NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

The NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – “The Necklace” provide comprehensive answers to all the questions in the chapter. Written by Guy de Maupassant, this classic story revolves around Madame Loisel, a woman dissatisfied with her modest life, who borrows a necklace to wear at a grand party. After losing the necklace, she and her husband go into severe debt to replace it, only to discover years later that the necklace was a fake.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

Question 1:

What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?

Answer:

Mme Loisel was a young, attractive woman who lived a modest but miserable existence. She grew up in an impoverished home but dreamed of life’s wealth and luxury. She was constantly miserable since she knew her dreams would never be realized. She was aware that her limited finances were insufficient to meet her extravagant aspirations, and this made her sad and resentful about her situation.

Question 2:

What kind of a person is her husband?

Answer:

Monsieur Loisel, Matilda’s spouse, was an average and simple-hearted young guy. He was a little clerk at the Board of Education’s office, but he was satisfied with his employment. With tremendous delight, he delivered his wife a dinner invitation to a spectacular celebration. Regardless of how poor he was, he was a kind husband since he offered his dear wife four hundred francs to buy a lovely attire for the celebration.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

Read and Find Out

Question 1:

What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?

Answer:

After spending four hundred francs on a lovely garment, Mme Loisel was worried by yet another new difficulty. She lamented the fact that she lacked a gorgeous diamond to complement her lovely clothing. Hearing this, her husband recommended she wear some wild flowers as jewelry, but she declined, claiming that there was nothing more embarrassing than being dressed shabbily in the company of wealthy women.

Question 2:

How is the problem solved?

Answer:

Mme Loisel’s husband, Monsieur Loisel, recommended she wear some wild flowers as jewelry, but she declined. Then he recommended her to seek and borrow some jewelry from her wealthy friend, Mme Forestier. Matilda sprang out in pleasure since she thought this was a fantastic idea. The next day, she went to her friend’s house and chose a stunning diamond necklace to complement her lovely outfit. Consequently, her husband’s timely proposal remedied her problem.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

Read and Find Out

Question 1:

What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?

Answer:

When the Loisels discovered that the necklace had gone stolen, they searched everywhere and did all they could to retrieve it, but they were unsuccessful. Monsieur Loisel even returned to the streets they had used to get home in case it had fallen on the road by mistake. When he couldn’t discover anything, he went to the police and taxi offices and advertised in the press, giving a prize to anyone who recovered the jewelry.

Soon after, he requested his wife to send a letter to her friend, Mme Forestier, explaining that the necklace’s clasp had broken and that he would return it once it was mended. This would provide them more time to discover the jewelry. However, their efforts were in vain. They eventually purchased a new diamond necklace to replace the missing one.

Question 2:

How do they replace the necklace?

Answer:

After all of their attempts failed, M. and Mme Loisel decided to purchase a new necklace to replace the missing one. M. Loisel inherited eighteen thousand francs and borrowed the remainder from usurers and lenders, making catastrophic promises. When they had borrowed enough money, the couple went to the merchant and purchased a replacement necklace for thirty-six thousand francs, returning it to its rightful owner, Mme Forestier.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

Think about it

Question 1:

The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.

Answer:

The jewelry changed the Loisels’ lives dramatically. It took them ten years to repay the loan they used to acquire the jewelry. Their lives were flipped upside down and everything altered for them. To pay off the loan, they rearranged their living arrangements, fired the maid, and rented the upstairs rooms. Matilda handled all of the unpleasant labor in the kitchen, laundered the soiled linen, and bargained with the grocer and butcher to save every single sou for survival. Her spouse worked till late at night and took on odd jobs to help pay off their debt. The couple lived a difficult life in order to support themselves and repay the exorbitant debt created by purchasing the diamond.

Question 2:

What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?

Answer:

Matilda’s materialistic desires and discontent were the final cause of her downfall. She was always dissatisfied with her financial situation and desired to be born into a life of wealth and pleasures. She might have easily avoided disaster by accepting her existing status and enjoying her modest existence with her loving spouse.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

Question 3:

What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?

Answer:

Matilda may have avoided her fate if she had bravely disclosed to her friend, Mme Forestier, about the necklace’s disappearance. Her companion might have been furious about the loss, but at least she would have discovered that it was a false necklace worth just five hundred francs. Had she understood the true worth of the jewelry, she would not have spent her husband’s whole fortune and borrowed eighteen thousand francs to replace the missing necklace. Furthermore, she might have spared herself and her husband 10 years of agony, misery, crushing poverty, and all the difficulties that they had to endure in order to settle the heinous debt.

Question 4:

If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?

Answer:

If I had been in a similar circumstance, I would have done my best to avoid becoming a victim of greed and excessive expectations. If I had misplaced a friend’s jewelry, I would have told the truth about it and been prepared to face the consequences. I would have been honest about it, and it would have undoubtedly cleared the road for me.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 – The Necklace

Talk about it

Question 1:

The characters in this story speak in English. Do you think this is their language? What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?

Answer:

Although the story’s characters speak English, it is unlikely that this was their first tongue. The narrative was first written in French by Guy De Maupassant and then translated into English. There are several clues in the text that suggest the characters’ French background, such as the salutations used before surnames such as ‘Monsieur and Mme Loisel’, ‘Mme Forestier’, and ‘George Ramponneau’, the minister’s name. In addition, there are currency-related terms like ‘Franc’ and ‘Sou’. The business was located at ‘Palais Royal’ and ‘Champs Elysees’, highlighting the story’s protagonists’ French origins.

Question 2:

Honesty is the best policy.

Answer:

Honesty is indeed the best policy. We are all aware that hypocrisy and pride appear to be quite gratifying and appealing at first glance. However, a person who chooses the route of deceit is likely to live a life of agony, anguish, and complete despair. On the contrary, an honest person may suffer challenges in life at first, but it eventually brings him/her all of the satisfaction that he/she deserves. Thus, honesty is the best way to live a life of joy, harmony, and eternal bliss.

Question 3:

We should be content with what life gives us.

Answer:

Yes, we should be at peace and pleased with what life has given us. Every person in the world is born in a distinct situation, and their entire existence is a mystery. Some people are born with unlimited wealth, luxury, name, and celebrity. On the other side, others are born into hardship and extreme poverty, making survival challenging. As a result, there is a well-known saying that states, “Cut your coat according to your cloth”. This means that one must learn to live within one’s means and be satisfied with what they have. People can strive to better their financial situation by honest methods and finally be satisfied with how they live their lives quietly.