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?
Abraham

Jesus

Moses

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

Indecisive

Sweet

Idle
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"each tough palm was skewered"

"like shells from Galilee"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
ABABCDECDE

ABBACDDC

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

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

The role of bystanders

Fatherhood

Gender
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?
"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
A female mystic in medieval France

A politician's wife in 1960s California

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

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

Donkeys

Hands

Skulls
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 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

Pilate

The Emperor

The speaker
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

The World's Wife

Standing Female Nude
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?
Resting

Gossiping

Weeping

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

Books

Moths

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

"His brown hands touched me."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

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

Lamenting

Humorous

Pragmatic
18 In which year was this poem first published?
1978

1999

2005

2012
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?
Paradox

Verbal Irony

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?
Fifteenth-century Europe

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Eighteenth-century India

First-century Jerusalem
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Quatrains

Sestets

Quintains

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

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified."
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 speaker's late first husband

The speaker's maid

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?
Desire

Imagination

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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