Bepin Choudhary’s Lapse of Memory
SOLUTION
Working with the text
1. The author describes Bepin Babu as a
serious and hardworking man. What evidence can you find in the story to support
this?
Ans. The author has righteously described Bepin Babu as a serious and
hardworking man. Evidence from the story suggests that he worked daily, which
means he was diligent. He was doing a responsible job in a big firm which means
he must have worked his way to a position. It also suggests that he was
trustworthy. Moreover, he had the reputation of being a tireless and
conscientious worker.
2. Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about
meeting Chunilal? What was the result of this meeting?
Ans. In the light of his current circumstances, Bepin Babu sent a
message for Chuni Lal that it would not be possible to meet him now or for a
few weeks, for that matter. As the servant left the room to convey the message
to Chuni Lal, Bepin Babu was hit with an idea. He thought there was no harm in
asking Chuni about the Ranchi trip of ‘58. So, he rushed down the stairs into
the living room.
The meeting resulted in Bepin Babu coming to the realization that he had been
working too hard lately which is taking its toll on his memory. Thus, at the
end of the meeting, he decided that he must visit a doctor.
3. Bepin Babu lost consciousness at Hudroo
Falls. What do you think was the reason for this?
Ans. While Bepin Babu was at the Hudroo Falls, he must have slipped and
fallen off a boulder. This is how he must have lost his consciousness. Because
of this, he even had pain in his hips for which he asked Dr Chanda to prescribe
him some medicines.
4. How do you think Bepin Babu reacted when he
found out that Chunilal had tricked him?
Ans. When Bepin Babu realized that Chunilal had tricked him as a
punishment for his unfeeling behavior, he must have been filled with remorse
for not helping out an old friend who was down on his luck. He must have also
felt relieved because nothing was wrong with his memory and he could continue
working.
Bepin
Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory Grammar Exercises
1. Fill in the blanks below using ‘had to’/ ‘have to’/ ‘has to’.
(i) I have to cut my
hair every month.
(ii) We had to go for swimming lessons last year.
(iii) She had 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.
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.
Ans.
(i) at/from close quarters- from nearby
(ii) break into a smile- smile suddenly
(iii) carry on- to continue the task
(iv) have a clean record- does not have recorded problems or has not broken any
laws/rules
(v) beat about the bush- to make a guess without proper or adequate knowledge
3. Study the sentences in the columns below
|
COLUMN-A |
COLUMN- 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?
Ans.
(i) Column B
(ii) Column A
(iii) Column B
(iv) Column A
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: _____________________________________________________
Ans:
(i) Ans: Stop beating
about the bush and tell me what you want.
Idiom: Beating the bush: talk vaguely.
(ii) Ans: If you don’t pay
attention to the announcement, you might board the wrong
train.
Idiom: pay attention: be careful.
(iii) Ans: The villagers tried to
pin the crime on the young woman.
Idiom: pin the crime on: to frame someone for a crime.
(iv) Ans: Bepin Babu loved telling people
that he was under doctor’s orders to eat early.
Idiom: under one’s
order: been told to do something by someone in authority.
(v) Ans: The teacher raised his eyebrows when the students said
that they had revised all their lessons.
Idiom: raised his
eyebrows: be surprised.
Bepin Choudhary’s Lapse of Memory
Comprehension Based Questions
Read the following extract and answer the
questions that follow-
A. Every Monday, on his way back from work, Bepin Choudhury would
drop in at Kalicharan’s in New Market to buy books. Crime stories, ghost
stories and thrillers. He had to buy at least five at a time to last him
through the week. He lived alone, was not a good mixer, had few friends, and
didn’t like spending time in idle chat. Today, at Kalicharan’s, Bepin Babu had
the feeling that someone was observing him from close quarters. He turned round
and found himself looking at a round faced, meek looking man who now broke into
a smile. “I don’t suppose you recognise me.” “Have we met before?” asked Bepin
Babu.
Q1. How many books did Bepin
read in a week?
Ans. He bought five
books so that they could last him through the week which means that he read
five books a week.
Q2. When did he visit
Kalicharan’s?
Ans. Every Monday on his
way back from work, he would visit the shop.
Q3. What kind of books did
Bepin read?
Ans. He read crime
stories, ghost stories and thrillers.
Q4. How do we know that Bepin
was not social?
Ans. Bepin had a few
friends, lived alone, was not a good mixer and did not like to spend time in
idle chat. This indicates that he was not a social person.
Q5. That day, who met Bepin?
Ans. That day at
Kalicharan’s, Bepin found himself looking at a round faced, meek looking man
who smiled at him. The man said that he supposed Bepin recognised him.
B. “What are you saying, Mr Choudhury? You had a fall in Hudroo and
cut your right knee. I brought you iodine. I had fixed up a car for you to go
to Netarhat the next day, but you couldn’t because of the pain in the knee.
Can’t you recall anything? Someone else you know was also in Ranchi at that
time. Mr Dinesh Mukerji. You stayed in a bungalow. You said you didn’t like
hotel food and would prefer to have your meals cooked by a bawarchi. Mr Mukerji
stayed with his sister. You had a big argument about the moon landing,
remember? I’ll tell you more: you always carried a bag with your books in it on
your sight-seeing trips. Am I right or not?” Bepin Babu spoke quietly, his eyes
still on the books. “Which month in ’58 are you talking about?” The man said,
“October.”
Q1. As per the man, who was with Bepin?
Ans. Mr Dinesh
Mukerji was accompanying Bepin.
Q2. What medicine did the man get?
Ans. The man got
iodine for Bepin’s cut on the right knee.
Q3. Where did Bepin stay at Ranchi?
Ans. Bepin stayed at a
bungalow during his stay at Ranchi.
Q4. What did Bepin carry during the
sight-seeing trips?
Ans. He always carried a bag with his books
when he went sight-seeing.
Q5. In which year did Bepin go to Ranchi, according
to the man?
Ans. According to him,
Bepin went to Ranchi in 1958.
C. Bepin Babu’s car was safely parked in Bertram
Street by the Lighthouse Cinema. He told the driver as he got into the car,
“Just drive by the Ganga, will you, Sitaram.” Driving up the Strand Road, Bepin
Babu regretted having paid so much attention to the intruder. He had never been
to Ranchi — no question about it. It was inconceivable that he should forget
such an incident which took place only six or seven years ago. He had an excellent
memory. Unless — Bepin Babu’s head reeled.
Q1. Where was the car parked?
Ans. It was parked in a street called Bertram
street, next to the Lighthouse cinema hall.
Q2. Which river does Bepin refer to?
Ans. He talks of river
Ganga.
Q3. Identify a synonym of ‘reeled’.
A.
Twisted
B.
Swayed
C.
Sang
D.
Scolded
Ans. B. Swayed
Q4. Who is Sitaram?
Ans. Sitaram is the
driver.
Q5. On the drive, Bepin was thinking about
______
Ans. the stranger whom he had encountered at
the book shop.
D. And yet the man knew a great deal about him. How? He even seemed
to know some intimate details. The bag of books, wife’s death, brother’s
insanity… The only mistake was about his having gone to Ranchi. Not a mistake;
a deliberate lie. In ’58, during the Pujas, he was in Kanpur at his friend
Haridas Bagchi’s place. All Bepin Babu had to do was write to — no, there was
no way of writing to Haridas. Bepin Babu suddenly remembered that Haridas had
left with his wife for Japan some weeks ago, and he didn’t have his address. But
where was the need for proof? He himself was fully aware that he hadn’t been to
Ranchi — and that was that. The river breeze was bracing, and yet a slight
discomfort lingered in Bepin Babu’s mind.
Q1. As per Bepin, where was he in 1958 during
the poojas?
Ans. He was in Kanpur, at his friend Haridas
Bagchi’s place.
Q2. What, according to Bepin, was the stranger
doing?
Ans. According to him,
the stranger was deliberately lying.
Q3. Why did Bepin refrain from writing to
Haridas?
Ans. He refrained
because he recollected that Haridas had left for Japan some weeks ago and he
didn’t have his address.
Q4. What was Bepin’s claim?
Ans. Bepin was sure that
he had not visited Ranchi ever.
Q5. Find a synonym for ‘bracing’.
A. hugging
B.
energizing
C.
stinking
D.
none of these
Ans. B. energizing
Answer the following
questions-
Q1. What did the call with Dinesh Mukherji
confirm?
Ans. Dinesh Mukherji confirmed that in 1958, he
had gone out of station twice. Out of this, one was his visit to Ranchi where
he had been with Bepin Choudhary.
Q2. How had Bepin known Chunni?
Ans. They had been together in school and
knew each other since childhood.
Q3. What did Chunni comment when Bepin
expressed doubt over his visit to Ranchi?
Ans. Chunni asked
Bepin if he had been on drugs due to which perhaps, he had lost his memory.
Q4. What did Bepin do on Dr Chanda’s advice?
Ans. He visited Ranchi on the doctor’s
advice.
Q5. What did Chunnilal use to teach Bepin a
lesson?
Ans. He used his
imagination to create a false story so that Bepin got confused and doubted his
memory. This was Chunnilal’s way of teaching him a lesson.