Question

Read the excerpt from "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant and answer the question.

The protagonist Mathilde sees the friend from whom she borrowed the necklace.

[1] "Oh! … my poor Mathilde, how you have changed! …"

[2] "Yes, I've had some hard times since I saw you last; and many sorrows … and all on your account."

[3] "On my account! … How was that?"

[4] "You remember the diamond necklace you lent me for the ball at the Ministry?"

[5] "Yes. Well?"

[6] "Well, I lost it."

[7] "How could you? Why, you brought it back."

[8] "I brought you another one just like it. And for the last ten years we have been paying for it. You realize it wasn't easy for us; we had no money …. Well, it's paid for at last, and I'm glad indeed."

[9] Madame Forestier had halted.

[10] "You say you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?"

[11] "Yes. You hadn't noticed it? They were very much alike."

[12] And she smiled in proud and innocent happiness.

[13] Madame Forestier, deeply moved, took her two hands.

[14] "Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs! …"

Select the sentence that creates an element of surprise in the excerpt.

"'Yes, I've had some hard times since I saw you last; and many sorrows … and all on your account.'" (Paragraph 2)
"'You remember the diamond necklace you lent me for the ball at the Ministry?'" (Paragraph 4)
"'Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs! …'" (Paragraph 14)
"'You say you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?'" (Paragraph 10)

Answer 1

I would say C) "'Oh, my poor Mathilde! But mine was imitation. It was worth at the very most five hundred francs! …'" (Paragraph 14) is the best option.

Answer 2

The correct answer is C.

Step-by-step explanation:

This sentece gives the text an element of surprise because it causes a radical twist in the plot that the reader did not foresee.

By revealing that the original necklace was an imitation, the speaker is implying that all of Mathilde's hard work was in vain, surprising both the characters of the story and the readers.