Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Iambic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

Free verse

Trochaic 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?
"each tough palm was skewered"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"like shells from Galilee"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABABCDECDE

ABAB

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

Fatherhood

The role of bystanders

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

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
A female mystic in medieval France

A politician's wife in 1960s California

An unnamed soldier in World War II

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Skulls

Hands

Thorns

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 speaker

Pilate

The maid

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

Food

Gender

The destruction of nature
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?
Mean Time

Little Red Cap

Standing Female Nude

The World's Wife
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?
Books

Twigs

Mice

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

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"His brown hands touched me."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Inquisitive

Pragmatic

Humorous

Lamenting
18 In which year was this poem first published?
2012

1978

2005

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

Paradox

Verbal 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

Sestets

Tercets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"bored stiff, disguised"

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

"Leave him alone."

"His eyes were eyes to die for."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?
A silent movie

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A sea

A type of headdress
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?
Desire

Class

Childhood and coming of age

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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