NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English (Footprints Without Feet) Chapter 7: The Necklace
Complete solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 7 – “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant: an original summary, theme and message, hard word meanings, and every textbook exercise (Read and Find Out, Think about it and Talk about it) answered in full. The questions are kept exactly as in the NCERT book; all answers are written originally in CBSE exam-ready style.
Class: 10Subject: EnglishBook: Footprints Without FeetType: Story (Chapter 7)Author: Guy de MaupassantSession: 2026–27
Guy de Maupassant (1850–1893) was a celebrated French writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of the modern short story. A student and protege of Gustave Flaubert, he wrote around 300 short stories along with several novels. His writing is admired for its economical, realistic style, its sharp observation of middle-class life and its famous twist endings. “The Necklace” (originally “La Parure”, 1884) is among his best-known stories, prized for its ironic conclusion and its sober comment on vanity and human ambition.
Summary
Matilda Loisel is a pretty young woman who feels she was born for a life of luxury, yet, having no dowry, she is married to a modest clerk in the Board of Education. She is constantly unhappy, tormented by her plain home and her lack of fine clothes and jewels, and she envies her rich convent friend, Madame Forestier.
One day her husband proudly brings home an invitation to a grand ball at the Minister’s residence. Instead of being pleased, Matilda is miserable because she has nothing suitable to wear. Her husband gives up the four hundred francs he had saved for a gun so she can buy a dress. Still dissatisfied because she has no jewellery, she borrows what she thinks is a diamond necklace from Madame Forestier.
At the ball Matilda is a dazzling success, admired by everyone and lost in joy. But on returning home she discovers, to her horror, that the necklace is gone. The couple search everywhere in vain. Rather than confess, they buy a replacement necklace for thirty-six thousand francs, borrowing heavily and ruining themselves with debt.
For the next ten years the Loisels live in grinding poverty, doing all the harsh menial work themselves to repay what they owe. Matilda grows old, coarse and hard. At last, having paid every franc, she meets Madame Forestier and proudly tells her the whole story – only to learn that the borrowed necklace had been a fake, worth barely five hundred francs.
Theme & message
The story is a sharp study of vanity, discontent and the heavy price of pretence. Matilda’s ruin springs not from poverty itself but from her refusal to be content with what she has and her wish to appear richer than she is. The tale also shows the cruelty of irony and chance – how “small a thing will ruin or save one”. At the same time, it credits Matilda and her husband with honesty and quiet heroism: they choose to face years of hardship rather than admit the loss. The message is that contentment, simplicity and truthfulness are worth far more than vain appearances.
Word meanings
Word
Meaning
destiny
fate; what is bound to happen
dowry
money or property a bride brings to a marriage
petty
minor, low-ranking
incessantly
continuously, without stopping
tureen
covered dish from which soup is served
exquisite
extremely beautiful and delicate
despair
complete loss of hope
elated
very happy and excited
spitefully
with ill will; meanly
vexation
state of being distressed or annoyed
stupefied
stunned; too shocked to think
chic
stylish, fashionable
ecstatic
filled with sudden, intense joy
cast down
dejected; very disheartened
ruinous
disastrous; causing financial ruin
usurers
money-lenders who charge very high interest
frigid
very cold (in tone or manner)
odious
extremely unpleasant; hateful
sou
a former French coin of very low value
awry
not in the correct position; twisted
chaplet
a string (here, of diamonds)
substitution
the act of replacing one thing with another
Read and Find Out
1. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel – why is she always unhappy?
ANSWERMme Loisel is a pretty, sensitive but deeply dissatisfied young woman. She believes that, by her beauty and charm, she was meant for a life of wealth, elegance and luxury. Because she is married to a humble clerk and lives in a plain home with worn furniture, reality never matches her dreams. She is always unhappy because she keeps comparing what she has with the riches she desires – fine dresses, jewels and grand dinners – and her constant discontent and envy of her rich friend leave her tormented and miserable.
2. What kind of a person is her husband?
ANSWERHer husband, M. Loisel, is a simple, modest and content clerk who is happy with small comforts such as a good pot-pie for dinner. He is loving, caring and self-sacrificing: he gladly gives up the four hundred francs he had saved for a gun so that his wife can buy a dress, and he works long extra hours for years to repay the debt. He is also practical and supportive – it is he who suggests she borrow jewellery from Mme Forestier. He never blames Matilda for the disaster, showing his patience and devotion.
3. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
ANSWERAlthough her dress is nearly ready, Mme Loisel is troubled because she has no jewel or ornament to wear with it. She feels she will look poverty-stricken and shabby among the rich women at the ball, and she would rather not go at all than appear humble in such grand company.
4. How is the problem solved?
ANSWERHer husband suggests she wear natural flowers, but she refuses. He then advises her to go to her wealthy friend, Mme Forestier, and borrow some jewels. Matilda does so; her friend opens her jewel-case and lets her choose, and Matilda picks a superb diamond necklace, which solves her problem and delights her.
5. What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?
ANSWEROn discovering the necklace is lost, they search the folds of the dress, the cloak and the pockets, but find nothing. M. Loisel retraces the route they walked on foot, goes to the police and the cab offices, and puts an advertisement in the newspapers offering a reward. He also tells Matilda to write to Mme Forestier that the clasp is broken and being repaired, so as to gain time. When all hope is lost, they decide they must replace the necklace.
6. How do they replace the necklace?
ANSWERIn a shop in the Palais-Royal they find a diamond necklace that looks exactly like the lost one, valued at forty thousand francs but obtainable for thirty-six thousand. M. Loisel uses the eighteen thousand francs his father had left him and borrows the rest, making ruinous promises and taking money from usurers and lenders. With this money he buys the necklace, and Matilda returns it to Mme Forestier, who does not notice the substitution.
Think about it
1. The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
ANSWERThe borrowed necklace completely transformed the Loisels’ lives. Before losing it, they lived a modest but comfortable life on a clerk’s salary, with a maid and a small home. After the loss, to repay the thirty-six thousand francs spent on the replacement, they had to give up their flat, dismiss the maid and move to a cheap attic. For ten long years Matilda did all the rough housework herself, while her husband took on extra jobs at night. The single ornament thus turned their settled, dignified life into one of grinding poverty and hard labour, and aged Matilda far beyond her years – a change made all the more bitter by the final revelation that the necklace was a fake.
2. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
ANSWERThe real cause of Matilda’s ruin was her vanity and her constant dissatisfaction with her own modest life – her craving to appear rich and to be admired. This desire led her to borrow the costly-looking necklace, and her carelessness caused its loss. Her ruin could have been avoided in several ways: she could have been content with her station and worn simple flowers or a single modest ornament; she could have taken better care of the borrowed necklace; and, most importantly, she could have honestly confessed the loss to Mme Forestier instead of secretly buying a costly replacement. Honesty would have saved her from ten years of needless suffering.
3. What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
ANSWERHad Matilda confessed the loss to Mme Forestier, her friend would almost certainly have told her that the necklace was an imitation worth only about five hundred francs. The Loisels would then have had to replace something of very little value, or perhaps Mme Forestier would have forgiven the loss altogether. In either case, Matilda would have been spared the crushing debt of thirty-six thousand francs and the ten miserable years of toil that followed. Her honesty would have preserved her youth, her looks and her comfortable life.
4. If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
ANSWERIf I were caught in such a situation, I would face it honestly rather than hide it out of pride or fear. I would immediately tell my friend the truth about the lost necklace and apologise sincerely. Together we could decide on a fair way to make up for the loss – only then would I know its real value and avoid spending a fortune needlessly. Honesty would prevent a small mistake from turning into years of secret suffering, and it would also keep my friendship and self-respect intact. (Write your own view in 30–40 words.)
Talk about it
These are speaking and discussion activities. Sample responses are given below to guide your own discussion.
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?
ANSWERNo, English is not the characters’ real language – the story is a translation. The characters are clearly French. The clues include the French names (Matilda Loisel, Mme Forestier, George Ramponneau, Jeanne), the use of the French forms of address ‘M.’ (Monsieur) and ‘Mme’ (Madame), the French currency ‘francs’ and ‘sou’, and Parisian places such as the Champs-Elysees and the Palais-Royal. These details show the characters must originally be speaking French.
2. Honesty is the best policy.
ANSWERThe story itself proves this saying. Matilda’s decision to conceal the loss of the necklace, instead of honestly admitting it, brought her ten years of poverty and hardship. A single truthful confession would have revealed that the necklace was fake and saved the couple from ruin. Honesty avoids unnecessary trouble, keeps relationships strong and protects one’s peace of mind, whereas hiding the truth often makes a small problem far worse. (Discuss your own examples in class.)
3. We should be content with what life gives us.
ANSWERMatilda’s tragedy flows from her discontent. She was never satisfied with her decent home, loving husband and comfortable life, always longing for riches she did not have. This restless craving led her into the disaster of the necklace. Contentment, on the other hand, brings peace and lets us enjoy what we already possess. Being grateful for our blessings does not mean we stop trying to improve; it means we do not let endless desire destroy our happiness. (Share your own views.)
Extra questions
Short answer
1. Why was Matilda unhappy with her invitation to the ball?
ANSWERShe was unhappy because she felt she had no suitable dress or jewellery to wear, and she dreaded looking poor among the elegant, wealthy guests at the Minister’s ball.
2. How did M. Loisel arrange money for Matilda’s dress?
ANSWERHe gave her four hundred francs – the very sum he had carefully saved to buy a gun for hunting trips – sacrificing his own wish so she could have a pretty dress.
3. What was Matilda’s reaction when she found the diamond necklace in her friend’s jewel-case?
ANSWERHer hands trembled with excitement; she placed it around her throat and was ecstatic, and asked anxiously whether she could borrow that one alone.
4. How did the Loisels manage to repay their debt?
ANSWERThey dismissed the maid, moved to a cheap attic, and lived in great hardship for ten years; Matilda did all the rough housework while her husband did extra accounting and copying work at night.
5. What was the irony revealed at the end of the story?
ANSWERThe irony was that the necklace Matilda had lost, and for which the couple slaved for ten years, was only an imitation worth barely five hundred francs – not the costly diamond piece they had assumed.
Long answer
6. Draw a character sketch of Matilda Loisel.
ANSWERMatilda Loisel is the central character of the story and a striking study in human weakness and strength. She is beautiful and charming but deeply vain and discontented, forever dreaming of wealth and luxury she does not possess and feeling tortured by her modest life. This vanity drives her to borrow a necklace she cannot afford to lose. Yet, once disaster strikes, Matilda reveals a very different side: she becomes honest, dutiful and courageous, choosing ten years of crushing labour over an easy confession, and bearing the burden “heroically”. By the end she is a hardened woman of the poor household, aged before her time. Her life is a powerful lesson that vanity and discontent can ruin one, while honesty and endurance reveal one’s true worth.
7. “How small a thing will ruin or save one!” Discuss this statement with reference to the story.
ANSWERThis reflection by the narrator captures the heart of the story. A single, seemingly trivial object – a borrowed necklace – completely overturns the Loisels’ lives. Had Matilda not lost it, or had she simply confessed the loss, her comfortable life would have continued unchanged. Instead, her vanity in borrowing it, her carelessness in losing it, and her pride in hiding the truth combine to plunge the couple into ten years of poverty. The same “small thing” that ruined her could just as easily have saved her had chance or choice fallen differently. Maupassant uses this to show how fragile human fortune is and how small decisions and accidents can decide the whole course of a life.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. Who is the author of ‘The Necklace’?
(a) Anton Chekhov (b) Guy de Maupassant (c) Katherine Mansfield (d) O. Henry
2. What was Matilda’s husband’s occupation?
(a) A doctor (b) A merchant (c) A clerk in the Board of Education (d) A teacher
3. How much money did M. Loisel give Matilda for her dress?
(a) Two hundred francs (b) Four hundred francs (c) One thousand francs (d) Forty thousand francs
Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.
1. Assertion (A): Matilda was always unhappy with her life.
Reason (R): She believed she was meant for a life of wealth and luxury, but lived in a modest home.
ANSWER(a) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
2. Assertion (A): The Loisels suffered ten years of poverty.
Reason (R): They had borrowed heavily to buy a costly necklace to replace the lost one.
ANSWER(a) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
3. Assertion (A): Matilda confessed the truth to Mme Forestier as soon as the necklace was lost.
Reason (R): She was too proud and afraid, so she chose to secretly replace it instead.
ANSWER(d) A is false (she confessed only after ten years), while R is true.
4. Assertion (A): M. Loisel was a loving and self-sacrificing husband.
Reason (R): He gave up his savings for a gun and worked extra hours for years to repay the debt.
ANSWER(a) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.
5. Assertion (A): The borrowed necklace was extremely valuable.
Reason (R): Mme Forestier kept it in a black satin box and lent it readily to Matilda.
ANSWER(d) A is false (the necklace was an imitation worth only about five hundred francs), while R is true.
Exam tips
Score better in ‘The Necklace’
• Remember the key figures – four hundred francs (dress), thirty-six thousand francs (replacement), ten years (repayment) and five hundred francs (true value); examiners often test these.
• In long answers always link Matilda’s suffering to her vanity and discontent, and contrast it with her later honesty and endurance.
• Highlight the story’s famous twist ending and the theme of irony – this is a favourite value-based question.
• Keep spellings of names correct: Matilda Loisel, Mme Forestier, Guy de Maupassant.
FAQs
Who is the author of ‘The Necklace’?
The story was written by the French author Guy de Maupassant and originally titled ‘La Parure’ (1884).
Why was Matilda always unhappy?
She believed she was born for wealth and luxury, but lived a modest life as a clerk’s wife. Her constant discontent and envy made her unhappy.
What was the twist at the end of the story?
After ten years of hardship spent repaying the cost of a replacement necklace, Matilda learns that the original borrowed necklace was a fake, worth barely five hundred francs.
What is the moral of ‘The Necklace’?
The story teaches that vanity and discontent can ruin one’s life, while contentment, simplicity and honesty are far more valuable than vain appearances.
Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT Footprints Without Feet textbook; the summary and all answers are written originally by ClearStudy.
