameter. An epic is a long narrative poem; while it can be written in blank verse, the defining feature of the form in this question is the unrhymed iambic pentameter itself, which is precisely what blank verse embodies.