Hexameter lines have how many feet?

Hexameter lines have how many feet?

• A. 5 feet
• B. 6 feet
• C. 7 feet
• D. 8 feet

Answer: (B)

Hexameter means six feet in a line. The prefix hex- signals six, and a foot is a metrical unit—a pattern of syllables with a particular stress. So a hexameter line contains six such feet. In classical poetry this is often six dactyls (dactylic hexameter), while in English adaptations you might hear six iambic feet (iambic hexameter). This is why the correct choice is six feet. The other counts correspond to other metrical names: five feet would be pentameter, seven would be heptameter, and eight would be octameter.

Hexameter means six feet in a line. The prefix hex- signals six, and a foot is a metrical unit—a pattern of syllables with a particular stress. So a hexameter line contains six such feet. In classical poetry this is often six dactyls (dactylic hexameter), while in English adaptations you might hear six iambic feet (iambic hexameter). This is why the correct choice is six feet. The other counts correspond to other metrical names: five feet would be pentameter, seven would be heptameter, and eight would be octameter.