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?

Trochaic pentameter

Free verse

Iambic tetrameter

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

Mary

Abraham

Moses

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

Sweet

Musical

Indecisive

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

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"like shells from Galilee"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"

"each tough palm was skewered"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?

ABBACDDC

ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB
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?

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

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

"His face? Ugly. Talented."
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

Skulls

Donkeys

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

The two are faithful companions and friends

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

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
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?

Food

Gender

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"?

Weeping

Howling

Resting

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

Moths

Books

Mice

Twigs
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

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

"His brown hands touched me."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?

Lamenting

Inquisitive

Humorous

Pragmatic
18 In which year was this poem first published?

1978

1999

2012

2005
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?

Paradox

Verbal Irony

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?

First-century Jerusalem

Fifteenth-century Europe

Eighteenth-century India

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

Sestets

Quatrains

Tercets

Quintains
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?

"bored stiff, disguised"

"Leave him alone."

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

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

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The speaker's maid
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?

Class

Childhood and coming of age

Imagination

Desire

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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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