CBSE Class 10 English The Necklace HOTS

EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS

Read the extracts given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. He went to the police and to the cab offices, and put an advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward. She waited all day in a state of bewilderment before this frightful disaster. Lisle returned in the evening, his face pale; he had discovered nothing.

Question. What did M Loisle do?
Answer. He went to the police and to the cab offices, and put an advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward.

Question. For what did he offer a reward?
(i) to find the lost necklace
(ii) to find the lost dress
(iii) to participate in ball
(iv) for recognition
Answer. A

Question. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin?
Answer. Her weakness for admiration, pleasure and vanity became the cause of her ruin.

Question. How could she have avoided it?
(i) By living within her means
(ii) By living controlling her wild desires for short-lived pleasure
(iii) By controlling her husband
(iv) Both (i)&(ii)
Answer. D

Question. Which of the following is not the nearest meaning of ‘disaster’?
(i) damage
(ii) destruction
(iii) ruin
(iv) punishment
Answer. D

2. He threw around her shoulders the modest wraps they had carried whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She wished to hurry away in order not to be noticed by the other women who were wrapping themselves in rich furs.

Question. Who is she?
(i) Matilda.
(ii) Forestier
(iii) Victor
(iv) Matilda’s mother
Answer. A

Question. What was the cause of her inferiority complex?
Answer. She thought that they are poor and all the guests of the party belong to the upper class. This was the cause for her inferiority complex.

Question. Mr Lisle was a _______ husband.
(i) loving
(ii) daring
(iii) simpleton
(iv)none of these
Answer. A

Question. The tendency to show off becomes a__________ for Matilda.
(i) curse
(ii) blessing
(iii) boon
(iv)none of these
Answer. A

Question. Who wasted youth?
Answer. Matilda

3. And she responded, “I am vexed not to have a jewel, nothing to adorn myself with. I shall have such a poverty-stricken look. I would prefer not to go to this party.” He replied, “You can wear some natural flowers. In this season they look very chic.”

Question. Who was vexed then?
(i) Matilda
(ii) Forestier
(iii) M Loisle
(iv) G D Mupasant
Answer. A

Question. Which party is she referring to?
(i) party hosted by The Minister of Public Instruction
(ii) party hosted by The Minister of Art & Culture
(iii) party hosted by The Home Minister
(iv) party hosted by The Education officer
Answer. A

Question. Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?
Answer. Matilda

Question. Why did she not want to go to the party?
Answer. She was grieved for her poverty-stricken look. She felt that she did not have a proper Party dress and a jewel for the party.

Read the extracts given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. Instead of being delighted, as her husband had hoped,she threw the invitation spitefully upon the table murmuring, “What do you suppose I want with that?”

Question. What did the husband hope for?
(i) that his wife will be happy
(ii) that his wife will be angry
(iii) that his wife will be surprised
(iv) that his wife will be crying
Answer. A

Question. Choose the option that lists the set of statements that are NOT TRUE according to the given extract.
1. Matilda was happy at the invitation.
2. Her husband hoped to see her happy at the invitation.
3. Matilda threw the invitation.
4. Matilda happily sang after seeing the invitation.
5. Matilda asked her husband what she supposed to do with the invitation.
6. Matilda threw the invitation out of the window.
7. Matilda didn’t know what to do with the invitation.
(i) 1, 2, 3
(ii) 1, 3, 5
(iii) 1, 4, 6
(iv) 1, 6, 7
(i) F – 1, 2 and M – 3, 4
(ii) F – 1, 3 and M – 2, 4
(iii) F –1, 4 and M – 2, 3
(iv) F – 4 and M – 1
Answer. C

Question. What do you understand by the wife’s behaviour?
(i) wife was unhappy
(ii) wife was surprised
(iii) wife was joking
(iv) wife was busy
Answer. A

Question. Which of the following words means ‘speaking in a low voice’?
(i) delighted
(ii) murmuring
(iii) spiteful
(iv) suppose
Answer. B

2. And she responded, “I am vexed not to have a jewel, nothing to adorn myself with. I shall have such a poverty-stricken look. I would prefer not to go to this party.”
He replied, “You can wear some natural flowers. In this season they look very chic.”
She was not convinced. “No”, she replied, “there is nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air in the midst of rich women.”

Question. Which party is she referring to?
(i) the party hosted by The Minister of Public Instruction
(ii) the party hosted by Madame Forestier
(iii) the party hosted by her father
(iv) none of these
Answer. A

Question. Why did she not want to go to the party?
(i) because she didn’t have a dress to wear
(ii) because she didn’t have a jewel to wear
(iii) because she would look poverty-stricken
(iv) all of these
Answer. D

Question. Who is ‘he’ in the extract?
(i) Mathilde’s father
(ii) her husband, M. Loisel
(iii) The minister
(iv) none of these
Answer. B

Question. What do you mean by ‘Shabby’?
(i) clean
(ii) fresh
(iii) worn
(iv) good
Answer. C

Question. The antonym of ‘adorn’ is:
(i) dress up
(ii) ugly
(iii) beautify
(iv) enhance
Answer. B

3. 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. Who is she in the passage? Why did she not like visiting her friend?
Answer. She is Mrs. Loisel. She did not like going to her friend’s place because she was a rich woman who had the things that Mrs. Loisel craved for.

Question. Do you think her disappointment is reasonable?
Answer. No. She lives a comfortable life with a loving husband. Yet, it was her hankering for finer and more expensive things in life that made her miserable and ungrateful.

4. “Yes, I felt it as we came out.”
“But if you had lost it in the street, we should have
heard it fall. It must be in the cab.”
“Yes, it is possible. Did you take the number?”
“No. And you, did you notice what it was?”
“No.”

Question. What are the people in the passage talking about?
Answer. They were talking about a diamond necklace that Mrs. Loisel had borrowed from her friend. Mrs. Loisel had lost the necklace.

Question. Where are they coming from?
Answer. They are coming back from a party for which Mrs. Loisel had made a lot of preparations.

5. How would it have been if she had not lost the necklace? Who knows? How singular is life, and how full of changes! How small a thing will ruin or save one!

Question. How had a necklace changed her life?
Answer. The necklace, which she understood to be made of diamond, had changed her life forever. She had to go through a lot of hardships to repay for the loan.

Question. What all did she have to go through because of the necklace?
Answer. As Mrs. Loisel had lost the necklace, she and her husband had worked their fingers to the bone trying to payback the debt they had taken to replace the necklace. They changed homes, let go of the maid and the husband worked double shifts. She had aged ten years in a short time and had lost all her beauty and grace.

6. “I returned another to you exactly like it. And it has taken us ten years to pay for it. You can understand that it was not easy for us who have nothing. But it is finished and I am decently content.” Mme Forestier stopped short. She said, “You say that you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?”

Question. What did Mrs Loisel return to Mme Forestier?
Answer. Mrs. Loisel had returned a diamond necklace costing thirty-six thousand francs to Mme Forestier but it was not the same necklace that Loisel had borrowed from her friend. Instead, as she had lost the necklace, she had replaced it with another one that looked just like it.

Question. What made Mme Forestier stop short?
Answer. Forestier had stopped short because the necklace she had given Loisel was made not of real diamonds.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

Question. What do you think were the feelings of Madam Forestier when she came to know that Matilda returned her a diamond necklace in place of an artificial one?
Answer. Matilda borrowed a necklace from Madam Forestier to wear at a party. She lost it somewhere and in that place returned a diamond necklace to her. She was unaware of the fact that it was an artificial one. Madam Forester was shocked to know the whole story. Madam Forestier thought that situation could be avoided if Matilda had the dare to accept the truth and share it with Madam Forester.

Question. Why did Madam Loisel leave the ball in a hurry? What does it show about her character?
Answer. Madam Loisel left the ball in a hurry because her husband threw the modest wraps around her shoulders, whose poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She did not want to be noticed by the other woman who was wrapping themselves in rich furs. It shows the hypocrisy and show off life of Madam Loisel. It shows her dissatisfaction, anger and frustration with life.

Question. Why do you think that M. Loisel was a loving husband?
Answer. Mr. Loisel was a simple and poor clerk. He made every effort and sacrifice to make his wife happy. He sacrificed his 400 francs that he had saved to buy a gun for himself in order to  buy a new party dress for his wife. It proves that he was a loving husband.

Question. How was Mrs. Loisel a mistake of destiny‘?
Answer. Mrs. Matilda Loisel was very charming and pretty. She appeared to be a lady of a high family. But she was born in a family of clerks. As her parents did not have much money, she was married to a clerk. But her thoughts were high. She wanted to enjoy the luxuries of life. So, the writer says that she was a mistake of destiny.‘

Question. What would Matilda often dream of?
Answer. Matilda would often dream of all the delicacies, luxuries, elegant dinners, marvelous dishes, rich silver, beautiful dresses, jewels, adoration and a life of glory. She would escape into her dreams from the dullness of her very humble existence.

Question. Why did Matilda throw the invitation spitefully?
Answer. Matilda was simply displeased when her husband showed the invitation. She felt humiliated and threw the invitation spitefully as she had nothing beautiful enough to wear to such a grand gathering.

Question. Do you think M Loisel had an enjoyable evening at the ball? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer. Mme Loisel was the centre of attention at the ball. Her beauty, her grace, her joy and the gorgeous smile captivated all. Men sought to be presented to her. She danced happily at her conquest of all.

Question. What excuse did Loisels put up to explain the delay in returning the necklace?
Answer. Loisels had lost the necklace and needed time to find an identical one. Thus,Loisels wrote a letter to Mme Forestier with an excuse that the clasp of the necklace was broken and they needed time to get it repaired.

Question. Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend. Elucidate.
Answer. Mme Forestier turns out to be an interesting character. She plays a very vital role in the story. As a friend to Matilda, we find her to be really genuine as she helps Matilda in the hour of her need. When Mme Loisel needs to borrow jewels, she turns to Mme Forestier. Mme Forestier does not refuse. Displaying her generosity, she opens up the entire array of her jewels for Matilda to choose from.
Also, she is considerate when Loisels delay the return of the necklace. Surprisingly, at the end of the story, she concludes the entire narrative. Without even a moment’s hesitation, she reveals to Matilda that her necklace was just a fake. She is not at all worried in the light of the fact that she may have to return the necklace. It shows her honesty. Rather, she, like a true friend, feels bad for Matilda at her unnecessary suffering. We find her sympathising with Mme Loisel. She is indeed a gem of a friend.

Question. Do you think the story is aptly titled? Justify your answer.
Answer. The whole narrative of the story ‘The Necklace’ revolves around a young woman Matilda, who in her foolish pride borrows a necklace inviting misery and sorrow for herself as well as for her husband. The ‘necklace’ has lost and the Loisels fall into a tremendous debt. They spend the next ten years of their life in paying debt for the replacement of the lost necklace. Their entire life moves around impoverished everyday saga of misery and hunger and the necklace, in fact, changes the very course of their life. Also, it is against the back drop of the necklace that Matilda’s pride and dishonesty are highlighted. At the same time, the necklace serves a twist at the end as it turns out to be a fake one. The story is, hence, most aptly titled as the necklace is, in fact, the leading character of this ironic tale of desire, the doom and the tragedy.

Question. What did Matilda’s husband bring home one evening? Why was he so elated?
Answer. One evening, Matilda’s husband brought home an invitation for both of them to attend a party at a minister’s house. He was elated because he was one of the few clerks to get an invitation and also because he thought Matilda would be thrilled.

Question. Why did Matilda not like to visit her rich friend?
Answer. Whenever Matilda visited her rich friend, she remained sad for many days thereafter. The contrast between her life and her friend’s in terms of the luxuries, pained her very much.

Question. Why did Jeanne, Matilda’s friend not recognise her?
Answer. Over ten years, Matilda let go of all the little pleasures of her life, worked extremely hard in order to save money so as to repay the loan they had taken to buy the replacement necklace. All the hardships had given her a haggard look and that is why Jeanne could not recognise her.

Question. Why did Matilda (Mme Loisel) leave the ball in a hurry? What does it show about her character?
Answer. Since no one noticed her shabby shawl, Matilda (Mme Loisel) left the ball in a hurry. Her character depicts her false pride and vanity in material things.

Question. How did M. Loisel try to make his wife happy?
Answer. M. Loisel had saved four hundred francs to buy a gun to join some hunting parties the next summer.The gun was to be used when he and his friends went to shoot larks. However, he tried to make his wife happy by offering to give her the saved four hundred francs to buy a suitable costume.

Question. Why was Matilda always unhappy after her marriage?
Answer. Matilda was a discontented woman. She was born into a family of clerks. She had received no dowry and had no hopes of becoming famous. Matilda was married to a clerk but she wanted to enjoy a luxurious life just like her rich friends who had money and power.

Question. Why was Matilda in a hurry to go to her house after the ball?
Answer. Mr. and Mrs. Loisel had gone to a ball that was attended only by the famous people of the society. Unlike the other rich ladies draped in their elegant wrap, Mr. Loisel covered Matilda with a modest wrap which was not befitting the upper class society. Matilda wished to hurry in order to go unnoticed by the other women who wrapped themselves in rich furs for the party.

Question. Why did Matilda not want to see her rich friends?
Answer. Matilda had an inferiority complex and considered herself unlucky to be born in a lower-class family. Unlike her, her friends were extremely rich and full of power. Matilda also felt inferior because she was married to a simple clerk whereas her rich friends were married to high-class men.

Question. Why did Jeanne not recognise her friend?
Answer. Jeanne did not recognise Madame Loisel. It was because she had completely changed in appearance. She looked like an old, hard and crude woman of the poor household. Her hair was dressed badly. Her skirt also way awry. She had lost all the charm of her youthful days.

Question. What did Matilda do to gain time for returning the lost diamond necklace to Madame Forestier?
Answer. Mr. Loisel failed to find the lost diamond necklace. He told his wife to tell Madame Forestier a thing. Lie that she had broken the clasp of the necklace and it had been sent for the repairs. Thus through this, they gained some more time to arrange money for buying the necklace.

Question. What did Mr. Loisel do to find the lost diamond necklace?
Answer. Loisel went to look for the lost diamond necklace everywhere they had walked. But he could not find it. He went to the police to file a complaint after his search returned futile. He also went to the cab offices. He enquired about the lost necklace everywhere. He also put an advertisement in the newspapers and offered a reward too.

Question. How did Loisel and Matilda arrange the money to buy the necklace? 
Answer. Matilda did all the work by herself. She tried to save every penny by washing the dishes herself. She sent her maid away and worked day and night to earn more money. Her husband also word equally hard to repay their debts.

Question. What was Mme Loisel shocked to know at the end of the story? 
Answer. Madam Loisel was shocked to know that the necklace for which she worked so hard for 10 years to repay the loss of, was artificial. When MmeLoisel had lost the necklace she had borrowed from her friend she was terrified and thought that she should replace it. To replace it, she had to buy it on a loan and to repay that loan, her husband and she had to work hard for 10 years. In the end when she got to know that the necklace which she took so many troubles for was artificial she felt betrayed and heartbroken.

Question. What is the twist at the end of the story ‘The Necklace’?
Answer. Matilda and her husband incur big debts in order to buy a replacement necklace for her friend. They cut down on all expenses, she works hard at the household chores, he does extra jobs etc., in order to earn more money. All this was for a necklace which they thought was of real diamonds. However, at the end of the story. Matilda meets her friend who tells her after ten years that the necklace they had lost was a fake, worth not even one-tenth of the price they thought it had. They worked so hard to repay the loan because they felt they had lost the real necklace. It they knew the truth and had worked so hard for their own benefit, it must have tremendously upgraded their standard of living. This was the twist at the end of the tale.

Question. Compare Matilda’s life before and after the fateful dinner party.
Answer. Before the dinner, Matilda led a frugal life as they did not have too much money and hence, had no luxuries. However, they did have a maid and other basic facilities. She dreamt of all the extravagances of life and was unhappy as she did not lead a luxurious life.
After the dinner, Matilda and her husband had to borrow large amounts of money to repay the loans they had taken. This meant letting go of the maid, doing all chores herself and having no savings to fall back on. She then, led a hard and harsh life that made her look much older than she was.

Question. What kind of person is Matilda Loisel? Support your answer giving examples from the story ‘The Necklace’
Answer. Matilda Loisel is a kind of woman who aspired beyond her means and was never satisfied with what she had. She was born into a family of clerks. Things went worst when she married a clerk herself and became a part of the same lifestyle that she wanted to get out of. Once, to make up for her aspirations, she spent way too much on a ball that her husband got an invitation for. She spent a lot on her dress and borrowed a necklace which she lost. She paid for the lost necklace by repaying the debt with her husband for over 10 years. In this process, she lost all her inheritance and had to live life poorly. Her obsession with the rich culture also brought her husband down with her. This shows that Matilda Loisel was an unhappy person who was never satisfied with what she had.

Question. Describe the kind of life that Mrs. Loisel dreamt of.
Answer. Matilda Loisel was quite pretty and charming woman. She was born in a poor family. Yet she had a very dreamy nature. She always kept dreaming of good things in life. She used to feel that she was born for all the luxuries of life. When she sat for dinner she would dream of dainty dinners, in shining silverware. She would dream of beautiful palaces, of rich ladies, of showy dresses and jewels. She felt that she was made for all the richest things of life. But she was married to a clerk. So, she suffered endlessly from poverty.

Question. Write a note on the appropriateness of the title ‘The Necklace’.
Answer. The title of the story, ‘The Necklace’ is very appropriate. The whole story revolves around this necklace. If the ‘necklace’ is taken away, the story falls to pieces. It is the very link, connected with the dream of Matilda. Matilda wants to be known and admired by people. She borrows the necklace from her rich Mme Frostier for the minister’s party who gave her a diamond necklace which is artificial but she doesn’t know this fact. She has to pay its price because the necklace is lost. She decides to replace it by a real diamond necklace. It costs her 36,000 francs. It takes them ten years to repay the money for the loan that they take for purchasing the necklace. But during this period, Matilda sees the miseries of her over-ambitious aspirations.

Question. Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend of the Loisels. Elaborate. 
Answer. Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend of Loisels. Mme Forestier played a crucial role in the story. She helped Mathilde when Mathilde needed her genuinely. Mathilde was blessed with a beautiful physique but she lacked the lavish lifestyle she yearned for. Therefore, she was discontented with her life. Although Mme Forestier treated her kindly, Mathilde was jealous of Mme Forestier because of her wealth. Once, Mathilde had to attend a fancy party so she borrowed a diamond necklace from Mme Forestier. Forestier was immediately ready to lend Mathilde the necklace. In fact, she displayed the entire array of her jewels in front of her and asked her to choose from them. She didn’t show any urgency to get back the necklace and when Mathilde returned the necklace, Mme Forestier didn’t even inspect it and instead, honestly revealed that the necklace that she gave to Mathilde was fake. It shows her honest nature. She also felt bad when Mathilde suffered unnecessarily to pay for a replacement necklace. Thus, she proved to be her genuine friend.