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

Moses

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

Musical

Idle

Indecisive
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"like shells from Galilee"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"each tough palm was skewered"

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

ABAB

ABABCDECDE

It has no consistent rhyme scheme
6 Which theme do the actions of the crowd most clearly relate to?
The role of bystanders

Gender

Art

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 female mystic in medieval France

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate

A politician's wife in 1960s California

An unnamed soldier in World War II
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Thorns

Donkeys

Skulls

Hands
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?
Racism

The destruction of nature

Gender

Food
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"?
Howling

Resting

Weeping

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

Mice

Books

Moths
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

Humorous

Inquisitive

Pragmatic
18 In which year was this poem first published?
2012

1999

1978

2005
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?
Eighteenth-century India

First-century Jerusalem

Twentieth-century Los Angeles

Fifteenth-century Europe
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Quintains

Sestets

Quatrains

Tercets
22 Which contains is an example of sibilance?
"His eyes were eyes to die for."

"Leave him alone."

"bored stiff, disguised"

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

A temple in ancient Jerusalem

A sea

A type of headdress
24 Who is Barabbas?
The speaker's late first husband

A priest who leaves the church after a scandal

The man who is pardoned instead of Jesus

The speaker's maid
25 Which theme is the most prominent in this work?
Childhood and coming of age

Class

Desire

Imagination

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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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