The Painted Veil

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-book review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. How do Kitty and Townsend predict that Walter will react to the news of their affair?

A) He will pretend it never happened.

B) He will be too shy and embarrassed to do anything.

C) He will divorce Kitty straightaway.

D) He will tell Dorothy Townsend.

2.   What is Kitty’s attitude towards the people who socially reject her in Hong Kong?

A)     She looks down on them.

B)     She thinks they are her social superiors.

C)     She dislikes them.

D)    She finds them superficial.

3. What combination of character traits does Kitty’s mother, Mrs. Garstin, have?

A) She is frugal and jolly.

B) She is domineering and extravagant.

C) She is frugal and meek.

D) She is frugal and domineering.

4. Why is everyone surprised when Doris marries before Kitty?

A)     Doris is entirely dominated by her mother. 

B)     Doris is underage.

C)     Doris is plain.

D)    Doris is overbearing.

5. Which of the following best describes Walter’s proposal to Kitty?

A) Awkward but heartfelt

B) Direct and passionate

C) Emotional but controlling

D) Direct and aloof

6. Which quality makes Townsend Walter’s opposite?

A) He is good looking.

B) He is intelligent.

C) He is popular.

D) He is artistic.

7. How does Walter see Kitty when he proposes to her?

A) He is so in love that he cannot see her flaws.  

B) He sees her flaws clearly and still loves her.

C) He loves her and thinks she is too old to attract many suitors.

D) He loves her and believes she loves him.

8. What ultimatum does Walter put before Kitty when he discovers her infidelity?

A) That he will only spare her from going to Meitan-fu if she asks for Dorothy’s forgiveness

B) That he will only spare her from going to Meitan-fu if she ends her relationship with Townsend

C) That he will only agree to divorce if Townsend insists upon it

D) That he will only agree to divorce if Dorothy agrees to divorce her husband

9. What is Kitty’s initial attitude to Townsend after he disappoints her?

A) She loathes him and wishes for revenge.

B) She wishes for revenge but still loves him.

C) She loves him as much as ever.

D) She plots for his downfall.

10. What condition does Kitty suspect Walter of suffering?

A) Cholera

B) Fatigue

C) Depression

D) A broken heart

11. Why does Kitty long to see Waddington’s Manchu mistress?

A) She wants to discover new things.

B) She wants to see what the Manchu mistress looks like.

C) She wants to take tea with the Manchu mistress. 

D) She feels guilty that she has been indifferent to Chinese culture thus far.

12. Why does Colonel Yü’s reaction to Walter’s death make Kitty feel guilty?

A) Because he seems more sorrowful than her

B) Because he talks about Walter’s virtues

C) Because he points out Kitty’s shortcomings as a wife 

D) Because he is inconsolable

13. What changes in the British colony’s reception of Kitty on her return to Hong Kong?

A) They invite her to more parties.

B) They treat her like a heroine.

C) They ask her more questions about her life. 

D) They stop criticizing her.

14. What is the main reason that Kitty goes to bed with Townsend in his family home?

A) She hopes he will provide her with financial support.

B) She sees doing so as a step in getting revenge on him.

C) She is acting under coercion and physical compulsion.

D) She finds him more charming and attractive than ever.

15. Which term best describes Kitty’s attitude to her father at the end of the novel?

A) Remorseful

B) Grateful

C) Scornful

D) Superior

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Kitty’s attitude towards being in China alter over the course of the novel? What experiences and encounters change her opinion? 

2. Why is Kitty averse to going to Meitan-fu? Why does she see Walter’s sending her there as a sadistic act?

How do Kitty’s feelings towards Walter change as she witnesses his heroism in Meitan-fu? Does this enable her to finally fall in love with him?