Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Trochaic pentameter

Free verse

Iambic tetrameter

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

Moses

Mary

Abraham

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

Idle

Musical

Indecisive

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

"like shells from Galilee"

"each tough palm was skewered"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"
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?

The role of bystanders

Art

Gender

Fatherhood
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

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

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."
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

Thorns

Skulls

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 two are faithful companions and friends

The speaker does not trust her maid and keeps her actions secret from 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

Racism

Gender
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?

Standing Female Nude

Little Red Cap

Mean Time

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

Resting

Weeping

Howling

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

Books

Moths

Mice

Twigs
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

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

"His brown hands touched me."

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

Inquisitive

Humorous

Pragmatic

Lamenting
18 In which year was this poem first published?

1978

2012

1999

2005
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?

First-century Jerusalem

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Fifteenth-century Europe

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

Sestets

Quintains

Quatrains

Tercets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

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

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"Leave him alone."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?

A silent movie

A type of headdress

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A sea
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?

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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