Std.

VIII CBSE - I Semester Notes 2021-22 – Subject : English

L-4 Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory

Q.1 : Answer the following :

1) Mention any three things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu.
Ans. Parimal Ghose knew a great deal about Bepin Babu. He knew that Bepin
Babu had no children. His wife died 10 years ago. His brother had died insane
that was why he did not visit the mental hospital in Ranchi. He did not like
hotel food.

2) Why did Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr. Mukerji ? Why did he finally
decide to phone him ?
Ans. Bepine Babu hesitated to visit Mr. Mukerji because he wanted to avoid
embarrassment moreover he thought that Mr. Mukerji might assume that he
had lost his wits. But he had no other option to confirm what Mr. Ghose was
saying. At last he decided to call Mr. Mukerji to avoid talking to him face to
face.

3) Who was Chunilal ? What did he want from Bepin Babu ?

Ans. Chunilal was an old friend of Bepin Babu. He was having a rough time. He
wanted Bepin Babu to help him find a job.

4) Why was Dr. Chanda puzzled ? What was unusual about Bepin Babu’s loss
of memory ?
Ans. Dr. Chanda was puzzled when he heard the symptoms of Bepin Babu’s
ailment. The unusual thing was that he remembered every event of his life
except one episode his visit to Ranchi. If he had lost his memory he would have
forgotten all events of his life.

5) Had Bepin Babu really lost his memory and forgotten all about a trip to
Ranchi ?
Ans. No, Bepin Babu was not a victim of memory loss. He was discharging his
office duties efficiently. Infact it was a trick played by his old friend Chunilal.
Bepin was quite sure that he had never been to Ranchi. But he was caught in
the trap laid by Chunilal.

6) Why do you think Chunilal did what he did ?

Ans. Chunilal did so to teach Bepin Babu a lesson for not helping him in his
hard time. Chunilal has no money but he has imagination which he does as a
punishement for Bepin Babu’s unfeeling behaviour.

Q.2 Answer in Brief :

1) The author describes Bepin Babu as a serious and hardworking man. What
evidence can you find in the story to support this ?
Ans. He went to office regularly. He was doing a responsible job. He never
got negative remarks during this period. He was an efficient, serious, honest,
hardworking and tireless worker. He did not waste time in idle chat. He was
not a good mixer. This is a clear evidence that Bepin Babu was a serious and
hardworking man.

2) Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about meeting Chunilal ? What was
the result of this meeting ?
Ans. Bepin Babu did so because he thought that Chunilal might remember
about the trip to Ranchi. Chunilal told him that he had fixed up his railway
booking for Ranchi. He also had gone to the station to see him off and
helped him with the non-functional fan in his compartment. He therefore
decided to consult a physician to cure him of his problem.

3) What was Bepin Choudary’s problem ?

Ans. Bepin Babu was a lonely man. His wife had died some 10 years ago. He
clearly forget that he had been to Ranchi in 1958. 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.