Introduction: Once upon a time, there was a lady named Mathilde Loisel and her husband. They weren’t rich but lived a simple life. Mathilde, however, wanted to be rich and own fancy things like a big house, pretty dresses and lots of jewelry.
The Party Invitation Surprise:
One day, Mathilde’s husband got an invitation to a fancy party. He thought she would be happy, but she wasn’t. She cried because she didn’t have a nice dress for the party. Her kind husband gave her money that he had saved to buy a gun, so she could buy a pretty dress.
Borrowing Shine: The Necklace Trouble:
As the party got closer, Mathilde worried again. This time, it was about not having jewelry. Her husband suggested borrowing from their friend, Jeanne Forestier. Mathilde borrowed a beautiful necklace and enjoyed the party, making everyone notice her. But things took a turn when they lost the necklace on the way home.
Paying a High Price for Deception:
To fix the problem, they bought a new necklace, spending a lot of money they didn’t have. It took them ten years of hard work and sacrifices to repay the borrowed money. Their life changed a lot during this time, moving to a smaller home and doing everything themselves.
The Shocking Truth Revealed:
Years later, Mathilde met Jeanne Forestier and confessed. However, the shock came when Jeanne revealed that the necklace was fake, and not worth much. All the struggles and sacrifices were for nothing.
Conclusion: Simple Joys Matter:
Inthe end, “The Necklace” teaches us not to always want more and to be happy with what we have. It warns about the consequences of pretending and the importance of being truthful. The story shows that true happiness comes from appreciating the simple things in life.
Extract Based Questions:
1. “she learned the odious work of a kitchen. She washed the dishes. She washed the soiled linen, their clothes and dishcloths, which she hung on the line to dry; she took down the refuse to the street each morning and brought up the water, stopping at each landing to catch her breath. And, clothed like a woman of the people, she went to the grocer’s, the butcher’s and the fruiterer’s, with her basket on her arm, shopping, haggling to the last sou of her miserable money. The husband worked evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order, and nights he often did copying at five sous a page. And this life lasted for ten years. At the end of ten years, they had restored all. Mme Loisel seemed old now. She had become a strong, hard woman, the crude woman of the poor household. Her hair badly dressed, her skirts awry, her hands red, she spoke in a loud tone, and washed the floors with large pails of water.”
A) Who seemed old now?.
Ans. Matilda seemed old now.
B) What had made her ‘crude’?!
Ans. Ten long years of poverty, and a constant struggle and strife for survival had made her ‘crude’.
C) Which word in the given extract is an antonym to ‘pleasant’?
Ans. ‘Odious’ is the antonym of ‘pleasant’ in the extract.
2. “He threw around her shoulders those modest wraps they had carried whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She wished to hurry away in order not to be noticed by the other women who were wrapping themselves in rich furs. Loisel detained her, “Wait,” said he. “I am going to call a cab.” But she would not listen and descended the steps rapidly. When they were in the street, they found no carriage; and they began to seek for one, hailing the coachmen whom they saw at a distance. They walked along toward the river, hopeless and shivering. Finally, they found one of those old carriages that one sees in Paris after nightfall.”
1) What precedes these fines?
Ans. These lines follow Matilda’s success at the ball where she was idolized. Her beauty and elegance was praised by everyone.
2) ‘She’ wished to hurry away. Why?
Ans. She, ‘Matilda’ did not wish to shatter the illusion of her grandeur that she had so successfully managed to convey to others by putting on such a shabby wrap. So, she wished to hurry away to escape the notice of the rich women.
3) Which word in the given extract is a synonym of ‘not expensive ?
Ans. ‘Modest’ is the synonym of ‘not expensive’ from the extract.
Top 10 PYQs:
Short Answer Questions (40-50 words each)
l. What, do you think, were the feelings of Madame Forester when she came to know that Matilda returned her a diamond necklace in place of an artificial one?
Answer: Matilda borrowed a necklace from Madame Forestier to wear at a party. She lost it somewhere and in that place returned a diamond necklace to her. She was unaware of the fact that it was an artificial one. Madame Forester was shocked to know the whole story. Madame Forestier thought that situation could have been avoided if Matilda had dared to accept the truth and share it with Madame Forester.
2. How would you feel if you were in Matilda’s place and had lost somebody’s such a valuable possession?
Answer: Matilda borrowed a necklace from Madame Forestier to wear in a ball. She lost it the same night. She was too upset at the incident and tried to find it everywhere in the fold of the dress, the cloak, the pockets, and. Even Mr Loisel went to search for it at midnight. They even could not sleep all night. They want the police and even to the cab office and put an advertisement in the newspaper offering a reward. If I had been in Matilda’s place, I would have done all the above-said efforts for such a valuable possession.
3. What changes occurred in Mime Loisel after 10 years?
Answer: Madame Loisel now knows the horrible life of necessity. She sent away from her maid and learned the odious work of a kitchen She washed the dishes and the clothes on her own, She took down wastes to the street and brought up the water stopping at each landing to breathe. They changed their lodging and rented some rooms in the attic. She seemed old now and became strong and hard women. Her hair badly dressed her skirts awry, her hands red and spoke in a loud voice.
4. Why did Madame Loisel leave the ball in a hurry? What does it show about her character?
Answer: Madame Loisel left the ball in a hurry because her husband threw the modest wraps around her shoulders, whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She did not want to be noticed by the other women who were wrapping themselves in rich furs. It shows the hypocrisy and showoff life of Mine Loisel. It shows her dissatisfaction, anger and frustration with life.
5. How did M. Loisel and Madame Loisel manage to buy a diamond necklace to return it to Madame Forester? What were the consequences?
Answer: Mr Loisel and Madame Loisel spent all their savings i.e. eighteen thousand francs, which his father had saved for him. The rest of the money they borrowed from usurers with ruinous promises. They had to arrange 36,000 francs for the new diamond necklace. All this ruined their life. Mme Loisel had to do all odd jobs to save money. They had to change these lodgings Mr Loisel had to work till late at night after office hours, putting the books of some merchant or to copy pages at five soups a page to earn extra money.
6. What efforts did Matilda and her husband make to look for the lost necklace?
Answer: They looked into the folds of Matilda’s dress, in the folds of her cloak, and in her pockets. Her husband searched the whole route by which they had come home. He returned at seven o’clock. He informed the police. He went to the newspaper’s office to announce a reward. But the lost necklace was not found.
7. Why did Matilda think that she was born in a family of petty clerks by some error of destiny?
Answer: Matilda was a beautiful young lady with high dreams and aspirations. She had no dowry, no hopes, no fame, and no wealth. She lost all hopes of marrying a man either rich or distinguished. She believed that she was born into a family of clerks only by some error of destiny. So, she allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education.
8. How did Mr Loisel meet the demand for a suitable costume for his wife for going to the ball?
Answer: Matilda refused to go to the ball without having a suitable costume for the occasion. Her husband asked her to wear the dress that she wore while going to the theatre. When Matilda reacted strongly, he asked how much a suitable costume would cost. She replied that it would cost 400 francs. Mr Loisel turned pale. He had saved 400 francs to buy a gun for him to shoot larks. But he bowed down and agreed to give 400 francs to have a pretty dress.
9. Matilda realized that one little act of negligence can lead to total ruin. How would you prefer to be guided to move on in life?
Answer: Matilda lost the necklace that she borrowed from Mme Forester. She had to buy a new necklace for thirty-six thousand francs which ruined all her savings. She had changed her lodgings and did all jobs like washing, cleaning, and shopping grocery while her husband had to do extra work of copying after his office time. She lost all her beauty. Now she realized that one little act of negligence can lead to total ruin. We will prefer to move on in life according to the situation. If we have committed any mistake we have to pay for it. And we should pay for it bravely. There is no harm in doing household jobs or in earning extra money after office time. If we can live in a big house’ we should learn to live in a small one too with the demand of time.
10. Loisel wished to keep his wife in good humor. Which values of Matilda impress him?
Answer: Loisel really loved his beautiful wife Matilda. Even though they didn’t have much money, he did everything he could to make her happy. When they got an invitation to a fancy ball, he used all his savings to buy her a new dress and replace a lost diamond necklace. Loisel even worked extra hours after his regular job to afford these things because he cared so much about his wife’s happiness.
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