“The Necklace” Multiple Choice Quiz
1. Guy de Maupassant describes his main character for several paragraphs but does not identify her by
name until later in the short story. Instead, he repeatedly refers to the woman as “she.” His initial depiction
of the woman identifies her as __________.
a. happy
b. dissatisfied
c. content
d. religious
2. The main character is portrayed as ________ and __________.
a. pretty, charming b. sad, homely
c. simple, polite
d. unattractive, obnoxious
3. de Maupassant describes French society of the time: “… women have no family rank or social class.
With them, beauty, grace and charm take the place of birth and breeding. Their natural poise, their
instinctive good taste, and their mental cleverness are the sole guiding principles which make daughters of
the common people the equals of ladies of high society. … as if by accident or fate, [she was] born into a
family of _________.”
a. farmers
b. ministers
c. clerks
d. teachers
4. The worldview described in the above quotation is _________ in nature.
a. patriarchal
b. matriarchal
c. equilateral
d. monarchial
5. Mathilde Loisel “grieves” over the condition of her apartment: the walls, the chairs, the draperies, etc.
She even has distain for her ________,
a. butcher
b. doorman
c. housekeeper
d. seamstress
6. She dreams of ___________.
a. Oriental tapestries b. bronze floor lamps c. handsome butlers
d. all of these
7. The fashionable dinner parties in Mathilde’s mind “of delicious dishes served on wonderful china …
rosy flesh of trout and wings of grouse” are a sharp contrast to the _______ she serves her husband at supper.
a. stew
b. sandwiches
c. cereal
d. salad
8. Mathilde has “a well-to-do friend, a classmate of convent-school days,” but she rarely visits her friend
because afterward Mathilde feels _________.
a. exhausted
b. depressed
c. disrespected
d. uncertain
9. Mathilde’s husband is excited when he comes home with an invitation to “an evening reception at the
Ministerial Mansion.” He is certain his wife will be just as thrilled. However, much to his surprise, “she
scornfully tossed the invitation on the table, murmuring, ‘What good is that to me?’ ” Mathilde is irritated
and impatient because she does not have _________.
a. an evening dress b. a stylish bonnet
c. dancing shoes
d. horses and a coach
10. Selflessly, her husband offers her 400 francs, the amount of money he has saved to buy a new ________.
a. tool chest
b. hunting rifle
c. pool table
d. easel and paint set
11. Mathilde says she needs to “have a jewel or gem” to wear to the reception or she will “look like a
pauper.” Her husband suggests wearing ________, but she replies that will merely draw attention to their
poverty, and “There’s nothing more humiliating than to look poor among a lot of rich women.”
a. a faux fur
b. flowers
c. bracelets
d. bow shaped hair pins
12. Mathilde likes her husband’s next suggestion, to borrow a piece of jewelry from her wealthy friend.
Mme. Forestier is happy to lend her friend something fancy to wear. At first Mathilde cannot decide which
piece to choose, but soon after finds a perfect ________ necklace “in a black satin box.”
a. opal
b. pearl
c. diamond
d. heart
13. At the party Mathilde has a ________ time.
a. boring
b. sad
c. terrible
14. From midnight to 4 am her husband ________.
a. drinks
b. flirts
c. dozes
d. wonderful
d. talks to other guests
15. When it is finally time to go home, Mathilde runs “rapidly down the stairs.” Her husband calls for her to
slow down, but Mathilde dashes quickly into the street because she does not want the wealthy women to see
her _________.
a. shabby wrap
b. worn out shoes
c. old horse cart
d. husband’s overcoat
16. Upon their arrival home, Mathilde discovers she has lost the borrowed necklace. They look everywhere
they can think of, but cannot find it. Her husband retraces their steps, but cannot locate the lost necklace.
They think Mathilde probably lost it in the ________.
a. dining room
b. dance hall
c. carriage
d. street
17. The husband goes to “the police station, to the newspapers to post a reward, to the cab companies,
everywhere the slightest hope drove him.” After a week, Mathilde writes a letter to her friend saying she are
having the necklace _________, and she will return it shortly.
a. appraised
b. repaired
c. restrung
d. professionally cleaned
18. The couple is horrified because they do not know what to do; the replacement necklace costs ___ francs.
a. 1,000
b. 15,000
c. 36,000
d. 120,000
19. Mathilde returns the replacement necklace, and luckily, her friend does not notice the substitution; she
does not even open the box. However, Mme. Forestier greets Mathilde “frostily,” saying ______________.
a. Mathilde should have visited more often
b. she might have needed the necklace sooner
c. the weather is too cold to stay and chat
d. friends should not borrow personal items
20. The husband uses his inheritance money to buy the replacement necklace. He also takes out several
loans that he is not even sure he will be able to repay. Additionally, the husband works evening and night
jobs. Mathilde also helps repay the loans by __________.
a. firing the maid
b. doing housework c. renting a smaller apartment
d. all of these
21. There is a drastic change in Mathilde’s attitude. Working, “she played her part with sudden heroism.”
Her outlook at the beginning of the story is a ___________ to how she acts after she realizes she must help
repay the debts.
a. comparison
b. contrast
c. flashback
d. foreshadow
22. After _______ years the loans are finally repaid.
a. five
b. ten
c. twenty
d. thirty
23. When Mathilde meets her old friend by chance several years later, Mme. Forestier does not recognize her
Mathilde because the years of hard work have not been kind to her. Mathilde tells her old friend the truth
about the necklace with “a proud and simple joy.” Mme. Forestier is astounded that Mathilde replaced the
lost necklace with an identical one because the borrowed necklace was made of _______.
a. lead
b. tin
c. paste
d. glass
24. The surprise ending is an example of _________.
a. irony
b. foreshadowing
c. satire
d. metaphor
25. The original necklace is ________.
a. found years later b. stolen property
d. returned to the jeweler
c. never found
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“The Necklace” Multiple Choice Quiz
1. b
2. a
3. c
4. a
5. c
6. d
7. a
8. b
9. a
10. b
11. b
12. c
13. d
14. c
15. a
16. c
17. b
18. c
19. b
20. d
21. b
22. b
23. c
24. a
25. c
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