What type of poetry is characterized by being unrhymed and having no set meter?

The correct answer is free verse, which is a type of poetry that is distinguished by its lack of a specific rhyme scheme and set meter. Free verse allows poets the freedom to express their ideas without being constrained by traditional poetic structures, enabling a more natural flow of language that can reflect the rhythms of speech. This style embraces irregular line lengths and varying patterns, creating a unique voice and allowing for innovative visual arrangements on the page.

In contrast, iambic pentameter is a specific metrical pattern that consists of five feet in each line, with each foot having an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, thus adhering to a fixed meter. The terms stanza and couplet refer to the structural components of poetry, with a stanza being a grouped set of lines and a couplet being two lines that typically rhyme. Neither stanzas nor couplets specify the absence of rhyme or meter, which is fundamental to the definition of free verse.