“Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms” by Thomas Moore

Believe me, if all those endearing young charms,
  Which I gaze on so fondly today,
Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms,
  Like fairy-gifts fading away,
Thou wouldst still be adored, as this moment thou art.
  Let thy loveliness fade as it will.
And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
  Would entwine itself verdantly still.
It is not while beauty and youth are thine own,
  And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear,
That the fervor and faith of a soul can be known,
  To which time will but make thee more dear;
No, the heart that has truly loved never forgets,
  But as truly loves on to the close,
As the sun-flower turns on her god, when he sets,
  The same look which she turned when he rose.

Use the poem to answer the question.

Which of the following best describes the poem’s meter and its effect on the tone of the poem?

A.
A regular pattern of dactylic tetrameter creates a reassuring tone.

B.
The use of free verse creates an intimate, passionate tone.

C.
A consistent pattern of iambic pentameter creates an earnest tone.

D.
Alternating lines of anapestic trimeter and tetrameter create an encouraging tone.

E.
The arrangement of trochaic tetrameter and pentameter lines creates a sympathetic tone.

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1 answer

C. A consistent pattern of iambic pentameter creates an earnest tone.