Chapter 7 The Necklace

One-Word Meanings – “The Necklace”

Word	One-Word Meaning
Discontented	Unhappy
Luxury	Comfort
Pride	Ego
Invitation	Request
Jewels	Ornaments
Mocked	Teased
Borrow	Take
Necklace	Chain
Disaster	Tragedy
Fret	Worry
Search	Look
Report	Inform
Advertisement	Notice
Reward	Prize
Efforts	Attempts
Debt	Loan
Replace	Substitute
Fake	Imitation
Realize	Understand
Confess	Admit
Truth	Honesty
Consequences	Results
Miserable	Sad
Hardship	Difficulty
Back-breaking work	Laborious
Content	Satisfied
Materialistic	Greedy
Translated	Converted
Franc/Sou	Currency

Read and Find Out (Pages 39–42)

Question 1.

What kind of a person is Mme Loisel and why is she always unhappy?
Answer:
Mme Loisel is a young and beautiful woman, but she is not satisfied with her simple life. She was born in a poor family and married a clerk. She dreams of wearing expensive clothes, jewellery, and living in a big house. Because she cannot have these things, she is always unhappy and feels that life has been unfair to her.

Question 2.

What kind of a person is her husband?
Answer:
Her husband, Monsieur Loisel, is a kind and caring man. He works as a clerk and is happy with his simple life. He loves his wife very much and always tries to make her happy. Even when she complains, he listens patiently and supports her in every way he can.

Question 3.

What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
Answer:
After buying a new dress for the party, Mme Loisel feels upset because she has no jewellery to wear with it. She thinks she will look poor among rich women at the party. This makes her feel ashamed and she tells her husband to give the party invitation to someone else.

Question 4.

How is the problem solved?
Answer:
Her husband suggests that she wear some fresh flowers, but she does not like the idea. Then he tells her to borrow jewellery from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Matilda agrees, and Mme Forestier lends her a beautiful diamond necklace. This makes Matilda happy and ready for the party.

Question 5.

What do Mr and Mme Loisel do next?
Answer:
After the party, Mme Loisel realizes that she has lost the necklace. They search for it everywhere. Mr Loisel goes back to look in the streets and cab offices. He also reports it to the police and places an advertisement in the newspaper. But they do not find it.

Question 6.

How do they replace the necklace?
Answer:
When they cannot find the lost necklace, they decide to buy a new one just like it. Mr Loisel uses all his savings and also borrows a large amount of money from others. They buy the necklace for 36,000 francs and return it to Mme Forestier without telling her the truth.

Think About It (Page 46)

Question 1.

The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Answer:
Losing the necklace completely changed the Loisel’s lives. They had to pay a huge debt, so they moved to a smaller house. Mme Loisel had to do all the housework herself—cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Mr Loisel worked extra jobs in the evening and night. They suffered in poverty for ten years, all because of one mistake.

Question 2.

What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Answer:
Matilda’s ruin was caused by her pride and desire to look rich. She wanted to show off at the party, even though she was not wealthy. She could have avoided all the trouble if she had accepted her simple life. Also, she should have told the truth about the lost necklace instead of hiding it.

Question 3.

What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
Answer:
If Matilda had told her friend the truth, she would have found out that the necklace was fake and not expensive. It only cost 500 francs. She would not have had to borrow money or suffer for ten years. Telling the truth would have saved her and her husband from all the pain and hardship.

Question 4.

If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
Answer:
If I were in such a situation, I would have told the truth right away. I believe being honest is better than hiding something and suffering later. Mistakes can happen to anyone, and it is always better to accept them and face the consequences instead of lying.

Talk About It (Page 46)

Question 1.

The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their language? What clues are there in the story?
Answer:
No, English is not their original language. The story was first written in French by Guy de Maupassant. It has been translated into English. We can tell this because the names like Mme Loisel, Mme Forestier, and places like Palais Royal and Champs Elysées are French. Also, the money is in ‘francs’ and ‘sou’, which are French words.

Question 2.

Honesty is the best policy.
Answer:
Yes, honesty is always the best policy. If Matilda had been honest, her life would have been much easier. Lies can create big problems and lead to pain and regret. Being honest may seem hard at first, but it always brings peace and respect in the end.

Question 3.

We should be content with what life gives us.
Answer:
It is important to be happy with what we have. Everyone has different lives—some have more, some have less. If we always want more, we will never be happy. We should be thankful and work hard to improve, but also accept and enjoy what we already have.