This question is based on General literacy principles A poet's use of regular rhythm is known as

Analyze the question: It asks for the term describing a poet's use of regular rhythm. That is, the term for the patterned arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse.

Explain the concepts: Let's check each option.

• A. Allegory: A story, poem, or picture with a hidden moral or political meaning, where characters and events symbolise ideas. Example: George Orwell's Animal Farm. It has nothing to do with rhythm.
• B. Assonance: The repetition of similar vowel sounds in nearby words, e.g. "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain". This is a sound device, not rhythm.
• C. Metre: The regular pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry. It is made up of units called feet (iambic, trochaic, dactylic, etc.). Regular rhythm in a poem is its metre.
• D. Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate the sound they describe, e.g. "buzz", "hiss", "bang". This is also about sound, not rhythm.

Solution:

• The question asks about a regular rhythmic pattern.
• Only metre refers to a measured, regular pattern of beats in a line of verse.
• For example, an iambic pentameter line has five feet, each with an unstressed then stressed syllable: "Shall I comPARE thee TO a SUMmer's DAY?"

Answer: The correct option is C. metre.

Exam tip: Link the words to their key ideas:

• Metre = measure of rhythm (beats)
• Assonance = all about vowel sounds
• Onomatopoeia = sound-imitating words
• Allegory = hidden meaning story

When a question mentions "rhythm" or "beat pattern" in poetry, think metre.