CBSE 8th English- Honeydew

Comprehension Check (Page 62)

Questions:

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

Answers:

1. The man, Parimal Ghose, was taken aback when Bepin failed to recognise him. He didn’t believe that Bepin had a lapse of memory.
2. Bepin Babu said that in October 58 he was in Kanpur.
3. 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:

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

Answers:

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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:

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

Answers:

1. Chunilal was an old friend of Bepin Babu. He wanted a favour from Bepin Babu in his job.
2. 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:

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

Answers:

1. Perhaps not. He finally recollected his memory and admitted that he had visited. Ranchi in 1958.
2. 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: Question 3: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 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.