Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Iambic pentameter

Free verse

Iambic tetrameter

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

Moses

Abraham

Jesus
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"

"like shells from Galilee"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"
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

Art

Gender

Fatherhood
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?
A politician's wife in 1960s California

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A female mystic in medieval France

An unnamed soldier in World War II
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Thorns

Hands

Skulls

Donkeys
10 What is the best description of the speaker's relationship to her maid?
The two are faithful companions and friends

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

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

The speaker

Pilate

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

Food

Gender

Racism
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"?
Gossiping

Howling

Weeping

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

Books

Twigs

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

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"His brown hands touched me."

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Lamenting

Pragmatic

Inquisitive

Humorous
18 In which year was this poem first published?
2005

1999

2012

1978
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?
Situational Irony

Verbal Irony

Paradox

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?
Quatrains

Sestets

Tercets

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

"Leave him alone."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?
A type of headdress

A silent movie

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A sea
24 Who is Barabbas?
The speaker's late first husband

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's maid
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?
Childhood and coming of age

Class

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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