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

Abraham

Moses

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

Idle

Indecisive

Sweet
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"like shells from Galilee"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"each tough palm was skewered"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABBACDDC

ABAB

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABABCDECDE
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
The role of bystanders

Fatherhood

Art

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

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A female mystic in medieval France

A politician's wife in 1960s California

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

Thorns

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 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 speaker

Pilate

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

Food

The destruction of nature

Racism
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?
The World's Wife

Standing Female Nude

Mean Time

Little Red Cap
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?
Howling

Weeping

Gossiping

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

Twigs

Mice

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

"His brown hands touched me."

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

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

Inquisitive

Lamenting

Humorous
18 In which year was this poem first published?
1978

2005

2012

1999
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?
Fifteenth-century Europe

First-century Jerusalem

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Eighteenth-century India
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Tercets

Sestets

Quatrains

Quintains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"Leave him alone."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?
A type of headdress

A sea

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A silent movie
24 Who is Barabbas?
The speaker's maid

The speaker's late first husband

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal
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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