A metrical foot in which a stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed syllable is

Analyze the question: It asks for the metrical foot in which a stressed syllable comes first and is followed by an unstressed syllable (stressed + unstressed, written / ˘ or DUM-da).

Explain the concept: A metrical foot is the basic unit of rhythm in a line of poetry. The common types are:

| Foot | Pattern | Example | |---|---|---| | Iamb (iambic) | unstressed + stressed (da-DUM) | de-LIGHT, be-GIN | | Trochee (trochaic) | stressed + unstressed (DUM-da) | TY-ger, GAR-den | | Spondee (spondaic) | stressed + stressed (DUM-DUM) | HEART-BREAK | | Dactyl (dactylic) | stressed + unstressed + unstressed (DUM-da-da) | PO-et-ry, MER-ri-ly | | Anapest (anapestic) | unstressed + unstressed + stressed (da-da-DUM) | in-ter-VENE |

Show the solution:

• A. Iambic is unstressed then stressed, which is the reverse of what is asked, so it is wrong.
• B. Spondaic has two stressed syllables, so it is wrong.
• C. Trochaic is stressed then unstressed, which matches the question.
• D. Dactylic has one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed ones, which is three syllables rather than two, so it is wrong.

Answer: The correct option is C. trochaic.

Tip: Remember that Trochee = ThumP-da (strong beat first), while Iamb = I am... "da-DUM" (the stress comes late). Also, a dactyl always has three syllables, so a two-syllable foot can never be dactylic.