The Necklace Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. How does Monsieur Loisel obtain money for Mathilde’s new dress?
He borrows it from his employer and agrees to repay it from his salary.
He gives her 400 francs he had saved to buy a gun for hunting.
He sells a family watch that he had hoped to keep.
He asks Madame Forestier to cover the cost as a personal favor.
2. Which event functions as the principal turning point that shifts the story from social aspiration to prolonged hardship?
The Loisels receive the invitation to the ball.
Mathilde discovers that the necklace is missing.
Madame Forestier allows Mathilde to examine her jewelry.
Monsieur Loisel reveals how much he saved for a gun.
3. Approximately how much do the Loisels pay for the replacement necklace?
Five hundred francs
Eighteen thousand francs
Thirty-six thousand francs
Forty-eight thousand francs
4. When do the Loisels first realize that the borrowed necklace is missing?
When Madame Forestier asks for it the next morning
While Mathilde is dancing at the ball
After they return home from the ball
After a jeweler notices that its case is empty
5. Why does Mathilde initially react unhappily to the invitation to the ministry ball?
She believes she has no suitable dress to wear to such an event.
She fears that her husband will embarrass her in front of his colleagues.
She resents being invited only because another guest has canceled.
She has already promised Madame Forestier that she will be elsewhere.
6. At the beginning of the story, what is Monsieur Loisel’s occupation?
He is a clerk at the Ministry of Public Instruction.
He is a jeweler who evaluates expensive stones.
He is a newspaper editor covering Parisian society.
He is an accountant employed by Madame Forestier’s family.
7. After discovering the loss, what does Monsieur Loisel do first to try to recover the necklace?
He publicly accuses the cab driver of stealing it.
He returns to the ball and questions every remaining guest.
He tells Madame Forestier immediately and asks her to help search.
He retraces their route and makes inquiries about the missing necklace.
8. A reader says the ending is ironic mainly because Mathilde fails to become wealthy. Which explanation better captures the story’s central situational irony?
Mathilde enjoys the ball even though her husband dislikes formal events.
Madame Forestier appears wealthy but chooses to wear jewelry in public.
The Loisels sacrifice ten years to replace an object that was not genuinely valuable.
Monsieur Loisel receives an invitation even though Mathilde wants a different social life.
9. What does Madame Forestier reveal about the original necklace at the end?
It was insured, so the Loisels could have claimed its full value.
It was imitation jewelry worth no more than about 500 francs.
It had already been damaged before Mathilde borrowed it.
It belonged to someone else and had been borrowed by Madame Forestier.
10. How long do the Loisels spend paying off the debts incurred for the replacement?
One year
Three years
Ten years
Five years
11. How does the final revelation change the reader’s understanding of the Loisels’ decade of poverty?
It confirms that their sacrifice restored Monsieur Loisel’s professional reputation.
It shows that Madame Forestier deliberately planned their financial ruin.
It proves that the original necklace was lost before Mathilde ever wore it.
It reveals that their enormous sacrifice resulted from replacing a cheap imitation with a costly necklace.
12. Which interpretation best explains the necklace’s symbolic role in the story?
It embodies coveted social status and the deceptive power of appearances.
It represents Monsieur Loisel’s professional ambitions within the ministry.
It represents the security that comes from careful financial planning.
It embodies the lasting strength of Mathilde and Madame Forestier’s friendship.
13. From whom does Mathilde borrow the necklace she wears to the ball?
Her wealthy cousin, Madame Georges
Her friend Madame Forestier
A jeweler who allows her to borrow a display piece
The wife of Monsieur Loisel’s supervisor
14. Which theme is most strongly supported by Mathilde’s dissatisfaction, her triumph at the ball, and the consequences of replacing the necklace?
Professional advancement usually depends on social connections.
Loyal friendship can overcome major differences in wealth.
Financial hardship always leads people to greater contentment.
The pursuit of appearances and status can carry destructive consequences.
15. What does the story’s opening description of Mathilde most clearly establish?
She feels entitled to luxury despite living in modest circumstances.
She has recently lost a fortune and wants to recover it.
She is satisfied with her household but bored by Parisian society.
She is determined to earn wealth through professional success.
16. Mathilde focuses on how others will perceive her at the ball, while Monsieur Loisel gives up his savings and later searches for the necklace. What contrast does this create?
Her honesty is set against his plan to deceive Madame Forestier.
Her generosity is set against his refusal to help anyone financially.
Her social confidence is set against his fear of attending public events.
Her concern with status is set against his practical willingness to sacrifice.