Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Iambic tetrameter

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

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

Mary

Moses

Jesus
3 Which is the definition of the word "indolent"?
Sweet

Idle

Indecisive

Musical
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?
ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABBACDDC

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

Art

The role of bystanders

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

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
An unnamed soldier in World War II

A politician's wife in 1960s California

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A female mystic in medieval France
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Hands

Skulls

Donkeys

Thorns
10 What is the best description of the speaker's relationship to her maid?
The speaker does not trust her maid and keeps her actions secret from her

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
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?
The maid

The speaker

The Emperor

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?
Little Red Cap

Standing Female Nude

The World's Wife

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

Resting

Howling

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

Mice

Books

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

"His brown hands touched me."

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

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

Inquisitive

Pragmatic

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

1978

2012

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

Dramatic Irony

Situational Irony

Paradox
20 What is the poem's setting?
First-century Jerusalem

Fifteenth-century Europe

Eighteenth-century India

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

Sestets

Quintains

Quatrains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"Leave him alone."

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

"bored stiff, disguised"

"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

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's late first husband
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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