51 pages 1 hour read

Guy de Maupassant

The Necklace

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1884

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Answer Key

Reading Check

1. Large, ornate rooms; footmen; glamorous dinners (Paragraphs 3-4)

2. 400 francs (Paragraph 26)

3. 36,000 francs (Paragraph 87)

4. 10 years (Paragraphs 98-99)

5. The necklace was fake; it was only worth 500 francs (Paragraph 123)

Short Answer

1. Mathilde’s husband acts distant. He does not seem to really understand her, as evidenced by his inability to predict her reaction to the party or her feelings about her clothes and jewelry. He does give her money for the dress, though he has to sacrifice the money he had saved for a gun he wanted, showing some concern about her. He also helps her pay for the replacement necklace at great cost. (Various paragraphs)

2. Madame Forestier is annoyed that it took so long to return the necklace. (Paragraphs 91-92)

3. The Loisels must move, work much harder, and forgo luxuries for a decade. Loisel works two jobs. Mathilde “had become strong, hard, and rough,” to the point where Madame Forestier does not recognize her upon seeing her again. (Paragraphs 94-100)