Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Free verse

Iambic tetrameter

Trochaic pentameter

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

Moses

Jesus

Abraham

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

Musical

Indecisive

Idle

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

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"like shells from Galilee"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

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

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB

ABABCDECDE

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

Fatherhood

Art

Gender

The role of bystanders
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A female mystic in medieval France

An unnamed soldier in World War II

A politician's wife in 1960s California
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 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

The two do not know one another well, but Duffy hints that they will grow closer over time
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?

The speaker

The maid

Pilate

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

Food

Racism

Gender

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

Standing Female Nude

Mean Time

Little Red Cap

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

Howling

Resting

Weeping

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

Moths

Twigs

Books

Mice
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

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

"His brown hands touched me."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

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

Inquisitive

Humorous

Lamenting

Pragmatic
18 In which year was this poem first published?

2005

1978

2012

1999
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?

Dramatic Irony

Situational Irony

Verbal Irony

Paradox
20 What is the poem's setting?

Fifteenth-century Europe

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

First-century Jerusalem

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

Tercets

Sestets

Quatrains

Quintains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"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 type of headdress

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?

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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