Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Free verse

Iambic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

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

Mary

Jesus

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

Indecisive

Musical

Idle
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"like shells from Galilee"

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

ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
The role of bystanders

Gender

Fatherhood

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

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

An unnamed soldier in World War II

A politician's wife in 1960s California

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

Donkeys

Hands

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 speaker

Pilate

The Emperor

The maid
12 Which of the following is a major theme of the poem?
Food

Racism

The destruction of nature

Gender
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?
Little Red Cap

Mean Time

Standing Female Nude

The World's Wife
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?
Weeping

Gossiping

Resting

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

Books

Twigs

Moths
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?
"His brown hands touched me."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

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

Lamenting

Inquisitive

Pragmatic
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

Paradox

Verbal Irony

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

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Fifteenth-century Europe

Eighteenth-century India
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Tercets

Quintains

Sestets

Quatrains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"His eyes were eyes to die for."

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

"bored stiff, disguised"

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

A type of headdress

A silent movie

A temple in ancient Jerusalem
24 Who is Barabbas?
The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's late first husband

The speaker's maid

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

Desire

Childhood and coming of age

Class

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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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