“The Necklace”: Pre-Reading Activity

Directions: Read the text below, then record your response to the prompt in the space provided. Be prepared to share your thoughts.

We group people in society based on social classes. A social class is a group of people with similar wealth, influence, and status. The aristocracy is a social class that rose to prominence in Europe during the 18th century. Aristocrats had more wealth, power and influence than any other social class. Many of them were part of Europe’s nobility, which meant they had titles like Duke and Duchess, or Count and Countess. These titles were either given to people to honor them or passed down to them as part of their family tradition and heritage.

Aristocrats in the past had huge influence on how the royalty and governments ruled over the country, as they usually held a great deal of the nation's wealth. With so much money they tended to live a life of leisure, throwing lavish parties and expensive balls. These exclusive social gatherings were important to the aristocracy. They were often seen an as opportunity for members of the aristocracy to show off their wealth. Beauty was also a mark of social class, and women would compete with one another to see who could wear the most elaborate dress and the most expensive jewelry.

Guy de Maupassant’s short story “The Necklace” is about a beautiful woman who believes she should be a member of the French aristocracy. With this in mind, consider the following statement:

Beautiful people are treated differently.

Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your perspective.
Your response needs to be 5-7 sentences long. Please use BLUE ink when typing your response.

21) this excerpt involves david, who travels with an inventor named perry. they test their experimental invention, a vehicle that burrows into the earth's crust. which statement best reflects the human experience that is represented in this excerpt? a) humans are not always reliable guides. b) humans desire wealth and a life of ease. c) humans are drawn to explore and experiment. d) humans attempt to conquer and control nature. 22) which statement best reflects the human experience that is represented in this excerpt? a) humans desire to control nature. b) humans are frightened by nature. c) humans are fascinated by nature. d) humans cannot understand nature. 23) 8 “what do you mean perry? ” i cried. “do you think that we are dead, and this is heaven? ” suppose the author changed section eight as listed below. 8 “perry, i have to object! ” i cried. “you don't think that we are dead, and this is heaven, do you? ” which correctly identifies the author's meaning for the word object? consider the effect of the stressed or unstressed syllable in the word object. a) you would stress the second syllable because the word is a noun and means a goal or purpose. b) you would stress the second syllable because the word is a verb and means to express or feel disapproval. c) you would stress the first and second syllable because the word is a verb and means to modify an adjective. d) you would stress the first syllable because the word is a noun and means a thing that has a finite, physical form. 24) 2 together we stepped out to stand in silent contemplation of a landscape at once weird and beautiful. before us a low and level shore stretched down to a silent sea. as far as the eye could reach the surface of the water was dotted with countless tiny isles—some of towering, barren, granitic rock—others resplendent in gorgeous trappings of tropical vegetation, myriad starred with the magnificent splendor of vivid blooms. 3 behind us rose a dark and forbidding wood of giant arborescent ferns intermingled with the commoner types of a primeval tropical forest. huge creepers depended in great loops from tree to tree, dense under-brush overgrew a tangled mass of fallen trunks and branches. upon the outer verge we could see the same splendid coloring of countless blossoms that glorified the islands, but within the dense shadows all seemed dark and gloomy as the grave. which most completely analyzes this excerpt for a comment about life? a) beauty is kind and inviting. b) nature is evil and forbidding. c) there is no risk in following beauty. d) what appears beautiful can also be deadly.

This series of works has captured the imaginations of people all over the world. a. incarcerated c. jailed b. seized d. arrested

Attempting to transcend her condition the author tries to focus on nature as she lies limpin the dirt (lines 46-78).what does she realize about the earth and sky as she lies there