GRADE 7: ENGLISH

LS - 2: THE NECKLACE (BY GUY DE

MAUPASSANT)

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. What is the theme of the story?

A: The story is about greed and secretiveness. If
Madame Loisel had been happy with what she had
and worked hard to better her life, she would not
have suffered. The moral – be happy with what you
have.

2. Monsieur Loisel tried his best to please his wife.

What did Monsieur Loisel do to delight his wife?
A: Monsieur Loisel managed to get an invite for the
party after considerable trouble just to please his
wife. He gave his wife the money he had saved to
buy a new suitcase so that she could buy a new
dress for the party.

3. Do you think Madame Loisel was right in not

telling Madame Forestier about losing her necklace?
A: If she had told the truth, she would not have had
such a difficult life.
4. Why was Madame Forestier unable to recognise
Madame Loisel?
A: After years of hard work, Madame Loisel had
become like all the other women of poor households
– strong, hard and coarse. Madame Forestier was
unable to recognise her because she had changed
so much over all the years.

5. Did Madame Loisel change by the end of the

story? How?
A: Yes, Madame Loisel did change by the end of the
story. She looked poorer and older than before.
Besides that she had learnt to value and respect
what she had instead of running after luxury and
worldly pleasures that were out of her reach.
6. How did Madame Forestier change the lives of
Monsieur Loisel and his wife?
A: Madame Forestier and her necklace had a tremendous
impact on the lives of Monsieur Loisel and his wife. They
had to move to a smaller house and had to burn the
candle at both ends to repay the loan they had taken to
replace the necklace. But Madame Forestier did not play
an active role in the story, it was Madame Loisel whose
actions and decisions made her life miserable.

POEM: WINTER:MY SECRET (BY CHRISTINA

ROSSETTI)

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Is the speaker of the poem a man or a woman?

Why do you feel so?
A: The speaker of the poem is a woman as there are
references to female clothing such as ‘shawl’ and
‘veil’ in the poem. Also, the poet is a woman.

2. Under the playful tone of the poem, do you think

the poet is trying to point out something more
serious? Explain.
A: Yes, the poet is trying to show how the speaker, a
woman, is in complete possession of her secrets,
and will not reveal them at any cost. She knows how
to protect her possessions and herself from the outer
world.