Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Iambic pentameter

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

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

Moses

Jesus

Abraham

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

Musical

Indecisive

Sweet

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

"each tough palm was skewered"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"like shells from Galilee"

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

ABABCDECDE

ABAB

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

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

Art

Fatherhood

The role of bystanders

Gender
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

An unnamed soldier in World War II

A female mystic in medieval France

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

Thorns

Donkeys

Hands

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

The two are faithful companions and friends

The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her

The two do not know one another well, but Duffy hints that they will grow closer over time

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

Food

Gender
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?

Mean Time

Standing Female Nude

Little Red Cap

The World's Wife
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

Twigs

Moths

Mice
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?

Humorous

Inquisitive

Lamenting

Pragmatic
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?

Situational Irony

Paradox

Verbal Irony

Dramatic Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?

First-century Jerusalem

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Eighteenth-century India

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

Quintains

Quatrains

Tercets

Sestets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"bored stiff, disguised"

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

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

"Leave him alone."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A silent movie

A sea

A type of headdress
24 Who is Barabbas?

The speaker's maid

The speaker's late first husband

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus
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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