Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature Practice Exam

Blank verse is defined as poetry that is:

1. Written in rhymed iambic pentameter

2. Written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

3. A mixture of different rhythmic patterns

4. Consistently written in free verse

The correct answer is: Written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

Blank verse is indeed defined as poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. This form of verse is characterized by lines that contain five feet, each foot being an iamb (a metrical foot with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable), giving it a natural rhythm similar to spoken English. The absence of rhyme allows for greater flexibility in expression and lends a more conversational tone to the poetry, which is why many notable playwrights and poets, including Shakespeare and Milton, favored this form for its versatility in dramatic and narrative contexts. The other options present characteristics that do not align with the definition of blank verse. Rhymed iambic pentameter combines rhyme with the meter, which is not blank verse. A mixture of different rhythmic patterns would describe a more varied form of poetry, which blank verse does not embody since it is strictly iambic pentameter. Finally, consistently using free verse implies a lack of metrical structure altogether, diverging from the rhythmic constraints intrinsic to blank verse.