Class 10 English Chapter 7 Question Answers - The Necklace

Short Answer Type Questions
Q1: How did the Loisels react when they realised that the necklace had been lost?
Ans: Matilda Loisel became very sad when they realised that the necklace had been lost. They were sure that the loss of necklace would make their life hell because Mr Loisel was only a petty clerk and it was very difficult for him to replace necklace of diamond.

Q2: Why did Matilda not like to visit her rich friend?
Ans: Matilda had inferiority complex. Whenever she visitedier rich friend she felt dejected and disappointed because of her poverty. She used to compare her lodgings to that of her friend’s. She did not have attractive dress and jewellery to adorn herself with. That is why, she did not like to visit her rich friend.

Q3: Why is Matilda unhappy with her life?
Ans: Matilda is unhappy with her life because she ceaselessly, felt herself born for all delicacies and luxuries. The shabby walls, the worn chairs in her house tortured and angered her.

Q4: Her husband is kind and loving. Do you agree? Give examples to support your answers.
Ans: He wants her to be happy. He spends a huge savings that he had saved for years to buy a gun for his hobby for buying a pretty dress for his wife so that she could attend a big party and enjoy it. When the costly necklace is lost, he spends all his savings and even borrow to repay it. He works day and night but never creates any ruckus with his wife.

Q5: What had Matilda’s husband saved the money for? Why did he then part with his savings?
Ans: Matilda’s husband had saved a good amount of money to buy a gun for him. But when his wife refused to attend the party without a new dress, he had to give up buying the gun. He used the saved four hundred francs to buy her costume.

Q6: What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Ans: Matilda’s aspiration and unrealistic dreams were the cause of her ruin. She paid due importance to materialistic things. She could have easily avoided if she had remained within her means. She was not a practical lady and had not understood her husband’s feelings.

Q7: What did Mme. Forestier tell Matilda about the reality of her Necklace?
Ans: After having lost the borrowed necklace, Matilda replaced it with a diamond necklace bought for thirty-six thousand francs. But Mme Forestier told her that her necklace was false costing about 500 francs.

Q8: What changes came into the life of Loisels after the necklace was lost?
Ans: They had to shift to a cheaper room and dismiss the servant. She did all the household works and shopping by herself. She fetched water, washed the floor, utensils and dirty clothes by herself. Matilda’s husband worked in the evening and late at night to pay back the debt.

Q9: Why was Mme Forestier shocked to hear Matilda’s story?
Ans: One Sunday, while walking, Matilda happened to see Mme Forestier. Matilda called her, but she could not recognise Matilda because she looked much older than her age. Mme Forestier was shocked to know that Matilda had suffered so much worrying about losing her necklace of real diamonds, whereas it was false.

Q10: Do you think Matilda’s over-ambitious nature was the cause of her miseries?
Ans: Yes, I do think that Matilda’s overambitious nature led to her avoidable miseries. Just to show herself a rich lady, she borrowed a necklace from her rich friend. Her miseries started when the necklace was lost by her.

Long Answer Type
Q1: A little confession would have changed the life of Matilda. Should we confess our mistakes courageously? Do you agree about above statement.
Ans: Yes, a small mistake makes our life miserable and dark. People who are open-minded and speak the truth stay much happier. A little mistake made by Matilda changed her life completely. If Matilda had confessed that she had lost Madam Forestier’s necklace, her life would have been different. Confession could have brought peace of mind. Matilda would have at once come to know that necklace is not a real but it is an imitation. Hard work which Matilda put into repay the borrowed necklace could have been saved. We all get a very important message that we should not delay in admitting our mistake.

Q2: On inability to accept our circumstances may lead to an unhappy life. Explain with reference to the story “The Necklace”.
Ans: We fail to recognise the situation in which we are placed but rather keep on grumbling. We become frustrated and want our life to be different. We should accept the life as it comes to us and should not keep on cribbing about unhappy circumstances. As we read the story The Necklace’ we find that Matilda is not at all happy with her husband. She had wished her life to be luxurious. It is this frustration of hers which puts her in a fix and spoils rest of her life. She does not work for solution but rather complicates the situation for her.

Q3: ‘Love is blind’ is a phrase that was justified by Monsieur Loisel in the lesson ‘The Necklace’. Substantiate the answer from the story you have read in about 100 – 120 words.
Ans: Monsieur Loisel’s acceptance and contentment differ considerably from Matilda’s emotional outbursts and constant dissatisfaction, and though he never fully understands his wife, he does his best to please her. When Monsieur Loisel tries to appease Matilda, he does it so blindly, wanting only to make her happy. When she declares that she cannot attend the party because she has nothing to wear, he gives her money to purchase a dress. When she complains that she has no proper jewellery, he urges her to visit Madame Forestier to borrow some.
Monsieur Loisel’s eagerness and willingness to please Matilda becomes his downfall when she loses the necklace. He is the one who devises a plan for purchasing a replacement necklace and orchestrates the loans and mortgages that help them pay for it. Although the decision costs him ten years of hard work, he does not complain or imagine an alternate fate. It is as if his desires do not even exist or, at the very least, his desires are meaningless if they stand in the way of Matilda’s.

Q4: ‘The Necklace’ reveals that vanity is an evil. It may bring joy for short period but ultimately it leads to ruin. If you are placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, what would you have done? Express your views.
Ans: No doubt, Matilda was proud and self-loving. She was very beautiful and charming and she was proud of her beauty. Because of her 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.
Therefore, we can conclude that Matilda was very vain and proud because of her beauty. When we read the story, we find out that she suffered because of her vanity. If I were placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, I would have valued the love of my husband. I would have not insisted on buying an expensive dress to wear to the party. There would be no Qof borrowing an expensive necklace from my friend. I would have saved me and my husband from all hardships which the Loisels went through.

Q5: What changes came in the lifestyle of Matilda after she had lost the necklace?
Ans: To return the borrowed money Mr and Mrs Loisel suffered for ten long years. First, they sent away the maid servant. Then they changed their lodging and rented some rooms. Now Matilda 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 landing to catch her 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 like 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 with large pailg of water.

Q6: “At the end of the ten years, they had restored all”. What had Matilda and her husband restored and at what cost?
Ans: Matilda lost the necklace borrowed from her wealthy friend Mme Forestier. They desperately tried to find out the necklace but in vain. Finally they decided to replace the necklace with a new one. M. Loisel spent his entire savings and even borrowed a loan to buy the? necklace.
To repay the debt, they cut down their expenses. They sent away the maid and reported some rooms in an attic. They cut down their expenses. M. Loisel worked evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order, and nights he often did copying at five sous a page. This life lasted for ten years. At the end of ten years, they had restored all.

Q7: Matilda would not have suffered much if she had confessed the loss of necklace. Do you think our mistakes become more serious if we try to cover them?
Ans: Yes, a small mistake makes our life miserable and dark. People who are open-minded and speak the truth stay much happier. A little mistake made by Matilda changed her life completely. If Matilda had confessed that she had lost Madam Forestier’s necklace, her life would have been different.
Confession could have brought peace of mind. Matilda would have at once come to know that necklace is not a real but it is an imitation. Hard work which Matilda put into repay the borrowed necklace could have been saved. We all get a very important message that we should not delay in admitting our mistake.

Q8: Our inability to accept our limitations may lead to an unhappy life. Analyze with reference to the story ‘The Necklace’.
Ans: We fail to recognise the situation in which we are placed but rather keep on grumbling. We become frustrated and want our life to be different. We should accept the life as it comes to us and should not keep on cribbing about unhappy circumstances. As we read the story The Necklace’ we find that Matilda is not at all happy with her husband. She had wished her life to be luxurious. It is this frustration of hers which puts her in a fix and spoils rest of her life. She does not work for solution but rather complicates the situation for her.

Q9: The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Ans: The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. After replacing the lost necklace with a new one, they had to repay all the money that they had borrowed to buy the new necklace. They sent away the maid and changed their lodgings. They rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda learnt the odd work of the kitchen. She washed the dishes, soiled linen, their clothes and dishcloths.
She even took down the refuse to the street each morning and brought up the water, stopping at each landing to catch her breath. She went to the grocer’s, the butcher’s, and the fruitier’s, with a basket on her arm, shopping, haggling to save her money. Loisel worked in the evenings, putting the books of some merchants in order. At night, he did copy work at five sous a page. This lasted for ten years, and at the end of the said period, they were finally able to repay their lenders.

Q10: What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
Ans: If Matilda would have confessed to her friend she had lost her necklace, she might have been in lesser trouble than what she had to face after having replaced the necklace. Her friend would have definitely been angry with her. Most likely, she would also have asked Matilda to replace it and given her the details from where she had bought the necklace and how much it had cost her. Matilda would have thus known that the jewels in the necklace were actually not real diamonds. It would have cost her a far lesser amount to replace it. Matilda would thus have saved herself and her husband of all the trouble they went through and life would have been much better and easier for them.