Ary Coronado, Rebeca Cortizo, and Roberto Ríos 11°A

Comprehension Check
Answers

1. At the beginning, Madame Loisel is unhappy with her life because she was born in a
petty official’s family. She had no dowry, no hopes and she couldn’t have married a
rich and distinguished man; so, she had to marry a minor civil servant at the Ministry of
Education. She couldn’t afford jewelry, and her lack of luxuries, like in her house or
clothes caused her pain.
2. The steps Madame Loisel took to dress for the party are: first, she calculates how much
money she can ask her husband. Then, she asked her husband for 400 francs to buy a
dress. And finally, she goes to see her friend Madame Forestier to get some jewelry.
3. To pay of the necklace, Monsieur Loisel used 18,000 francs inherited from his father to
pay for the necklace. He also borrowed a lot of money from moneylenders and took
money from usurers. He signed promissory notes without knowing if he would be able
to honor his signature. After 36,000 francs were collected, the couple replaced the
necklace.
4. Madame Loisel found out that the borrowed necklace was fake, and it was worth less
than five hundred francs.