Question

Middle English alliterative meter has two half-lines after which is positioned a(n) ________ called the caesura.

A) Rhyme
B) Break
C) Pause
D) Enjambment

Answer 1

The correct term for the pause or break within a line of Middle English alliterative meter is a caesura, which is used to add emphasis and rhythmic variety.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Middle English alliterative meter, the two half-lines are separated by a pause or break known as the caesura.

This stylistic device is used by poets to add emphasis or to create a particular rhythmic effect within a line.

A caesura is not to be confused with a line break, where the line ends completely, or enjambment, where a sentence or phrase runs over from one line to the next without a terminal punctuation mark.

Unlike end rhymes, which occur at the end of lines, or a split couplet, which employs two rhyming lines of different lengths, a caesura interrupts the flow within a single line.