Grade X
Class 10 English (Footprints without feet book)
Chapter 7 The Necklace
By- Guy De Maupassant
➢ About the Author
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (5
August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a French
writer, remembered as a master of the short
story form, and as a representative of the
naturalist school of writers, who depicted
human lives and destinies and social forces in
disillusioned and often pessimistic terms. He
wrote some 300 short stories, six novels,
three travel books, and one volume of verse.
➢ Summary
• The story revolves around a selfish lady named Matilda.
• She is unsatisfied with her life as she wants a rich husband but because
she belongs to a family of clerks and her family is unable to give dowry she
is married to a clerk.
• One day, both the husband and wife are invited to a party at the minister’s
house. But Matilda does not have good clothes and jewels to wear at such a
party.
• Her husband suggests her to buy a dress and ask an old friend for jewellery.
• She then borrows a necklace from her friend and goes to the party.
• They went to the minister’s party and all the men admired her as she was
looking gorgeous in her new dress and jewellery.
• They returned at 4 in the morning. By that time M. Loisel had already
dozed off in one of the rooms with three other men. They decided to
leave and couldn’t find a carriage.
• Finally, after walking for a while, they got a carriage which dropped them
right outside their door. Matilda realized that she did not have the
necklace.
• M.Loisel went out to search the railway tracks for the necklace. M. Loisel
went to the police station, cab offices and also gave an advertisement for
reward to the person who returned the necklace.
• Meanwhile, he told his wife to tell her friend that the clasp of the
necklace had broken and had given it for repair.
• After a week, when the necklace could not be found, they decided to
replace it with a similar one. They found a similar necklace priced at
36000 francs.
• Fortunately M. Loisel had inherited 18000 francs from his father and the
rest he borrowed.
It took them ten years to repay all the loans and in these years their lives
changed drastically.
• They moved to a smaller apartment and removed the maid. Matilda cooked
the food and washed the clothes herself.
• Even M. Loisel worked multiple jobs to repay the borrowed money. In
these years, Mme. Loisel started looking much older, her hair badly
dressed, her voice became loud and she became a normal person who would
carry a basket to the grocery store, the butcher store and the fruit
store to buy their daily supplies.
• One day she met her friend Jeanne with a child and decided to tell her
the truth and explained how she was indirectly responsible for her aged
looks and her living conditions.
• She explained how she lost the borrowed necklace and had to take a loan
for replacing it. On hearing this, Jeanne told Matilda that the necklace
that she had borrowed was a fake one and was not worth more than 500
francs.
Question Bank
Extract Based Questions
Q.I. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow
Question 1.
One evening her husband returned elated bearing in his hand a large envelope. ‘Here’, he
said, “here is something for you.”
(a) Why was the husband elated?
(b) What was the reaction from ‘you’?
(c) Find the word from the extract that means the same as ‘wrapper’.
(d) What is the antonym of ‘elated’?
Question 2.
He threw around her shoulders that modest wraps they had carried whose poverty clashed
with the elegance of the ball costume. She wished to hurry away…
(a) What precedes these fines?
(b) ‘She’ wished to hurry away. Why?
(c) Which word in the given extract is a synonym of ‘not expensive’?
(d) What is the opposite of ‘poverty’?
Question 3.
She learned the odious work of a kitchen… she seemed old now. She had become strong,
hard woman, the crude woman of a poor household.
(a) Who seemed old now? .
(b) What had made her ‘crude’?
(c) Which word in the given extract is an antonym to ‘pleasant’?
(d) What part of speech is ‘crude’ in the extract?
Question 4.
Mme Forestier was touched and took both her hands as she replied, “Oh! My poor Matilda!
Mine were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs.” [CBSE2015]
(a) Why was Mme Forestier touched?
(b) “Mine were false.” What does ‘mine’ refer to in these words?
(c) Find the word from the extract that means same as ‘agitated’.
(d) What is the opposite of ‘poor’?
Q.II Answer the following in 30 – 40 words:
1. What would Matilda often dream of?
2. Why did Matilda throw the invitation spitefully?
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]
4. 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]
5. How did Loisels manage to pay for the necklace?
6. How did Mme Loisel now know the life of necessity? [CBSE 2016]
7. Describe Mme Loisel after ten years.
8. Why was Matilda’s friend astonished to see her at the end of the story? [CBSE 2012]
9. Comment on the use of irony in the text.
or
How had sacrifice of Mme Loisel’s been in vain?
Q.III. Answer the following in 100 words:
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”.
Question 2.
Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend. Elucidate. [CBSE 2015]
Question 3.
Do you think the story is aptly titled? Justify your answer.
