The Necklace Summary Class 10 English
GIST
‘The Necklace’ is an interesting story with a strong message. It is ridiculous for people of ordinary means to copy the rich. One should live within one‘s means. Otherwise, he or she invites unnecessary problems, anxieties and confusion in his or her life.
The main message of the story is that we should be what we are. False pride is the cause of our sufferings. The loss of a false necklace by Mrs. Loisel was not a big loss. Things could have been settled right if she had confessed the loss of the necklace to the owner, Madame Forestier. This small lapse or mistake of Mrs. Loisel makes her whole life miserable and dark. And the irony was that the cause of all these sufferings was a false necklace.
KEY POINTS:
• Matilda, an ordinary woman, unhappy with her monotonous simple life, dreams of grandeur all the time.
• M. Loisel, Matilda’s husband, is satisfied with what he has. He is also happy being a clerk.
• Loisels get invited to a ball at the Minister of Public Instruction’s place.
• Loisel thinks that his wife would be happy to know about the invitation to the ball.
• Matilda is displeased and refused to go as she does not have a dress to wear to the ball.
• Her husband offers to buy her a dress for four hundred francs.
• Matilda buy a good dress but is still unhappy as she has no jewell to complement the beautiful dress.
• Her husband suggests to borrow jewels from her friend, Mme Forestier.
• Mme Forestier lends Matilda a diamond necklace.
• Matilda becomes a celebrity at the ball party as everyone admires her beauty.
• Unfortunately, the couple discovers the necklace is lost as they reach home.
• M Loisel contacts the police, cab offices, advertises to award the finder of the necklace but to no avail. They decide to buy a new necklace to replace it.
• M Loisel collects 18000 francs and they borrow eighteen thousand more to pay for the necklace.
• The couple spend ten years to pay back the debt, working day and night and suffering from dire poverty.
• Ten years of poverty and misery render them old and weary.
• M Loisel meets Mme Forestier one day and narrates the story of the necklace.
• Mme Forestier informs her the necklace was worth just five hundred Francs
Extract-Based Questions
Q. 1. “She suffered incessantly, feeling herself born for all delicacies and luxuries. She suffered from the poverty of her apartment, the shabby walls and the worn chairs. All these things tortured and angered her.
When she seated herself for dinner opposite her husband who uncovered the tureen with a delighted air, saying, “Oh! the good potpie! I know nothing better than that...,” she would think of elegant dinners of shining silver; she thought of the exquisite food served in marvellous dishes. She had neither frocks nor jewels, nothing. And she loved only those things.
She had a rich friend, a schoolmate at the convent, who she did not like to visit- she suffered so much when she returned. She wept for whole days from despair and disappointment.”
Question. Choose the option that list the set of statements that are NOT TRUE according to the given extract.
1. Matilda was very pleased with her life.
2. Matilda envied her friend for being well-off.
3. M Loisel didn’t appreciate what Matilda cooked.
4. Matilda despised the fact that she lived a life of poverty.
5. Matilda never felt troubled, though she desired a luxurious life.
6. Matilda thought of grand dinners and silverware sitting at the dinner table.
7. Matilda felt depressed after visiting her friend.
(a) 1, 3, 6
(b) 3, 5, 7
(c) 1, 3, 5
(d) 2, 4, 7
Answer : C
Question. Choose the characteristic displayed by M Loisel in the extract.
(a) conceited
(b) contended
(c) appeased
(d) subdued
Answer : B
Question. Which word does ‘delicacies’ NOT correspond to?
(a) etherealness
(b) elegance
(c) exquisiteness
(c) robustness
Answer : D
Question. The extract uses the phrase ‘elegant dinners’. Which of the following expressions is incorrect with respect to the word ‘elegant’?
(a) Option (i)
(b) Option (ii)
(c) Option (iii)
(d) Option (iv)
Answer : C
Question. Choose the answer that lists the correct option of what a ‘tureen’ is?
(a) Option (i)
(b) Option (ii)
(c) Option (iii)
(d) Option (iv)
Answer : C
Q. 2. “He was silent, stupefied, in dismay, at the sight of his wife weeping. He stammered, “What is the matter? What is the matter?”
By a violent effort, she had controlled her vexation and responded in a calm voice, wiping her moist cheeks, “Nothing. Only I have no dress and consequently I cannot go to this affair. Give your card to some colleague whose wife is better fitted out than I.’’
He was grieved, but answered, “Let us see, Matilda. How much would a suitable costume cost, something that would serve for other occasions, something very simple?”
She reflected for some seconds thinking of a sum that she could ask for without bringing with it an immediate refusal and a frightened exclamation from the economical clerk.”
Question. Pick the option that correctly classifies fact/s (F) and opinion/s (O) of the people below:
(a) F-1, 2 and O-3, 4
(b) F-3, O-1,2, 4
(c) F-2, 4, O-1,3
(d) F-2, 3, 4, O-1
Answer : B
Question. Choose the option that gives the most appropriate response to the statement made by the speaker.
(a) I think Matilda was being unreasonable and unrealistic.
(b) I feel that M Loisel loved Matilda and wanted her to be happy.
(c) In my opinion M Loisel was being too harsh with Matilda.
(d) I feel that M Loisel should not have brought the invite home.
Answer : B
Question. Pick the correct set that matches with the feelings of the highlighted words related to the characters:
Matilda: By a violent effort, she had controlled...
M Loisel: He was grieved....
(i) Matilda felt aggressive; M Loisel was troubled
(ii) Matilda was irritated; M Loisel was upset and cried
(iii) Matilda tried extremely hard; M Loisel felt intense sorrow
(iv) Matilda was quite calm; M Loisel’s heart ached for love
(a) Option (i)
(b) Option (ii)
(c) Option (iii)
(d) Option (iv)
Answer : C
Question. What does ‘economical clerk’ indicate?
(a) M Loisel was a spendthrift even though he earned a lot.
(b) M Loisel was thrifty as he had a major income.
(c) M Loisel calculated money all the time as he was a clerk.
(d) M Loisel was stingy about money and didn’t spend it.
Answer : B
Question. M Loisel was astonished seeing his wife’s reaction. He writes a diary entry that night. Complete the entry by with the missing words, by choosing the correct option.
(a) (i) vexed (ii) disturbed (iii) bring
(b) (i) elated (ii) disturbed (iii) afford
(c) (i) keen (ii) depressed (iii) bring
(d) (i) elated (ii) distressed (iii) afford
Answer : D
Very Short Answer Type Questions
Question. Mention two things you would have done, other than what M Loisel did, to help resolve the problem of the lost necklace.
Answer : If I would have been in M. Loisel’s place, I would have strictly asked my wife to repay the lost necklace. I would have stood by her and asked my friends and family members to help her in the hour of distress. I would have, as a responsible person, taken help of the police as well.
Question. Madam Loisel now knew the horrible life of necessity. Do you think Madam Loisel accepted this change willingly? Give two reasons in support of your answer.
Answer : Yes, Madam Loisel came to know the horrible life of necessity because after losing the necklace their life changed drastically. Matilda had to do all the household chores. She had to do away with her maid and carry down garbage to the street on her own. She had to wash the dishes and do all the shopping from the market with a lot of haggling. Her husband also had to work hard. Though she found it hard to accept the reality but in the end she knew she had to all this in order to re-pay the money they borrowed.
Question. Imagine Matilda got to know that M Loisel had given her four hundred francs, which he had saved to buy a gun. How do you think she would have reacted?
Answer : I don’t think so she would have reacted any better. She was self-conscious woman who only thought of her own comforts in life. Though her husband M Loisel loved her dearly, she never reciprocated in the same way as he did throughout the story. She was highly impulsive and impatient woman who reacted very angrily to the situation. Even if she would have come to know that M. Loisel had kept that money to buy that gun she would not have bothered as she wanted to look the best in the ball.
Question. Mention one of the most pleasurable things, according to you, that money can’t buy and support your choice with an appropriate reason.
Answer : Money can buy us everything but satisfaction and peace of mind one should always be happy with what one is having and not think of what there’s to have. You as a person should always be happy in the situation God has kept you. He always thinks the best for you. The more contended you are, the more happy you would be. It is not the luxuries in life which make you a better person. You become better only by your good deeds and actions. So try to be a good human being first rather than complaining one. In Matilda’s case she always complaint of more money, more comfort what she got in the end was totally opposite to what she expected out of life. So never expect only go with natural flow in life.
Short Answer Type Questions
Question. Madam Forestier writes a diary entry after having met Matilda, knowing the truth and seeing the transformation in her friend. Write a short diary entry as Madam Forestier about your encounter and how you felt. You may begin like this.
20th July, Monday 9:00 pm
I couldn’t recognise Matilda at all. I wish she had told me the truth about the necklace.
Answer : 20th July Monday 9:00 PM
I couldn’t recognise Matilda at all. I wish she had told me the tr
uth about the necklace, which she didn’t. I feel so sorry for her. The poor lady had to go through so much just for the sake of one artificial necklace worth 400 francs. I am surprised she hid this all from me fearing I would demand the real price of the necklace from her. Oh! I wish she should have at least spoken to me once, so that I could have got her out of this predicament. My innocent friend, Matilda, whom I love so dearly, had to go through this pain of having lost my necklace in the ball. She during this course of life has become a much tougher person. She no longer is that sweet face of woman she used to be. It clearly pains to see her like this. I would like to help her.
Madam Forestier
Question. Matilda goes home after meeting Madam Forestier after ten years and shares the fact with M Loisel that the necklace was a false one. Write the dialogue between Matilda and M Loisel.
Matilda:
I don’t know how to tell you this but I met Madam Forestier today and she told me that her necklace was
M Loisel: What! I can’t believe my ears. That huge debt was for nothing!
Matilda: .....................................................
M Loisel: ..........................................................................
Answer : Dialogue between Matilda and M. Loisel __________________
Matilda : I don’t know how to tell you this but I met Madam Forestier today and she told me that her necklace was false one.
M Loisel : What! I can’t believe my ears. That huge debt was for nothing!
Matilda : Yes, M Loisel it is really surprising that we had to go through so much. I don’t know what God had in store for us.
M Loisel : Shocking it is really! Unbelievable. She told you all this herself.
Matilda : Madam Forestier was shocked, even she could believe that we had to go through so much just for the sake of this false necklace.
M Loisel : Now what do you think we should do?
Matilda : Well! We can ask her to give back the real diamond necklace to us. So, that we can repay our debts.
M Loisel : What if she refuses?
Matilda : Well! Madam Forestier is a friend of mine. She will never refuse. I am sure. Let me just speak to her.
M Loisel : Do what you feel like.
Question. Imagine you’re one of the columnists in a magazine. People write to you about their issues, seeking your advice.
Matilda writes to you about the guilt she feels for having lost a necklace and how it changed the course of her life and her husband’s. What would be your advice to her?
Answer : The Editor
Mr Jay,
It’s a pleasure to write of my woes in your column. Y
ou are the best adviser to everybody’s problems. You lent a patient ear to each of your guests. Now listen and be the best adviser to me.
I am into depression mode as I recently lost a diamond necklace of my best
friend which I had borrowed for a party. No amount of pacifying from my husband M Loisel could bring me out of this feeling. Though I was cynosure of everybody’s eyes in the party. The loss of necklace brought it all down. After losing it, I got so worried as how I will face my friend now. All through this my husband has been very supportive of me, his immense love and faith me in me sailed me through this time. He did all in his capacity to get me out of it. To repay the necklace we borrowed her another necklace which has made our lives very difficult and we now live a life of penury with meager income to support us. How should I help myself to get out of this!
Mr. Jay : Well Matilda! Whatever happens, happens for the best. So put your worries across and think of your future ahead. You have suffered enough, now think of brighter side of life and learn from your mistakes. I am sure you will be out of it soon.
Long Answer Type Questions
Question. One of your friends has to attend a class party at his / her school and wants to purchase the most expensive clothes and shows. He/ She feels that this would make him/ her stand out in the crowd.
You receive a call from your friend seeking advice on this matter. Write down that telephonic conversation between your friend and yourself.
You may begin this way:
Friend: Hey, I want an honest opinion from you. Will you please help me?
You: ........................................................................................................................................
Friend: So, there’s this class party I have to attend. It’s a big deal!
You: .......................................................................................................................................
Answer : ‘Frequently in life is the ideal way to live’is being as simple as possible. Buying a costly dress doesn’t mean you would look the best in the party. One can look pretty even in a simple attire. So, go for something very normal in best colours.
Friend
Just suggest something...........
You
May be a saree. It makes the woman look beautiful in all situations in all times. So,why don’t you go for it. There are a number of varieties like tussar, chanderi, mogra,eerie to choose from.
Friend
That’s a good idea. Let me just try it. You are the best adviser when it comes to suggest something
Thanks any ways.
Question. Read the following quote.
“We are too involved in materialistic things, and they don’t satisfy us. The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted.” - Mitch Albom
Matilda
was never satisfied with her life and desired more. The given quote reflects her character. Justify.
Answer : Matilda always longed for luxuries in life. Money, glamour and luxuries were a part of her life. She didn’t care for her middle class upbringing, she always kept day dreaming about materialistic pleasures in life. She didn’t even bother a bout her husband’s feelings that how much he cared and loved her. For the ball she insisted on buying the most beautiful dress, so that she could look the most beautiful in the ball. She longed for appreciation and admiration from all. She kept running after her fantasies and in the end lost everything in the bargain. Through all this ordeal, it was only her husband who stood by her. Thus, it is better to understand that one should be satisfied, with what one is having and not believe in false show off.
Question. Your teacher conducted an Turn Tables in class, and asked you to put forth your views on ‘Frugality in Life is the Ideal Way to Live’.
Write the debate script with points to supplement your stand, both for and against the motion and conclude with your own views.
Answer : For the motion
You may begin like this...............
Being frugal is the quality of a prudent person who is economical in the consumption of resources available to him. These resources can be in any form be it food, clothes money or just about anything. Avoiding wastage of any kind is the greatest virtue of man. We should always remember that resources available to us by mother earth are scanty, we should make judicious use of them. Today, the whole world is hit by deadly Corona, people are out of jobs, some are working from home, some are doing nothing. In such a scenario the prudent use of money becomes all the more important. So, always use money wisely.
Against the motion,
There are no two ways about it that money makes the world go round. It’s the power of money that rules the world in today’s time. The more we flaunt it, the more progressive we are thought to be. Everybody loves to possess it. So, if we have more why not just show it. After all being thrifty always doesn’t pay, one needs to look for one’s own comfort as well. Spend what you have today, do not bother for tomorrow. For no one knows what tomorrow has in store for us.
