"The Necklace" Reading Check

Name

At the beginning of the story, why is Madame Loisel unhappy with her life?

• She is poor and wants the finer things in life that money can buy.
• She was so beautiful that all men are intimidated by her.
• Despite having all the money inherited from her family, she couldn't find love.
• Her first husband abandoned her.

What is the most likely conclusion that readers can draw about Madame Loisel’s character, based on the life she desires?

• She enjoys working.
• She has simple needs.
• She cares primarily about her husband.
• She cares primarily about material things.

In “The Necklace,” what does Monsieur Loisel’s treatment of his wife most clearly reveal about his character?

• He cares deeply about his wife’s happiness.
• He has grown tired of his wife’s complaints.
• He cares far too much about material things.
• He enjoys accompanying his wife to fancy receptions.

What steps does Madame Loisel take to dress for the party in a way she thinks is appropriate?

• She buys a new dress and borrows a necklace from her friend Madame Forestier.
• She makes a dress out of old curtains.
• She buys a beautiful necklace she had seen in the window of an antique shop.
• She takes a dress and a necklace from her employer.

Part A In "The Necklace," how does Monsieur Loisel react to the party?

• He is embarassed by his wife's plain clothing.
• He despises the party and the people who attend it.
• He becomes tired and bored with the party after a while.
• He enjoys the party and does not want to leave.

Part B Which passage from the story best supports the answer to Part A?

• “Why, I thought you’d be pleased, dear. You never go out and this would be an occasion for you, a great one! I had a lot of trouble getting it. Everyone wants an invitation: they’re in great demand and there are only a few reserved for the employees. All the officials will be there.”
• The day of the party arrived. Madame Loisel was a great success. She was the prettiest woman there—resplendent, graceful, beaming, and deliriously happy. All the men looked at her, asked who she was, tried to get themselves introduced to her. All the minister’s aides wanted to waltz with her. The minister himself noticed her.
• When she left the party, it was almost four in the morning. Her husband had been sleeping since midnight in a small, deserted sitting room, with three other gentlemen whose wives were having a wonderful time.
• He brought her wraps so that they could leave and put them around her shoulders—the plain wraps from her everyday life whose shabbiness jarred with the elegance of her evening dress.

What does Monsieur Loisel do to pay for the replacement necklace?

• He borrows money and works extra jobs.
• He replaces the necklace with a fake.
• He works in the antique shop.
• He begs his employer to raise his salary.

Part A What is Madame Loisel's attitude towards the sacrifices that she and her husband must make as they work to replace the necklace?

• gracious and happy
• enthusiastic and eager
• determined and courageous
• careless and irresponsible

Part B Which excerpt from “The Necklace” best supports the answer to Part A?

• Unable to afford jewelry, she dressed simply: but she was as wretched as a déclassée, for women have neither caste nor breeding—in them beauty, grace, and charm replace pride of birth.
• All these things that another woman of her class would not even have noticed, tormented her and made her angry. The very sight of the little Breton girl who cleaned for her awoke rueful thoughts and the wildest dreams in her mind.
• She danced enraptured—carried away, intoxicated with pleasure, forgetting everything in this triumph of her beauty and the glory of her success, floating in a cloud of happiness formed by all this homage, all this admiration, all the desires she had stirred up—by this victory so complete and so sweet to the heart of a woman.
• Madame Loisel came to know the awful life of the poverty-stricken. However, she resigned herself to it with unexpected fortitude. The crushing debt had to be paid. She would pay it.