Pilate’s Wife Quizzes

Pilate's Wife Quiz Literary Devices and Themes

1 What is the poem's meter?
Free verse

Trochaic pentameter

Iambic pentameter

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

Moses

Jesus

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

Musical

Indecisive

Idle
4 Which of the following is an instance of simile?
"each tough palm was skewered"

"like shells from Galilee"

"clutched the bridle of an ass"

"They seized the prophet then and dragged him out"
5 What is the poem's rhyme scheme?
It has no consistent rhyme scheme

ABAB

ABABCDECDE

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

Fatherhood

Gender

The role of bystanders
7 Which of the following lines displays alliteration?
"rough men shouldering a pathway to the gates."

"His face? Ugly. Talented."

"The crowd was baying for Barabbas."

"Firstly, his hands - a woman's."
8 Who is the poem's speaker?
A female mystic in medieval France

An unnamed soldier in World War II

A politician's wife in 1960s California

The wife of the biblical figure Pontius Pilate
9 Which is the poem's most prominent symbol?
Hands

Donkeys

Skulls

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

The two do not know one another well, but Duffy hints that they will grow closer over time
11 Who is the poem's antagonist?
The maid

The speaker

Pilate

The Emperor
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?
Little Red Cap

Standing Female Nude

Mean Time

The World's Wife
14 What is the closest synonym of the word "baying"?
Resting

Howling

Weeping

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

Books

Mice

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

"His brown hands touched me."

"Their pale, mothy touch made me flinch."

"I longed for Rome, home, someone else."
17 Which best describes the poem's tone?
Inquisitive

Lamenting

Pragmatic

Humorous
18 In which year was this poem first published?
2005

1999

1978

2012
19 Pilate displays many traits associated with femininity, despite his power as a man. This is an instance of what?
Paradox

Situational Irony

Verbal Irony

Dramatic Irony
20 What is the poem's setting?
Twentieth-century Los Angeles

First-century Jerusalem

Fifteenth-century Europe

Eighteenth-century India
21 What stanza type is used in this poem?
Quatrains

Quintains

Sestets

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 temple in ancient Jerusalem

A type of headdress

A sea

A silent movie
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?
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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