Extra Questions for A Letter to God Class 10 first Flight
Important Questions1
The house—the only one in the entire valley sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho—who knew his fields intimately had done nothing else but see the sky towards the north-east. "Now we're really going to get some water, woman".
(a) Which crop grew in the fields?
(b) What was peculiar about Lencho's house?
(c) What did Lencho wish in the morning?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means 'closely'.
Answer
(a) It was of corn.
(b) It was the only one in the entire valley. It was situated on the crest of a low hill.
(c) Lencho wished for the rain in the morning.
2
With a satisfied expression, he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.
(a) Why was Lencho satisfied?
(b) What happened all of a sudden?
(c) What did ‘they’ truly resemble?
(d) What do the ‘frozen pearls’ refer to, here?
Answer
(a) Lencho was satisfied as it started raining heavily. He regarded the fields of ripe corn with its flowers covered with rain.
(b) Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall.
(c) The large hailstones resembled new silver coins.
(d) Here ‘frozen pearls’ refers to hailstones.
3
That night was a sorrowful one.
"All our work, for nothing."
"There's no one who can help us."
"We'll all go hungry this year."
But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God.
"Don't be so upset, even though this seems like a total loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger." "That's what they say: no one dies of hunger."All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one's conscience.
(a) Why was Lencho's family full of sorrow?
(b) What does 'Help from God' mean?
(c) What has been taught to Lencho?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means 'lonely'.
Answer
(a) Lencho's family was full of sorrow because the crops stood fully ruined.
(b) 'Help from God' means that God will surely help him with food, money etc.
(c) Lencho has been taught that God sees everything, even in one's conscience.
4
With a satisfied expression, he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did resemble new silver coins. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.
(a) Why was Lencho satisfied?
(b) What happened all of a sudden?
(c) What did ‘they’ truly resemble?
(d) What do the ‘frozen pearls’ refer to, here?
Answer
(a) Lencho was satisfied as it started raining heavily. He regarded the fields of ripe corn with its flowers covered with rain.
(b) Suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall.
(c) The large hailstones resembled new silver coins.
(d) Here ‘frozen pearls’ refers to hailstones.
5
All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields but still, he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the mail. It was nothing less than a letter to God.
(a) What did Lencho think throughout the night?
(b) What does ‘Lencho was an ox of a man’ imply?
(c) Which line suggests that Lencho was literate?
(d) What strange action did Lencho take?
Answer
(a) He thought of one hope—the help of God.
(b) He was very hardworking—he worked like an ox.
(c) “The following Sunday… he began to write a letter ….” This line suggests that Lencho was literate.
(d) Lencho’s odd action was his letter addressed to God.
1
Answer
When Lencho’s annual crop was completely destroyed due to heavy rains and hailstorm and there was no one to help hint during the crisis. At that time Lencho wrote a letter to God.
He wrote the letter requesting Him to send 100 pesos so that he could sow his fields again till the next crop.
2
Answer
Lencho's house was situated in a valley. It was the only one in the entire valley. It was on the crest of a low hill. One could see the river and the field of ripe corn from here. Lencho sat the whole day looking at the sky for rains. It was because his crop needed the rain to ripen.3
Answer
It rained and rained. It changed into hailstones. Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers had gone from the plants. Not a leaf of corn remained in the fields. Hailstones destroyed everything. Even the locusts would not have done so much destruction. It was a sorrowful night for Lencho.4
What are the raindrops compared to and why?
Or
Lencho calls the raindrops 'new coins'. Why does he call them so?
Answer
Lencho looked at the raindrops. He compared them to new coins of money. It is because the crops needed the rain badly. The rain was coming in drops now. Coins are money. A good crop would mean money. So the crops were money for Lencho. So he compared them with coins.5
Answer
Lencho could not sleep the whole night. Hailstones had caused much loss. His crops were totally destroyed. His only hope was the help of God.' He felt that God's eyes see everything. The hope helped him to face the ruin of crops. He felt that no one dies of hunger. One should not be upset even in the face of total loss.6
Answer
The postmaster was a kind, generous, helpful and God fearing man. When he received the letter written to God asking for 100 pesos, he felt sympathetic towards Lencho. Hence, he decided to help Lencho. He gave a part of his salary and asked the other employees to help. He signed the letter ‘God’ in order to preserve the man’s faith in God.7
Answer
Lencho faced a big problem. His family would starve. So he thought of God at this hour of crisis. He had a faith in God who sees everything. He thought that everyone in the family would die. He needed help against hunger. So he decided to write a letter to God. He would ask God for help. God would save him and help his family to overcome the sadness.8
Answer
The postman was surprised to see Lencho's letter to God. He had never seen a letter addressed to God. No one had ever written such a letter to God. So he read Lencho's letter to God. He laughed at it. He took the letter to the postmaster. The postmaster was also surprised at Lencho's faith in God. He himself wanted to have such a faith in God.9
Answer
Lencho had never thought that God would send him less money. So he got angry when he counted the money. He went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. He wrote another letter to God. He showed his anger through his wrinkled eyebrows. He made a complaint against the officials.10
Answer
Lencho was angry. He decided to write another letter to God. He wrote about the money in his second letter to God. He wrote that he had asked for a hundred pesos. But he received only seventy pesos. He asked God to send the balance amount but not through the mail. It was because the post office employees were a bunch of crooks.11
Answer
It is absolutely true that optimism can bring about a spark of brightness even in adverse situations. It was Lencho’s innocent optimism that eventually led to his getting seventy pesos. In fact, it was his positivity despite the hailstorm that he even wrote a letter to God in the first place. His hope finally triumphed.12
Answer
Lencho was not at all surprised to receive the envelope with the money in it because he had utter faith in God. His unshakeable faith gave him firm confidence.13
Answer
The postmaster was a kind, generous, helpful, amiable and God-fearing man. He was generous, as he helped Lencho with 70 pesos. He also wrote a reply to Lencho’s letter in order to maintain his faith in God.14
Answer
Lencho had deep faith in God and hence wrote a letter to God asking for 100 pesos. But when he received 70 pesos instead of 100, he was angry. He wrote another letter to God asking him to send the rest of the money, but not through the post-office as they were a ‘bunch of crooks’.15
Answer
Lencho hoped to get good crops because of raindrops. He thought he would earn good money so he called them new coins. But raindrops soon turned into hailstones which destroyed all his crops and ruined his hopes.16
Answer
Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstones. He feared that he and his family would go hungry. He had no one to help but he had full faith in God whose eyes see everything. He wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos to sow the crop and live until the next harvest.17
Answer
It starts raining. Lencho is very happy. He compares the big drops of rain to ten-cent pieces and the little ones to five-cent pieces. Lencho needs rain for a good harvest. If he has good crops, he will get money. That is why he compares the raindrops to coins.18
Answer
The post office employees were not really the crooks. They were nice people as they collected the money for Lencho. They were true human beings. They were sympathetic and helpful. They didn't want to shake Lencho's faith in God. However, Lencho was foolish with a very simple mind. He called them crooks in his simplicity of mind. It was out of his blind faith in God.1
Answer
Lencho's fields were totally destroyed by the hailstorm. He thought that his family would not survive. So he wrote a letter to God to send him one hundred pesos immediately.
The letter reached the postmaster. He read it out with curiosity. He was a kind man. He decided to help Lencho. He collected seventy pesos with great effort. He put it in an envelope and signed 'God' on the letter. He didn't want Lencho's faith in God to lessen. Lencho got this letter with seventy pesos.
However, Lencho was angry. He immediately wrote another letter to God. In it, He complained against the post office employees. He felt that the part of money had been stolen by the post office staff.
2
(i) What did the postmaster need to answer the letter? How did he collect it?
(ii) How did Lencho react to the help?
Answer
(i) The postmaster was a kind man. He wondered at the faith of Lencho in God. He did not wish to shake it. Instead, he wished he had such a faith in Him. He opened up the letter. He decided to reply the letter. But he needed something more than goodwill. Lencho had requested God to send him money. The postmaster decided to send this money to him. So he asked for money from his employees. He himself gave a part of his salary. It was impossible for him to collect together the hundred pesos. So he was able to collect only seventy pesos. It was sent to Lencho.
3
Answer
Lencho spoke these words in his ignorance. He never knew that man can be as kind as God. He had appealed to God. When he got money, he thought it was from God. However, the amount was less than he had appealed for. After all, God can be neither poor nor miserly. So, Lencho believed that the post office employees had taken the money. Hence, he called them a 'bunch of crooks'.
In my opinion post office employees were only too good. They had only helped Lencho. They did not want Lencho's faith in God to lessen. They were ready even to give its credit to God. But their kind actions were returned with abuse.
4
Answer
I think the postmaster had never expected such a reply from Lencho. When he had received such a letter from Lencho, he could have laughed much. He would have been more glad to see Lencho's great faith in God. The postmaster would also have wondered at the simplicity of Lencho. He would have felt happy to see Lencho as a great worshipper of God. He was a kind-hearted fellow. He also had a great wish to have such faith in God like Lencho. So he would have asked his friends to contribute to thirty pesos. He would have sent it to Lencho.5
How did the hailstones affect Lencho's fields? What was Lencho's only hope?
Or
How was Lencho's crop destroyed? How did he ask God for help?
Answer
Lencho was a hard working farmer. He depended completely on his fields for his living. He expected a rich harvest that year. Only a little rain was needed for the crop to ripen. But it rained heavily. It was followed by hailstorm. The crop was completely destroyed. It was a great blow to Lencho. He feared that his family would starve without food. Also he had no seed for the next harvest.
But, Lencho believed firmly that nobody died of hunger. But he had one hope. It was help from God. So, he wrote a letter to God. He asked for a hundred pesos as help.
6
Answer
Lencho is a very simple-hearted person. He is a farmer. He works very hard in his fields. He is a poor farmer. He depends for his livelihood on his crops. If his crops are good, he is happy. If they are destroyed by the seasonal changes, he is unhappy. Lencho has a firm faith in God. He sees God the only hope when the hailstorm has destroyed his crop. Lencho is very honest and straightforward, He is far from any deception or dishonesty. He is not afraid to speak the truth. He calls the post office employees 'crooks'. It is because he thinks they have stolen his money sent to him by God. This way he can also be called a fool.7
Write the story of Lencho’s faith in God.
Or
Write a brief summary of the story ‘A Letter to God’.
Answer
Lencho was a simple farmer. He was very hard-working. But one year, his harvest was completely destroyed by the hailstorm. He had firm faith in God. He wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos. The postmaster saw the letter. He decided to help Lencho. He collected money from his employees. He gave some part of his own salary also. But the money was less than what Lencho had asked for. The postmaster put the money into an envelope and addressed it to Lencho. Next Sunday Lencho came to collect his letter. When he counted the money he became angry. He wrote another letter to God. He asked God to send him the rest of the money. But he asked God not to send the money through the mail as the employees of the post-office were a bunch of crooks.8
Answer
A crook is a person who cheats others. He earns his living by dishonest means. Lencho requested God for a hundred pesos. He received a letter in the mail. When he opened it he found seventy pesos in it. He thought that the post-office employees had taken the rest of thirty pesos. So he called them a bunch of crooks. But in fact, they were kind and generous people. They did not want to shake Lencho‘s faith in God. So they raised money to help him. But they could not raise a hundred pesos. So they put seventy pesos in an envelope and addressed it to Lencho. The post-office employees were good people. They did an act of kindness and Charity. It was wrong for Lencho to call them a bunch of crooks.9
Answer
The rain did come but came with disastrous hailstones that ruined everything. The leaves, plants and flowers were ruined. The corn was totally destroyed. The hail had left nothing. That year Lencho and his family would have no corn. They would be on the verge of starvation. All such dismal prospects worried Lencho. There was only one hope— help from God.
Lencho and his wife were highly religious and had an unshaken faith in God. They believed in God’s mercy and also believed that ‘no one dies of hunger’. So, Lencho decided to write a letter to God. He wrote that he needed immediate help. He wrote that without God’s help his family would face starvation. He needed a hundred pesos in order to sow his fields and live until the fresh crop coming. He wrote the letter and wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope and dropped it into the mailbox.
10
Answer
Lencho’s faith in God was complete and unshaken. When he lost all hopes, he looked towards God for help. And he was sure that God would come to the help of a simple man of clear conscience like him. So, when he saw the money, he was not at all surprised as he had been waiting for it. But when he counted the money, he became angry. He was sure that someone had stolen thirty pesos out of the hundred sent by God. Who could be they except the employees at the post office? Therefore, he wrote a second letter to God to send him the rest of the money immediately. He asked Him not to send the money through the mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks.’
The situation at the end becomes quite ironical. It is ironical that men who collected pesos to help Lencho were called `a bunch of crooks, by him. He couldn’t know till the end who had really sent that money.