The necklace Long Answer Type Questions 1. Matilda proved a roaring success due to Mme Forester lending her the necklace. How would you attain the stature of being generous? Answer: Matilda got the invitation to attend a ball at the minister's residence. But she did not have a good dress and jewelry to wear for the occasion. Her husband bought her a new dress with all his savings, and she borrowed a diamond necklace from her friend to match her dress wear on the occasion. On the day of the ball, Mme Lisle was a great success. She looked the prettiest of all elegant, gracious, smiling and full of joy. All the men noticed her, asked her name and wanted to be presented. She danced with enthusiasm intoxicated with pleasure, thinking of nothing but all this admiration. All these because of Mme Forester lending her the necklace. She was so generous that she offered all her jeweler without any hesitation. She did not even check the necklace returned by Mme Lisle. Later on, she told her that it was not a real diamond necklace but an artificial one. 2. 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? Answer: Matilda lost the necklace that she borrowed fromMme Forester. She had to buy a new necklace for thirty-six thousand francs which ruined all her savings. She had W change her lodgings and do all odd jobs like washing, cleaning and shopping grocery while her husband had to do extra work of copying after his office time. She lost all her chars’ and beauty. Now she realized that one little act of negligence can lead to total ruin. We will prefer to move on in life according to the situation. If we had committed any mistake we have to pay for it. And we should pay for it bravely. There is no harm in doing 811 household jobs or in earning extra money after office time. If we can live in a big house’ we should learn to live in a small one too with the demand of time. 3. Lisle wished to keep his wife in good humor. Which values of Matilda impress him? Answer: Lisle wished to keep his wife in good humor. My Lisle 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 Lisle. He tried his best to keep her happy. She was fond of parties and balls. That’s an 8 W y when Lisle got an invitation of Ball of minister’s residence. 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. These entire all he did because he loved his beautiful wife very much and wanted to keep her happy. 4. The story The Necklace’ teaches us many lessons which form the crux of human values. Discuss. Answer: The story ‘The Necklace’ teaches us many lessons which form the crux of human values. The very first thing it teaches us is the need to be content in life. Matilda, though born into a family of clerks and married to a petty clerk with the Board of Education, remains unhappy. She suffers from the feeling that she is born for all delicacies and luxuries, but has to live miserably in ‘poverty’. So, when she has to attend the office party with her husband, she asks him for money to get a new dress. Her husband sacrifices the money he has saved to buy a gun to get her the dress. Then also she is not content. She feels that she could look still more beautiful with a jewel. She thus borrows a necklace from her friend, thinking that it is made of diamonds. At the party, she remains elegant, gracious, smiling and absolutely happy. She was thus the prettiest of all. But this vanity is short-lived and is the beginning of all troubles in her life. She loses the necklace and she gets a new diamond necklace as its replacement by borrowing heavily. Subsequently, she is pushed to live in poverty as she slogs for ten years to save money to pay back the huge debt. Then the horrible reality frightens her. She realizes how her false pride has taken away her otherwise happy contentedlife. The story thus discusses the negative effects of pride and vanity and stresses the importance of being satisfied with what one has honesty, love and sacrifice. 5. Matilda's craving for a bubble reputation was the cause of her ruin.’ Draw a conclusion as to how she could have avoided the misfortune that dawned upon her. Answer: Matilda grows restless and unhappy when her husband shows her the invitation to the official party. What fills her mind is how she can present herself, be the prettiest and most attractive, at the party. Already she is frivolous, feeling herself to be born for all delicacies and luxuries of life. Now, this party gives her the opportunity to realize her dreams — at any cost — to show off her. Her vanity and false pride blind her, as she decides to flaunt her husband’s money to get a new dress for the party. Then she also decides to borrow a necklace to add to her beauty. She is unaware that whatever reputation she would gain from these would be short-lived. If only her husband had stopped her from buying the new dress or borrowing the necklace, they both would have led a smooth life. The efforts they both take to buy that small-time happiness had really cost them a considerable time of their life. Matilda should not have yielded to temptations. She should have weighed the pros and cons of borrowing a jewel from a friend. The jewel may or may not be ‘diamond’ — the need to keep it safe and returning it in good condition is a greaterresponsibility which a person of Matilda's mindset could hardly handle. Antic such untoward happenings of losing the jewel, and the croon pulsing to return it safely, had perhaps slipped from Matilda's mind. Also, a sense of false Pride and vanity were uppermost in Matilda’s mind. She was dissatisfied with her way of life, and even one night of splendor was welcome. If she had been content with her life and lived Within her means without falling for false and temporary ‘riches’ could have avoided the misfortune that dawned upon her and her husband on losing the jewel. 6. “Oh! My poor Matilda! Mine was false.” Confession saves you from a lot of trouble and a sense of guilt. Justify the statement. Answer: 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 disheveled 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 Forester could only sympathies 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 forester 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 really 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 own senseless attitude led to her ruin. 7.'The Necklace’ reveals that vanity is evil. It may bring joy for a short period but ultimately it leads to ruin. If you were placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, what would you have done? Write your views. Answer: It is true that vanity is evil. It may bring joy for a short period but ultimately it leads to ruin. Matilda, to get a little pleasure and to show her vanity, borrowed a diamond necklace to wear at the minister's party. She lost it. Mr. Lisle her husband took a big loan to replace it. For ten years both of them worked hard to repay the loan. Poor Matilda had to sacrifice her comfort, youth, softness and beauty. She became a crude, hard, poor lady with rough hair and hands. Later, the irony was Mrs. Forester told her that it was a false diamond necklace only for 500 francs. If | were placed in such a situation, | would have told my friend the truth. | would have told her that | felt extremely sorry for losing it and would have assured her that | would replace it, only she should tell me where to get it from and how much it would cost.8. Write a character sketch of Mrs. Lisle. Answer: Matilda was exceptionally pretty. By virtue of her good looks, she felt that she was born for all delicacies and luxuries. She wished to be admired and loved and to be married to some rich or renowned person. But she was unlucky. She was born into a family of clerks. Since she had no dowry, she agreed to marry a petty clerk. She was always grumbling. The welt/ of her house tortured her. She dreamt of lavish parties and rich dresses and jewels. Her dreamy, ambitious and vain nature pushed her into trouble. She paid a heavy price for her foolish desires. She borrowed a necklace to wear at a ball. She was intoxicated with joy and success. But the necklace was lost. That ruined her physically as well as materiality from a beauty queen she became a crude, hard shabby woman of a poor family. But she was brave and honest. She worked hard ungrudgingly to pay off her loan. 9. Describe in detail the kind of life that Mrs. Loisel dreamed of. Or Why did Mrs. Loisel remain dissatisfied from her life? Answer: Mrs. Loisel was pretty and charming. She was married to a clerk. She led an ordinary existence. But she was not happy with her life. She felt that she should have been born in a rich family. She wanted to lead a life of luxury and comfort. She wanted to enjoy life. She dreamed of a bighouse in which there was very good furniture. She dreamed of beautiful and costly curtains. Mrs. Loisel dreamed of her private room which was filled with very good perfume. She wanted to enjoy the company of rich and famous guests. When she sat down to dinner, she disliked her cheap and ordinary dining table. She disliked her simple meals. She dreamed of delicious dinners served in shining silverwares. She dreamed of having a number of attractive dresses and costly ornaments. In short, Mrs Loisel dreamed of a rich and luxurious life. 10. What preparations did Mrs. Loisel make for the ball? Or How did Matilda manage a new dress and jewelry for the ball? Answer: 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 in order 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 jewelry 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 a number of 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. 11. How did the couple's life change after they raised the loan for the necklace? Or What kind of life did Matilda and her husband live after the loss of the diamond necklace? Answer: 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 in order 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 and charming. 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 and attractive she had looked at the party. Thus the couple's life was completely changed after they had raised the loan for the necklace. 12. Write a brief character-sketch of Matilda Loisel. Answer: Mrs. Matilda Loisel is the central character in this story. She was born into a poor family. She was very pretty and attractive. She was married to a clerk. So she led to a simple life. She always dreamed of a rich and luxurious life. She wanted to enjoy life fully. She wanted to attend parties. Matilda is a tragic character. She borrowed a necklace from a friend to wear at a party. Everybody praises her beauty. But she lost the necklace. The loss of the necklace changed her life. Her husband borrowed a lot of money to replace it. She and her husband worked hard for ten years to repay the debt. In the end, she came to know that the necklace was made of artificial diamonds. Matilda was a woman of self-respect. She did not tell Mrs. Forestier that she had lost the necklace. She decided to suffer in life but not to lose her self respect. She worked hard for ten years. She faced difficulties. But she did not grumble. She suffered for no fault of hers. We feel sympathy for her. 13. What would have happened if Matilda had made the trueconfession to Mme Forestier? Answer: Matilda would have saved herself and her husband a great deal of trouble if she had made the true confession to Mme Forestier. If Matilda had been truthful with Mme Forestier, she could have known from her that the necklace was of false diamonds. But Matilda had not the courage to speak the truth which cost her family full ten years. Matilda could easily have avoided a great deal of misery in her life by her confession. But she tried to hide the truth from her friend and so she and her husband had to face a lot of hardships and to lead a horrible life for ten years. 14. Draw a pen-portrait (character-sketch) of Matilda (Mrs. Loisel) in about 100-200 words. Answer: Matilda or Mrs. Loisel was quite a beautiful young lady. Some error of fortune gave her birth in a family of petty clerks. She was highly ambitious and dreamy. Her dreams were impractical and beyond her means. She had to suffer a lot for her acts. But suffering and misfortunes only ended in making her a better human being. She struggled hard like an ordinary maid. She started doing all the household works herself. She started living within her limits. She helped her very caring and accommodating husband in saving money. It was a joint effort. They were successful in paying off all their debts in ten years. Matilda was born with a misconception. She thought, very wrongly, that she was born to enjoy all the delicacies andluxuries of the world. She dreamt of a grand house, costly dishes, trendy dresses and glittering jewels. Matilda was not rich. But she didn't want to present a poverty- stricken image of her amidst rich ladies. She was a self- respecting woman. She refused to go to the ball without a suitable dress and jewels. One blunder of Matilda led to her ruin and sufferings. She lacked humility. She must have gone and confessed before Madame Forestier that she had lost her necklace. She should have avoided unnecessary suffering to herself and to her husband. Much was done about nothing. Had she done so, she could have maintained her beauty and youth as Madame Forestier did. 15. Mr. Loisel was a caring, accommodating and helpful husband who tried to please his ambitious wife within his limited means. Comment. Or Give a character sketch of Mr. Loisel highlighting his accommodating nature. Answer: 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 in order 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. 16. Was Matilda's dream fulfilled at the ball? Why did all men notice and wanted them to be presented to her? Answer: 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 born-owed jewels from Madame 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 center 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. 17. What is the role of Madame Forestier in the story ‘The Necklace’? Or Draw a character sketch of Madame Forestier in your own words. Answer: Madame Forestier plays quite an important role in the plot of the story ‘The Necklace’. She was a rich friend of Matilda. She was a schoolmate at the convent. Though quite rich, Madame Forestier never gave an image of an arrogant and snobbish lady. When Matilda told her that she needed jewels to adorn herself for the ball, she at once obliged her. She opened her jewel box and asked her to make her choice. She happily lent her a superb diamond necklace of her choice. If Matilda didn’t want to visit Madame Forestier, it was not her fault. Matilda’s inflated ego prevented her from going there. She suffered so much when she returned the necklace. Matilda suffered because she couldn't enjoy all the delicacies and luxuries like her rich friend.Madame Forestier could snub Matilda for returning the necklace rather late. She told her, “You should have returned them to me sooner ” But she was a sympathetic lady. She showed her sympathy when she came to know of all miseries that Matilda suffered because of the necklace. Alas! Matilda didn’t take Madame Forestier into her confidence about the lost necklace. Madame Forestier was gracious enough to forgive her. After all, the jewels she lent to Matilda were false. 18. What was the single mistake that ruined the Loisels’ lives and brought them so many sufferings? Could they have avoided such a situation? Or How did a false necklace bring unnecessary struggles and sufferings to Loisels? Could a better understanding have avoided them? Give a reasoned answer. Answer: It is true that a single mistake can change the course of one’s life. This is exactly what happened to Matilda. Wearing a suitable costume and adorning herself with borrowed jewels didn’t bring any reversal of fortunes for Loisels. But hiding the fact that she had lost Madame Forestier’s necklace and not taking her into confidence was indeed a big blunder. It was the greatest mistake that Matilda had ever made in her life. She unnecessarily brought suffering to them for nothing. They had to pay 36000 francs to buy a replacement of Madame Forestier’s necklace. For ten long years, Matilda had to work like an ordinary maiddoing all her household work herself Mr. Loisel had to do extra works in the evenings and nights to save money. Of course, the Loisels could have averted such an unfortunate situation. Madame Forestier was an obliging, helpful and forgiving lady. She was rich but not arrogant. She would have easily forgiven her for losing her necklace. After all, the jewels were false. And much was done and suffered just for nothing! 19. How did Matilda and her husband struggle and suffer to pay off all their debts? What struggles, sufferings and sacrifices they had to make to become debt-free? What unfortunate changes came with the passage of the time in their lives? Comment. Answer: One big mistake changed the very course of Matilda’s and her husband's lives. They unnecessarily spent their whole savings of 18000 francs left by his father. They had to borrow the rest of the money. And just imagine that 36000 francs were lost to replace a false necklace! They could have avoided all this had they taken Madame Forestier into confidence before buying the replacement. For ten long years, the beautiful young lady had to work as an ordinary maid. They sent away the maid. They changed their lodgings. They rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda did all the washing of the dishes and soiled linen. She took down the refuse to the street each morning. She clothed like an ordinary woman. She did all the shopping herself with herbasket on her arm. She haggled to the last sous to save some money. The husband, Mr. Loisel, worked in the evenings. He put the books of some merchants in order. He did some copying work at five sous a page. Their miserable life continued for ten years until they paid off all the debts on them.