Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Iambic pentameter

Iambic tetrameter

Free verse

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

Mary

Moses

Abraham

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

Indecisive

Musical

Sweet

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

"each tough palm was skewered"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"like shells from Galilee"

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

ABAB

ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

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

Art

Gender

Fatherhood

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

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

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

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

A politician's wife in 1960s California

A female mystic in medieval France

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

Hands

Skulls

Donkeys
10 What is the best description of the speaker's relationship to her maid?

The two are faithful companions and friends

The two do not know one another well, but Duffy hints that they will grow closer over time

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 Emperor

The speaker

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

Gender

Food

The destruction of nature

Racism
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?

The World's Wife

Mean Time

Little Red Cap

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

Gossiping

Resting

Howling

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

Twigs

Books

Mice

Moths
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

"His brown hands touched me."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

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

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

Inquisitive

Lamenting

Pragmatic

Humorous
18 In which year was this poem first published?

2005

2012

1978

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

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony

Paradox

Verbal Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Eighteenth-century India

Fifteenth-century Europe

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

Quintains

Sestets

Quatrains

Tercets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"Leave him alone."

"bored stiff, disguised"

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified."
23 What does the word "Galilee" refer to?

A type of headdress

A sea

A silent movie

A temple in ancient Jerusalem
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

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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