🡆 Before you begin the quiz, read the summary of The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant.
The Necklace MCQs
1. Mathilde Loisel was born into what kind of family?
A) Wealthy merchants
B) Landed aristocracy
C) Artisans
D) Academics
2. Whom did Mathilde Loisel marry?
A) A lawyer
B) A prominent politician
C) A clerk in the Ministry of Education
D) A wealthy landowner
3. What made Mathilde suffer endlessly?
A) Chronic illness
B) Feeling born for every delicacy and luxury
C) Her demanding work
D) Her husband’s cruelty
4. What sight aroused “heart-broken regrets” in Mathilde?
A) Parisian high society
B) The ugly curtains
C) The little Breton girl who did the work
D) Her empty jewelry box
5. When Loisel served dinner, what kind of soup did he exclaim over delightedly?
A) Onion soup
B) Scotch broth
C) Pea soup
D) Clear consommé
6. Mathilde was unhappy because she felt she was made for what?
A) Politics
B) Clothes and jewels
C) Motherhood
D) Simple living
7. Why did Mathilde refuse to visit her rich friend?
A) The friend was often rude
B) Her husband forbade it
C) She suffered keenly upon returning home
D) She was too busy
8. What did Mathilde’s husband bring home one evening in a large envelope?
A) A money order
B) A bill for the dress
C) An invitation to a party
D) A job transfer notice
9. Who was hosting the party?
A) Madame Forestier
B) The Minister of Education and Madame Ramponneau
C) Her school friends
D) Loisel’s father
10. When Mathilde saw the invitation, how did she react?
A) She was delighted
B) She threw it away petulantly
C) She immediately accepted
D) She thanked her husband warmly
11. Why did Loisel insist the invitation was a great occasion?
A) It was expensive to attend
B) It was very select and few clerks were invited
C) It was mandatory for all Ministry staff
D) It would get him a raise
12. What dress did Loisel initially suggest Mathilde wear?
A) Her wedding dress
B) The one she wore to the theatre
C) A new tailored gown
D) A modest black frock
13. Why did Mathilde say she could not attend the party?
A) She had no jewels
B) She had no dress
C) She was too ill
D) She disliked dancing
14. How much money did Mathilde decide to ask for to buy a simple dress?
A) One hundred francs
B) Four hundred francs
C) Two thousand francs
D) Five hundred francs
15. What had Loisel been saving the four hundred francs for?
A) A summer vacation
B) A new piece of furniture
C) A gun for lark-shooting
D) A gift for Mathilde
16. Even after the dress was ready, Mathilde was miserable because she lacked what?
A) Gloves
B) Jewels
C) A suitable carriage
D) Dancing lessons
17. What did Loisel suggest as a cheap alternative to jewels?
A) Borrowing gold coins
B) Wearing flowers
C) A simple ribbon
D) Costume jewelry
18. Whom did Loisel suggest Mathilde ask to lend her jewels?
A) Madame Ramponneau
B) Madame Forestier
C) Her mother
D) The dressmaker
19. Where did Madame Forestier keep her jewelry?
A) In a safe at the bank
B) In a large box on her dressing-table
C) In a glass display case
D) Under her bed
20. What item did Mathilde eventually discover in a black satin case?
A) A pearl necklace
B) A ruby brooch
C) A superb diamond necklace
D) A silver cross
21. When did Mathilde leave Madame Forestier’s house?
A) With great hesitation
B) Immediately after borrowing the necklace
C) Only after promising to return it soon
D) After embracing her friend frenziedly
22. How did Madame Loisel perform at the party?
A) She was ignored
B) She was considered the prettiest woman present
C) She danced awkwardly
D) She felt shy and withdrawn
23. Who was eager to waltz with Mathilde?
A) Her former classmates
B) All the Under-Secretaries of State
C) The clerks only
D) Only her husband
24. How late did Mathilde dance?
A) Until midnight
B) Until four o’clock in the morning
C) Until dawn
D) Until 10 pm
25. What were the clothes Loisel threw over Mathilde’s shoulders upon leaving?
A) Rich furs
B) Modest everyday clothes
C) A heavy wool blanket
D) A borrowed cape
26. Why did Mathilde want to hurry away from the Ministry?
A) She was cold
B) She feared her poor garments would be noticed
C) Loisel was ill
D) She had an appointment
27. What prevented them from finding a cab immediately?
A) Loisel restrained her
B) They were in a deserted part of town
C) They descended the staircase rapidly and were outside
D) It was snowing
28. What kind of cab did they eventually find on the quay?
A) A brand new model
B) An old nightprowling carriage
C) A friend’s car
D) A government vehicle
29. Where was the Loisels’ apartment located?
A) On the Champs-Elysées
B) In the Rue des Martyrs
C) Near the Ministry
D) Near the Seine
30. At what point did Mathilde discover the necklace was gone?
A) While dancing
B) In the cab
C) While removing her outer garments before the mirror
D) While saying goodbye to her friend
31. Where did Mathilde confirm she last touched the necklace?
A) In the street
B) In the cab
C) In the hall at the Ministry
D) Inside her apartment
32. Why did Loisel believe the necklace was not lost in the street?
A) It was too dark
B) They should have heard it fall
C) It was tightly fastened
D) He saw her take it off
33. Did the Loisels manage to take the number of the cab?
A) Yes, Loisel did
B) Yes, Mathilde did
C) No, neither did
D) The cab had no number
34. Loisel returned from searching the ground they walked at what time?
A) About seven in the morning
B) Noon
C) Midnight
D) Nine o’clock
35. Where did Loisel place announcements, offering a reward?
A) Posters and leaflets
B) Police station and newspapers
C) Local shops
D) The church bulletin
36. What excuse did Loisel suggest Mathilde give Madame Forestier?
A) That she had lost it while traveling
B) That the clasp was broken and being mended
C) That she needed it for another few weeks
D) That it was stolen by a pickpocket
37. How long did the Loisels wait before declaring they must replace the diamonds?
A) Two days
B) By the end of a week
C) One month
D) Six months
38. What was the name found inside the original necklace box?
A) The manufacturer’s name
B) The jeweller’s name
C) Madame Forestier’s name
D) Mathilde’s name
39. Where did they find the replacement necklace?
A) In a pawn shop
B) In a shop at the Palais-Royal
C) In a Ministry auction
D) At a small jewelry stall
40. What was the market worth of the replacement string of diamonds?
A) Thirty-four thousand francs
B) Forty thousand francs
C) Eighteen thousand francs
D) Five hundred francs
41. How much did they negotiate to buy the replacement necklace for?
A) Thirty-six thousand francs
B) Forty thousand francs
C) Twenty thousand francs
D) Five hundred francs
42. How much money did Loisel already possess, inherited from his father?
A) Four hundred francs
B) Five louis
C) Eighteen thousand francs
D) Thirty-six thousand francs
43. From whom did Loisel borrow the rest of the money?
A) The government
B) Usurers and the whole tríbe of money-lenders
C) His brother
D) The bank only
44. What did Loisel mortgage to obtain the funds?
A) His furniture
B) The whole remaining years of his existence
C) His house
D) His wife’s jewelry
45. What was Madame Forestier’s reaction when Mathilde finally returned the necklace?
A) She opened the case immediately
B) She said Mathilde should have brought it sooner
C) She was overjoyed
D) She apologized for lending it
46. What was the first measure taken by the Loisels to cope with the debt?
A) Selling their belongings
B) Dismissing the servant
C) Taking second jobs
D) Selling the dress
47. Where did the Loisels move to reduce costs?
A) A distant village
B) A garret under the roof
C) A rented house
D) A basement flat
48. How long did the life of poverty and debt repayment last?
A) Five years
B) Ten years
C) Three years
D) Fifteen years
49. What activity was Mathilde doing when she saw Madame Forestier on the Champs-Elysées?
A) Scrubbing the floor
B) Going to the butcher
C) Taking a walk to freshen herself
D) Working as a servant
50. When Mathilde confessed the truth, what did Madame Forestier reveal about the original necklace?
A) It was a fake worth at most five hundred francs
B) It was worth exactly thirty-six thousand francs
C) It belonged to her mother
D) It was stolen from her