Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?

Iambic tetrameter

Iambic pentameter

Trochaic pentameter

Free verse
2 To whom does the phrase "The Nazarene" refer?

Abraham

Jesus

Mary

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

Indecisive

Idle

Sweet

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

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"each tough palm was skewered"

"like shells from Galilee"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB

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

The role of bystanders

Fatherhood

Gender

Art
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

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

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A politician's wife in 1960s California

A female mystic in medieval France

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 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 speaker

The maid

The Emperor

Pilate
12 Which of the following is a major theme of the poem?

The destruction of nature

Racism

Gender

Food
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?

Standing Female Nude

The World's Wife

Little Red Cap

Mean Time
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?

Howling

Gossiping

Resting

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

Moths

Twigs

Mice

Books
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?

Inquisitive

Lamenting

Humorous

Pragmatic
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?

Dramatic Irony

Situational Irony

Verbal 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

Tercets

Quatrains

Quintains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

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

"Leave him alone."

"bored stiff, disguised"

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

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A type of headdress

A silent movie

A sea
24 Who is Barabbas?

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The speaker's maid

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

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

Childhood and coming of age

Imagination

Desire

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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