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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old is Charlie's oldest child?

2. Often, why doesn't Walter respond to casual remarks that Kitty makes?

3. What does Charlie give as his number one reason for "hushing up" their affair?

4. After being startled in Chapter 1, what item does Charlie give Kitty?

5. After Kitty appears so radiant (shortly after commencing her affair with Charlie), what do her friends assume?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was different about Maugham's writing process on The Painted Veil compared to his other works?

2. Why does Kitty claim to not care if Walter does "kick up a row" about her affair with Charlie?

3. When Walter returns home, what clues lead Kitty to believe he knows about her affair?

4. Describe Charlie Townsend and why Kitty is initially attracted to him when she meets him at the social function.

5. What does Walter find humorous about Kitty's plan to marry Charlie upon her divorce from himself?

6. What reasons does Charlie give for wanting to remain married to Dorothy?

7. Describe Walter's behavior towards others at the dinner party in Chapter 21.

8. What two physical attributes are described of Doris in Chapter 8?

9. How many reasons does Charlie give for a potentially calm reaction from Walter upon finding out about their rendezvous?

10. What two attributes does Mrs.Garstin display in the way she arranges her dinner parties?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A recurrent theme in The Painted Veil is that of vanity, and how characters react when their vanity is wounded or bruised. Compare and contrast vanity as exhibited by Kitty, Charlie and Walter and how it either shifts throughout the novel or remains the same. Discuss how each character reacts when their vanity is wounded and what this reaction infers about that character.

Essay Topic 2

Duty is a theme throughout The Painted Veil. Discuss three different character's views of duty and how it is exhibited by their statements and actions. Based on these accounts of duty, does Maugham create an overarching definition of what duty is?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel Kitty's views of Charlie change drastically, however, Charlie's views of Kitty remain somewhat the same. Discuss the dichotomy of how these views differ and how they reflect upon the character that holds them.

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