Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Trochaic pentameter

Free verse

Iambic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter
2 To whom does the phrase "The Nazarene" refer?

Jesus

Moses

Mary

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

Sweet

Musical

Indecisive

Idle
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?

"each tough palm was skewered"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"like shells from Galilee"

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

ABABCDECDE

ABBACDDC

ABAB

It has no consistent rhyme scheme
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?

Gender

Art

Fatherhood

The role of bystanders
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?

"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?

A female mystic in medieval France

An unnamed soldier in World War II

A politician's wife in 1960s California

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?

Thorns

Hands

Skulls

Donkeys
10 What is the best description of the speaker's relationship to her maid?

The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her

The two are faithful companions and friends

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
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?

The speaker

The Emperor

Pilate

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

Racism

The destruction of nature

Food

Gender
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?

Standing Female Nude

Little Red Cap

Mean Time

The World's Wife
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?

Resting

Howling

Gossiping

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

Moths

Books

Mice

Twigs
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

"I longed for Rome, home, someone else."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"His brown hands touched me."

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?

Humorous

Inquisitive

Pragmatic

Lamenting
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

Paradox

Dramatic Irony

Situational Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?

First-century Jerusalem

Eighteenth-century India

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

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

Sestets

Tercets

Quintains

Quatrains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"Leave him alone."

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

"bored stiff, disguised"

"His eyes were eyes to die for."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?

A type of headdress

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A sea

A silent movie
24 Who is Barabbas?

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's late first husband

The speaker's maid

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?

Desire

Class

Childhood and coming of age

Imagination

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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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