NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints without Feet
Chapter 7 The Necklace
Updated For 2024-2025
Exams
READ AND FIND OUT
Q1. What kind
of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
Answer:
Mme Loisel is a pretty young woman who feels dissatisfied with her life. She
believes she was born to enjoy luxury and wealth, but instead, she is married
to a petty clerk and lives in modest circumstances. Her constant longing for
riches, fine clothes, and jewels makes her unhappy with her life.
Q2. What kind
of a person is her husband?
Answer:
Mme Loisel’s husband is a simple and content man. He is caring and tries to
make his wife happy, as shown by his excitement about receiving an invitation
to a grand ball. He is also willing to sacrifice his savings, meant for a
hunting gun, to buy her a dress for the event, demonstrating his selflessness.
READ AND FIND OUT
Q3. What fresh
problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
Answer:
Even after getting a beautiful dress for the ball, Mme Loisel is still unhappy
because she has no jewels to wear. She feels that she will look poor and
unadorned among the wealthy women at the party, which causes her great
distress.
Q4. How is the
problem solved?
Answer:
The problem is solved when Mme Loisel’s husband suggests that she borrow jewels
from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Mme Loisel follows his advice and borrows
a beautiful diamond necklace from her friend, which brings her great joy.
READ AND FIND OUT
Q5. What do M.
and Mme Loisel do next?
Answer:
After losing the necklace, M. and Mme Loisel search desperately for it. They
retrace their steps, visit the police station, the cab offices, and place
advertisements, but they are unable to find it. Finally, they decide to replace
the necklace by purchasing a similar one, even though it costs a fortune.
Q6. How do they
replace the necklace?
Answer:
To replace the necklace, M. and Mme Loisel borrow a large sum of money from
various lenders, including usurers. M. Loisel uses all of his savings and takes
out loans to raise the 36,000 francs needed to buy a new diamond necklace. They
then return the new necklace to Mme Forestier, without telling her about the
loss.
THINK ABOUT IT
Q1. The course
of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
Answer:
The loss of the necklace drastically changed the course of the Loisels’ life.
To pay off the debt they incurred to replace the necklace, they were forced
into a life of hardship and poverty. Mme Loisel had to do all the household
chores herself, and her husband took on extra work. They spent ten long years
repaying the debt, which aged and transformed them both.
Q2. What was
the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Answer:
Matilda’s ruin was caused by her vanity and desire to appear wealthy and
glamorous. Her need to impress others led her to borrow a necklace she couldn’t
afford to replace. She could have avoided this fate by being honest with Mme
Forestier when she lost the necklace, or by being content with what she had and
not borrowing expensive jewelry in the first place.
Q3. What would
have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost
her necklace?
Answer:
If Matilda had confessed to Mme Forestier about losing the necklace, she would
have learned that the necklace was fake and worth only 500 francs. This
revelation would have saved her and her husband from years of hardship and
financial struggle, as they wouldn’t have needed to replace the necklace with
an expensive real diamond one.
Q4. If you were
caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
Answer:
If I were in a situation like this, I would have confessed the truth
immediately. Honesty would have prevented further complications, and I would
have tried to work out a solution with my friend rather than taking on a huge
financial burden. Being transparent about the mistake could have avoided years
of unnecessary hardship.