Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Trochaic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

Free verse

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

Abraham

Moses

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

Sweet

Indecisive

Musical
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?
ABABCDECDE

ABAB

ABBACDDC

It has no consistent rhyme scheme
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
Gender

Art

The role of bystanders

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

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

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
An unnamed soldier in World War II

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A politician's wife in 1960s California

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

Hands

Thorns

Donkeys
10 What is the best description of the speaker's relationship to her maid?
The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her

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 two are faithful companions and friends
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?
Pilate

The Emperor

The speaker

The maid
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?
The World's Wife

Mean Time

Standing Female Nude

Little Red Cap
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

Moths

Books

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

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

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

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Lamenting

Humorous

Pragmatic

Inquisitive
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

Verbal Irony

Dramatic Irony

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

Eighteenth-century India

First-century Jerusalem

Twentieth-century Los Angeles
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Quintains

Quatrains

Sestets

Tercets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"bored stiff, disguised"

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

"Leave him alone."

"His eyes were eyes to die for."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?
A sea

A silent movie

A type of headdress

A temple in ancient Jerusalem
24 Who is Barabbas?
The speaker's late first husband

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The speaker's maid

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

Desire

Class

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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