For variety, mix long sentences and short ones, but average under how many words?

• A. Thirty
• B. Twenty
• C. Fifteen
• D. Forty

Answer: (B)

Mixing long and short sentences creates rhythm, but you want readability to stay steady. Keeping the average length under about twenty words strikes a good balance: you have enough room to develop ideas without turning every line into a slog, and you still get the punch of shorter sentences for emphasis. Twenty words per sentence is a common target for clear writing, so it fits the idea of variety while maintaining flow. Pushing the average toward thirty or forty would make sentences feel dense and harder to follow, while fifteen is unusually short and can limit how you express ideas.