The Painted Veil

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-26

Reading Check

1. Which event causes Kitty to suspect that her husband knows about her affair with Charles Townsend?

2. Which event causes Kitty to accept Walter Fane’s proposal?

3. Where do Townsend and Kitty usually meet?

4. How does Walter intend to punish Kitty for her affair?

5. What is Townsend’s response to Walter’s punishment for Kitty?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Which important quality does Kitty feel that Walter lacks? What does this tell you about Kitty’s personality and values?

2. Why does Kitty believe that marrying Walter will give her the best chance of future happiness? What does this tell you about Kitty’s society and its attitudes towards women?

3. How does Kitty initially feel about her adultery with Townsend? What surprising thing does she learn about herself shortly after embarking on the affair?

4. Why does Kitty initially think that no real harm will come to her from the affair? How does she misjudge both Walter and Townsend?

5. What do the British characters’ attitudes towards China and Chinese people tell you about them? How do these characters demonstrate the mindset of colonialist rulers?