Class 10 English Chapter 7 Question Answers - The Necklace

Q1: 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?

Ans: Matilda's experience taught her a valuable lesson about the consequences of negligence. To move on in life, we must first acknowledge our mistakes and take responsibility for them. This means being honest with ourselves and others about what went wrong and making amends where possible. Once we have taken responsibility for our actions, it's important to focus on the future and take positive steps towards recovery. This may involve making changes to our lifestyle or habits, seeking guidance from others, or taking practical steps to address the situation.
It's also important to maintain a positive outlook and avoid dwelling on past mistakes. This means focusing on the present moment and taking action towards our goals, rather than letting past mistakes hold us back. Finally, we should be open to learning from our mistakes and using them as an opportunity for growth and personal development. This may involve seeking feedback from others, reflecting on our actions and decisions, and developing new skills and knowledge to help us avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Q2: Loisel wished to keep his wife in good humour. Which values of Matilda impress him?

Ans: Loisel wished to keep his wife in good humour. Matilda was a beautiful and delicate woman. She was fond of all riches and luxuries. She thought she deserves all these and thought that it was an error of destiny that she is born into a poor family and married to a mere clerk in the office of the Board of Education. 
Matilda’s beauty and style impressed Loisel. He tried his best to keep her happy. She was fond of parties and balls. He was happy for his wife. He bought her a new dress for the ball, with the money he had saved to buy a hunting gun.  He loved her so much that he bought the new diamond necklace to replace the lost one for thirty-six thousand francs which lost all his savings and compelled him to do extra jobs after office time. This entire all he did because he loved his beautiful wife very much and wanted to keep her happy.

Q3: Contentment in one's life is very important to lead a peaceful life. We should be happy with what we have and should not crave for what we don't have. Matilda suffered in life because she was not content in her life. Her desires led to her disaster. What do you learn from her mistake in life?

Ans: It is crucial for a person to live a contented life. We should embrace simple living and focus on higher thoughts. Not everyone is born into wealth, but through honesty and hard work, we can achieve our best. Constantly craving for what we don't have will never make us happy and might even ruin our present. Matilda desired a life of luxury and wealth, losing sight of what truly mattered. She became absorbed in glamour after her husband got an invitation to a ball, disregarding her loving middle-class husband in favor of her fantasies. She could have worn a theater dress to the minister’s party, but instead, she insisted on buying a new dress for 400 francs, crushing her husband’s dreams. 
She also longed for unnecessary jewelry, borrowing a diamond necklace, which she eventually lost. To repay the debt, she and her husband sacrificed many years of their lives, living in extreme poverty. Matilda lost her beauty and charm in pursuit of temporary appearances. Her desire to show off beyond her means led to her downfall. Thus, it's wise to be satisfied with what we have rather than pretending to be something we’re not, and Matilda’s story is a strong example of this.

Q4: "Oh! My poor Matilda! Mine was false.” Confession saves you from a lot of trouble and a sense of guilt. Justify the statement.

Ans: Matilda’s friend Mme Forester meets her after a long time, nearly a gap of ten years. Perhaps it was destined to. She does not recognize Matilda — old, hard and crude with dishevelled hair and skirts awry. She is astonished to see Matilda in this pathetic condition. Matilda tells her the reason for this — the loss of the original necklace and the misery that followed after replacing the necklace. Mme Forestier could only sympathize with Matilda, for the necklace she had lent to Matilda was not of original diamonds. She could have told this clearly to Matilda while giving it to her. 
Perhaps Mme Forestier thought she should not dampen Matilda’s spirits by revealing the truth. But what the loss of it. Brought to Matilda was irreversible. Matilda on her part should have revealed the loss of the necklace to her friend. If it had been of real diamonds, then she could have asked for some time to replace it. Matilda could have thus taken her friend into confidence, but the silent suffering had taken its toll on her life. If Matilda had only taken courage and been honest to her friend, she would still have been living comfortably, thus justifying the statement given above. Her senseless attitude led to her ruin.

Q5: Write a character sketch of Mrs Loisel.

Ans: Madame Loisel is a beautiful but vain woman who dreams of a life of luxury and elegance. She believes that she is destined to be admired and loved by wealthy and influential people. However, her family's modest financial situation and lack of dowry force her to marry a lowly clerk. Madame Loisel is constantly dissatisfied with her situation, and she frequently complains about her modest home and simple lifestyle. She yearns for fancy dresses, expensive jewellery, and lavish parties. Her dreamy and ambitious nature ultimately leads her into trouble when she borrows a diamond necklace to wear to a ball and loses it.
After losing the necklace, Madame Loisel's life takes a drastic turn. She becomes physically worn out, and her beauty fades away. She is forced to work hard to repay the loan, which leaves her looking and feeling old and tired. Despite her misfortune, Madame Loisel remains honest and brave, and she never loses her determination to pay off her debt. Madame Loisel's character can be described as self-centred and materialistic. She cares only about her desires and is willing to go to great lengths to fulfil them. Her vanity and desire for wealth and status cause her to make poor decisions, leading to her downfall. However, her resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity show her strength of character and determination to make things right.

Q6: What preparations did Mrs Loisel make for the ball?

Ans: Mrs Loisel did not have a good dress to wear at the party. She told her husband that a suitable dress would cost four hundred francs. Her husband had been saving money to buy a gun. He gave up the idea of purchasing the gun. Mrs Loisel purchased a beautiful dress with that money. But Mrs Loisel was still not happy. Now she told her husband that she did not have any jewellery to wear at the party. Her husband asked her to request Mrs Forestier for help. Mrs Loisel and Mrs Forestier were very good friends. 
Mrs Forestier was very rich. She had several necklaces. Her husband suggested that she should borrow a necklace from her. Mrs Loisel liked the idea. She went to her friend. Mrs Forestier agreed to lend her a necklace. She showed her several of her necklaces. She asked Mrs Loisel to choose any of those necklaces. All these necklaces looked attractive and costly. At last Mrs Loisel selected a beautiful necklace and borrowed it. In this way, Mrs Loisel made preparations for the party.

Q7: What kind of life did Matilda and her husband live after the loss of the diamond necklace?

Ans: The couple needed thirty-six thousand francs to purchase a diamond necklace and return it to Mrs Forestier. But Mr Loisel had only eighteen thousand francs with him. He raised a loan of eighteen thousand francs for purchasing the necklace. Now Loisel and his wife worked hard to repay that debt. They changed their lodgings. They shifted to a small room. They dismissed their maid. Mrs Loisel did all her household work herself. She had to be very frugal in her purchases. 
She bargained for small amounts. Mr Loisel did extra work in the evenings. Sometimes late at night, he did the work of copying manuscripts. After ten years of hard work, they were able to pay off their debt. But because of hard work and misery, Mrs Loisel looked old.  Ten years ago, she was pretty. But now she looked unattractive. She had become an ordinary woman in a poor house. She remembered her past life with sadness. Sometimes she remembered that great party. She remembered how beautiful she had looked at the party. Thus, the couple’s life was completely changed after they had raised the loan for the necklace.

Q8: What would have happened if Matilda had made the true confession to Mme Forestier?

Ans: If Matilda had made a true confession to Mme Forestier, it could have saved her and her husband from years of hardship. Matilda's confession would have revealed that the lost necklace was fake and not worth the large debt they incurred to replace it. However, it is not clear whether Mme Forestier knew that the necklace was fake or not. The story implies that Mme Forestier had borrowed the necklace from someone else, suggesting that she may not have known its true value. Regardless, Matilda's confession could have potentially led to Mme Forestier's assistance in resolving the issue, which would have saved Matilda's family from their financial struggles. Overall, if Matilda had been honest and confessed the truth, she could have avoided a great deal of misery for herself and her husband, who spent ten years working to repay the debt incurred to replace the necklace.

Q9: Mr Loisel was a caring, accommodating and helpful husband who tried to please his ambitious wife within his limited means. Comment.

Ans: Mr Loisel was every inch a gentleman. He was caring, accommodating and helpful. He had a better understanding of people and things than his ambitious wife. He knew his limitations and never tried to go beyond his means.  However, he stood solidly in thick and thin with his wife. He was ready to make any sacrifice to make her happy. Mr Loisel was a ‘petty’ clerk in the Ministry of Education. He realised that he was the husband of a beautiful and young, but ambitious wife. So, he made every effort within his means to make her happy. 
He didn’t believe in showing off like Matilda. He suggested wearing the same dress which Matilda wore when she went to the theatre. He suggested wearing natural flowers instead of jewels. However, when he failed to convince her, he was ready to make the necessary sacrifices. He sacrificed 400 francs that he had saved to buy a gun for hunting, to buy a suitable costume for her. Even in bad times, he stood with his wife. He was self-respecting and contributed all the money, 18000 francs left by his father, to buy a substitute necklace. He worked in the evenings putting the books of some merchants to pay off his debts. He also did copying work at five sous a page at night. His hard work and savings helped them to pay off all their debts in ten years.

Q10: Was Matilda’s dream fulfilled at the ball? Why did all men notice and wanted them to be presented to her?

Ans: Matilda always dreamt of grandeur, delicacies and luxuries in her life. She had prepared the ball so thoroughly as befitted a grand occasion. She didn’t want to present a poverty-stricken image of her, amidst rich ladies and gentlemen. She made her husband buy a new costume for this occasion. She borrowed jewels from Madam Forestier to adorn herself like a graceful and distinguished lady. And she proved to be a grand success at the ball. Her dream was fulfilled. She was the centre of attraction for all ladies as well as gentlemen who were present there. 
Matilda danced with enthusiasm. She was intoxicated with pleasure. She loved to be admired and appreciated. Her victory at the ball was so complete and sweet to her. She was the prettiest of all. She was elegant and gracious. She was smiling and full of joy. All the men noticed her. They asked her name and were eager to be presented to her. She was so attractive and appealing to them. They couldn’t avoid the temptation of noticing her.