NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 7 The Necklace

NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 7 The Necklace are provided here. This story is written by Guy DE Maupassant and includes many questions that are important for exams. We have solved all the NCERT questions of the lesson with a detailed explanation that help students to complete their assignments & homework. We have provided NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 7 The Necklace in PDF format so that you can download them for offline use.

Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 7 NCERT Questions and Answers

Read and Find Out (Page No. 39)

Question 1. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel and why is she always unhappy?

Answer: Mme Loisel is young, pretty, ordinary but discontented woman. She is of a humble background but dreams of riches and comforts. She is proud of her beauty and wants to be admired. Her meagre resources are not enough to satisfy her expensive cravings making her angry all the time.

Question 2. What kind of a person is her husband?

Answer: Her husband was a clerk in the office of the Board of Education. Unlike Mme Loisel, he was content with his life. While Mme Loisel used to suffer thinking about luxuries and delicacies, he could derive great sense of satisfaction even from a humble ‘potpie’. He was also a loving husband, as is seen from his behavior towards his wife. He readily parted with the four hundred francs that he had saved to buy a gun, so that Mme Loisel would be able to wear a nice dress to the Minister’s ball. This shows that his wife’s happiness was more important to him.

Read and Find Out (Page No. 41)

Question 1. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?

Answer: After spending four hundred francs in buying a beautiful dress, Mme Loisel was bothered by yet another fresh problem. She brooded over the fact that she did not have a beautiful jewel to pair with her pretty dress. Hearing this, her husband suggested her to wear some natural flowers as jewellery, but she refused stating that there was nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air in the midst of rich women.

Question 2. How is the problem solved?

Answer: Matilda Loisel’s husband, M. Loisel, comes to her rescue. First, he suggests her to wear fresh flowers. Matilda just mocked at the idea. Then, he advises her to borrow some jewels from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Thus, the problem is solved as Mme Forestier lends her a beautiful diamond necklace.

Read and Find Out (Page No. 42)

Question 1. What do Mr and Mme Loisel do next?

Answer: When M. and Mme Loisel realized that the necklace was missing, they tried finding out where she could have lost it. They concluded that it could have been dropped in the cab. They did not know its number. Therefore, Loisel went over the track where they had walked. When he found nothing, he went to the police and to the cab offices. He even put an advertisement in the newspapers, offering a reward. He then asked Matilda to write a letter to Mme Forestier, explaining that she had broken the clasp of the necklace and would get it repaired. This gave them time to find the necklace. However, they eventually decided to replace the necklace with a new one.

Question 2. How do they replace the necklace?

Answer: After all their efforts went in vain, M. and Mme Loisel decided to buy a fresh new identical necklace to replace the lost necklace. M. Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs of his inheritance and borrowed the rest of the money from usurers and the whole race of lenders by making ruinous promises. When they borrowed enough money, the couple went to the merchant and bought a new necklace for thirty six thousand francs and returned it to the rightful 0wner, Mme Forestier.

Think About It

Question 1. The course of the Loisel’s life changed due to the necklace. Comment.

Answer: The Loisels’ life took a major turn due to the necklace. It took them ten years to repay the loan that they had borrowed to buy the necklace. Their life turned upside down and everything changed for them to repay the debt. They changed their lodgings, sent away the maid and rented some rooms in an attic. Matilda did all the tedious work of the kitchen, washed dirty linen, bargained with the grocer and butcher to save every single sou for mere survival. Her husband worked until late evenings and took up odd jobs to repay their debt. The couple led a miserable life to sustain themselves and repay the frightful debt for buying the expensive jewel.

Question 2. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?

Answer: Matilda’s pride and her materialistic aspirations coupled with her dishonesty pave the way for her ruin. She could have avoided it by learning to accept her current situation and being content with what she had.

Question 3. What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?

Answer: If Matilda would have confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace, she might have been in lesser trouble than what she faced after having replaced the necklace. Her friend would definitely have been angry with her. Most probably, she would have asked Matilda to replace it. She would have given her the details from where she had bought the necklace and how much it had cost her. Matilda would thus have known that the jewels in the necklace were not real diamonds. It would have cost her a far lesser amount to replace it. Matilda would thus have saved herself and her husband all the trouble they went through.

Question 4. If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?

Answer: Foremost of all, I would have done my best not to become a victim of my own pride and aspirations. If, I was caught in such a situation, I would have let the truth out and then face the consequences. Honesty would have been the way out for me.

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: Though the characters speak in English, it is not their language. Maupassant wrote the story in French and it was translated into English. Again the very text throws up enough words in French to prove it otherwise. First, the very names of characters like ‘Mme Loisel, Mme Forestier and the minister’s name George Ramponneau indicate their French origin. Then, the words for currency like ‘Franc’ and ‘Sou’ show the same. Also, the shop’s location at ‘Palais Royal’ and ‘Champs Elysees’ point out the French history of the characters and the story.

Question 2. Honesty is the best Policy.

Answer: Honesty is indeed the best policy. We all know that hypocrisy and pride seem very rewarding and attractive initially. But, a person who follows the path of falsehood is likely to lead a life of misery, suffering and utter gloom. On the contrary, an honest person might face difficulties in life at the beginning but it ultimately gives him/her all the happiness that he/she rightfully deserves. Therefore, honesty is the ultimate choice to lead a life of contentment, harmony and eternal happiness.

Question 3. We should be content with what life gives us.

Answer: Life is a great mystery. For every individual this mystery of life comes wrapped in a unique package. For some, it is all riches, comfort, name and fame. For some, it is nothing but sheer hunger, poverty, anguish and an everyday quest for bare survival. One, however, must learn to live within one’s means and be content with what one has. One may try to improve his lot by honest means but eventually must be at peace with what one manages to have.