View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Kitty attend the daily services in the chapel with the other nuns and children?

2. What abruptly awakens Kitty during her first night in Mei-tan-fu?

3. During Kitty and Waddington's first dinner together, what unexpected mutual acquaintance do they discover?

4. Who recited a Protestant burial service for Walter?

5. When Kitty asks Walter if he wanted her to die from cholera in Chapter 57, what is his response?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Waddington describe Walter?

2. How does Waddington describe his religious views to Kitty?

3. When Kitty asks Waddington about immortality, what is his response?

4. How does Kitty describe the city of Mei-tan-fu as she is carried to Walter's deathbed?

5. How does Kitty feel when she realizes she is no longer in love with Charlie?

6. How does Kitty describe her first impression of Sister St. Joseph?

7. How does Waddington describe Dorothy Townsend?

8. What are Kitty's initial feelings towards the young orphan children and do her feelings change over time?

9. How does Waddington describe Charlie Townsend?

10. How does Kitty describe Mother Superior's appearance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One recurrent theme in The Painted Veil is the importance of respect, especially in regard to the character of Kitty. Discuss what Kitty's idea of respect is and how that idea is influenced by secondary characters such as Waddington, Mother Superior, and Dorothy. Discuss how Kitty's idea of respect evolves throughout the novel, using specific textual examples of how this is manifested.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout The Painted Veil, Maugham uses scenic imagery as a metaphor for the plot and character development. Give three specific examples of these metaphors and how they relate specific actions in the plot and/or character development. Discuss why or why not they are effective as literary tools augmenting the general action.

Essay Topic 3

When Kitty meets Waddington's mistress she contemplates afterward that "the beliefs and the ideals of the West seemed crude beside ideals and beliefs of which in this exquisite creature she seemed to catch a fugitive glimpse." How does this statement reflect an overarching theme between the relationship between West vs. East as portrayed in The Painted Veil?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 929 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample