Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Free verse

Iambic pentameter

Trochaic pentameter

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

Jesus

Mary

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

Indecisive

Sweet

Idle
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"each tough palm was skewered"

"like shells from Galilee"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABBACDDC

ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
Gender

Fatherhood

Art

The role of bystanders
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?
"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

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

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
A female mystic in medieval France

An unnamed soldier in World War II

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A politician's wife in 1960s California
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Hands

Donkeys

Thorns

Skulls
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 speaker does not trust her maid and keeps her actions secret from her

The two are faithful companions and friends

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 maid

The Emperor

The speaker

Pilate
12 Which of the following is a major theme of the poem?
Racism

The destruction of nature

Gender

Food
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?
Mean Time

Little Red Cap

Standing Female Nude

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

Gossiping

Howling

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

Twigs

Books

Mice
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?
"His brown hands touched me."

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

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Humorous

Lamenting

Inquisitive

Pragmatic
18 In which year was this poem first published?
2012

1978

1999

2005
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?
Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony

Verbal Irony

Paradox
20 What is the poem's setting?
Eighteenth-century India

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

First-century Jerusalem

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

Quatrains

Quintains

Sestets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"Leave him alone."

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

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A type of headdress

A sea
24 Who is Barabbas?
The speaker's maid

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

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

Imagination

Childhood and coming of age

Desire

Pilate’s Wife Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Pilate’s Wife is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Ask Your Own Question

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.

Read the Study Guide for Pilate’s Wife…