He was in despair. He resumed: "Come, let us see, Mathilde. How much would it cost, a suitable gown, which you could use on other occasions--something very simple?"
7. Why the wife thinks she cannot go to the reception

8. The wife’s name
She reflected several seconds, making her calculations and wondering also what sum she could ask without drawing on herself an immediate refusal and a frightened exclamation from the economical clerk.
Finally she replied hesitating:
"I don't know exactly, but I think I could manage it with four hundred francs."
He grew a little pale, because he was laying aside just that amount to buy a gun and treat himself to a little shooting next summer on the plain of Nanterre, with several friends who went to shoot larks there on a Sunday.
9. Amount of money she thinks she will need for a new dress

7. Why the wife thinks she cannot go to the reception. Because she does not have a suitable dress to wear to the Minister of Education's party.

8. The wife’s name is Mathilde Loisel.

9. Amount of money she thinks she will need for a new dress is "four hundred francs."

Explanation:

The given excerpt is from the short story "The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant. It revolves around a woman who lost her borrowed necklace just to look "presentable enough" to others, to try to 'copy others'. This led her and her husband to give up their life savings to pay back for the lost necklace.

The wife's name is Mathilde Loisel and she wasn't happy to get the invitation to the party as she felt she doesn't have a dress good enough to wear. So, to make his wife happy, Mr. Loisel asked her how much it will cost her to buy a new dress, to which she replied "four hundred francs".

b

explanation: