NCERT Class 10 English – Footprints Without Feet – Chapter 7: The Necklace
Exercise Questions: Short Answers & Simple Explanations
Q1. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel? Why is she always unhappy?
Answer: Mme Loisel is beautiful but dissatisfied. She dreams of luxury and wealth, and feels unhappy because she lives a simple, middle-class life.
Explanation: Her greed and vanity make her ungrateful for what she already has, causing her constant unhappiness.
Q2. What kind of a person is her husband?
Answer: Her husband is simple, honest, and caring. He loves his wife and tries to keep her happy despite their limited means.
Explanation: He represents a content and responsible man who values peace and family over wealth or luxury.
Q3. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel? How is the problem solved?
Answer: After the party, she discovers she has lost the borrowed necklace. They decide to replace it with an identical one bought on loan.
Explanation: Fear of humiliation and pride stop her from telling the truth, leading to years of financial struggle.
Q4. What do M. and Mme Loisel do next? How do they replace the necklace?
Answer: They search desperately, then buy a similar diamond necklace by borrowing large sums of money.
Explanation: Their decision to hide the truth traps them in a life of debt and hardship for ten long years.
Q5. The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the _____.
Answer: The loss of the necklace.
Explanation: One careless mistake and false pride completely ruined their peaceful life.
Q6. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
Answer: Her pride and desire to appear rich caused her ruin. She could have avoided it by being honest with her friend.
Explanation: Her obsession with status and fear of embarrassment pushed her into unnecessary suffering.
Q7. What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
Answer: She would have learned that the necklace was fake and saved herself years of struggle.
Explanation: A simple confession would have cost her only embarrassment, not ten years of poverty.
Q8. If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
Answer: I would have admitted the truth immediately and asked for forgiveness.
Explanation: Honesty may be difficult at first, but it prevents bigger problems later.
Q9. 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?
Answer: No, they are French. The story has French names like “Loisel” and “Mme Forestier,” and it’s written by a French author, Guy de Maupassant.
Explanation: English is only the translated language for readers; the actual story is set in France.
Q10. Honesty is the best policy.
Answer: The story proves that honesty saves people from long-term pain. Lies only create deeper troubles.
Explanation: If Matilda had been honest, she would have avoided years of hardship and regret.
Q11. We should be content with what life gives us.
Answer: True happiness lies in gratitude and self-acceptance, not in wealth or luxury.
Explanation: Mme Loisel’s discontent destroyed her peaceful life — contentment brings peace, not riches.