Question

Which of the following statements is correct?

• A. Matilda borrowed a necklace of real diamonds and returned a necklace of real diamonds.
• B. Matilda borrowed a necklace of real diamonds but returned a necklace of artificial diamonds.
• C. Matilda borrowed a necklace of artificial diamonds but returned a necklace of real diamonds.
• D. Matilda borrowed a necklace of artificial diamonds and returned a necklace of artificial diamonds.

Hint:

Stories with ironic twists, like "The Necklace," are common in exams. Make sure you understand the twist clearly, as it is often the main point being tested.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Question
The question asks for the correct statement summarizing the central event of the story "The Necklace."
Step 2: Recalling the Plot and Twist
The story is about Matilda Loisel, who borrows a necklace from her friend, Madame Forestier, to wear to a party. She loses the necklace and spends the next ten years in poverty to repay the debt for a replacement. The story's climax is the twist ending.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation
Let's trace the events concerning the necklace:
1. Borrowing: Matilda borrows a diamond necklace from Madame Forestier, believing it to be genuine and very valuable.
2. Losing and Replacing: She loses the necklace. To replace it, she and her husband buy a genuine diamond necklace that looks identical, costing them 36,000 francs and putting them into immense debt.
3. Returning: She returns this new, expensive, real diamond necklace to Madame Forestier.
4. The Twist: At the end of the story, ten years later, Matilda learns that the original necklace she borrowed was a fake (artificial), worth at most 500 francs.
So, the correct sequence is: she borrowed an artificial necklace but returned a real one.
Let's check the options:
(A) Incorrect. The borrowed one was artificial.
(B) Incorrect. The borrowed one was artificial and the returned one was real.
(C) Correct. This accurately describes the ironic situation.
(D) Incorrect. The returned one was real.
Step 4: Final Answer
The statement that correctly summarizes the events is that Matilda borrowed an artificial diamond necklace and returned a real diamond necklace. Therefore, option (C) is correct.