Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Free verse

Iambic tetrameter

Trochaic pentameter

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

Mary

Jesus

Moses

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

Idle

Indecisive

Musical

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

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"like shells from Galilee"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

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

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABBACDDC

ABABCDECDE

ABAB
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?

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

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

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?

A female mystic in medieval France

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A politician's wife in 1960s California

An unnamed soldier in World War II
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 two do not know one another well, but Duffy hints that they will grow closer over time

The two are faithful companions and friends

The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her

The speaker does not trust her maid and keeps her actions secret from her
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?

The Emperor

The speaker

The maid

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

Food

The destruction of nature

Racism

Gender
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"?

Resting

Gossiping

Howling

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

Twigs

Mice

Moths

Books
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

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

"His brown hands touched me."

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

Pragmatic

Lamenting

Humorous

Inquisitive
18 In which year was this poem first published?

1978

1999

2012

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

Verbal Irony

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony

Paradox
20 What is the poem's setting?

Fifteenth-century Europe

Eighteenth-century India

First-century Jerusalem

Twentieth-century Los Angeles
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?

Tercets

Sestets

Quatrains

Quintains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"Leave him alone."

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

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

"bored stiff, disguised"
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A type of headdress

A silent movie

A sea
24 Who is Barabbas?

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's maid

The speaker's late first husband

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

Childhood and coming of age

Class

Imagination

Desire

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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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