The necklace

Question 1.
What kind of a person is Mme Loisel and why is she always unhappy?
Answer:
Mme Loisel is young, pretty, ordinary but discontented woman. She is of a humble background but dreams of riches and comforts. She is proud of her beauty and wants to be admired. Her meagre resources are not enough to satisfy her expensive cravings making her angry all the time.

Question 2.
What kind of a person is her husband?
Answer:
Her husband M Loisel, is an ordinary and average young man. A mere clerk by profession, he is still contented with his job. Also, he is a caring man as he is excited to show the dinner invitation to his wife.

Read and Find Out      (Page 39)
Question 1.
What kind of a person is Mme Loisel and why is she always unhappy?
Answer:
Mme Loisel is young, pretty, ordinary but discontented woman. She is of a humble background but dreams of riches and comforts. She is proud of her beauty and wants to be admired. Her meagre resources are not enough to satisfy her expensive cravings making her angry all the time.

Question 2.
What kind of a person is her husband?
Answer:
Her husband M Loisel, is an ordinary and average young man. A mere clerk by profession, he is still contented with his job. Also, he is a caring man as he is excited to show the dinner invitation to his wife.

Page 41
Question 3.
What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
Answer:
After spending a fortune on a beautiful dress, Mme Loisel is
faced with yet another disaster. She frets over the fact that she does not have a beautiful jewel to go with her dress. So, she asks her husband to pass on the invitation to someone else.

Question 4.
How is the problem solved?
Answer:
Matilda Loisel’s husband, M. Loisel, comes to her rescue. First, he suggests her to wear fresh flowers. Matilda just mocked at the idea. Then, he advises her to borrow some jewels from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Thus, the problem is solved as Mme Forestier lends her a beautiful diamond necklace.

Page 42
Question 5.
What do Mr and Mme Loisel do next?
Answer:
The Loisels leave no stone unturned. M. Loisel goes back
and searches to the lost necklace. Then, he goes to the police and to the cab offices. Also, they put out an advertisement n the newspapers and offer a reward to anyone who finds :he necklace. But, all their efforts go in vain.

Question 6.
How do they replace the necklace?
Answer:
After all other efforts fail, Loisel’s decide to buy a new dentical necklace to replace the lost one. M. Loisel pooled n eighteen thousand francs of his inheritance and borrowed :he rest. Then the couple managed to buy the new necklace :or thirty six thousand francs and returned it to the rightful 0wner.

Think About It    (Page 46)
Question 1.
The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Answer:
It takes Loisels a decade to pay back the money they borrowed to buy the necklace. And, it changed everything for them. They had to move to the poorest quarters of the city. With no maids or assistance, Matilda had to cook, clean, mend, sew, bargain with the grocer and butcher to save every sou just for mere survival. The husband had to work in the evening and night to pay their debt. In this way, the course of the Losiel’s life changed due to the necklace.

Question 2.
What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Answer:
Matilda’s pride and her materialistic aspirations coupled with her dishonesty pave the way for her ruin. She could have avoided it by learning to accept her current situation and being content with what she had.

Question 3.
What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
Answer:
Truth and honesty would have saved Matilda from her doom. If only she has been courageous enough to confess to her friend the truth of the necklace, she would have come to know that it was a fake one that cost a mere five hundred francs. She would not have Spent her husband’s entire inheritance and borrowed eighteen thousand francs to pay for its replacement. In fact, she would have saved herself and her husband from ten long years of crushing poverty, misery and back breaking labour

Short Answer Type Questions [2 Marks each]

Question 1.
What would Matilda often dream of?
Answer:
Matilda would often dream of all the delicacies, luxuries, elegant dinners, marvellous dishes, rich silver, beautiful dresses, jewels, adoration and a life of glory. She would escape into her dreams from the dullness of her very humble existence.

Question 2.
Why did Matilda throw the invitation spitefully?
Answer:
Matilda was simply displeased when her husband showed the invitation. She felt humiliated and threw the invitation spitefully as she had nothing beautiful enough to wear to such a grand gathering.

Question 3.
Describe Mme Loisel’s success at the ball.
Or
Do you think M Loisel had an enjoyable evening at the ball? Give reasons for your answer. [CBSE 2014]
Answer:
Mme Loisel was the centre of attention at the ball. Her beauty, her grace, her joy and the gorgeous smile captivated all. Men sought to be presented to her. She danced happily at her conquest of all.

Question 4.
What excuse did Loisels put up to explain the delay in returning the necklace?
Answer:
Loisels had lost the necklace and needed time to find an identical one. Thus, Loisels wrote a letter to Mme Forestier with an excuse that the clasp of the necklace was broken and they needed time to get it repaired.

Question 5.
How did Loisels manage to pay for the necklace?
Answer:
The necklace cost Loisels thirty six thousand francs. Loisel had to chip in his entire inheritance of eighteen thousand francs and the rest he had to borrow from the usurers.

Question 6.
How did Mme Loisel now know the life of necessity? [CBSE 2016]
Answer:
To pay the debt of eighteen thousand francs, Loisels let go of their decent living. They lived in impoverished neighbourhood. Matilda had to cook, clean, wash, mend, bring water and bargain with the butcher and grocer. Her husband worked day and night to save every sou.

Question 7.
Describe Mme Loisel after ten years.
Answer:
Ten years of poverty and hardship steal away Matilda’s youth and beauty. She becomes a strong and hard woman, who is poorly dressed with untidy hair and red ragged hands.

Question 8.
What do you think of M Loisel as a husband? Cite instances from the text to support your answer.
Answer:
M Loisel was a caring and supportive husband. Fie sacrificed his wishes and the money he inherited from his father for his wife.

Question 9.
Why was Matilda’s friend astonished to see her at the end of the story? [CBSE 2012]
or
Why did Jeanne not recognise her friend, Matilda?
Answer:
Jeanne, Matilda’s friend, could not recognise her as she seemed an old and worn out poor woman. Matilda was no longer her former beautiful and Joyous self.

Question 10.
Comment on the use of irony in the text.
or
How had sacrifice of Mme Loisel’s been in vain?
Answer:
The irony in the story is based on the fact that the Loisels spend 10 years of toil and frugality paying for a necklace which turns out to be a cheap imitation.

Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions [8 Marks each]

Question 1.
Mme Loisel’s disposition invites her doom. Comment in the context of the text you’ve read.
or
What kind of person is Matilda Loisel?
Support your answer giving examples from the story “The Necklace”.
Answer:
Mme Loisel belongs to a family of clerks. Her existence is quite average. They live on meagre income, enough for basic needs but not to fulfil aspirations. She gets married to a clerk and is so caught up with her dreams of wealth and pleasure that she is out of touch with the truths of her real life. In order to keep up appearances just to flatter her pride, she blows up four hundred francs on a gorgeous dress. And, not contented, she goes on borrowing a necklace from her friend. And, all of this is just to impress the wealthy and the rich with her beauty and glamour (even if on loan). No doubt, her pride is flattered and her wish of fine dining, expensive dresses and jewels satisfied but at a great price. Unfortunately, the necklace has lost and the couple has to cough up their entire inheritance and borrow as well to replace it. Repayment of the debt eats away the next ten years of their youth. They live poor. All the house hold chores and cares of a life of poverty visit them. Hence, her disposition invites her doom.

Question 2.
Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend. Elucidate. [CBSE2015]
Answer:
Mme Forestier turns out to be an interesting character. She plays a very vital role in the story. As a friend to Matilda, we find her to be really genuine as she helps Matilda in the hour of her need. When Mme Loisel needs to borrow jewels, she turns to Mme Forestier. Mme Forestier does not refuse. Displaying her generosity, she opens up the entire array of her jewels for Matilda to choose from. Also, she is considerate when Loisels delay the return of the necklace. Surprisingly, at the end of the story, she concludes the entire narrative.
Without even a moment’s hesitation, she reveals to Matilda that her necklace was just a fake. She is not at all worried in the light of the fact that she may have to return the necklace. It shows her honesty. Rather, she, like a true friend, feels bad for Matilda at her unnecessary suffering. We find her sympathising with Mme Loisel. She is indeed a gem of a friend.

Question 3.
Do you think the story is aptly titled? Justify your answer.
Answer:
The whole narrative of the story ‘The Necklace’ revolves around a young woman Matilda, who in her foolish pride borrows a necklace inviting misery and sorrow for herself as well as for her husband. The ‘necklace’ has lost and the Loisels fall into a tremendous debt. They spend the next ten years of their life in paying debt for the replacement of the lost necklace. Their entire life moves around impoverished everyday saga of misery and hunger and the necklace, in fact, changes the very course of their life. Also, it is against the back drop of the necklace that Matilda’s pride and dishonesty are highlighted. At the same time, the necklace serves a twist at the end as it turns out to be a fake one. The story is, hence, most aptly titled as the necklace is, in fact, the leading character of this ironic tale of desire, the doom and the tragedy.