Identify the correct combination among the following:
[A] Spondee: It consists of three stressed syllables
[B] Pyrrhic: It consists of two unstressed syllables
[C] Amphimacer: It is a metrical foot of three syllables
[D] Choriambus: It is a foot of verse consisting of two stressed syllables enclosing two unstressed syllables
[E] Trochaic: It has a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:
Correct Answer :
B, C and E only
Solution :
The correct option is B, C and E only.
Let us analyze each of the given statements step-by-step to understand why this combination is correct:
[A] Spondee: It consists of three stressed syllables (Incorrect)
A spondee is a metrical foot consisting of two stressed (long) syllables (stressed-stressed, or ), not three. Therefore, statement A is incorrect.
[B] Pyrrhic: It consists of two unstressed syllables (Correct)
A pyrrhic foot (also known as a dibrach) is a metrical foot consisting of two unstressed (short) syllables (unstressed-unstressed, or ). Therefore, statement B is correct.
[C] Amphimacer: It is a metrical foot of three syllables (Correct)
An amphimacer (also called a cretic foot) is a trisyllabic (three-syllable) metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable, an unstressed syllable, and a stressed syllable (stressed-unstressed-stressed, or ). Since it is indeed a metrical foot of three syllables, statement C is correct.
[D] Choriambus: It is a foot of verse consisting of two stressed syllables enclosing two unstressed syllables (Incorrect)
A choriambus is a metrical foot of four syllables. However, it consists of a stressed syllable, two unstressed syllables, and a stressed syllable (stressed-unstressed-unstressed-stressed, or ). In other words, it consists of two unstressed syllables enclosed by (between) two stressed syllables, which is the opposite of "two stressed syllables enclosing two unstressed syllables" (which would mean unstressed-stressed-stressed-unstressed). Therefore, statement D is incorrect.
[E] Trochaic: It has a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (Correct)
A trochee (or trochaic foot) is a two-syllable metrical foot consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (stressed-unstressed, or ). Therefore, statement E is correct.
In conclusion, the correct statements are B, C, and E.
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