EnglishCBSE Class 10 · Chapter 7

The Necklace Class 10: Summary, Themes and Character Sketches

Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant is a short story in Footprints without Feet. Matilda Loisel borrows a diamond necklace for a ball, loses it and spends ten years in poverty repaying its replacement, only to learn it was fake. The board asks 40-50 word short answers and 100-120 word long answers on it.

What The Necklace is about

The Necklace is a prose short story by Guy de Maupassant, Chapter 7 of your supplementary reader Footprints without Feet. In one line, it is the story of a young woman whose longing for wealth and admiration makes her borrow a necklace, lose it, and pay for that one night with ten years of hard labour, all for a jewel that was never real.

In the board exam this chapter appears only in Section C (Literature). There is no extract-based question from this book. You can get a short answer in Q9 (40-50 words, 3 marks; you answer two of three) or a long answer in Q11 (about 100-120 words, 6 marks; you answer one of two). Long answers may ask about theme or plot, interpretation, inference, a character sketch, or extrapolation beyond the text. Short answers are marked for content (2) and expression (1); long answers for content (3), expression (2) and accuracy (1).

In real board papers: asked in 11 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 3 marks per paper. See the questions

The Necklace: summary

In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.

Matilda is a pretty young woman born into a family of clerks. She has no dowry and no way to meet a rich man, so she marries a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. She feels she was born for luxury, and her shabby flat, worn chairs and simple meals torment her. She even avoids visiting her rich schoolfriend, Mme Forestier, because she returns home miserable.

One evening her husband proudly brings home an invitation to a ball given by the Minister of Public Instruction. Instead of being pleased, Matilda throws it on the table and weeps, because she has nothing to wear. Her husband asks how much a suitable dress would cost. She asks for four hundred francs. He turns pale, because he had saved exactly that sum to buy a gun for hunting larks with friends next summer, but he gives it to her.

As the ball nears, she is upset again: she has no jewels. She refuses his idea of wearing natural flowers. He then suggests she borrow jewels from Mme Forestier. Her friend opens her jewel-case and lets her choose. Matilda picks a superb diamond necklace from a black satin box and goes away overjoyed.

At the ball Matilda is a great success. She is the prettiest woman there, men want to be introduced to her, and she dances happily. At about four in the morning she rushes out so that the rich women will not see her shabby wraps. The couple cannot find a cab at first and finally reach home in an old carriage. Standing before the mirror, Matilda discovers the necklace is gone.

They search her clothes. Loisel retraces their route on foot, goes to the police and the cab offices and advertises a reward, but finds nothing. He makes Matilda write to her friend that the clasp is broken and is being repaired, to gain time. After a week they lose hope. In a shop in the Palais-Royal they find a similar diamond necklace valued at forty thousand francs, which they can buy for thirty-six thousand. Loisel uses eighteen thousand francs left by his father and borrows the rest from usurers, making ruinous promises. When Matilda returns the necklace, Mme Forestier coldly says it should have come back sooner, but she does not open the box.

Now the Loisels face a life of hard necessity. They dismiss their maid and move to an attic. Matilda does all the heavy housework and bargains over every sou at the market. Her husband keeps merchants' accounts in the evenings and does copying at night. After ten years they repay everything, but Matilda has become a rough, hard, aged woman. She still sometimes remembers the night of the ball.

One Sunday on the Champs-Elysees she meets Mme Forestier, still young and pretty, who does not recognise her. Matilda proudly tells her the whole story. Deeply touched, Mme Forestier reveals that her necklace was false and worth no more than five hundred francs.

Themes and message

Appearance versus reality

The story keeps showing that what looks valuable is not always so. Matilda judges life by how things look: the walls, the dinners, her dress, her jewels. The necklace looks like real diamonds, and the whole story turns on that appearance. Matilda's one night of glory at the ball is also an appearance; in reality she is a clerk's wife in borrowed jewels. The final twist reveals that the object she ruined her life for was imitation. We can infer the writer's point: chasing appearances can destroy real happiness.

From the text: The necklace looks so real that the couple replace it with diamonds worth thirty-six thousand francs, yet Mme Forestier finally says, "Mine were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs!"

Vanity, pride and dissatisfaction

Matilda's unhappiness comes from inside her, not from real hardship. She has a home, a maid and a loving husband, yet she suffers because she wants luxury. Her vanity makes her refuse a plain dress and natural flowers, and makes her feel humiliated without jewels. Pride also stops her from telling her friend the truth. The story suggests that discontent and false pride, rather than poverty itself, are what bring about her ruin. The NCERT text itself raises the idea that we should be content with what life gives us.

From the text: She feels "born for all delicacies and luxuries" and says "there is nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air" among rich women.

Honesty and its absence

At the turning point, the Loisels choose to hide the loss. Loisel makes Matilda write that the clasp is broken, and they secretly buy a replacement. They never ask Mme Forestier. Only after ten years does Matilda speak the truth, and then she learns the necklace was fake. We can infer that one honest conversation at the start could have saved them years of suffering. The story therefore shows that dishonesty, even when meant to protect one's name, can be very costly.

From the text: Loisel says, "Write to your friend that you have broken the clasp of the necklace"; the truth told ten years later reveals the jewels were false.

Fate, chance and the fragility of life

The narrator comments directly on how one small event can change a whole life. A single lost necklace turns a pretty young woman into a worn-out labourer. Matilda herself wonders what her life would have been if she had not lost it. The story presents life as unpredictable and full of sudden reversals, which makes the ending even more painful. This theme connects the plot's turning points, the invitation, the loss and the meeting, into one chain of chance.

From the text: The narrator asks, "How singular is life, and how full of changes! How small a thing will ruin or save one!"

Dignity through hard work and sacrifice

Although the story is tragic, it also shows the Loisels' sense of duty. Once they decide to repay the debt, they do it fully. Matilda, who once could not bear worn chairs, now scrubs floors and carries water. Loisel works nights on top of his office job. We can infer that suffering changes Matilda: she gains strength and a kind of honest pride. Her "proud and simple joy" at the end shows she finally values something she earned herself.

From the text: "She did her part, however, completely, heroically." At the end she says, "it is finished and I am decently content."

Characters

Matilda (Mme Loisel)

The protagonist; a clerk's wife whose desire for luxury leads to the loss of the necklace and ten years of poverty.

Discontented and dreamy: she suffers constantly over her modest home and dreams of elegant dinners and shining silver.
Vain and proud: she rejects a plain dress and natural flowers and feels humiliated without jewels.
Self-centred at first: she asks for four hundred francs, the very sum her husband had saved for his gun, and leaves him half asleep in a salon while she dances.
Hardworking and dutiful later: she dismisses the maid, moves to an attic and does the heaviest housework for ten years.
Transformed: she becomes "a strong, hard woman", honest enough to tell her friend the truth with "proud and simple joy".

Early on, "She suffered incessantly, feeling herself born for all delicacies and luxuries"; later, "She did her part, however, completely, heroically."

M. Loisel

Matilda's husband, a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education, who supports her at every step and shares the burden of the debt.

Simple and content: he is delighted with a potpie and does not miss luxuries.
Loving and self-sacrificing: he gives up the four hundred francs saved for a gun so she can have a dress.
Practical and resourceful: he suggests borrowing jewels, searches the route, goes to the police and cab offices and advertises a reward.
Responsible but not fully honest: he dictates the false letter about the clasp, and then takes on the debt, using his father's eighteen thousand francs and borrowing the rest.
Hardworking: he keeps merchants' books in the evenings and copies at five sous a page at night.

"He turned a little pale" yet said, "Very well. I will give you four hundred francs." He alone declared, "We must replace this jewel."

Mme Forestier (Jeanne)

Matilda's rich schoolfriend from the convent, who lends the necklace and reveals the final truth.

Generous: she opens her jewel-case and says, "Choose, my dear."
Somewhat cold and self-concerned: she speaks in a "frigid tone" when the necklace is returned late.
Trusting or careless: she never opens the box to check the necklace.
Kind-hearted at the end: she is "touched" and takes both of Matilda's hands when she learns the truth.

She lends the necklace freely, later says, "You should have returned them to me sooner," and at the end cries, "Oh! My poor Matilda!"

How it is written

Device	Example	Effect
Situational irony and twist ending	The Loisels spend ten years repaying thirty-six thousand francs for a necklace whose original was "not worth over five hundred francs". The truth comes in the very last line.	The ending shocks the reader and makes the whole decade of suffering seem needless. It sharply drives home the theme of appearance versus reality and the cost of hiding the truth.
Contrast	Matilda at the ball is "elegant, gracious, smiling and full of joy"; ten years later she has red hands, badly dressed hair and skirts awry. Mme Forestier, by contrast, is "still young, still pretty, still attractive".	The before-and-after picture shows how completely one event changes her life, and the contrast with her friend shows what Matilda has lost.
Symbolism	The diamond necklace that looks precious but is false.	We can read the necklace as a symbol of Matilda's dream of wealth: it shines, but it is hollow. Her one night of glory is built on something unreal.
Third-person narration with narrator's comment	The narrator steps in to say, "How singular is life, and how full of changes! How small a thing will ruin or save one!"	The all-knowing narrator lets us see Matilda's inner feelings and also pauses to reflect on life, guiding the reader towards the story's message before the final twist.
Dialogue that reveals character	Matilda's "What do you suppose I want with that?" against Loisel's "But, my dearie, I thought it would make you happy."	Short exchanges show her irritation and vanity and his patience and love, without the narrator having to describe them.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

She was simple, but she was unhappy.
narrator: The opening description of Matilda, married to a petty clerk.
Sets up her central problem: her suffering comes from inner discontent, not from real hardship.
What do you suppose I have to wear to such a thing as that?
Matilda: Her reply when her husband shows her the invitation to the Minister's ball.
Shows that she cares more about appearance than the honour of the invitation, and begins the chain of events.
there is nothing more humiliating than to have a shabby air
Matilda: She rejects her husband's idea of wearing natural flowers instead of jewels.
Reveals her vanity and fear of looking poor among rich women, which leads her to borrow the necklace.
this victory so complete and sweet to her heart
narrator: Matilda dances at the ball, admired by everyone.
Her moment of glory is complete but short; it is built on a borrowed, and as we learn, false necklace.
We must replace this jewel.
M. Loisel: After a week of searching, Loisel, "older by five years", decides to buy a new necklace.
The key decision: they choose to replace rather than confess, which costs them ten years.
You should have returned them to me sooner, for I might have needed them.
Mme Forestier: Said in a frigid tone when Matilda returns the replacement necklace.
Shows her coldness, and the irony that she never checks the box that hides the substitution.
How small a thing will ruin or save one!
narrator: Matilda, now aged, sits by the window remembering the ball.
Sums up the theme of chance: a single lost necklace has changed her whole life.
Mine were false. They were not worth over five hundred francs!
Mme Forestier: The last lines, after Matilda tells her the truth on the Champs-Elysees.
The twist ending that exposes the irony of the story and the futility of chasing appearances.

The Necklace in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Appearance versus reality

Suppose your friend Riya plans to borrow her elder cousin's costly lehenga and heavy jewellery for the school farewell. She says her own simple suit will look 'cheap' in the photos everyone will share. She is already worried about damaging the borrowed things.

Using Matilda's choices in 'The Necklace', advise Riya in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Link Riya's fear to Matilda's fear of a shabby look among rich women.
Recall that the dazzling diamonds Matilda borrowed were false.
Point out that borrowed glamour brings worry.
Advise confidence in what she owns.

Answer: Riya is repeating Matilda's mistake. Matilda feared looking shabby among rich women, so she borrowed diamonds that were actually false. Glitter can deceive. Riya should wear what she owns with confidence; borrowed glamour brings worry, and true worth does not depend on appearance.

Memory hook: Borrowed sparkle, real worry: the necklace looked rich but was false.

Honesty and its absence

Imagine you borrowed a friend's scientific calculator for pre-board practice and lost it on the bus home. You are tempted to buy a similar one secretly with your saved pocket money and return it without saying anything.

How does the Loisels' decision after losing the necklace help you decide what to do? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Recall that the Loisels hid the loss and bought a replacement.
State the cost: ten years of hardship.
Recall the twist: the original was not worth over five hundred francs.
Choose the honest course and give a reason.

Answer: The Loisels hid the loss and secretly bought a replacement, which cost them ten years of hardship, when the original was worth only five hundred francs. I should tell my friend the truth at once and offer to pay for a new one. Honesty might even reveal an easier solution.

Memory hook: Tell first, pay later: hiding cost the Loisels ten years.

Dignity through hard work and sacrifice

Suppose your father's small shop suffers a big loss and the family must repay a loan. Your mother takes up tailoring at home, and you give up an extra coaching class to help in the shop after school.

How does the Loisels' decade of repaying their debt help you see your family's situation? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Compare the shared effort: attic rooms, no maid, both working.
Note Matilda's change into a strong woman.
Note her final feeling: 'decently content'.
Conclude that shared hard work brings dignity.

Answer: Like the Loisels, who moved to an attic, sent away the maid and both worked endlessly, my family is paying a debt through shared effort. Matilda became strong and 'decently content'. Hard work shared by a family can bring dignity and pride, not shame.

Memory hook: Ten years of attic work turned a dreamer into a strong woman.

Vanity, pride and dissatisfaction

Imagine you scroll through classmates' holiday and birthday-party photos on your phone late at night. Afterwards your own flat, your old school bag and your mother's simple dal-rice seem dull, and you snap at your parents at breakfast.

Compare your feelings with Matilda's at the start of the story and suggest how to break the cycle. Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Recall that Matilda wept for days after visiting her rich schoolmate.
Recall her dreaming of silver dishes while her husband enjoyed the potpie.
Name the problem: comparison steals contentment.
Suggest practical steps and the reason.

Answer: Like Matilda, who wept for days after visiting her rich schoolmate and dreamt of silver dishes at her husband's happy potpie dinners, I am letting comparison steal my contentment. I should limit such scrolling, notice my family's care and value what I have, before discontent pushes me into foolish choices.

Memory hook: Loisel loved the potpie; Matilda saw only silver. Choose the potpie.

Topics in this chapter

The Necklace Character Sketch of Matilda Loisel
The Necklace Theme and Moral of the StoryComing soon
The Necklace Question Answers (Think About It)Coming soon
The Necklace Summary and Plot ExplainedComing soon
Mr Loisel Character Sketch in The NecklaceComing soon

How the board asks The Necklace

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Question type	How it is asked	Method
Theme analysis (long answer, 6 marks)	You are asked how a theme such as appearance versus reality, vanity, or the illusion of wealth is developed through Matilda's choices and their consequences, in about 100-120 words.	Define the theme in one line, then trace it through three stages: her longing and the borrowed necklace, the loss and hidden replacement, and the twist ending. Use one short quotation and end with what the story teaches. Keep to 100-120 words.
Character transformation or character sketch (long answer, 6 marks)	You may be asked to trace how Matilda changes through her trials, or to write a sketch of Matilda or M. Loisel.	For transformation, use a clear before-crisis-after structure: vain and discontented, then the loss, then a strong, hard-working woman. Support each trait with an event. For Loisel, show his love, sacrifice, practicality and hard work, with evidence.
Irony and the ending (short or long answer)	You may be asked how the irony of the false necklace exposes the cost of chasing appearances, or why the ending is so effective.	State the irony exactly: ten years and thirty-six thousand francs for a necklace worth no more than five hundred. Then explain what it reveals about pride, dishonesty and appearances. Mention that the truth comes only in the final line.
Value-based question (short answer, 3 marks)	You may be asked how the story shows the importance of honesty, contentment or living within one's means, in 40-50 words.	Link the value to one turning point: the false letter about the clasp or her discontent. Say what happened because of it and what could have happened otherwise, marking it as inference. Stay within 50 words.
Extrapolation or 'what if' (short or long answer)	You may be asked what might have happened if Matilda had confessed, or how you would deal with a similar situation.	Base your reasoning on the text: Mme Forestier knew the jewels were false and was kind at the end, so we can infer she might have told the truth early. Then give your own reasoned view and connect it to honesty.
Inference about feelings and relationships (short answer, 3 marks)	You may be asked what an event shows about Matilda, her husband or their relationship, for example the four hundred francs or the scene at the ball.	Name the event, state the inference clearly (for example, Loisel's sacrifice shows his love), and add one supporting detail. Avoid retelling the whole story.

Tricks to remember The Necklace

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

The eight-step chain
I Dread Jewels; Ball Lost; Replace, Drudge, Truth. Invitation, Dress (400 francs), Jewels borrowed, Ball, Lost necklace, Replacement (36,000 francs), Drudgery for ten years, Truth on the Champs-Elysees.
Use it when: Use it to keep the plot in the right order in a long answer, so you never put the search after the replacement.
The number ladder
4, 5, 18, 36, 40, 10. Four hundred francs for the dress; five hundred for the false necklace's real worth; eighteen thousand from Loisel's father; thirty-six thousand paid; forty thousand the shop's value; ten years of debt.
Use it when: Use it in short answers on the replacement or the irony, where one wrong figure weakens the content.
Three people, three verbs
Matilda WANTS, Loisel GIVES, Forestier LENDS. Matilda wants luxury; Loisel gives money, ideas and ten years; Forestier lends the necklace and keeps the secret that it is false.
Use it when: Use it to begin a character sketch with the right core trait before adding evidence.
Five themes: A Very Honest Fate Decides
A = Appearance versus reality, V = Vanity and dissatisfaction, H = Honesty and its absence, F = Fate and chance, D = Dignity through hard work.
Use it when: Use it to check that a theme answer names the theme and ties it to one event from the story.

The Necklace: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Example 1: The invitation and the dress · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

Why did Matilda throw the invitation on the table, and how did her husband try to solve her problem? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Matilda had no dress fit for such a grand party, so she threw the card down.
She wept and told Loisel to give the card to a colleague whose wife was better dressed.
Loisel asked what a simple, suitable dress would cost.
She asked for four hundred francs, and he gave it.
The money was his savings for a gun, which shows his sacrifice.

Answer: Matilda threw the invitation down because she had no suitable dress for such a grand party. She wept and told her husband to give the card to a colleague. Loisel asked what a simple dress would cost and gave her four hundred francs, money he had saved for a gun.

Example 2: Mme Forestier's frigid tone · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What does Mme Forestier's reaction when the necklace is returned suggest about her, and why is Matilda relieved? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

She speaks 'in a frigid tone' and complains that the jewels should have come back sooner.
This suggests a cold and possessive side to her (inference).
She does not open the jewel-box, which Matilda had feared she would.
Matilda had been afraid the substitution would be noticed and she would be taken for a robber.

Answer: Mme Forestier speaks in a frigid tone and complains that the jewels came back late, which suggests she is cold and possessive about her things. Matilda is relieved because her friend does not open the box. She had feared being found out and taken for a robber.

Example 3: Character sketch of M. Loisel · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Write a character sketch of M. Loisel, showing how he supports his wife through the story. Answer in about 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Content with simple pleasures: delighted by the potpie while Matilda dreams of luxury.
Loving and unselfish: gives the four hundred francs saved for a gun.
Practical: suggests natural flowers, then borrowing jewels from Mme Forestier.
Patient: waits half asleep in a small salon from midnight.
Responsible in the crisis: retraces the route, goes to the police and cab offices, advertises a reward.
A flaw: he dictates the lie about the broken clasp.
Sacrifice: spends his father's eighteen thousand francs, borrows the rest, works evenings and nights for ten years.
Conclusion: a quiet, sacrificing hero.

Answer: M. Loisel, a petty clerk, is a loving and unselfish husband. He is content with simple pleasures, delighting in a plain potpie while his wife dreams of silver dishes. When Matilda weeps over the invitation, he gives up the four hundred francs he had saved for a gun so that she can buy a dress. He is also practical: he suggests flowers, then borrowing jewels from Mme Forestier. He waits patiently at the ball, and when the necklace is lost he searches the streets, visits the police and advertises. However, he also suggests the lie about the broken clasp. He then spends his inheritance, borrows heavily and copies at night for ten years. He is a quiet, sacrificing hero.

Example 4: Matilda's heroic side · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

'She did her part, however, completely, heroically.' How does Matilda's life after the replacement show a new side of her character? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

She gives up luxury and accepts the 'horrible life of necessity'.
The maid is sent away and they move to rooms in an attic.
She does the odious kitchen work: washing dishes and linen, carrying refuse down and water up.
She haggles over every sou at the grocer's, butcher's and fruiterer's.
This shows courage, responsibility and duty she had not shown before.

Answer: After the replacement, Matilda gives up luxury and faces hardship bravely. The couple sends away the maid and moves to an attic. She washes dishes and linen, carries water upstairs and haggles over every sou. This shows courage, responsibility and a sense of duty she had never shown before.

Example 5: What if Mme Forestier had opened the box? · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Suppose Mme Forestier had opened the jewel-box when Matilda returned it and noticed the necklace was different. How might the story have changed? What does your answer show about honesty? Answer in about 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Mme Forestier would have questioned Matilda.
Matilda, already afraid of being taken for a robber, would have had to confess.
Mme Forestier could have revealed that her necklace was false, worth not over five hundred francs.
The Loisels could have dealt with the costly replacement and their lenders, and been spared ten years of misery.
Matilda would feel embarrassed, but the friendship would be tested honestly.
Link to theme: the suffering came from hiding the loss, not from the loss itself.
Value: honesty hurts briefly but prevents greater pain.

Answer: If Mme Forestier had opened the box, she would probably have noticed the new diamonds and questioned Matilda. Matilda, who already feared being taken for a robber, would have had to confess. Then Mme Forestier could have revealed that her own necklace was false and worth no more than five hundred francs. The Loisels might have returned the real diamonds or sold them and paid off their lenders, saving ten years of misery. Matilda would still have been embarrassed, but her friendship would have been tested honestly. This shows that the Loisels' suffering came less from the loss than from hiding it. Honesty may feel humiliating for a moment, but it protects us from far greater pain later.

Example 6: Vanity or concealment: who is to blame? · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency

Who is more to blame for the Loisels' ten years of hardship: Matilda's vanity or the couple's decision to hide the loss? Give a reasoned view in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Vanity started the chain: she rejected flowers and chose a diamond necklace.
Losing a jewel was an accident that could happen to anyone.
The disaster grew from hiding the loss and secretly buying a replacement.
A confession would have revealed the necklace was false.
State a clear judgement.

Answer: Matilda's vanity began the trouble, because she refused flowers and chose a diamond necklace. However, losing a jewel is an accident. In my view, the real disaster came from the couple's decision to hide the loss and buy a replacement without confessing. Honesty would have revealed the necklace was false.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.

Why did Loisel ask Matilda to write to Mme Forestier that the clasp was broken, and what did this decision lead to? (40-50 words, 3 marks) (3 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: the reason. The letter bought time for the search (police, cab offices, newspaper reward) without admitting the loss.	1
Content: the consequence. The lie led to the secret replacement for thirty-six thousand francs and ten years of debt, needless because the original was false.	1
Expression: clear, connected sentences within 40-50 words (up to 1 mark more can be deducted for spelling or grammar errors).	1

Compare Matilda and Mme Forestier. What does the comparison reveal about the story's message? (about 100-120 words, 6 marks) (6 marks)

Step	Marks
Content: the contrast at the start. Matilda is poor and discontented; Mme Forestier is rich, with a jewel-case to spare, and lends generously.	1
Content: the contrast at the end. Matilda is aged and hardened by ten years of work; Mme Forestier is still young, still pretty, and fails to recognise her.	1
Content: the message. Mme Forestier's false necklace shows appearance versus reality; Matilda's concealment shows the cost of pride and the absence of honesty.	1
Expression: organisation. A clear opening, a logical comparison, a conclusion.	1
Expression: fluency. Linked ideas and apt evidence within about 100-120 words.	1
Accuracy: correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.	1

Where students lose marks in The Necklace

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Giving a line or an idea to the wrong character
In a hurry, students think Matilda decided everything. In fact Loisel suggests borrowing the jewels, dictates the clasp letter and says the jewel must be replaced.
Wrong working
Matilda decided to borrow jewels from her friend and told her husband they must replace the necklace.
Right working
Loisel suggested borrowing jewels from Mme Forestier, and after a week of searching he declared, 'We must replace this jewel.'
Do this: Before writing, check who speaks each key line. Use the recall cards on this page.
Usually costs: Can cost 1 content mark in a 3-mark answer.
Mistake: Mixing up the figures
The story has several sums, and students swap them.
Wrong working
The Loisels paid five hundred francs for the new necklace, which was valued at forty thousand.
Right working
The new necklace was valued at forty thousand francs and bought for thirty-six thousand; the lost one was not worth over five hundred.
Do this: Learn the number ladder: 400, 500, 18,000, 36,000, 40,000, 10 years.
Usually costs: Can cost 1 content mark, and it weakens the irony point in a long answer.
Mistake: Retelling the story instead of answering the question
Students write the plot from the start when asked about a theme or a trait, and run out of words before making the point.
Wrong working
Matilda was a pretty lady who married a clerk. One day her husband brought an invitation. She bought a dress, borrowed a necklace and went to the ball...
Right working
Matilda's vanity drives her ruin: she rejects flowers, chooses diamonds and hides the loss to protect her pride, which costs ten years.
Do this: Make your first sentence answer the question. Then use events only as evidence.
Usually costs: Can cost 1-2 of the 3 content marks in a long answer.
Mistake: Stating the ending without explaining the irony
Students mention that the necklace was false but do not say why it matters.
Wrong working
In the end Mme Forestier told Matilda that the necklace was false.
Right working
The revelation that the necklace was false makes their ten years of sacrifice tragically needless; one honest confession would have saved them.
Do this: After every fact, add 'This shows...' or 'This means...'.
Usually costs: Can cost 1 content mark in a 3-mark answer.
Mistake: A one-sided character sketch of Matilda
Students call her only greedy and leave out how she changes.
Wrong working
Matilda was a greedy, proud woman who only cared about jewels.
Right working
Proud and discontented at first, Matilda later works 'completely, heroically' for ten years and becomes a strong, hard-working woman.
Do this: Show a 'before' trait and an 'after' trait, with evidence for each.
Usually costs: Can cost 1-2 content marks in a 6-mark character sketch.
Mistake: Going far over the word limit
Students try to include every detail in a 3-mark answer.
Wrong working
A 3-mark answer of 90 words that lists the whole search, the shop, the money and the debt.
Right working
A 3-mark answer of 40-50 words with two or three sharp value points.
Do this: Plan your 2-3 points in the margin first. Write one sentence for each and one linking sentence.
Usually costs: Can cost the Expression mark, and it uses up time needed for other answers.

The Necklace: previous year questions

Asked in 11 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 3 marks per paper; 11 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 3 of 4 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Solved board questions from The Necklace

Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.

2026, set 2/3/1, Q11(b) · 6 marks · Long answer

Analyze, how the theme of appearance versus reality is developed in 'The Necklace' through Matilda's life choices and their consequences.

Try it first, then show our solutionSolution

Matilda belonged to a family of clerks but dreamed of the joys of the rich. She believed appearance defines happiness and success, and was unhappy with her life.
1 mark
She borrowed a necklace from Madame Forestier to look rich and elegant at the ball, but then lost it and took heavy loans to replace it.
1 mark
She faced harsh reality, working for ten years to repay the debt. Then she learned from her friend that the necklace was artificial, so appearance was false and her choices cost her youth and beauty.
1 mark
Expression: coherent, formal, well linked in 100–120 words.
2 marks
Accuracy: correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.
1 mark

Answer: Matilda chose show over reality; the borrowed, artificial necklace and ten years of misery reveal the theme of appearance versus reality.

Where the marks are

Matilda's belief in appearance (1 mark)
Borrowed necklace, loss and loans (1 mark)
Artificial necklace, harsh reality (1 mark)
Expression (2 marks)
Accuracy (1 mark)

See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 2/3/1

2026, set 2/4/1, Q6(b) · 5 marks · Reading comprehensionCompetency-based

Read the given extract and answer any one of the following questions given below. Mme Loisel was a great success. She was 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, this victory so complete and sweet to her heart. (The Necklace)

(i)
How is “success” perceived by Matilda?
1 mark
(ii)
Fill in the blank with the correct word from the bracket. ‘All the men noticed her, asked her name and wanted to be presented’ indicates that the men wanted to be formally _______ (introduced / withholden) to her.
1. (A)introduced
2. (B)withholden
2 marks
(iii)
Which of the following best describe Matilda’s state of mind in the context?
1. (A)overwhelmed
2. (B)anxious
3. (C)confused
4. (D)sad
1 mark
(iv)
Explain the phrase “this victory so complete and sweet to her heart”.
1 mark

Try it first, then show our solutionSolution

(i) Matilda sees success as being the prettiest at the ball and winning the admiration and attention of all the men.
1 mark
(ii) introduced: the men wanted to be formally presented to her.
2 marks
(iii) (A) overwhelmed: she is intoxicated with pleasure and thinks of nothing but the admiration.
1 mark
(iv) It means she has fulfilled her longing to be admired and envied. She is the centre of attention, and this social validation satisfies her completely.
1 mark

Answer: (i) winning admiration as the prettiest woman at the ball; (ii) introduced; (iii) A; (iv) her complete satisfaction at being admired and envied

Where the marks are

(i) one valid point (1 mark)
(ii) introduced (2 marks)
(iii) overwhelmed (1 mark)
(iv) one valid explanation (1 mark)

See it in the full 2026 board paper, set 2/4/1

Every The Necklace question, by year

2026

Set 2/3/1: Q11(b) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/4/1: Q6(b) (5 marks, solved)

Set 2/5/1: Q11(A) (6 marks, solved)

Sample paper 2025-26: Q9 (6 marks, solved)

2025

Set 2/1/1: Q11(b) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/4/1: Q6(B) (5 marks, solved)

Sample paper 2024-25: Q9 (6 marks, solved)

2024

Set 2/2/1: Q11(b) (6 marks, solved)

Sample paper 2023-24: Q11.A (6 marks, solved)

2023

Set 2/1/1: Q11(b) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/2/1: Q11(a) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/4/1: Q11(a) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/5/1: Q11(b) (6 marks, solved)

Set 2/6/1: Q11(b) (6 marks, solved)

Practice questions on The Necklace

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
Describe the steps the Loisels took to find the lost necklace. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Go in order: the house, the street, then the officials and the newspapers.
Answer
Value points:
- Searched the folds of the dress and cloak, and the pockets.
- Loisel walked back over the route they had taken on foot.
- He went to the police and the cab offices and advertised a reward in the newspapers.
- Matilda wrote that the clasp was broken, to gain time.
- After a week they lost all hope.
Model answer: They first searched the folds of her dress and cloak and the pockets. Loisel retraced their route on foot, then went to the police and cab offices and advertised a reward. Matilda wrote that the clasp was broken to gain time. After a week, they gave up.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level
How did M. Loisel pay for the replacement necklace, and what did it cost? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Remember three figures: the value, the price paid and his inheritance.
Answer
Value points:
- A chaplet of diamonds found in a shop of the Palais-Royal.
- Valued at forty thousand francs, bought for thirty-six thousand.
- Loisel had eighteen thousand francs left by his father.
- He borrowed the rest from usurers and other lenders, making ruinous promises.
Model answer: The diamond chaplet from the Palais-Royal shop was valued at forty thousand francs, but they got it for thirty-six thousand. Loisel used the eighteen thousand francs his father had left him and borrowed the rest from usurers and other lenders, making ruinous promises.
Q3 · 6 marks · Long answerHarder board level
'Matilda is both the cause and the victim of her misfortune.' Do you agree? Support your view with evidence from the story. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Give one paragraph of her choices (cause) and one of what life and chance did to her (victim), then weigh them.
Answer
Value points:
- Cause: constant discontent with shabby walls and worn chairs; loves only frocks and jewels.
- Cause: rejects flowers, chooses the diamond necklace, thinks only of admiration at the ball, hurries away to hide her modest wraps.
- Victim: born into a family of clerks, no dowry or chances.
- Victim: one accident costs ten years of youth and beauty.
- Irony: the diamonds were false.
- Balanced conclusion.
Model answer: I agree. Matilda causes her misfortune through vanity. Though she is married to a kind clerk, she suffers constantly over shabby walls and worn chairs and dreams only of luxuries. She rejects natural flowers, fearing shabbiness, and from Mme Forestier's jewels she chooses the most dazzling necklace. At the ball she thinks only of admiration and rushes away to hide her modest wraps, which may explain how the necklace was lost. Yet she is also a victim. Born poor, she had no dowry or chances, and a small accident costs her ten years of youth and beauty. The cruellest blow is the revelation that the diamonds were false. Pride ruins her, but fate punishes her far beyond her fault.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain the significance of the narrator's remark, 'How small a thing will ruin or save one!' Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Ask yourself: what was the 'small thing' here, and what small thing might have saved them?
Answer
Value points:
- Comes when Matilda, worn out after ten years, remembers the ball.
- A small lost object ruined their whole life: theme of chance and the fragility of life.
- We can infer that a small act, such as an honest confession, could have saved them.
Model answer: The remark comes as Matilda, worn out after ten years, remembers the ball. It shows how fragile life is: one lost necklace, a small thing, ruined the Loisels. It also hints that a small act, like an honest confession, could have saved them.
Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does the contrast between the 'modest wraps' and the 'rich furs' at the end of the ball reveal about Matilda? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Look at what she does the moment the wraps go on her shoulders.
Answer
Value points:
- The poor wraps clash with the elegant ball costume: her glory is borrowed.
- She hurries away so the women in rich furs will not notice her.
- She will not wait for Loisel to call a cab.
- Shows her shame about poverty and how fragile her success is.
Model answer: The modest wraps remind Matilda that her glory is borrowed. She hurries away so the women in rich furs will not see her poverty, even refusing to wait for a cab. This shows her deep shame about being poor and how fragile her sense of success is.
Q6 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Is Mme Forestier a good friend to Matilda? Give reasons from the story. Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Look at three moments: the jewel-case, the return, and the meeting on the Champs-Elysees.
Answer
Value points:
- Generous: opens her jewel-case, says 'Choose, my dear' and lends the necklace readily.
- Kind at the end: she is touched and takes both Matilda's hands.
- Cold side: speaks in a frigid tone when the jewels are returned late.
- Balanced judgement.
Model answer: She is partly a good friend: she generously lets Matilda choose from her jewel-case and lends the necklace without hesitation. At the end she is touched and takes Matilda's hands. Yet her frigid tone when the jewels are returned suggests a cold, possessive side.
Q7 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Imagine that the older Matilda of the final scene could speak to her younger self on the night before the ball. Write the advice she might give, drawing on what she has learned. Answer in about 100-120 words.
Hint
Let her mention her husband, her pride, the loss and the ten years, and end with the lesson.
Answer
Value points:
- Value Loisel's kindness (the gun money) over jewels.
- Do not be ashamed of a simple look; shame leads to hasty acts.
- If anything goes wrong, tell the truth to Jeanne at once.
- The cost of hiding: ten years of attic life, washing and haggling.
- What hardship taught: strength and self-reliance.
- Lesson: contentment and honesty.
Model answer: Dear Matilda, you think your simple home is a curse and that one evening of admiration will make you whole. I know better. Your husband gave up his gun money so you could have that dress; value his kindness more than any jewel. Do not be ashamed of flowers or modest wraps, for shame makes you rush and act carelessly. If something goes wrong, tell Jeanne the truth at once. We hid the loss, and it cost us ten years of attics, washing and haggling over every sou. Yet those years also taught me that I can work hard and stand on my own feet. Be content, be honest, and remember: a small thing can ruin or save you.
Q8 · 3 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
What lesson does Matilda's story hold for a teenager who feels unhappy comparing her life with that of richer friends? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Start from what Matilda felt after visiting her rich schoolmate.
Answer
Value points:
- Matilda suffered after visiting her rich friend and loved only frocks and jewels.
- She overlooked her husband's love and her simple blessings.
- Comparison breeds misery and poor choices.
- Contentment and honesty bring peace.
Model answer: Matilda wept after visiting her rich friend and valued only frocks and jewels, ignoring her husband's love. A teenager should learn that constant comparison breeds misery and poor choices. Contentment with what we have, and honesty about our limits, bring real peace.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Where did M. Loisel work?Show answer
He was a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education.
2.Who sent the invitation, and for when?Show answer
The Minister of Public Instruction and Madame George Ramponneau, for Monday evening, January 18, at the Minister's residence.
3.How much did the dress cost, and what had Loisel saved that money for?Show answer
Four hundred francs, saved for a gun so he could join friends shooting larks the next summer.
4.Who suggested borrowing jewels from Mme Forestier?Show answer
Loisel. He also suggested natural flowers first, which Matilda refused.
5.Where and when did Matilda notice the necklace was missing?Show answer
At home before the glass, when she removed her wraps for a final view of herself, after they returned around four in the morning.
6.Who said, 'We must replace this jewel.'?Show answer
Loisel, after a week of fruitless searching. The narrator says he looked 'older by five years'.
7.Where was the replacement bought, and how was it paid for?Show answer
In a shop of the Palais-Royal, for thirty-six thousand francs: eighteen thousand from his father, the rest borrowed from usurers and lenders.
8.Where did Matilda meet Mme Forestier at the end, and what did she learn?Show answer
On a Sunday walk in the Champs-Elysees. Mme Forestier was with a child, and Matilda learnt the necklace was false, worth not over five hundred francs.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

Can you give two pieces of evidence that Matilda is discontented at the very start, before any invitation arrives?
Can you explain what Loisel gave up for the dress and what that shows about him?
Can you list, in order, every step the Loisels took to find the necklace?
Can you say the price paid, the shop value and the real worth of the necklace without mixing them up?
Can you describe three tasks Matilda did during the ten years and what they show about her?
Can you explain the irony of the ending in two sentences, linking it to appearance versus reality?
Can you argue whether vanity or concealment did more damage, with one event for each?
Can you name all five themes and tie each to one moment in the story?

The Necklace: frequently asked questions

Is there an extract-based question from The Necklace in the 2026-27 board exam?

No. In the 2026-27 pattern, Footprints without Feet has no extract-based question. The Necklace can come as a 40-50 word short answer (Q9, 3 marks) or a 100-120 word long answer (Q11, 6 marks).

What is the moral of The Necklace?

The story warns against vanity, discontent and judging by appearances. It also shows the cost of hiding the truth: one honest conversation might have saved the Loisels ten years of hardship. The NCERT book links it to ideas like 'Honesty is the best policy' and being content with what life gives us.

What was the real cause of Matilda's ruin?

The loss of the necklace was only the trigger. The deeper causes were her vanity and longing for luxury, which made her borrow the jewels, and her pride and fear of shame, which stopped the couple from telling Mme Forestier the truth.

How does Matilda change by the end of the story?

At the start she is a pretty, dissatisfied woman who weeps over her shabby home. After ten years of hard work she becomes strong, hard and aged, but also dutiful and honest. She tells her friend the truth with "proud and simple joy".

What is ironic about the ending of The Necklace?

The Loisels paid thirty-six thousand francs and spent ten years in poverty to replace a necklace that was false. Mme Forestier reveals it was worth no more than five hundred francs. Their sacrifice, made to keep up appearances, turns out to have been unnecessary.

How much did the replacement necklace cost and how did the Loisels pay?

The replacement was valued at forty thousand francs but they bought it for thirty-six thousand. Loisel used eighteen thousand francs left by his father and borrowed the rest from usurers and other lenders, which took them ten years to repay.

Based on: CBSE English Language and Literature syllabus 2026-27; NCERT Footprints without Feet (Reprint 2026-27), The Necklace