Why does Mme Loisel hastily depart from the ball when her husband places a modest wrap on her shoulders?
(The Necklace)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:13 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Mme Loisel hastily departs from the ball because her husband places a modest wrap around her shoulders, whose poverty and shabbiness clashed sharply with the elegance of her ball costume. She feared being noticed by the other wealthy women, who were wrapping themselves in rich furs. Her deep sense of pride and obsession with social appearance made her unwilling to be seen in such a humble covering, which would instantly reveal her lower social status and destroy the glamorous impression she had created that evening.
Source: The Necklace, Chapter 7
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Explanation
- The examiner expects you to quote/paraphrase the key phrase "poverty clashed with the elegance of the ball costume" — this is directly from the text and earns a mark.
- Link her action to her character trait (vanity, pride, obsession with status) for the third mark.
- Avoid retelling the whole story; focus only on this specific moment and why she rushes away.