Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Iambic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

Trochaic pentameter

Free verse
2 To whom does the phrase "The Nazarene" refer?
Mary

Moses

Jesus

Abraham
3 Which is the definition of the word "indolent"?
Sweet

Indecisive

Musical

Idle
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"each tough palm was skewered"

"like shells from Galilee"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB

ABBACDDC
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
Fatherhood

Art

The role of bystanders

Gender
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?
"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
A female mystic in medieval France

A politician's wife in 1960s California

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

An unnamed soldier in World War II
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Donkeys

Hands

Thorns

Skulls
10 What is the best description of the speaker's relationship to her maid?
The speaker does not trust her maid and keeps her actions secret from her

The two do not know one another well, but Duffy hints that they will grow closer over time

The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her

The two are faithful companions and friends
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?
Pilate

The Emperor

The maid

The speaker
12 Which of the following is a major theme of the poem?
Food

Racism

Gender

The destruction of nature
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?
Little Red Cap

The World's Wife

Mean Time

Standing Female Nude
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?
Weeping

Resting

Gossiping

Howling
15 The speaker compares her husband's hands to which of the following?
Mice

Twigs

Moths

Books
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?
"I longed for Rome, home, someone else."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

"His brown hands touched me."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Pragmatic

Lamenting

Humorous

Inquisitive
18 In which year was this poem first published?
2005

1999

1978

2012
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?
Verbal Irony

Situational Irony

Paradox

Dramatic Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?
Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Eighteenth-century India

First-century Jerusalem

Fifteenth-century Europe
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Sestets

Quintains

Tercets

Quatrains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"bored stiff, disguised"

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified."

"Leave him alone."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?
A sea

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A silent movie

A type of headdress
24 Who is Barabbas?
A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's maid

The speaker's late first husband
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?
Desire

Class

Imagination

Childhood and coming of age

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Study Guide for Pilate’s Wife

Pilate's Wife study guide contains a biography of Carol Ann Duffy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

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