Question 1
Why does Mathilde borrow the necklace?
She wants to appear elegant at the formal event and feels that her own clothes and jewellery do not match the status she desires.
Chapter guide: central idea and structure
Mathilde Loisel borrows a necklace for a formal event, loses it and replaces it with an expensive one. She and her husband spend years repaying the debt, only to learn that the original necklace was imitation jewellery.
Key ideas
- Dissatisfaction with social status can shape choices.
- Honesty and communication might have prevented years of hardship.
- The ending uses irony to expose the cost of appearances.
Reading checklist
- Identify who is speaking and what changes.
- Support each interpretation with a detail from the text.
- Explain how the title, structure or ending develops the central idea.
Plot or image sequence
- Mathilde longs for luxury beyond her household means.
- She borrows a necklace to attend a ministerial event.
- After losing it, the couple buys a costly replacement and repays the debt.
- The final revelation changes the meaning of the sacrifice.
Important vocabulary
- disconsolate — very unhappy
- annoyance — irritation
- incessantly — without stopping
Answer-writing tip: Begin with a direct response, support it with a relevant event or image, and finish by linking the detail to the question. Avoid retelling the entire text.
Activity for close reading
Draw a timeline of the borrowing, loss, replacement, years of repayment and final revelation. Beside each event, note one decision that affects the next.
This is an original study activity based on the text; use the prescribed book for the full work and exact exercise wording.
Solved questions in CBSE/PYQ style
Newly written practice modeled on common extract, inference, theme and character question patterns; these are not copied past-paper questions.
Question 2
What is the central irony of the ending?
Mathilde and her husband spend years repaying the cost of a replacement necklace, only to learn that the necklace she borrowed was imitation jewellery and had little value.
Question 3
How could the hardship have been avoided?
Mathilde and her husband could have told Madame Forestier about the loss immediately. Honest communication might have revealed the necklace’s low value before they borrowed money for an expensive replacement.
Self-check
- Can I state the central idea in one or two sentences?
- Can I explain one important turning point, image or technique?
- Can I support my interpretation with evidence without copying long passages?
- Can I answer in the required word limit and keep the response focused?
Prepared as supplementary revision for CBSE Class X English Language and Literature 2026–27. Consult the current CBSE syllabus and your prescribed NCERT edition for assessment details.