Chapter 4 Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory
Class 8 – English – Honeydew
| Class | Class 8 |
| Subject | English |
| Book Name | Honeydew |
| Chapter Name | Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory |
| Category | Class 8 English NCERT Solutions |
Comprehension Check
Page 61
Question 1 Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu in disbelief?
Answer He stared at Bepin Babu in disbelief as the latter failed to recognize him and understood that Bepin had a memory lapse of his stay in Ranchi. According to Parimal Ghose, he met Bepin Babu at Ranchi in 1958.
Question 2 Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October ’58?
Answer Bepin Babu said that he went to Kanpur in October ’58 and spent the Puja holidays with a friend.
Question 3 Mention any three (or more) things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu.
Answer Few things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu are :
1) That he slipped near Hudroo’s fall and injured his leg.
2) Bepin Babu stayed in a bungalow at Ranchi and preferred to have his meals cooked by a bawarchi.
3) He did not have any children, Bepin Babu lost his wife ten years ago and his only brother had died of insanity.
Page 64
Question 1 Why did Bepin Babu worry about what Parimal Ghose had said?
Answer Bepin Babu was surprised to know that Parimal Ghose knew a lot of his personal details such as leg injury, bag of books, his wife’s death and his brother’s insane behaviour. He was sure that he had never been to Ranchi and could not recollect the meeting held in Ranchi. This made him worried if he really had a temporary memory loss about his visit to Ranchi.
Question 2 How did he try to decide who was right—his memory or Parimal Ghose?
Answer He tried to decide whether his memory was right or Parimal Ghose by looking at his right knee which Parimal claimed had a cut. There was surely a mark of an old cut on his right knee. But still, he was not able to decide if the cut was because he had fallen in Ranchi or due to some other happening when he was a child. To solve the puzzle about his Ranchi visit, Bepin Babu decided to contact Dinesh Mukerji to check if the latter remembered the incidents that happened in 1958.
Question 3 Why did Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr. Mukerji? Why did he finally decide to phone him?
Answer Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr. Mukerji because he was scared of heartless behaviour and sarcastic comment about the reaction he might receive. He thought if the entire story about Ranchi would be false, then Mr. Mukerji would think that he was insane. The thought of how Parimal Ghose knew so many of his personal details troubled him and he decided to finally check with Mr. Mukerji for clarity. Hence, he decided to contact Mr. Mukerji over call to avoid embarrassment right on his face.
Question 4 What did Mr. Mukerji say? Did it comfort Bepin Babu, or add to his worries?
Answer Mr. Mukerji checked his diary and told him that they had visited Ranchi in October’58. This further added to his worries as he could not make out how he could have forgotten about the trip.
Page 67
Question 1 Who was Chunilal? What did he want from Bepin Babu?
Answer Chunilal was Bepin Babu’s schoolmate. He had been coming to see Bepin Babu to help him find a job. Bepin knew he could not help him and told him that too.
Question 2 Why was Dr. Chanda puzzled? What was unusual about Bepin Babu’s loss of memory?
Answer Dr. Chanda was puzzled because he had never come across such a case like that of Bepin Babu’s. He mentioned that this medical condition was typically outside his field of experience. He remembered everything related to his past except for his Ranchi visit. Dr Chanda said that he must have been to Ranchi but for some unknown reason, the entire incident had got wiped out of his memory. He suggested him to visit Ranchi to try recollecting any bygone incident that might remind him of the past.
Page 69
Question 1 Had Bepin Babu really lost his memory and forgotten all about a trip to Ranchi?
Answer No, Bepin Babu had actually not lost his memory but he had forgotten everything about the Ranchi trip. Chunilal played a trick on Bepin Babu who didn’t help him to get a job.
Question 2 Why do you think Chunilal did what he did? Chunilal says he has no money; what is it that he does have?
Answer Chunilal wanted to take revenge on Bepin for not helping him when he had no money and job. As Bepin Babu never helped him he wanted to punish him by rekindling a haunting memory of his fall near Hudroo at Ranchi. Chunilal was a good writer with very rich thoughts. That is what he thought would help him to come over his bad phase of life. He assured Bepin that the term of his fortune would be back again.
Working with the text (page 69)
Question 1 The author describes Bepin Babu as a serious and hardworking man. What evidence can you find in the story to support this?
Answer The author has described Bepin Babu as a serious and hardworking man. He went to the office regularly. He was doing a responsible job. He had been with this firm for twenty-five years. He had a reputation for being a tireless and conscientious worker.
Question 2 Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about meeting Chunilal? What was the result of this meeting?
Answer Chunilal would often come to visit Bepin Babu to request him for help in getting a job. But Bepin Babu refused to meet him. However, that day he changed his mind and decided to meet Chunilal and enquire of him if the latter remembers about his Ranchi visit. When Chunilal confirmed that Bepin Babu had visited Ranchi, Bepin Babu decided to consult a professional doctor.
Question 3 Bepin Babu lost consciousness at Hudroo Falls. What do you think was the reason for this?
Answer Bepin Babu lost consciousness at Hudroo Falls as he realised this was the final place which would help him to recollect his memory of his previous visit to Ranchi in 1958. However, he couldn’t recollect a single incident and soon fell down beside a boulder near Hudroo and broke his hip by accident.
Question 4 How do you think Bepin Babu reacted when he found out that Chunilal had tricked him?
Answer When Bepin Babe would have realized that Chunilal had tricked him, he would have felt bad and might have been filled with guilt for his unsympathetic behaviour towards his old friend when he needed his help the most. He would have finally realized that he was indeed a victim of forgetfulness.
Working with language (Page 70-72)
Question 1 Fill in the blanks below using ‘had to’/ ‘have to’/ ‘has to’.
(i) I ____________ cut my hair every month.
(ii) We __________ go for swimming lessons last year.
(iii) She __________ tell the principal the truth.
(iv) They __________ take the baby to the doctor.
(v) We ____________ complain to the police about the noise.
(vi) Romit __________ finish his homework before he could come out to play.
(vii) I _____________ repair my cycle yesterday.
Answer
(i) I have to cut my hair every month.
(ii) We had to go for swimming lessons last year.
(iii) She has to tell the principal the truth.
(iv) They had to take the baby to the doctor.
(v) We have to complain to the police about the noise.
(vi) Romit had to finish his homework before he could come out to play.
(vii) I had to repair my cycle yesterday.
Question 2
Here are a few idioms that you will find in the story. Look for them in the dictionary in the following way.
First, arrange them in the order in which you would find them in a dictionary.
(Clue: An idiom is usually listed under the first noun, verb, adjective or adverb in it. Ignore articles or prepositions in the idiom).
To help you, we have put in bold the word under which you must look for the idiom in the dictionary.
(i) at/from close quarters (close: adjective)
(ii) break into a smile (break: verb; look under ‘break into something’)
(iii) carry on (carry: verb)
(iv) have a clean record (you may find related meanings under both these words)
(v) beat about the bush (verb)
Now refer to your dictionary and find out what they mean.
Answer
(i) at/from close quarters – This means to stand near somebody to observe something about him
(ii) break into a smile – This means to smile suddenly.
(iii) carry on – This means to continue with some task or work.
(iv) have a clean record – This means to have a clean conduct or track record.
(v) beat about the bush – This means to make rough guesses without proper knowledge.
Question 3
Study the sentences in the columns below.
| A | B |
| I saw this movie yesterday. | I have seen this movie already. |
| Bepin Babu worked here for a week last year. | Bepin Babu has worked here since 2003. |
| Chunilal wrote to a publisher last week. | Chunilal has written to a publisher. |
| I visited Ranchi once, long ago. | I have visited Ranchi once before. |
Compare the sentences in the two columns, especially the verb forms.
Answer the following questions about each pair of sentences.
(i) Which column tells us that Bepin Babu is still working at the same place?
(ii) Which column suggests that Chunilal is now waiting for a reply from the publisher?
(iii) Which column suggests that the person still remembers the movie he saw?
(iv) Which column suggests that the experience of visiting Ranchi is still fresh in the speaker’s mind?
Answer
(i) Column B
(ii) Column A
(iii) Column B
(iv) Column B
Question 4
Given below are jumbled sentences. Working in groups, rearrange the words in each sentence to form correct sentences.
You will find that each sentence contains an idiomatic expression that you have come across in the lesson. Underline the idiom and write down its meaning. Then use your dictionary to check the meaning.
One sentence has been worked out for you as an example.
Jumbled sentence: vanished/ The car/ seemed to/ into thin/ have/ air.
Ans: The car seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Idiom: vanished into thin air: disappeared or vanished in a mysterious way
(i) Stop/and tell me/beating about/what you want/the bush
Ans: _______________________________
Idiom: _____________________________
(ii) don’t pay/If you/ attention/you might/the wrong train/to the announcement/board
Ans: _______________________________
Idiom: _____________________________
(iii) The villagers/tried/the crime/on the young woman/to pin
Ans: _______________________________
Idiom: _____________________________
(iv) Bepin Babu/orders to/telling people/under/loved/doctor’s/eat early/that he was
Ans: _______________________________
Idiom: _____________________________
(v) the students/The teacher/his eyebrows/when/said that/all their lessons/raised/they had revised
Ans: ___________________________
Idiom: __________________________
Answer
(i) Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.
Idiom: beating about the bush – To avoid coming to the main point and talk vaguely
(ii) If you don’t pay attention to the announcement, you might board the wrong train.
Idiom: pay attention – To listen carefully
(iii) The villagers tried to pin the crime on the young woman.
Idiom: pin the crime – To place the blame or responsibility of a crime and implicate it on a wrong person
(iv) Bepin Babu loved telling people that he was under doctor’s orders to eat early.
Idiom: under doctor’s orders – To follow someone’s instructions
(v) The teacher raised his eyebrows when the students said that they had revised all their lessons.
Idiom: raised his eyebrows – To express surprise or doubt
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