NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 4 Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

Comprehension Check (Page 62)

Questions:

Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu’s is disbelief?
Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October’ 58?
Mention any three (or more) things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu.

Answers:

The man, Parimal Ghose, was taken aback when Bepin failed to recognise him. He didn’t believe that Bepin had a lapse of memory.
Bepin Babu said that in October 58 he was in Kanpur.
Parimal Ghose knew that Bepin Babu’s wife was dead, and his only brother had died in the same year in a Ranchi lunatic asylum. He also knew that Bepin Babu had no children and he was a lover of books.

Comprehension Check (Page 65)

Questions:

Why did Bepin Babu worry about what Parimal Ghose had said?
How did he try to decide who was right— his memory or Parimal Ghose?
Why did Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr. Mukerji? Why did he finally decide to phone him?
What did Mr. Mukerji say? Did it comfort Bepin Babu, or add to his worries?

Answers:

Bepin Babu was taken aback to hear the intimate details about his life from Parimal Ghose. There seeded no reason why he should tell a lie. He wondered if he really had forgotten about his visit to Ranchi.
In order to resolve the puzzle about his visit to Ranchi, Bepin Babu decided to contact Dinesh Mukerji. Parimal had said that Mukerji was also in Ranchi at that time
Bepin Babu hesitated to visit Mr. Mukerji thinking that it would be ridiculous if he had really visited Ranchi. Mukerji would think Bepin Babu had gone mad. Hence, Bepin babu finally decided to phone him.
Mukerji didn’t reply clearly. But he said that he had been to Ranchi twice. He was not sure about the trip. Bepin Babu exactly wanted to know. It made Bepin Babu more puzzled. He lost his appetite.

Comprehension Check (Page 68)

Questions:

Who was Chunilal? What did he want from Bepin Babu?
Why was Dr. Chanda puzzled? What was unusual about Bepin Babu’s loss of memory?

Answers:

Chunilal was an old friend of Bepin Babu. He wanted a favour from Bepin Babu in his job.
Paresh Chanda was a young physician. He had never dealt a case of memory loss. So he was puzzled. He gave a suggestion to Bepin Babu to visit Ranchi again.

Comprehension Check (Page 70)

Questions:

Had Bepin Babu really lost his memory and forgotten all about a trip to Ranchi?
Why do you think Chunilal did what he did? Chunilal says he has no money; what is it that he does have?

Answers:

Perhaps not. He finally recollected his memory and admitted that he had visited. Ranchi in 1958.
Chunilal wanted some money from Bepin Babu, his old friend. So he went to him for help. He assured Bepin that the term of his fortune would be back again. Chunilal had no money but he had mind and wit.

Working With the Text (Page 70)

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:
Bepin Babu was a serious, honest and hardworking fellow. He went to office regularly. He was doing a responsible job. He was not a good mixer. Being serious minded, he didn’t waste time in idle chat.

Question 2:
Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about meeting Chunilal? What was the result of this meeting?
Answer:
Bepin Babu first refused to meet Chunilal. He was in no mood to help Chunilal out of his trouble. But he changed his mind soon. He thought Chunilal might remember something about his trip to Ranchi in 1958.

Question 3:
Bepin Babu lost consciousness at Hundroo Falls. What do you think was the reason for this?
Answer:
Bepin Babu might have slipped near Hundroo Falls that made him unconscious.

Question 4:
How do you think Bepin Babu reacted when he found out that Chunilal had tricked him?
Answer:
Bepin Babu’s first reaction was that he regretted having refused to help Chunilal. He saw through Chunilal’s trick to test him, and learnt a lesson.

Working With Language (Page 71)

Question 1:
Look at these two sentences.

He had to buy at least five books to last him through the week.
Bepin had to ask Chuni to leave.

Had to is used to show that it was very important or necessary for Bepin Babu to do something. He had no choice. We can also use “have to’/ ‘has to’ in the same way.

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. ——————– Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

Answer:

(i) have to
(ii) had to
(iii) had
(iv) had to
(v) have to
(vi) had to
(vii) had to

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) (verb)

Now refer to your dictionary and find out what they mean.

Answer: ncert-solutions-for-class-8-english-honeydew-bepin-choudhurys-lapse-of-memory-1 Question 3:
Study the sentences in the columns below:

ncert-solutions-for-class-8-english-honeydew-bepin-choudhurys-lapse-of-memory-2

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 A_______
(ii) Column A_______________
(iii) Column B_____________
(iv) Column A________

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.
Answer:
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.
Answer:
Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.
Idiom: beating about the bush—talk vaguely
(ii) don’t pay/if you/attention/you might/the wrong train/to the announcement/ board.
Answer:
If you don’t pay attention to the announcement, you might board the wrong train.
Idiom: Pay attention: be careful
(iii) The villagers/tried/the crime/on the young woman/to pin.
Answer:
The villagers tried to pin the crime on the young woman.
Idiom: Pin the crime on (implicate the wrong person)
(iv) Bepin Babu/orders to/telling people/under/loved/doctor’s/eat early/that he was.
Answer:
Bepin Babu loved telling people that he was under doctor’s order to eat early.
Idiom: Under one’s order (doctor’s): under instruction of someone
(v) the students/The teacher/his eyebrows/when/said that/all their lessons/ raised/they had revised.
Answer:
The teacher raised his eyebrows when the students said that they had revised all their lessons, (showed his assessment).
Idiom: Raised the eyebrows—to feel annoyed: showing annoyance.

Speaking And Writing (Page 73)

Question 1:
What do you think happened after Bepin Babu came to know the truth?
Was he angry with this friend for playing such a trick on him? Or do you think he decided to help a friend in need?
Answer:
Bepin Babu came to know the truth what Chunilal had done. In fact Chunilal had only played a trick with him to test his friendship. Bepin Babu had a mixed feeling of relief as well as anger. He was happy to know that he had not suffered the lapse of memory. He was a little angry with his friend who was not really helpful. But he had made Bepin feel awkward. He must have decided not to disappoint a friend in need.

Question 2:
Imagine you are Bepin Choudhury. You have received Chunilal’s letter and feel ashamed that you did not bother to help an old friend down on his luck. Now you want to do something for him. Write a letter to Chunilal promising to help him soon.

A prank is a childish trick. Do you remember any incident when someone played a prank on you or your friends? Describe the prank in a paragraph.
Answer:
15th November, 20XX
My Dear Chunilal,
Let me first thank you for your letter dated 10th November. I am really feeling sorry for disappointing you. I can understand your resentment. Now allow me to give you a happy news. I spoke to my friend in Delhi, and he has agreed to engage you as assistant manager in his firm.
Please come to me on Sunday. I shall then introduce you to my friend.

With regards
Yours sincerely
Bepin Choudhury

On March 26, I received a letter from one of my friends. It contained a happy news that I had been granted scholarship from back date. He asked me to call on him in April, so that both would go together to the office of the Superintendent of the school. I was very glad. I even distributed sweets to my neighbours. But when I reached my friend’s house, I found him laughing at me. It was April the first. All Fools Day.’ I got over it soon and admired the practical joke or the prank.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

I. SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What was Bepin Babu’s hobby? What would he do every Monday?
Answer:
Bepin Babu’s hobby was reading books. Every Monday, he would purchase books of crime stories, ghost stories and thrillers from Kalicharan’s shop.

Question 2:
What type of man was Bepin Babu?
Answer:
Bepin Babu was a loner. He was not a good mixer. He had a few friends and he didn’t like spending time in idle chat.

Question 3:
What was Bepin Babu sure about?
Answer:
Bepin Babu was sure that he hadn’t visited Ranchi in ’58, during the Pujas.

Question 4:
How can you say that Bepin Babu’s encounter with Parimal Ghose made him restless?
Answer:
Bepin Babu’s encounter with Parimal Ghose made him really very restless. Even in the office, he noticed that with every passing hour, his encounter with Parimal Ghose was occupying more and more of his mind.

Question 5:
Why couldn’t Bepin Babu ignore what Parimal Ghose had said to him?
Answer:
It was because Parimal Ghose knew a great deal about him. He knew about his (Bepin Babu’s) wife’s death, his brother’s insanity… If the man knew so much about him, how could he make such a mistake about the Ranchi trip.

Question 6:
What was wrong with Bepin Babu? What did Dr. Chanda suggest him?
Answer:
He had completely forgotten about his visit to Ranchi. Dr. Chanda suggested him to go to Ranchi once again in order to get back his lost memory.

II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Question 1:
What was Bepin Choudhury’s ailment or problem? Was it real or deliberate?
Answer:
Bepin Babu was a lonely map. His wife had died some 10 years ago. His ailment was the lapse of memory. He clearly forgot that he had been to Ranchi in ’58. Nothing could revive his memory. Finally, he hit against some rock in Ranchi and became unconscious. On returning home he received Chunilal’s letter. The letter had an electrifying effect. And Bepin Babu felt relaxed.

Question 2:
Who was Chunilal? What is his role in the story?
Answer:
Chunilal had once been Bepin Babu’s schoolmate. He was facing hard times and looking for a job. He called on Bepin with hope to get help. But Bepin even refused to see him. Later Chunilal confirmed Bepin Babu’s visit to Ranchi. He recalled several instances in his support but Bepin was not convinced. A letter from Chunilal gave such a news that Bepin became all right. The news was that Chunilal’s novel had been accepted for publication and he would get a handsome amount.

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