Which statement best explains how enjambment and end-stopped lines affect pace in poetry?

• A. Enjambment slows pace; end-stopped speeds pace.
• B. End-stopped lines create momentum by carrying a sentence to the next line.
• C. Enjambment runs lines on without a pause; end-stopped ends with punctuation, slowing pace.
• D. Enjambment and end-stopped have no impact on pace.

Answer: (C)

Pace in poetry is about how quickly or slowly the reading movement unfolds. Enjambment happens when a sentence keeps going from one line to the next without a stopping punctuation at the line end; you naturally carry on into the next line, which tends to speed up reading and create forward momentum. End-stopped lines end with punctuation, so you pause at the end of each line, which slows the pace and can give emphasis to that moment. Because of that connection between line endings and how we read, the statement that enjambment runs lines on without a pause and end-stopped ends with punctuation, slowing pace, is the best explanation. The other ideas either swap the effects or claim there’s no impact, which doesn’t fit how line endings shape reading speed.