NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English (Honeydew) Chapter 4 The Last Bargain; Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

aglase .co

Class : 8th
Subject : English-1
Chapter : 4
Chapter Name : Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

Q1 Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu in disbelief?

Answer. The man stared at Bepin Babu in disbelief because Bepin Babu did not recognise him even
though he was sure that he knew him and had met him in Ranchi.

Page : 62 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October '58?

Answer. The man stared at Bepin Babu in disbelief because Bepin Babu did not recognise him even
though he was sure that he knew him and had met him in Ranchi.

Page : 62 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q3 Mention any three (or more) things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu.

Answer. Parimal Ghose knew the following about Bepin Babu:
He had no children.
He had lost his wife ten years ago.
His only brother had died insane, which was why he did not want to visit the mental hospital in
Ranchi.

Page : 62 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 Why did Bepin Babu worry about what Parimal Ghose had said?

Answer. Bepin Babu continuously worried about what Parimal Ghose had said because he had
shown that he knew many intimate facts about him. He knew about the bag of books, his wife's
death and his brother's insanity. Considering that Parimal Ghose knew so much about him, Bepin
Babu couldn't say with conviction that he was making a mistake about the Ranchi trip.

Page : 65 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 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 where Parimal had claimed that there would be a cut. There was certainly a mark of an old
cut. However, he could not decide if the cut was the result of his fall in Ranchi or due to some

incident in his childhood. Then, he decided to ask Dinesh Mukherjee, who according to Parimal
Ghose was with him in Ranchi. He felt that asking him would put an end to his confusion.

Page : 65 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q3 Why did Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr Mukerji? Why did he nally decide to phone him?

Answer. Bepin Babu hesitated to visit Mr Dinesh Mukerji because he was afraid of the ruthless
sarcasm he would have to face. He felt that if the whole story about Ranchi was false, then Mr
Mukerji would think that he had gone insane.
Being constantly troubled by the incident at the bookshop and having no other means for verifying
the claims of Primal Ghose, Bepin Babu nally decided to ask Mr Mukerji. However, he decided to
phone him because that way his embarrassment wouldn't be visible to the latter.

Page : 65 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q4 What did Mr Mukerji say? Did it comfort Bepin Babu, or add to his worries?

Answer. Mr Mukerji said that they had indeed gone to Ranchi in '58. This added to Bepin Babu's
worries as he could not gure out how he could possibly have forgotten about the trip.

Page : 65 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 Who was Chunilal? What did he want from Bepin Babu?

Answer. Chunilal was an old schoolmate of Bepin Babu. He had been having a rough time lately
and had been coming to see Bepin Babu for a job.

Page : 68 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 Why was Dr Chanda puzzled? What was unusual about Bepin Babu's loss of memory?

Answer. Dr Chanda was puzzled because he had never dealt with a case such as Bepin Babu's. It
was outside his eld of experience. The unusual thing about Bepin Babu's case was that he
remembered everything in his past except for one particular incident. Dr Chanda said that Bepin
Babu must have been to Ranchi. However, due to some unknown reason, the entire episode had
slipped out of his mind.

Page : 68 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 Had Bepin Babu really lost his memory and forgotten all about a trip to Ranchi?

Answer. No, Bepin Babu had not really lost his memory and forgotten all about a trip to Ranchi. It
was a trick played by Chunilal.

Page : 70 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q2 Why do you think Chunilal did what he did? Chunilal say she has no money; what is it that he
does have?

Answer. Chunilal did what he did because Bepin Babu did not help him at a time when he had no
money and required a job. However, Bepin Babu did not do anything for him. Chunilal said that he
did not have money. However, he had imagination.

Page : 70 , Block Name : Comprehension Check

Q1 The author describes Bepin Babu as a serious and hardworking man.What evidence can you
nd in the story to support this?

Answer. The author has described Bepin Babu as a serious and hardworking man. He worked daily
in his of ce. It was a big rm and he was doing a responsible job. He had been with the rm for
twenty- ve years. He had a reputation for being a tireless, conscientious worker.

Page : 70 , Block Name : Working With Text

Q2 Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about meeting Chunilal? What was the result of this
meeting?

Answer. Bepin Babu changed his mind about meeting Chunilal because he thought that it might be
possible that the latter remembered something about the Ranchi trip. When Chunilal con rmed
that Bepin Babu had been to Ranchi, Bepin Babu decided to see a specialist doctor.

Page : 70 , Block Name : Working With Text

Q3 Bepin Babu lost consciousness at Hudroo Falls. What do you think was the reason for this?

Answer. Bepin Babu lost consciousness at Hudroo Falls because he had a fall. He had broken his
hip.

Page : 70 , Block Name : Working With Text

Q4 How do you think Bepin Babu reacted when he found out that Chunilal had tricked him?

Answer. After nding out that Chunilal had tricked him, Bepin Babu must have been lled with
remorse for his 'unfeeling behaviour' towards an 'old friend down on his luck'. He would have
realised that he had indeed been a victim of forgetfulness as he had forgotten the meaning of
friendship in a time of 'af uence'.

Page : 70 , Block Name : Working With Text

Q1 Look at these two sentences.
He had to buy at least ve 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 ________________ nish 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 nish his homework before he could come out to play.
(vii) I had to repair my cycle yesterday.

Page : 71 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q2 Here are a few idioms that you will nd in the story. Look for them in the dictionary in the
following way.
First, arrange them in the order in which you would nd them in a dictionary.
(Clue: An idiom is usually listed under the rst 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 nd related meanings under both these words)
(v) beat about the bush(verb)
Now refer to your dictionary and nd out what they mean.

Answer. DIY

Page : 71 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q3 Study the sentences in the columns below.

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 hesaw?
(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

Page : 72 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q4 Given below are jumbled sentences. Working in groups, rearrange the word sin each sentence
to form correct sentences.
You will nd 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 - avoiding the main topic, not coming straight to the point
(ii) If you don't pay attention to the announcement, you might board the wrong train. Idiom: pay
attention - listen carefully
(iii) The villagers tried to pin the crime on the young woman. Idiom: pin the crime - place the
responsibility of the crime
(iv) Bepin Babu loved telling people that he was under doctor's orders to eat early. Idiom: under
doctor's orders - in complete necessity
(v) The teacher raised his eyebrows when the students said that they had revised all their lessons.
Idiom: raised his eyebrows — expressed doubt/surprise

Page : 72 , Block Name : Working With Language

Q1 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. I thought Bepin Babu must have got angry when he found the truth about Chunilal trick.
But at the same time, Bepin must be upset, regret himself for not helping his old friend in his weak
time when Chunilal needed him most. He could have helped his friend by money or could help in
nding a new job.

Page : 73 , Block Name : Speaking And Writing

Q2 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.
OR
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. Dear Chunilal,

I got your letter and am feeling ashamed and guilty for not bothering to help my old friend in his
down luck. I am sorry, I was a bit unsympathetic towards you _ I was so engulfed in myself that I
did r even think of our old friendship. You played the trick on me and have taught me a right
lesson. A person like me should be taught like this and have learned my lesson. I promise to you,
would never repeat this kind of mistake with anyone. But now, I have decided to help you out. I
have talked to one of my publisher friends to consider your novel and he has promised me to help
you. Besides this, I have talked to my Company's manager and asked him to x a suitable job for

you. I want to apologise for my unfriendly behaviour. Please forgive me and meet me as soon as
possible.
Yours
Bepin

Page : 73 , Block Name : Speaking And Writing

Q1 Who is the speaker in the poem?

Answer. The speaker in the poem is a man who is looking for work.

Page : 73 , Block Name : Working With The Poem

Q2 “The king, sword in hand” suggests
(i) wealth
(ii) power
(iii) more power than wealth.
Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1

Answer. (ii) power

Page : 73 , Block Name : Working With The Poem

Q3 The old man offered the speaker a lot of money.
Why did he turn down the offer?

Answer. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. However, he turned it down because he
realised that money cannot give him what he actually desires. He had not till then realised that
what he actually desired was happiness. When the old man was counting the gold coins, the
speaker realised that once the money was nished or the work the old man wanted to hire him for
was done, he would again be out of work. More than that, he would be bound in this bargain. It did
not satisfy him and therefore, he turned it down.

Page : 73 , Block Name : Working With The Poem

Q4 Find in the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you except goodwill and cheer.
(ii) Her happiness was no more than sorrow in disguise.
(iii) The king’s might was not worth much.

Answer. (i) 'l hire you with nothing:
(ii) 'Her smile paled and melted into tears'.
(iii) 'But his power counted for naught'.

Page : 73 , Block Name : Working With The Poem

Q5 How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?

Answer. After talking to the child on the beach the speaker felt extremely happy.

Page : 73 , Block Name : Working With The Poem