Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 19th-century prose fiction
- The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant
An extract from a work first published in 1884.
This extract is taken from The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant. After losing a borrowed necklace, Mathilde Loisel and her husband replace it at huge cost, endure years of hardship to repay their debts, and she eventually encounters the friend who lent it.
Source A
1 They found, in a shop at the Palais Royal, a string of diamonds that seemed to them exactly like the one they had lost. It was worth forty thousand francs. They could have it for thirty-six. So they begged the jeweler not to sell it for three days yet. And they made a
6 bargain that he should buy it back for thirty-four thousand francs, in case they should find the lost necklace before the end of February. Loisel possessed eighteen thousand francs which his father had left him. He would borrow the rest.
11 He did borrow, asking a thousand francs of one, five hundred of another, five louis here, three louis there. He gave notes, took up ruinous obligations, dealt with usurers and all the race of lenders. He compromised all the rest of his life, risked signing a note without even knowing whether he could meet it;
16 and, frightened by the trouble yet to come, by the black misery that was about to fall upon him, by the prospect of all the physical privations and moral tortures that he was to suffer, he went to get the new necklace, laying upon the jeweler's counter thirty-six thousand francs.
21 When Madame Loisel took back the necklace Madame Forestier said to her with a chilly manner: “You should have returned it sooner; I might have needed it.”
26 She did not open the case, as her friend had so much feared. If she had detected the substitution, what would she have thought, what would she have said? Would she not have taken Madame Loisel for a thief? Thereafter Madame Loisel knew the horrible existence of the needy. She bore
31 her part, however, with sudden heroism. That dreadful debt must be paid. She would pay it. They dismissed their servant; they changed their lodgings; they rented a garret under the roof. She came to know what heavy housework meant and the odious cares of the
36 kitchen. She washed the dishes, using her dainty fingers and rosy nails on greasy pots and pans. She washed the soiled linen, the shirts and the dishcloths, which she dried upon a line; she carried the slops down to the street every morning and carried up the water, stopping for breath at every landing. And dressed like a woman of the people, she went to the fruiterer,
41 the grocer, the butcher, a basket on her arm, bargaining, meeting with impertinence, defending her miserable money, sou by sou. Every month they had to meet some notes, renew others, obtain more time.
46 Her husband worked evenings, making up a tradesman's accounts, and late at night he often copied manuscript for five sous a page. This life lasted ten years.
51 At the end of ten years they had paid everything, everything, with the rates of usury and the accumulations of the compound interest. Madame Loisel looked old now. She had become the woman of impoverished households--strong and hard and rough. With frowsy hair, skirts askew and red
56 hands, she talked loud while washing the floor with great swishes of water. But sometimes, when her husband was at the office, she sat down near the window and she thought of that gay evening of long ago, of that ball where she had been so beautiful and so admired.
61 What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? who knows? How strange and changeful is life! How small a thing is needed to make or ruin us! But one Sunday, having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysees to refresh
66 herself after the labors of the week, she suddenly perceived a woman who was leading a child. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming. Madame Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now
71 that she had paid, she would tell her all about it. Why not? She went up. “Good-day, Jeanne.”
76 The other, astonished to be familiarly addressed by this plain good-wife, did not recognize her at all and stammered: “But--madame!--I do not know--You must have mistaken.”
81 “No. I am Mathilde Loisel.” Her friend uttered a cry.
86 “Oh, my poor Mathilde! How you are changed!” “Yes, I have had a pretty hard life, since I last saw you, and great poverty-- and that because of you!”
91 “Of me! How so?” “Do you remember that diamond necklace you lent me to wear at the ministerial ball?”
96 “Yes. Well?” “Well, I lost it.” “What do you mean? You brought it back.”
101 “I brought you back another exactly like it. And it has taken us ten years to pay for it. You can understand that it was not easy for us, for us who had nothing. At last it is ended, and I am very glad.”
106 Madame Forestier had stopped. “You say that you bought a necklace of diamonds to replace mine?” “Yes. You never noticed it, then! They were very similar.”
111 And she smiled with a joy that was at once proud and ingenuous. Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her hands.
116 “Oh, my poor Mathilde! Why, my necklace was paste! It was worth at most only five hundred francs!”
Questions
Instructions
- Answer all questions.
- Use black ink or black ball point pen.
- Fill in the boxes on this page.
- You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
- Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages.
- Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
- You must refer to the insert booklet provided.
- You must not use a dictionary.
Information
- The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
- Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
- The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
- There are 40 marks for Section A and 40 marks for Section B.
- You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your reading in Section A.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your writing in Section B.
Advice
- You are advised to spend about 15 minutes reading through the source and all five questions you have to answer.
- You should make sure you leave sufficient time to check your answers.
Section A: Reading
Answer all questions in this section. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Question 1
Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 5.
Answer all parts of this question.
Choose one answer for each question.
1.1 What was found in the shop?
- a string of diamonds
- the lost necklace before the end of February
- a bargain to buy it back
[1 mark]
1.2 What price were Loisel and Mathilde offered for the replacement necklace?
- Thirty-six thousand francs
- Forty thousand francs
- Thirty-four thousand francs
[1 mark]
1.3 How long did Mathilde and Loisel ask the jeweller to reserve the necklace?
- For three days
- For a week
- For a fortnight
[1 mark]
1.4 According to the narrator, what was the string of diamonds worth?
- forty thousand francs
- thirty-eight thousand francs
- forty-two thousand francs
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 11 to 25 of the source:
11 He did borrow, asking a thousand francs of one, five hundred of another, five louis here, three louis there. He gave notes, took up ruinous obligations, dealt with usurers and all the race of lenders. He compromised all the rest of his life, risked signing a note without even knowing whether he could meet it;
16 and, frightened by the trouble yet to come, by the black misery that was about to fall upon him, by the prospect of all the physical privations and moral tortures that he was to suffer, he went to get the new necklace, laying upon the jeweler's counter thirty-six thousand francs.
21 When Madame Loisel took back the necklace Madame Forestier said to her with a chilly manner: “You should have returned it sooner; I might have needed it.”
How does the writer use language here to show Loisel’s efforts and fears as he tries to replace the necklace? You could include the writer’s choice of:
- words and phrases
- language features and techniques
- sentence forms.
[8 marks]
Question 3
You now need to think about the structure of the source as a whole. This text is from the end of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of surprise?
You could write about:
- how surprise emerges by the end of the source
- how the writer uses structure to create an effect
- the writer's use of any other structural features, such as changes in mood, tone or perspective.
[8 marks]
Question 4
For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, the story ends with the shocking reveal that the necklace was fake. The writer suggests that Mathilde's life was ruined simply because she wasn't honest in the first place.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of the hardship Mathilde Loisel suffers
- comment on the methods the writer uses to present the final shocking revelation
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
Next week, a close friend will bury a time capsule and has asked you to add a short creative piece.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Write a description of a storm-lashed lighthouse interior from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about a secret coming to light.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]