CBSE Class 10 English The Necklace Assignment Set 03

Short Answer Type Questions
 

Question. Mme. Loisel lost the necklace that Mme. Forestier had lent her. If it would have been you at Mme. Loisel’s place, what would have been your first and foremost step ?
Answer: If I had been at Madam Loisel’s place firstly I would not have borrowed the necklace. I would have been satisfied with the assets that I possessed. Secondly if I had borrowed and lost it, I would have told that Madam Forestier. Then I would have known at that very time that it was not a real diamond but an artificial one. And my life would have been saved from being ruined as Madam Loisel’s life was.

Question. How was Mr. Loisel able to arrange 36,000 francs ?
Answer: Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs, which his father had left for him. Rest of the money he borrowed from usurers and a whole race of lenders. He made ruinous promises for that. And to repay this debt they had to change their lodgings. Madam Loisel had to do all tedious jobs like washing, grocery shopping and carrying water upstairs herself.

Question. Do you think M. Loisel had an enjoyable evening at the ball? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: No. He was quite bored with the ball, as he had been half asleep in one of the little salons since midnight with three other gentlemen whose wives were enjoying themselves very much.

Question. Give examples from the text to show that Loisel was a simple man and loved his wife.
Answer: Loisel was a simple man. He worked for every wish of his wife. Mr. Loisel bought a dress for his wife by for going 400 francs to buy gun. When Madam Loisel lost the borrowed necklace, Mr. Loisel worked day and night to repay off the debt.

Question. How did the Loisels react when they realized that the necklace had been lost?
Answer: The Loisels became very unhappy when they understood that the necklace had been lost. They were sure that the loss of the necklace would make their life miserable because Mr Loisel was a poor clerk. So, it was very difficult for them to replace the lost diamond necklace.

Question. How did the Loisels replace the necklace? Or What did Loisels do to replace the necklace?
Answer: The Loisels replaced the necklace by purchasing a diamond necklace with same design. The cost of the necklace was 36,000 francs. Mr Loisel had to borrow money on a high rate of interest from a moneylender. Thus, they could replace the necklace but their hard life started.

Question. When Matilda lost the necklace, what should she have done?
Answer: When Matilda lost the necklace, she should have gone directly to her friend Mme Foresteir and confessed to her about the loss of the necklace. She could know that it was an artificial necklace.

Question. Why did Matilda change her lifestyle after the ball?
Answer: After the ball, the lifestyle of Matilda changed because she realized that her poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume. She walked towards the river, hopeless and shivering. She reached home by an old carriage. She lost the necklace in the ball and then her hardship in life began.

Question. Why was Matilda sad after the ball?
Answer: Matilda was sad after the ball because she found that her necklace was not around her neck. When she removed the wraps from her shoulders before the glass, for a final view of herself in glory, she told her husband that she no longer had the necklace after the ball.

Question. How had Mme Loisel’s sacrifice all been in vain?
Answer: Matilda always thought that she was born to enjoy all the material comforts of life. But after the loss of the necklace in the ball, she had to sacrifice all the comforts of life in order to replace the necklace. She had to do all hazardous works herself. But all these sacrifices and ‘distress’ were in vain because that was an artificial necklace. The real one was still with her friend, Mme Forestier.

Question. What was Loisel’s reaction to his wife’s desire to buy a new dress? Or What was Loisel’s reaction to his wife’s demand for a new dress
Answer: Matilda desired a new dress. It would cost her around four hundred francs. On hearing this his face turned pale. He had saved only four hundred francs to buy a gun. The new dress would consume his entire savings and aspirations.

Question. Why did Matilda’s husband go out into the cold night minutes after returning from the ball? Was he successful in his purpose?
Answer: Matilda’s husband Mr Loisel went into the cold night minutes after returning from the ball because he went to find out the necklace that Matilda lost somewhere on the way when they were returning from the ball. He went everywhere but it was all in vain. Towards seven o’clock he returned, but he had found nothing.
No, M Loisel was not successful in finding the necklace.

Question. What changes came in the lifestyle of Matilda after she had lost the necklace?
Answer: After the loss of the necklace, Matilda had to sacrifice all her comforts and even all her needs to get money to buy a new necklace and give it to her friend. Because of overwork, tension and lack of care, she became a physical wreck. Happiness of one night changed her whole life’s ways and style.

Question. “She suffered incessantly...” Why did Matilda suffer ?
Answer: Matilda thought that she was born to enjoy the delicacies and luxuries of life. But her meagre means could not provide her elegant dinners, shining silver, costly frocks and jewels. She suffered for living in a poor apartment with shabby walls and worn chairs.

Question. What had Matilda’s husband saved the money for ? Why did he decide to part with that money ?
Answer: Matilda’s husband had saved a substantial amount of money to buy a gun for himself, so that he could join the hunting parties the next summer. But, he gave the entire money to Matilda to buy a pretty dress for herself to go to the ball.

Question. Did Matilda agree happily to attend the party ?
Answer: No, Matilda initially refused to attend the party because she did not have a proper dress for the occasion. Later, when Loisel gave her four hundred francs he had actually saved to buy a gun. so that she could buy a dress, she agreed to attend the ball. But again she was reluctant to attend the ball because she said that she did not have any jewellery. Eventually, when Loisel suggested that she could borrow jewellery from her rich friend, did. she finally agreed on attending the party.
 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. Ostentation and vanity often land people in trouble. Matilda is an apt example of this. Justify. Or Matilda wanted to live a life above her status. How did this desire of hers lead to her sufferings?
Answer: Matilda always wanted a life above her status. This desire of hers had led her to sufferings as for the party she had borrowed her friend’s diamond necklace. After the party when she lost it she decided to bend the truth. She lied that the necklaces’ clasp was broken and it was away for mending. She instead bought a very similar looking diamond necklace. Due to that she and her husband were under the debt of many people. They had to shift into a new and a smaller apartment, She had to leave the maid and do everything by herself, She had to bargain for every penny, Her voice had become cracked and she seemed old and weary.
When she told her friend about the four painful years she was shocked and told Matilda that her necklace was an imitation one and it did not cost over five hundred francs.

Question. Mme Forestier proved to be a true friend of the Loisels. Elaborate.
Answer: 1. Mme Forestier helps her in their hour of need.
2. Mme Loisel needs necklace to wear in the party.
3. She opens up the entire array of her jewels for Loisels to choose from.
4. Considerate when Loisels delay the return of the necklace.
5. Honestly reveals to Matilda that necklace was fake.
6. Mme Forestier - like a true friend feels bad for her unnecessary sufferings.

Question. Not to accept the limitations of our life makes us unhappy in our lives. Describe how Matilda Loisel suffers in her life because she does not accept that she is not a rich person.
Answer: There is no doubt in it that to accept the limitations of our life or not to accept it, is a pertinent question related to our happiness or unhappiness. However, most of the people become unhappy and suffer because of not accepting the limitation of life. In the context of the story, Matilda Loisel suffered in her life because she did not accept her limitation of life. Although she was born in a poor family yet she dreamt to enjoy all the delicacies and luxuries like the rich people. She did not understand her limitations. She was not conscious of her capacity, reality and condition. So, she suffered because of her greed for high lifestyle and not accepting her limitations and condition.

Question. Matilda proved a roaring success due to Mme Forestier 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 jewellery 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 ball Mme Loisel 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 Forestier lending her the necklace. She was so generous that she offered all her jewellery without any hesitation. She did not even check the necklace returned by Mme Loisel. Later on she told her that it was not a real diamond necklace but an artificial one.

Question. Matilda realised 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 Forestier. She had to buy a new necklace for thirty six thousand franks which ruined all her savings. She had to 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 charm 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 it bravely. There is no harm in doing all house hold 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 times.

Question. What lessons of life do we learn from the character of M. Loisel which can make us succeed in life?
Answer: Mme. Loisel (Matilda) was a short tempered but tactful lady. She was pretty and sophisticated. One day, her husband brought an invitation to dinner from the Minister of Public Instruction and his spouse at their residence. This was a select invitation. The husband got elated. But Mme Loisel instead of being delighted as her husband had hoped, threw the invitation card spitefully. The new problem that disturbed her mind was that she did not have a party dress to wear on the occasion. She did not have a necklace too. Loisel forgoes buying a gun to purchase a party dress for his wife. They borrowed a necklace from Matilda’s friend Mrs Forestier and handled the situation.

Question. 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 you have done? Write your views.
Answer: It is true that vanity is an evil. Ultimately, too much vanity leads one to ruin. The ‘Necklace’ is an ornament that ornaments and adorns a woman to be proud. In the context, Matilda’s vanity is her necklace that she adorns in the ball to be the most attractive. It brought her pleasure and joy for a short period. When she lost the necklace, she took a lot of pains and distress to replace it.
If I were placed in a situation similar to that of Matilda, I would not become a daydreamer like her. Of course, I would adorn a jewel like Matilda’s necklace and attend the party to grace the occasion, but I would never have the vanity for the ornament. I prefer to live a simple life unlike Matilda as she is the symbol of vanity in the context.

Question. Why did Jeanne not recognise her friend? Or Why could Mme Forestier not recognize her friend Matilda at the end of the story?
Answer: Matilda had to undergo a lot of hardships and miseries to repay the debt. All this had happened because she had lost the necklace she had borrowed from her rich friend Mme Forestier or Jeanne. Because of this debt, they had to move to a cheaper room and even remain without a servant. Matilda had to do all the household work and shopping by herself. She had to fetch water, wash the floor, utensils and dirty clothes by herself. It took them ten years to finally repay the debt. But after those difficult ten years, Matilda now looked like an ordinary woman, wearing simple clothes. She even looked older than her age. That is why, Jeanne was not able to recognise Matilda.

Question. What kind of person is Matilda’s husband? Support your answer giving examples from the text. Or What kind of person is Matilda’s husband? Give a reasoned answer supporting it from the text.
Answer: Matilda’s husband is a petty clerk. He works in the office of Board of Education. He is a very humble person. He loves and cares for his wife very much. He tries to make his wife always happy despite his poor economic condition. So, his behaviour shows that he is a caring husband. In the story, when Matilda was vexed not to have a jewel to attend the ball, Mr Loisel suggested, ‘You can wear some natural flowers that look very chic.’ He is also very economical, but he always faces problems to fulfil his wife’s wishes. Moreover, he is a duty-conscious and disciplined man. When they returned home wearily after Matilda’s loss of necklace, he remembered that he would have to be at the office by ten o’clock. All these show that he was a responsible and disciplined husband.

Question. What kind of person was Matilda Loisel ? Support your answer by giving examples from the story.
Answer: Matilda was a pretty woman. But she was born in a poor family. She always desired to have things of luxury. She thought she was born to live a life of luxury. She wanted to be loved and admired. She wanted to move in rich society. But she couldn’t find any rich man to marry her. She had to marry a poor clerk. She was not happy with him. She had to live in a simple house, she had to wear simple clothes. She didn’t have any costly furniture or curtains. She didn’t have any jewels to wear. All these troubled her and she remained unhappy.
 

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
She was one of those pretty, young ladies, born as if through an error of destiny, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no hopes, no means of becoming known, loved, and married by a man either rich or distinguished; and she allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. She was simple, but she was unhappy.
She suffered incessantly, feeling herself born for all delicacies and luxuries.

Question. State any one inference about Matilda from the given context. “She could not many a rich and distinguished man.”
Answer: Her middle-class family could not arrange a dowry for her.

Question. State which of these statements are facts (F) and which ones are opinions (O)?
I. She was born into an ordinary family.
II. She dreamt of being famous and popular.
III. She married a government clerk.
IV. We know she led a simple life.
V. I think she was frustrated at heart.
VI. She perhaps loathed her life.
(a) I, II and IV. (F) III, V and VI (O)
(b) I, III and IV (F) II, V and VI (O)
(c) I, III and V (F) II, IV and VI (O)
(d) II, III and IV (F) I, V and VI (O)
Answer: (b) I, III and IV (F) II, V and VI (O)

Question. What kind of person is Mme Loisel- why is she always unhappy? Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
Answer: Mme. Loisel is a woman who lives in the world of dreams. She gives much value to her dreams and hence overlooks the realities of life. That is why she is always unhappy as her dreams are wild and borne of overambition. They can’t come true.

Question. Which phrase/word would correctly substitute ‘luxuries’ in the given sentence from the extract? She suffered incessantly, feeling herself from for all delicacies and luxuries.
Answer: extravagances

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
He had not thought of that; he stammered, “Why, the dress you wear when we go to the theatre. It seems very pretty to me...” He was silent, stupefied, in dismay, at the sight of his wife weeping. He stammered, “What is the matter? What is the matter?”

Question. State any one inference about M Loisel from the given context: “M Loisel is described as ‘stammering’ in the presence of his wife.”
Answer: He was a weak personality and lacked assertiveness.

Question. State which of the options from (a) to (d) can be applied to the given situation in the extract.
(a) Climax- the highest point of tension or drama in a narrative’s plot
(b) Anti-climax- sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial one
(c) Open-ended story - the reader is left to draw his conclusions from what is presented to him
(d) Expanded ending- a jump forward in time, and occasionally a change in perspective of the reader
Answer: (b) Anti-climax- sudden transition in discourse from a significant idea to a trivial one

Question. He stammered, “What is the matter? What is the matter?” What was actually the matter? What was her objective in crying? Elaborate in about 40 words, with reference to the extract.
Answer: Matilda complained to her husband that she didn’t have a good enough dress to wear at the ball. She asked him to give the invitation card to someone whose wife was ‘better fitted out’ than her. It was her way of pressuring him to buy her a new ball gown.

Question. Which phrase would correctly substitute ‘stupefied’ in the given sentence from the extract? “He was silent, stupefied, in dismay, at the sight of his wife weeping.”
Answer: dazed