Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

By Eleanor Stern · Edited by James Cooper · Last reviewed January 19, 2023

1 What is the poem's meter?

Free verse

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

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

Jesus

Abraham

Mary

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

Sweet

Indecisive

Musical

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

"like shells from Galilee"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"each tough palm was skewered"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"
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

The role of bystanders

Art

Fatherhood
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

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

Hands

Skulls

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?

Pilate

The maid

The speaker

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

Food

The destruction of nature

Racism

Gender
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?

The World's Wife

Mean Time

Standing Female Nude

Little Red Cap
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?

Gossiping

Weeping

Howling

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

Twigs

Books

Mice

Moths
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"His brown hands touched me."

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

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

Pragmatic

Lamenting

Inquisitive

Humorous
18 In which year was this poem first published?

1978

2012

2005

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

Dramatic Irony

Paradox

Verbal Irony

Situational Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Fifteenth-century Europe

Eighteenth-century India

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

Quintains

Quatrains

Sestets

Tercets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"Leave him alone."

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

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"bored stiff, disguised"
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?

A sea

A type of headdress

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A silent movie
24 Who is Barabbas?

The speaker's maid

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The speaker's late first husband
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?

Desire

Class

Imagination

Childhood and coming of age

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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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