Short Answer Type Questions (30-40 words & 2 marks each)

Q. 1.Why was Matilda always unhappy ?

Matilda was always unhappy because she had been born into a simple family of clerks
and married also to a clerk. Thus, her desires to be rich or distinguished or of becoming
known were never fulfilled which caused her to be unhappy.

Q. 2.Why was Matilda Loisel always unhappy ?

Matilda Loisel was very pretty. She considered herself being born for a luxurious life but
the reality differed from her dreams. In reality she was married to a petty clerk and led a
very simple life. Her fantasy over ambitiousness made her unhappy.

Q. 3.Why did Mathilda not want to see her rich friends ?

Mathilda did not want to see her rich friends because she suffered from inferiority
complex. She was married to a simple clerk; whereas her friends were rich and full of
money power.

Q. 4.What was Loisel’s reaction to his wife’s desire for a new dress ?

The Loisel’s had been invited to a party at the minister’s residence. When Matilda told
her husband that she wanted a new dress to wear, first of all he asked her to wear
whatever she possessed. When she got angry and refused to go to the party at all, he
finally agreed to let her buy a new one.

Q. 5.Do you think M. Loisel had an enjoyable evening at the ball ? Give reasons for your
answer.

I think M. Loisel didn’t enjoy much at the ball. In fact, he was not much interested in
such parties. He had come there for the sake of his wife’s happiness. So when his wife
was dancing with enthusiasm, intoxicated with pleasure, he waited for her (but without
disturbing her) half asleep in one of the little salons since midnight.

Q. 6.How did the Loisel react when they realised that the necklace had been lost ?

As soon as they realised that the necklace had been lost their short-lived happiness
degenerated into shock of the worst nightmare. Matilda uttered a cry. Loisel, already
half undressed, arose in dismay and went immediately on foot in search of necklace.

Q. 7.Why was Matilda sad after the ball?

The night of the ball had been the realisation of a long cherished dream for Matilda,
when she was the focus of all the attention and every eye admired her. But the
happiness was short-lived and degenerated into shock of the worst nightmare when she
discovered that the necklace was missing from her attire. Her mind was ridden with
forebodings of how she would face Madame Forestier and pay up for the loss.

Q. 8.What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin ?

Her own discontentment was the cause of her ruin. She always felt that she had been
born for better things. So her desires to be rich or distinguished or of becoming known
were never fulfilled which caused her to be unhappy and ruined.

Q. 9.What changes came into the life of the Loisel after borrowing money ?

After borrowing money, a lot of changes came in the life of the Loisel. They had to do
away with the maid and Matilda had to do all the household chores. She had to carry
down the refuse to the street and carry water upstairs. She had to do all the shopping
from the market after a lot of haggling. Her husband also had to work hard. He worked
in the evenings and sometimes even at night. Thus, their life changed drastically.

Q.10.Why could Mrs. Forestier not recognize her friend Matilda at the end of the story ?

Matilda had to work very hard to lead her life. She had become a strong, hard woman,
the crude woman of the household. In fact she had started looking old. One Sunday
evening, when she was taking a walk in the Champs Elysees, she met Mrs. Forestier
who still looked young and pretty. As Matilda had started looking old and haggard, she
could’t be recognized by her.

Long Answer Type Questions (100-120 words )

Q.1.Why did Matilda’s husband go out into the cold night, minutes after returning from
the ball ? Was he successful in his purpose ?

On returning from the ball, Matilda noticed that the necklace, which she had borrowed
from Madame Forestier, was missing. They searched for the necklace everywhere.
Matilda’s husband went out into the cold night searching for the lost necklace. He went
on foot over the route, filed police complaint, enquired cab offices and even put an
advertisement in newspapers, offering a reward. But then, all his efforts went in vain. He
was not able to find the lost necklace.

Q.2.What did Loisel do to replace the necklace ?

Loisel had to pay thirty six thousand Francs for the new necklace. To replace the lost
necklace, Loisel used eighteen thousand francs which were set aside by Mr. Loisel’s
father. The remaining1-amount was borrowed from moneylenders. In order to repay the
borrowed money they went without maid and Matilda did all the household chores
whereas Mr. Loisel even worked overtime. In this way, they led a miserable life just to
collect enough amount to replace the lost necklace.

Q.3.What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin ? How could she have avoided it ?
OR
What could have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had
lost her necklace ?

Matilda had borrowed a necklace from her friend Madame Forestier to wear in the party.
It was a beautiful one and Matilda, a pretty woman, became the centre of attraction at
the party. All this happiness was short-lived because on reaching home, she discovered
that she had lost it. All her efforts to find it were in vain. She and her husband borrowed
huge sums of money to replace the necklace and henceforth faced a miserable life. On
the other hand, if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost the necklace and
had apologized she might have saved her family from a lot of miseries as the necklace
was not even worth 500 francs in reality.

Q. 4.Why did Matilda change her lifestyle after the ball ?

OR
What changes came into the life of the Loisel after the incident of borrowing the
necklace ?

Matilda had been enjoying thoroughly at the ball and in the pleasure of the moment, she
got careless and lost the necklace. All search was in vain and the expensive jewel (or
so they thought) had to be replaced. The debt incurred was much beyond their capacity
to pay and thus they had to make severe compromises in their lifestyle, foregoing every
luxury. Matilda worked laboriously at the household chores while M. Loisel overworked
at the office. Thus, they slogged for ten long years to pay up the loan.

Q. 5.How had Mme Loisel’s sacrifice all been in vain ?

The pleasure of looking pretty at the ball proved an expensive bargain for Matilda, as
she lost the necklace borrowed from Mme Forestier. It took Loisel’s ten long years to
pay back the huge sum they borrowed to replace the lost necklace.
Years later, when Matilda saw Mme Forestier, she disclosed the truth of the lost
necklace. She was dumb-founded to discover that it was not a genuine piece of
jewellery and had been worth just five hundred francs. All her sacrifices and comprises
had been meaningless.

Q. 6.What is your opinion about M. Loisel as a husband ?

M. Loisel was a loving husband beyond any doubt. He was aware of his wife’s
aspirations and so he thought that the invitation to the ball would please her and
expressed no offence when she reacted negatively. Instead, he offered his savings to
buy her an outfit, suited for the occasion.
Even when Matilda lost the necklace, he cooperated at every step to make up for the
loss and made the neccessary compromises in his life without complaining.
Q. 7.How can you say that Mr. Loisel was a simple man and loved his wife very much ?

He was a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. He was neither rich nor
distinguished. He didn’t have showy nature. He loved simple living, i.e,, he loved simple
home food, served in ordinary utensils; lived in a simple house with shabby walls and
worn chairs. But he didn’t have any complaint.
He loved his wife very much and praised her beauty. She was fond of grandeur in life.
So he managed to bring her an invitation to attend the minister’s party. For that party,
he offered her 400 Francs to buy a new dress which he had saved to buy a new gun for
himself. When she had lost the necklace at the party, without being aggressive he
arranged 36000 Franks for replacing the same. Moreover, he worked evening and night,
after his regular job to repay the amount.

Value Based Questions

Q. 1.‘The Necklace’ reveals that vanity is an 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 have you done ? Write your views.

‘The necklace’, through the example of Matilda conveys a chore truth that one must
value what he has and cherish. His blessings rather than chase illussions in the form of
material possessions, because if one lacks contentment then there is no end to the
chase.
Matilda should have valued the love of her husband rather than grumble about her
unfulfilled aspirations. And to look beautiful, one does not need to borrow expensive
jewels; it is the goodness of a person and the way one conducts, makes one beautiful.

Q.2.‘Contentment is a great wealth.’ Explain with reference to Matilda—the main

character of this story.

There is no doubt in saying that man’s final goal should be contentment. Human beings
can never be happy if they have unlimited desires and wants. This is shown by the
character Matilda who was never happy with what she had but always desired for more
and more which led her to ruin. Man should find happiness in what he has, rather than
running after what he does not have. It could be the cause of his unhappiness and
sorrow.