Step 1 : Understanding the Question:
This question asks us to identify the correct statements concerning the definition, structure, and historical usage of blank verse in English poetry.
Step 2 : Key Formulas and Approach:
The approach involves applying standard definitions of poetic meter and rhyme to evaluate each of the five given statements to find the correct combination.
Step 3 : Detailed Explanation:
• Blank verse is defined as unrhymed iambic pentameter, which means Statement A is correct.
• Statement B claims that all lines in blank verse are rhymed, which is incorrect by definition because blank verse is unrhymed.
• Statement C is correct because it accurately states that blank verse contains unrhymed lines.
• Statement D is correct because John Milton famously rejected rhyme in favor of blank verse for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667).
• Statement E is correct because the term "blank" refers specifically to the absence of end-rhymes in the lines.
• Therefore, the correct statements are A, C, D, and E.
Step 4 : Final Answer:
The correct combination is A, C, D, and E, making option (C) the correct choice.
The correct option is (C) A, C, D and E Only.