How does caesura typically affect reading pace?

• A. It slows or accents a moment by creating a deliberate pause.
• B. It speeds up the pace by pushing the reader forward.
• C. It eliminates any pause in reading.
• D. It signals the end of a stanza.

Answer: (A)

Caesura is a pause placed within a line of poetry, often created by punctuation or a natural breath. This internal pause changes reading pace by interrupting the flow, so the reader slows down for a moment and may give extra emphasis to the words around the pause. That’s why the best answer is that it slows or accents a moment by creating a deliberate pause. It doesn’t speed up the pace, since the pause interrupts the rhythm; it isn’t about ending a stanza, which is a larger structural break indicated by line or stanza boundaries rather than an inside-line pause.