Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Trochaic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

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

Moses

Abraham

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

Indecisive

Musical

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

"like shells from Galilee"

"each tough palm was skewered"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABABCDECDE

ABAB

ABBACDDC

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

The role of bystanders

Fatherhood

Art
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?
"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"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

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?
Donkeys

Skulls

Hands

Thorns
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 does not trust her maid and keeps her actions secret from her

The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?
Pilate

The speaker

The Emperor

The maid
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

Little Red Cap

Mean Time
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?
Weeping

Howling

Gossiping

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

Moths

Twigs

Mice
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?
"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"His brown hands touched me."

"I longed for Rome, home, someone else."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Pragmatic

Inquisitive

Lamenting

Humorous
18 In which year was this poem first published?
1999

2005

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

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony
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?
Quatrains

Sestets

Quintains

Tercets
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 type of headdress

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

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?
Class

Childhood and coming of age

Desire

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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