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Class 8 – Honeydew – Lesson 4: Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory NCERT Solutions

Class 8 – Honeydew – Lesson 4: Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

Bilingual Summary Characters Print-friendly

📚 Bilingual Summary

ENGLISH
  • A chance encounter: At a bookshop, stranger Parimal Ghose insists Bepin spent Puja 1958 in Ranchi, citing private details (Hudroo knee injury, bag of books, widower, brother’s illness). Bepin is sure he never went.
  • Doubt grows: He checks an old scar and phones Dinesh Mukerji, who confirms the trip—Bepin panics.
  • Seeking proof: Old friend Chunilal also recalls arranging tickets. Doctor Paresh Chanda suggests revisiting Ranchi to trigger memory.
  • Ranchi visit: Places feel unfamiliar; at Hudroo Falls Bepin faints and returns to Calcutta disheartened.
  • The twist: A letter from Chunilal reveals a planned prank, payback for Bepin’s indifference to a friend in need.
  • Irony: When the doctor arrives, Bepin pretends his memory is fine and only asks for a painkiller—face-saving end.
हिन्दी
  • अचानक मुलाक़ात: किताबों की दुकान पर परिमल घोष ज़िद करते हैं कि बिपिन ने 1958 की पूजा राँची में बिताई—हुदरू की घुटने की चोट, किताबों का बैग, विधुर होना, भाई की बीमारी जैसी निजी बातें भी बताते हैं। बिपिन का दावा—वह कभी राँची नहीं गया।
  • संशय बढ़ता है: वे पुराना निशान देखते हैं और दिनेश मुखर्जी को फोन करते हैं—वह राँची-यात्रा की पुष्टि कर देता है; बिपिन घबरा जाते हैं।
  • सत्य की तलाश: पुराना मित्र चुनिलाल भी टिकट-व्यवस्था याद दिलाता है। डॉ. परेश चन्द्र सलाह देते हैं—फिर से राँची जाओ, जगह स्मृति जगा सकती है।
  • राँची में विफलता: स्थान अनजान लगते हैं; हुदरू जलप्रपात पर बेहोश होकर लौट आते हैं।
  • पत्र से खुलासा: चुनिलाल बताता है—यह सब योजना-बद्ध शरारत थी; मित्र की उपेक्षा का बदला।
  • विडम्बना: डॉक्टर आने पर बिपिन दिखाते हैं कि स्मृति लौट आई और सिर्फ़ गिरने की दवा माँगते हैं—लज्जा छिपाने के लिए।

🎭 Main Characters

Bepin Choudhury (बिपिन चौधरी)
Efficient, solitary; shaken by memory doubt—central protagonist.
Parimal Ghose (परिमल घोष)
Stranger at bookshop; narrates vivid Ranchi details that unsettle Bepin.
Dinesh Mukerji (दिनेश मुखर्जी)
Acquaintance who confirms the Ranchi trip over phone.
Chunilal (चुनिलाल)
Old school friend; mastermind of the prank—“retribution” through imagination.
Dr Paresh Chanda (डॉ. परेश चन्द्र)
Physician; advises revisiting Ranchi to revive memory.
Sitaram (सिताराम)
Bepin’s driver.
Kalicharan (कालिचरण)
New Market bookshop owner where the episode starts.
Haridas Bagchi (हरिदास बागची)
Friend in Kanpur—Bepin’s alibi from memory.
Two Gujarati gentlemen
Picnickers who find Bepin unconscious at Hudroo Falls.
Timeline at a glance: Bookshop encounter → Phone to Dinesh → Visit to doctor → Ranchi & Hudroo Falls → Letter from Chunilal → Ironical end (painkiller only).
Puja 1958 – Ranchi claim Hudroo knee injury (alleged) Doctor’s advice Prank revealed

Comprehension Check — Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

English + हिन्दी Exam-ready Print-friendly

Comprehension Check

1. Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu in disbelief?

EN Because Bepin didn’t recognise him and denied ever going to Ranchi, although the man (Parimal Ghose) claimed they had met daily in 1958 and he’d even arranged Bepin’s car to Hudroo Falls.
HI क्योंकि बिपिन ने उसे पहचाना नहीं और राँची जाने से इनकार कर दिया, जबकि उस व्यक्ति (परिमल घोष) का कहना था कि 1958 में वे रोज़ मिले थे और उसने हुदरू फॉल्स के लिए कार भी लगवाई थी।

2. Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October ’58?

EN He said he spent Puja of October ’58 in Kanpur with his friend Haridas Bagchi.
HI उसने कहा कि उसने 1958 की पूजा कानपुर में अपने मित्र हरिदास बागची के साथ बिताई थी।

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

EN Any three (or more): (i) fall at Hudroo and a cut on the right knee; (ii) car to Netarhat; (iii) Dinesh Mukerji was in Ranchi then; (iv) stayed in a bungalow and used a bawarchi; (v) carried a bag of books; (vi) their argument about the moon landing.
HI कोई भी तीन: (i) हुदरू पर गिरना और दाएँ घुटने पर चोट; (ii) नेतरहाट के लिए कार; (iii) उसी समय दिनेश मुखर्जी राँची में थे; (iv) बंगले में रहना और बावर्ची से खाना बनवाना; (v) किताबों का बैग; (vi) चाँद पर उतरने को लेकर बहस।

Comprehension Check

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

EN Because Parimal knew very intimate details about Bepin (bag of books, wife’s death, brother’s illness), so Bepin feared his own memory was failing.
HI क्योंकि परिमल को बिपिन के बारे में बहुत निजी बातें मालूम थीं—इससे बिपिन को लगा कि कहीं उसकी स्मृति ही तो नहीं चूक रही।

2. How did he try to decide who was right—his memory or
Parimal Ghose?

EN He (a) checked an old scar on his right knee, (b) thought of meeting Dinesh Mukerji but hesitated, and finally (c) phoned Dinesh to verify from his 1958 diary.
HI उसने (a) दाएँ घुटने का पुराना निशान देखा, (b) दिनेश मुखर्जी से मिलने का सोचा पर झिझका, और अंत में (c) फोन करके उनकी 1958 की डायरी से जाँच करवाई।

3. Why did Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr Mukerji? Why did
he finally decide to phone him?

EN He feared Dinesh’s sarcasm and being thought “going nuts.” He chose to phone so that any embarrassment wouldn’t show on his face.
HI उसे लगा दिनेश मज़ाक/व्यंग्य करेगा और वह पागल समझा जाएगा; इसलिए उसने फोन किया ताकि शर्मिंदगी चेहरा पढ़कर ज़ाहिर न हो।

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

EN Dinesh confirmed a Ranchi trip in ’58 and said Bepin was there too; this deepened Bepin’s worry—his head swam; he lost appetite.
HI दिनेश ने 1958 की राँची-यात्रा की पुष्टि की—कहा आप भी थे; इससे बिपिन की चिन्ता और बढ़ गई—सर चकराया, भूख नहीं लगी।

Comprehension Check

1. Who was Chunilal? What did he want from Bepin Babu?

EN An old school friend of Bepin, going through a rough time; he kept coming to seek help for a job.
HI बिपिन का पुराना स्कूल-मित्र, जो बुरे दौर से गुजर रहा था; वह बार-बार नौकरी/सहायता माँगने आता था।

2. Why was Dr Chanda puzzled? What was unusual about
Bepin Babu’s loss of memory?

EN He had never handled such a case; it was odd that Bepin remembered everything but forgot just one particular recent incident—the Ranchi trip.
HI उन्होंने ऐसा मामला पहले कभी नहीं देखा; अजीब बात थी कि बिपिन को सबकुछ याद था पर बस एक हाल की घटना—राँची-यात्रा—ही भूल गए थे।

Comprehension Check

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

EN No. Chunilal’s letter shows it was a planned prank; he used his imagination “in retribution”.
HI नहीं। चुनिलाल के पत्र से स्पष्ट है कि यह योजना-बद्ध शरारत थी; उसने अपनी कल्पना-शक्ति “प्रतिशोध” में इस्तेमाल की।

2. Why do you think Chunilal did what he did? Chunilal says
he has no money; what is it that he does have?

EN To teach Bepin a lesson for not helping an old friend. He had no money, but he had imagination—enough to stage the Ranchi story.
HI बिपिन को सबक सिखाने के लिए—क्योंकि उसने पुराने मित्र की मदद नहीं की। उसके पास पैसा नहीं था, पर कल्पना-शक्ति थी—जिससे उसने राँची-कथा गढ़ दी।

Comprehension + Grammar + Idioms — Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

English + हिन्दी Exam-ready Print-friendly

Comprehension Check

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

EN He works daily in a big firm, does a responsible job, speaks at important meetings, and is shown as a tireless, conscientious worker.
HI वह रोज़ एक बड़ी फर्म में ज़िम्मेदार काम करता है, महत्त्वपूर्ण बैठकों में बोलता है और उसे तत्पर, कर्तव्यनिष्ठ कर्मचारी कहा गया है।

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

EN He first refused to see Chuni (kept asking for a job). Later he met him; Chuni claimed he had fixed Bepin’s Ranchi booking, which increased Bepin’s worry and pushed him to consult Dr Paresh Chanda.
HI पहले उसने चूनी से मिलने से मना किया (नौकरी की माँग)। बाद में मिला; चूनी ने कहा कि राँची की टिकट-व्यवस्था उसने की थी—इससे चिन्ता बढ़ी और वह डॉ. परेश चन्द्र के पास गया।

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

EN The collapse reads as stress/panic-induced—after days of anxiety about his failing memory and the fear that something was seriously wrong.
HI यह तनाव/घबराहट से हुई बेहोशी प्रतीत होती है—लगातार स्मृतिभ्रम और भीतर की घबराहट के कारण।

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

EN He showed embarrassed relief: told the doctor his memory had “come back” and only asked for a painkiller—a face-saving response, not anger.
HI उसने लज्जित पर राहत वाला व्यवहार किया—डॉक्टर से कहा याद लौट आई और केवल दर्द की दवा माँगी; यह इज़्ज़त-बचाने जैसा था, ग़ुस्सा नहीं।

1. Fill in the blanks (had to / have to / has to)

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

have/has to = present necessity
had to = past necessity
  1. (i) I have to cut my hair every month.
  2. (ii) We had to go for swimming lessons last year.
  3. (iii) She has to tell the principal the truth.
  4. (iv) They have to take the baby to the doctor.
  5. (v) We have to complain to the police about the noise.
  6. (vi) Romit had to finish his homework before he could come out to play.

2. Idioms — Dictionary Order & Meanings

Arrange in dictionary order (under headword in bold):

beat about the bush
break into a smile
carry on
clean (have a clean record)
close (at/from close quarters)
EN
  • beat about the bush — avoid the main point.
  • break into a smile — suddenly start smiling.
  • carry on — continue.
  • have a clean record — no wrongdoing on record.
  • at/from close quarters — from a short distance; very closely.
HI
  • beat about the bush — घुमा-फिराकर बात करना।
  • break into a smile — अचानक मुस्कुरा उठना।
  • carry on — जारी रखना।
  • have a clean record — स्वच्छ/निर्दोष अभिलेख।
  • at/from close quarters — बहुत क़रीब से।

4. Jumbled sentences — underline the idiom & write meaning

Example:
Jumbled: vanished/ The car/ seemed to/ into thin/ have/ air.
Ans: The car seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Idiom: disappeared mysteriously.

(i) Stop/and tell me/beating about/what you want/the bush

Ans Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.
Idiom beating about the bush = घुमा-फिराकर बात करना / avoiding the point.

(ii) don’t pay/If you/ attention/you might/the wrong train/to the
announcement/board

Ans If you don’t pay attention to the announcement board, you might take the wrong train.
Idiom pay attention = ध्यान देना / notice carefully.

(iii) The villagers/tried/the crime/on the young woman/to pin

Ans The villagers tried to pin the crime on the young woman.
Idiom pin (something) on (someone) = इल्ज़ाम थोपना / blame.

(iv) Bepin Babu/orders to/telling people/under/loved/doctor’s/eat
early/that he was

Ans Bepin Babu loved telling people that he was under doctor’s orders to eat early.
Idiom under doctor’s orders = डॉक्टर के निर्देश पर / acting on medical advice.

(v) the students/The teacher/his eyebrows/when/said that/all their
lessons/raised/they had revised

Ans The teacher raised his eyebrows when the students said that they had revised all their lessons.
Idiom raise one’s eyebrows = आश्चर्य/असहमति दिखाना / show surprise or disapproval.

Long Answers / Writing

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?

EN Most likely he felt shame plus relief. Since he already tried to save face before the doctor, it is reasonable that he chose to make amends and help Chunilal rather than stay angry.
HI सम्भवतः उसे लज्जा और राहत महसूस हुई। डॉक्टर के सामने इज़्ज़त बचाने से संकेत मिलता है कि वह रुष्ट रहने के बजाय चुनिलाल की मदद कर के प्रायश्चित करेगा।

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.
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.

Model Letter (EN)

Bepin Choudhury
New Market, Calcutta

Dear Chunilal,
Your letter has opened my eyes. I am ashamed that I failed an old friend. Please forgive me. I have already spoken to two acquaintances—one in publishing and another in a trading firm. I will meet them this week with your manuscript and résumé. Meanwhile, allow me to support your expenses for a month. Thank you for restoring my sense; though the method stung, the lesson was needed.
Yours,
Bepin

संक्षिप्त पत्र (HI)

प्रिय चुनिलाल,
तुम्हारा पत्र पढ़कर मुझे अपनी भूल का गहरा एहसास हुआ। क्षमा करना। मैंने एक प्रकाशक और एक फ़र्म से बात कर ली है; इस सप्ताह तुम्हारी पाण्डुलिपि/बायोडाटा के साथ मिलूँगा। तब तक एक माह की सहायता स्वीकार करो। सच का आईना दिखाने के लिए धन्यवाद—भले तरीका तीखा था, पर सीख ज़रूरी थी।
— बिपिन

Optional Paragraph (Prank)
One April morning, my friends hid the classroom wall-clock five minutes ahead. I walked in late for assembly—and the whole class broke into a smile. When the teacher discovered the trick, she only said, “Fine—now carry on with real time.” We all learnt that jokes are fun only till they don’t hurt anyone.
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