Here is a comprehensive study guide for the SEBA Class 10 English Supplementary Reader chapter, “The Necklace,” by Guy de Maupassant. This guide includes a summary, complete textual question answers, previous years’ HSLC questions, and a list of most important questions in both English and Assamese.
Chapter: “The Necklace”
by Guy de Maupassant
Summary Note (পাঠটোৰ সাৰাংশ)
In English: “The Necklace” tells the tragic story of Matilda Loisel, a pretty and charming young woman born into a family of clerks. She is unhappy with her simple life and constantly dreams of wealth, luxury, and admiration. Her husband, a caring but ordinary clerk, tries his best to make her happy.
One day, he brings home an invitation to a grand party at the Minister’s residence. Instead of being happy, Matilda is upset because she has no beautiful dress or jewelry to wear. Her husband sacrifices his savings to buy her a new dress, but she is still not content. She then borrows a superb diamond necklace from her rich friend, Mme. Forestier. At the party, Matilda is a great success, looking beautiful and elegant, and she enjoys the attention.
However, on returning home, she discovers with horror that she has lost the necklace. To hide the loss, she and her husband decide to replace it. They buy a similar diamond necklace for 36,000 francs, plunging themselves into massive debt. For the next ten years, they live a life of extreme poverty and hard labor to repay the money. They dismiss their servant, move to a small attic, and Matilda does all the household chores herself, losing her youth and beauty. After a decade of struggle, they finally clear their debts. One day, Matilda meets Mme. Forestier and, with pride, confesses the whole story. In a shocking twist, Mme. Forestier reveals that the original necklace was a fake, made of paste, and was worth not more than 500 francs.
In Assamese: “The Necklace” হৈছে মাটিল্ডা লয়জেল নামৰ এগৰাকী কেৰাণীৰ পৰিয়ালত জন্মগ্ৰহণ কৰা ধুনীয়া আৰু আকৰ্ষণীয় যুৱতীৰ এক কৰুণ কাহিনী। তাই তাইৰ সৰল জীৱনত অসুখী আৰু অহৰহ ধন-সম্পত্তি, বিলাসিতা আৰু প্ৰশংসাৰ সপোন দেখে। তাইৰ স্বামী, এজন মৰমিয়াল কিন্তু সাধাৰণ কেৰাণী, তাইক সুখী কৰিবলৈ যথাসাধ্য চেষ্টা কৰে।
এদিন, তেওঁ মন্ত্ৰীৰ বাসগৃহত অনুষ্ঠিত হ’বলগীয়া এখন ডাঙৰ পাৰ্টিৰ নিমন্ত্ৰণী পত্ৰ লৈ আহে। সুখী হোৱাৰ পৰিৱৰ্তে, মাটিল্ডা দুখী হয় কাৰণ তাইৰ পিন্ধিবলৈ কোনো ধুনীয়া পোছাক বা গহনা নাই। তাইৰ স্বামীয়ে নিজৰ সঞ্চয় ত্যাগ কৰি তাইক এটা নতুন পোছাক কিনি দিয়ে, কিন্তু তাই তেতিয়াও সন্তুষ্ট নহয়। তাৰ পিছত তাই তাইৰ ধনী বান্ধবী, মেডাম ফৰেষ্টিয়াৰৰ পৰা এডাল সুন্দৰ হীৰাৰ হাৰ ধাৰলৈ লয়। পাৰ্টিত, মাটিল্ডাই যথেষ্ট সফলতা লাভ কৰে, ধুনীয়া আৰু আকৰ্ষণীয় দেখায়, আৰু তাই সকলোৰে মনোযোগ উপভোগ কৰে।
কিন্তু, ঘৰলৈ উভতি আহি, তাই ভয়ত আৱিষ্কাৰ কৰে যে তাই হাৰডাল হেৰুৱাইছে। এই লোকচান লুকুৱাবলৈ, তাই আৰু তাইৰ স্বামীয়ে হাৰডাল সলনি কৰাৰ সিদ্ধান্ত লয়। তেওঁলোকে ৩৬,০০০ ফ্ৰাংকত একেধৰণৰ হীৰাৰ হাৰ এডাল কিনে, আৰু নিজকে এক বৃহৎ ঋণৰ মাজত পেলাই দিয়ে। পৰৱৰ্তী দহ বছৰ ধৰি, তেওঁলোকে টকাখিনি পৰিশোধ কৰিবলৈ চৰম দৰিদ্ৰতা আৰু কঠিন পৰিশ্ৰমৰ জীৱন যাপন কৰে। তেওঁলোকে তেওঁলোকৰ চাকৰণীক বিদায় দিয়ে, এটা সৰু চিলিং কোঠালৈ গুচি যায়, আৰু মাটিল্ডাই নিজে সকলো ঘৰুৱা কাম কৰে, আৰু নিজৰ যৌৱন আৰু সৌন্দৰ্য হেৰুৱায়। এক দশকৰ সংগ্ৰামৰ পিছত, তেওঁলোকে অৱশেষত নিজৰ ঋণ পৰিশোধ কৰে। এদিন, মাটিল্ডাই মেডাম ফৰেষ্টিয়াৰক লগ পায় আৰু গৌৰৱেৰে সমগ্ৰ কাহিনীটো স্বীকাৰ কৰে। এক আচৰিত মোৰত, মেডাম ফৰেষ্টিয়াৰে প্ৰকাশ কৰে যে মূল হাৰডাল নকল আছিল, পেষ্টেৰে তৈয়াৰী, আৰু ইয়াৰ মূল্য ৫০০ ফ্ৰাংকতকৈ বেছি নাছিল।
Textual Question Answers (পাঠ্যপুথিৰ প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
Read and Find Out (পঢ়া আৰু বিচাৰি উলিওৱা)
1. What kind of a person is Mme Loisel — why is she always unhappy?
(মেডাম লয়জেল কেনেকুৱা ধৰণৰ ব্যক্তি — তাই কিয় সদায় অসুখী?)
Answer: Mme Loisel is a person who is dissatisfied with her life. She believes she was born for all delicacies and luxuries. She is always unhappy because she lives a simple life and constantly craves wealth, expensive things, and the admiration of others, which she does not have.
2. What kind of a person is her husband?
(তাইৰ স্বামী কেনেকুৱা ধৰণৰ ব্যক্তি?)
Answer: Her husband is a simple, caring, and loving person. He is content with his life and tries his best to make his wife happy, even sacrificing his own savings of 400 francs to buy her a dress.
3. What fresh problem now disturbs Mme Loisel?
(এতিয়া কি নতুন সমস্যাই মেডাম লয়জেলক অশান্তি দিয়ে?)
Answer: After getting a new dress, the fresh problem that disturbs Mme Loisel is that she has no jewel to wear with it. She feels she will have a “poverty-stricken look” without any jewelry.
4. How is the problem solved?
(সমস্যাটো কেনেকৈ সমাধান কৰা হয়?)
Answer: The problem is solved when her husband suggests that she borrow some jewels from her rich friend, Mme Forestier. Matilda likes the idea and borrows a beautiful diamond necklace from her.
5. What do M. and Mme Loisel do next?
(মিষ্টাৰ আৰু মেডাম লয়জেলে তাৰ পিছত কি কৰে?)
Answer: After discovering that the necklace is lost, they search for it everywhere but cannot find it. They then decide to replace the necklace. They buy a similar-looking diamond necklace for 36,000 francs, using all of M. Loisel’s inheritance and borrowing the rest at high interest rates.
6. How do they replace the necklace?
(তেওঁলোকে হাৰডাল কেনেকৈ সলনি কৰে?)
Answer: They replace the necklace by buying a new one that looked exactly like the lost one. It cost them 36,000 francs. M. Loisel used his inheritance of 18,000 francs and borrowed the remaining 18,000 francs from usurers and money-lenders, making ruinous promises.
Think about it (ভাবি চোৱা)
1. The course of the Loisels’ life changed due to the necklace. Comment.
(হাৰডালৰ বাবে লয়জেল পৰিয়ালৰ জীৱনৰ গতিপথ সলনি হৈছিল। মন্তব্য কৰা।)
Answer: The statement is completely true. To replace the lost necklace, the Loisels had to borrow a huge amount of money. To repay this debt, they had to live a life of extreme poverty for ten years. They moved to a small attic, dismissed their maid, and Matilda had to do all the hard household work. This struggle destroyed her youth and beauty, completely changing the course of their lives.
2. What was the cause of Matilda’s ruin? How could she have avoided it?
(মাটিল্ডাৰ ধ্বংসৰ কাৰণ কি আছিল? তাই কেনেকৈ ইয়াৰ পৰা বাচিব পাৰিলেহেঁতেন?)
Answer: The cause of Matilda’s ruin was her dissatisfaction with her life, her pride, and her dishonesty. Her constant desire for a luxurious life led her to borrow the necklace. She could have avoided her ruin if she had been content with her simple life or, after losing the necklace, if she had been honest and confessed the truth to her friend, Mme Forestier.
3. What would have happened to Matilda if she had confessed to her friend that she had lost her necklace?
(যদি মাটিল্ডাই তাইৰ বান্ধৱীক হাৰডাল হেৰুওৱাৰ কথা স্বীকাৰ কৰিলেহেঁতেন, তেন্তে কি হ’লহেঁতেন?)
Answer: If Matilda had confessed to her friend, she would have learned that the necklace was a fake and worth very little. Mme Forestier would have likely forgiven her or asked for a small amount of money to replace it. Matilda would have been saved from the ten years of poverty and hard labor that ruined her life.
4. If you were caught in a situation like this, how would you have dealt with it?
(যদি তুমি এনেকুৱা পৰিস্থিতিত পৰা, তেন্তে তুমি কেনেকৈ ইয়াৰ সৈতে মোকাবিলা কৰিলাহেঁতেন?)
Answer: If I were caught in such a situation, I would have chosen the path of honesty. I would have gone to my friend, confessed the truth about losing the necklace, and apologized sincerely. I would have offered to pay for the loss, whatever the cost. Honesty might have been difficult at that moment, but it would have saved me from a lifetime of misery.
Talk about it (কথা পতা)
1. The characters in this story speak in English… What clues are there in the story about the language its characters must be speaking in?
(কাহিনীটোৰ চৰিত্ৰবোৰে ইংৰাজীত কথা কয়… কাহিনীটোত কি কি ইংগিত আছে যাৰ পৰা চৰিত্ৰবোৰে কোৱা ভাষাৰ বিষয়ে জানিব পাৰি?)
Answer: The characters in the story must be speaking in French. The clues are the French names like “Matilda Loisel” and “Mme. Forestier,” the use of French currency “francs,” and the setting of the story in Paris, with references to places like the Champs-Elysees.
2. Honesty is the best policy.
(সততাই সৰ্বোত্তম নীতি।)
Answer: This story is a perfect example of why honesty is the best policy. If Matilda had been honest with her friend about losing the necklace, she would have saved herself and her husband from ten years of unnecessary suffering. Her dishonesty and pride led to her ruin.
3. We should be content with what life gives us.
(জীৱনে আমাক যি দিয়ে, তাতেই আমি সন্তুষ্ট থাকিব লাগে।)
Answer: The story strongly teaches this lesson. Matilda’s unhappiness and ruin were caused by her constant dissatisfaction and her desire for things she could not afford. If she had been content with her simple but comfortable life, she would have lived happily.
Previous Year HSLC Question Answers (বিগত বৰ্ষৰ HSLC প্ৰশ্নোত্তৰ)
1. Who was Mme. Forestier? (HSLC 2023)
(মেডাম ফৰেষ্টিয়াৰ কোন আছিল?)
Answer: Mme. Forestier was a rich friend of Matilda Loisel from her convent school days.
2. What did Matilda’s husband do to buy a new dress for his wife? (HSLC 2023)
(মাটিল্ডাৰ স্বামীয়ে তেওঁৰ পত্নীৰ বাবে নতুন পোছাক কিনিবলৈ কি কৰিছিল?)
Answer: To buy a new dress for his wife, Matilda’s husband sacrificed his own savings of four hundred francs, which he had been saving to buy a gun for himself.
3. What did Matilda do when she found herself in a miserable condition after losing the necklace? (HSLC 2022)
(হাৰডাল হেৰুওৱাৰ পিছত নিজকে এক দুখলগা অৱস্থাত পাই মাটিল্ডাই কি কৰিছিল?)
Answer: After losing the necklace, Matilda and her husband lived a life of extreme poverty for ten years to repay the debt. She dismissed her servant, moved to a small attic, and did all the hard household chores like washing dishes, carrying water, and haggling with shopkeepers.
4. Why did Matilda not want to go to the ball? (HSLC 2022)
(মাটিল্ডা কিয় বল-নাচলৈ যাব বিচৰা নাছিল?)
Answer: Matilda did not want to go to the ball because she did not have a suitable dress or any jewelry to wear for such a grand occasion.
5. Why did Matilda Loisel leave the ball in a hurry? (HSLC 2020)
(মাটিল্ডা লয়জেলে কিয় খৰখেদাকৈ বল-নাচ এৰিছিল?)
Answer: Matilda left the ball in a hurry because she wanted to avoid being seen by the other rich women who were wrapping themselves in expensive fur wraps. She was ashamed of the modest, simple wrap her husband threw around her shoulders.
6. What was the actual cost of Mme. Forestier’s necklace? (HSLC 2019)
(মেডাম ফৰেষ্টিয়াৰৰ হাৰডালৰ প্ৰকৃত মূল্য কিমান আছিল?)
Answer: The actual cost of Mme. Forestier’s necklace was not more than five hundred francs, as it was a fake made of paste.
7. How did the Loisels repay the money that they had borrowed? (HSLC 2018)
(লয়জেল পৰিয়ালে ধাৰ লোৱা টকাখিনি কেনেকৈ পৰিশোধ কৰিছিল?)
Answer: The Loisels repaid the money by living a life of extreme hardship for ten years. They moved to a smaller apartment, M. Loisel worked extra hours in the evenings, and Matilda did all the heavy household work herself.
8. Why did Matilda’s husband hand her an envelope? What was there in it? (HSLC 2017)
(মাটিল্ডাৰ স্বামীয়ে তাইক এটা খাম কিয় দিছিল? তাত কি আছিল?)
Answer: Matilda’s husband handed her an envelope because he wanted to give her a happy surprise. Inside it was a printed card with an invitation to a grand party at the residence of the Minister of Public Instruction.
Most Important 10 Questions and Answers
1. What was Matilda’s biggest dream?
(মাটিল্ডাৰ আটাইতকৈ ডাঙৰ সপোন কি আছিল?)
Answer: Matilda’s biggest dream was to live a life of luxury, filled with elegant dinners, shining silver, expensive dresses, jewels, and the admiration of rich and important people.
2. How did M. Loisel try to make his wife happy?
(মিষ্টাৰ লয়জেলে তেওঁৰ পত্নীক সুখী কৰিবলৈ কেনেকৈ চেষ্টা কৰিছিল?)
Answer: He tried to make her happy by getting an invitation to a grand party and by sacrificing his own savings of 400 francs so she could buy a new dress.
3. Describe Matilda’s experience at the ball.
(বল-নাচত মাটিল্ডাৰ অভিজ্ঞতা বৰ্ণনা কৰা।)
Answer: At the ball, Matilda was a great success. She was the prettiest of all—elegant, gracious, and smiling. All the men noticed her and wanted to dance with her. She was intoxicated with pleasure and the admiration she received.
4. What was the “horrible life of necessity”?
(“প্ৰয়োজনীয়তাৰ ভয়ংকৰ জীৱন” কি আছিল?)
Answer: The “horrible life of necessity” was the ten years of extreme poverty and hard labor the Loisels had to endure to repay their debt. It involved living in a small attic and doing all the exhausting household work themselves.
5. How did Matilda change after ten years?
(দহ বছৰৰ পিছত মাটিল্ডা কেনেকৈ সলনি হ’ল?)
Answer: After ten years of hardship, Matilda became a strong, hard woman of a poor household. She lost her charm and beauty, her hair was badly dressed, her hands were red, and she spoke in a loud tone.
6. What is the climax or the twist in the story?
(কাহিনীটোৰ ক্লাইমেক্স বা মোৰটো কি?)
Answer: The climax is the shocking revelation at the end of the story when Mme. Forestier tells Matilda that the diamond necklace she had lent her was a fake, worth only 500 francs.
7. What is the central theme of “The Necklace”?
(“The Necklace” ৰ কেন্দ্ৰীয় বিষয়বস্তু কি?)
Answer: The central theme is that pride, vanity, and the desire to appear wealthy can lead to ruin. It also highlights the importance of honesty and being content with one’s life.
8. Why did Matilda not want to visit her rich friend?
(মাটিল্ডা কিয় তাইৰ ধনী বান্ধৱীক লগ কৰিবলৈ যাব বিচৰা নাছিল?)
Answer: She did not want to visit her rich friend because she suffered so much when she returned. Seeing her friend’s wealth and luxury made her feel more dissatisfied and miserable about her own simple life.
9. What does the lost necklace symbolize?
(হেৰুওৱা হাৰডালে কিহৰ প্ৰতীক?)
Answer: The lost necklace symbolizes Matilda’s own greed and false values. Just as the necklace appeared to be a valuable diamond but was actually a cheap fake, Matilda’s desire was to appear rich and important, which was a false and shallow ambition.
10. What lesson does the story “The Necklace” teach us?
(“The Necklace” কাহিনীটোৱে আমাক কি শিক্ষা দিয়ে?)
Answer: The story teaches us that we should be content with what we have and not run after false shows of wealth. It also teaches us that honesty is the best policy, as one small lie or act of dishonesty can ruin our entire life.