Questions

1. What was Mathilda's husband's job?

A. A Grocer
B. A Farmer
C. A Robber
D. A Sales clerk

2. How does the story end?

A. Mathilda loses the necklace and works the rest of her life to pay off the
debt.
B. Mathilda's necklace breaks and her friend gives her a new one
C. Mathilda's necklace is stolen and her friend is framed for stealing it.
D. None of the above

3. When Mathilda received the invitation to the ball, what accessory did she
want to borrow?
A. A Pair of Shoes
B. A Dress
C. A Necklace
D. A Bracelet

4. Why was Mathilda ashamed of her husband's job?

A. Because it required most of their time
B. Because it was unbearable
C. Because it was illegal
D. Because it was common

5. Who is the author of the "The Necklace?"

A. William Shakespeare
B. Ernest Hemingway
C. Guy de Maupassant
D. George Ramponneau

6. In which city did the story take place?

A. Paris
B. New York
C. London
 D. Rome
7. Who is the protagonist of the story?
A. Monsieur Loisel
B. The Necklace
C. Guy de Maupassant
D. Madame Loisel
8. At the beginning of the story, what is the cause of Madame Loisel's
constant feeling of unhappiness?
A. Her marriage
B. Her desire to be wealthy
C. Her poor health
D. Her wish for more friends
9. What conclusion might you draw about Madame Loisel's character, based
on the life she wants to live?
A. She cares most about her relationships.
B. She enjoys working.
C. She cares most about material things.
D. She has simple needs.
10.What conclusion might you draw about Monsieur Loisel, based on his
treatment of his wife?
A. He cares a lot about his wife's happiness.
B. He cares too much about unimportant things.
C. He has grown tired of his wife's complaints.
D. He enjoys accompanying his wife to fancy receptions.
11.Which of the following is a direct effect of Madame Loisel's loss of the
necklace?
A. a bitter quarrel with Madame Forestier
B. divorce from Monsieur Loisel
C. the couple moved from the city to the countryside
D. a life of poverty and hard physical labor
12.How long did it take the Loisels to pay back the debt from the
replacement necklace?
A. 1 year
B. 5 years
C. 10 years
D. 20 years
13.What is the true cost of the necklace Mathilde lost?
 A. 500 francs
B. 100 francs
C. 36,000 francs
D. 10,000 francs
14.Madame Mathilde Loisel is surprised to learn that the necklace she
worked so hard to replace is fake. The necklace being fake is opposite
from what Mathilde expected. What literary device is this?
A. Theme
B. Irony
C. Plot
D. Setting
15."She was one of those pretty and charming girls born, as though fate had
blundered over her, into a family of artisans." The word "blundered"
means...
A. Glorified
B. Favored
C. made a mistake
D. hated
16."Instead of being delighted, as her husband hoped, she flung the
invitation petulantly across the table, murmuring: "What do you want me
to do with this?" The word "petulantly" means...
A. Excitedly
B. Questionably
C. Lovingly
D. Irritably
17.How has Mathilde changed by the end of the story?
A. She looks old.
B. She looks like the other strong, coarse women of poor households.
C. Her hair is badly done, her hands are red, and her voice is shrill.
D. All of the above.
18.True or False: Madame Forestier still looks young at the end of the story
and doesn't recognize Mathilde right away.
A. True
B. False
19.Which of the following is true?
A. Both Mathilde and Madame Forestier are dynamic characters.
 B. Mathilde is a dynamic character, and Madame Forestier is a static
character.
C. Both Mathilde and Madame Forestier are static characters.
D. Mathilde is a static character, and Madame Forestier is a dynamic
character.

20.What is the setting for "The Necklace"?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

21.Who are the main characters?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

22.What is the conflict of the short story "The Necklace"?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________
23.What is the theme of "The Necklace,"

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

24.It is said that Madam Loisel was responsible for her tragedy. Do you
agree?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

25.What is the moral of the story “The Necklace”?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

26.Write a note on the vanity of Mathilda Loisel.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________
27.What caused the loss of the necklace?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

28.How did Mr. Loisel and Mathilda suffered to return the borrowed money?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________

29.The writer has reflected the life style of French people of his time. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
____________
 Vocabulary
1. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

2. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

3. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

4. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

6. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

7. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

8. ______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

9. ______________
 Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

10.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

11.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

12.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

13.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
 Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

14.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

15.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

16.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

17.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
18.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

19.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

20.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

21.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

22.______________
 Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

23.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
24.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

25.______________

Meaning:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Example :
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Answer key

1] It is said that Madam Loisel was responsible for her tragedy. Do you agree?

When I read the story “The Necklace”, I quite agree that Madam Loisel was responsible for her
tragedy.
Firstly, she should have accepted the fact that she was a poor woman and she would be misfit
among people of high class. She was completely wrong when she thought that she was born of
all delicacies and luxuries because she was the wife of a petty clerk. Her high ideas about the
luxuries of life were the first reason of her tragedy. She should not have gone to the ball. It was
her mistake.

Secondly, she should not have borrowed the necklace from her friend. This was her second
mistake and it was the main reason of her tragedy. Wearing that necklace, she wanted to make a
show of her riches. Thirdly, she acted quite carelessly. She should have taken great care of the
necklace. However, she was in a world of dream. This was what she always wanted. At that time,
no one and nothing had any importance for her. She had even forgotten her husband. That was
her third mistake. She lost the necklace because of her carelessness.
Fourthly, she should have told her friend that she had lost her necklace. If she had told her friend
about the loss of the necklace, she would have come to know that the necklace she had borrowed
was false. In this way, she would have been saved of her tragedy. It was her greatest mistake.
Therefore, we can conclude that Madam Loisel was responsible for her tragedy. She committed
four mistakes that resulted in her tragedy.

2] What is the moral of the story “The Necklace”?

There are at least three lessons or morals in the story “The Necklace”.

The first lesson is that we should be contented. We should learn to live according to our
circumstances. When we read the story careful, we find that Mathilda was very beautiful. She
was not contented. She thought that she was born for all the luxuries of life. She wanted to live in
grand houses. She wanted to marry a rich man.

That was why she was always depressed. She did not enjoy her household life and food. When
her husband praised the food, she thought of elegant dinners. She had neither frocks nor jewels
and she felt that she was made for them. Therefore, she suffered for ten long years for her high
ideas. No doubt, we should have high ideas but we should cut our coat according to our cloth.
Advertisements
REPORT THIS AD

The second lesson is that we always suffer if we try to get happiness through borrowed things.
Shakespeare was right when he said that neither a borrower nor a lender be. Mathilda should not
have borrowed the necklace from her friend. In this way, she should have been saved from her
tragedy.

The third lesson is that we should always tell the truth. Truth always saves us. By telling a lie, we
invite sufferings and misfortune. We see that when they lost the necklace, they should have told
Mathilda’s friend about that. In this way, they would have come to know that it was a fake
necklace. However, they told a lie and suffered for ten long years. In the end they found out that,
they did not have anything to be proud. The necklace was not real and their struggle was just
useless. What a pity!

3] Write a note on the vanity of Mathilda Loisel.

No doubt, Mathilda Loisel was proud and self-loving. She was very beautiful and charming and
she was proud of her beauty. Because of this beauty, she thought that she was born in a family of
clerks through the error of destiny. She felt that she was born for all delicacies and luxuries. She
also felt that she was made for expensive frocks, jewels and other such things.

As she belonged to a family of clerks, she was married to a petty clerk, but she was not happy at
this marriage. She thought that she was out of her class and she belonged to upper class. That
was why she did not like the poverty of her house. She thought that because of her beauty she
had a right to live in a grand house. This house should have graceful furniture, footmen, and
perfumed rooms. She wanted to chat with rich friends at five o’clock in those rooms.

When she and her husband sat to eat, she did not enjoy the food. Her husband praised the humble
food but she thought of elegant dinners. She imagined that she would enjoy the food with a
smile. There would be expensive wall cloth on the walls.

Therefore, we can conclude that Mathilda was very vain and proud because of her beauty. She
was not happy with her life of poverty. She thought that she was born in the family of clerks
through an error of destiny. As she was born for all the delicacies and luxuries of life, she should
be among the people of high class. When we read the story we find out that, she suffered because
of this vanity.

4] What caused the loss of the necklace?

When we read the story “The Necklace” carefully, we find that Mathilda might have lost the
necklace in the cab or somebody might have stolen it during the party. The thief might have
thought that it was a real and expensive necklace.

Mathilda was very careless about the necklace. She enjoyed the party. Her greatest desire had
come true. She was in a world of dream and she had forgotten everything, even her husband.
Therefore, it was probable that either someone had stolen it during the party or she might have
dropped it there. She might not have lost it on the road. If she had dropped it on the road, she,
and her husband would have heard it fall. Therefore, if she had not lost it at the party she might
have lost it in the cab while returning home.
When they found out that Mathilda had lost the necklace, they looked in the folds of the dress
and in the pockets. In short, they searched for it everywhere, but could not find it.

After that, Loisel went to search the necklace on the track where they had walked on foot. He
returned at 7 o’clock without any success. Then he went to the police and to the cab office. He
put an advertisement in the newspaper and offered a reward. He did everything that he could do
but failed to find the necklace. The continued their search for one week but lost all their hopes.

5] How did Mr. Loisel and Mathilda suffered to return the borrowed money?

To return the borrowed money Mr. and Mrs. Loisel suffered for ten long years.

First, they sent away the maidservant. Then they changed their lodging and rented some rooms.
Now Mathilda learnt heavy cares of household life. She had to do the difficult chores of her
kitchen. She had to wash dishes, greasy pots and stew pans. She had to use her rosy nails to wash
the greasy pots and the bottoms of the stew pans. She had to wash dirty clothes and to hang them
on the line to dry. Then each morning she had to take down the refuse to the street. She also had
to bring up the water for daily use. She had to stop at each lending to breath. She did not have
much money so she haggled with the shopkeepers to get reduction in prices.

Once she was very beautiful and used to wear beautiful dresses. Now she seemed old. Now she
looked a common household woman. She had badly dressed hair and dirty dresses. Her hands
were red and she spoke in a loud tone. She washed the floors in large pails of water.

Mr. Loisel had to work in the evenings after his office hours. He put the books of some
merchants in order. At nights, he did copying for five sous a page.

Therefore, Mr. and Mr. Loisel led a life of difficulty after the loss of the necklace. They suffered
for ten long years. However, that was not all. When they had returned the borrowed money, they
came to know that they were suffered for nothing. The necklace they had lost was not real and its
price was not over five hundred francs. We take pity on them for that.

6] The writer has reflected the life style of French people of his time. Discuss.

When we read the story carefully we find that the story as a strong cultural background. The
writher has presented woo classes of people – middle class and the upper class. There was a great
gap between the two.

The people of high class were enjoying all the luxuries of life. They had ball parties. They
enjoyed themselves by dancing, chatting, and playing indoor games. They wore fake jewellery.
However, they tried to show off that they were wearing real and expensive jewellery. Madam
Forestier’s fake diamond necklace proves this point. They made a show of their costly dresses.
They were so carefree that they enjoyed parties until late at night.
On the other hand, people of middle class were suffering. They wanted to close the gap but could
not do so. They suffered and because of these sufferings, they lost their beauty and looked old.
On the other hand, rich people of the same age looked younger and more attractive. At the end of
the story, we see that Mathilda’s rich friend of the same age was still beautiful and attractive.

Therefore, the writer has presented class difference vey satirically. The talk between Mathilda
and her friend at the end of the story throws light on the class difference.