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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. What position does Charlie hold?

2. Who does Charlie think disturbed him and Kitty during their rendezvous in Chapter 1?

3. Where does Kitty's family go for their summer holiday?

4. What is the area called where Kitty's house is?

5. Why did Maugham decide to change the last name of his main character in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Mr.Garstin reluctant to take silk and become a K.C.?

2. After Kitty describes Walter's polite and standoffish behavior in Chapter 20, why does Charlie become so confident and happy?

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

4. Describe Mr.Garstin's appearance as noted by Kitty in Chapter 6.

5. How does Kitty's love for Charlie initially change her perception of Walter?

6. Why does Kitty believe her rendezvous with Charlie at the curio shop are completely safe?

7. What pains does Charlie take to maintain his figure?

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

9. After noting Charlie's response to Walter's ultimatum, what does she come to see was Walter's motivation in making it?

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

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 novel, The Painted Veil, Kitty makes several journeys. Discuss these journeys and how they function as a metaphor, a simile, or an allegory for the emotional journeys and progress she makes as a character throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Early on in the novel, Kitty describes the circumstances leading up to her marriage with Walter. Shortly after the marriage she notes that she became bored and unhappy, however this reflection comes after she is embroiled in an adulterous affair with Charlie. What does this deliberate time-line established by Maugham suggest to the reader about Kitty's impartiality on the subject? Use specific events in her courtship with Walter and in her affair with Charlie to back up your assertions.

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