Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Iambic tetrameter

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

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

Abraham

Moses

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

Idle

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

ABBACDDC

ABAB
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
The role of bystanders

Gender

Fatherhood

Art
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?
"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."

"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

An unnamed soldier in World War II

A female mystic in medieval France

A politician's wife in 1960s California
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Donkeys

Thorns

Hands

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

The speaker regards her maid maternally, teaching and advising her

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

The maid

Pilate

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

The destruction of nature

Food

Racism
13 In which poetry collection did this first appear?
Little Red Cap

Mean Time

The World's Wife

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

Gossiping

Howling

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

Mice

Books

Moths
16 Which line uses assonance most extensively?
"the Nazarene was crowned with thorns."

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

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

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

Pragmatic

Lamenting

Inquisitive
18 In which year was this poem first published?
1978

2005

1999

2012
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?
Fifteenth-century Europe

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Eighteenth-century India

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

Quatrains

Quintains

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

"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"Leave him alone."

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

A type of headdress

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A silent movie
24 Who is Barabbas?
The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's maid

The speaker's late first husband

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?
Class

Imagination

Desire

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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