A Letter to God
1. Who was Lencho? Where was Lencho’s house situated?
Ans: Lencho was a poor farmer. Lencho’s house was situated in a lonely valley. It was on the crest of a low hill.
2. When did the rain start and how did Lencho’s family welcomed it?
Ans: The rain started during the evening and Lencho’s family welcomed the rain with glee.
3. What did Lencho hope for?
Ans: Being a farmer, Lencho hoped for rainwater to produce good crops.
4. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s field then?
Ans: The rain suddenly changed into hailstorm and it was scattered all around the valley. Lencho’s cornfield then completely destroyed.
5. What did Lencho see in the north-east?
Ans: Lencho saw the huge mountains of clouds in the north-east. There was fresh and sweet air also.
6. How are Lencho’s emotions expressed when it rained?
Ans: Lencho was so much emotional that he went out to have a pleasure of feeling the rain on his body. He also told that those were not raindrops but some new coins.
7. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coins’?
Ans: For Lencho, the raindrops falling from the sky were like new coins because they would help to yield a rich harvest of corn from his ripe cornfields. ( A good harvest meant more money and greater prosperity for his family. So he joyfully termed the big drops ten cent pieces and the small one's fives.)
8. How much money had Lencho asked God for?
Ans: Lencho had asked God for a hundred pesos.
9. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Ans: When the hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. The hail had left nothing of his harvest. So he thought they would die of starvation that year.
10. What did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Ans: Lencho did immense faith in God. He had a deep confidence that God's eyes saw everything. So he wrote a letter to God for helping him in his distressed situation.
11. Did Lencho’s letter reach to God? Who read the letter?
Ans: No, it is never possible to reach Lencho’s letter to God. The postman and the postmaster read the letter.
12. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Ans: No, Lencho was not surprised to find a letter for him with money in it, because he had a deep confidence in God.
13. What was the single hope in the hearts of those in the Lencho’s family?
Ans: It was only the help of God.
14. What are the raindrops compared to by Lencho?
Ans: Lencho compared the raindrops to some new coins.
15. What was Lencho’s only hope?
Ans: Lencho’s only hope was some financial help from God.
16. Why did the postmaster decide to answer Lencho’s letter?
Ans: The postmaster decided to answer Lencho’s letter addressed to God because he did not want to shaken Lencho’s faith in God.
17. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter as “God”?
Ans: Actually, the postmaster was a charitable person. He didn't want to break Lencho’s trust in God. So he sent money to Lencho.
He signed the letter as 'God’ to keep Lencho’s faith intact in God.
18. What did Lencho feel when he got less money than he demanded in the letter to God?
Ans: When Lencho got less money then his demand, he became very angry thinking that God could not make a mistake, nor could He have denied him to fulfill his request. He also taught that the rest of the amount was shared by the post office employees.
19. Why did Lencho become very angry when he counted the money?
Ans: (Same answer as No. 18)
20. How did Lencho react when he got less money than his demand?
Ans: (Same answer as No. 18)
21. What made Lencho very angry?
Ans: Lencho requested God for to send him 100 pesos. But he received only 70 pesos, which was not sufficient of his want. So he got very angry.
22. Why did Lencho not try to find out who had sent the money to him?
Ans: Lencho didn't try to find out who had sent the money to him because he had immense faith in God and it didn't allow him to pay attention about the sender.
23. Why did Lencho not show the slightest surprise on seeing the money?
Ans: Lencho didn't show the slightest surprise on seeing the money because he understood that there was an established system of getting money from God like the postal system.
24. Why didn't Lencho expect money through the mail?
Ans: Lencho did not expect money through the mail because he disbelieved the post office employees as he doubted they were a bunch of crooks.
25. What did Lencho write in his letter to God? How did he addressed the letter?
Ans: Lencho wrote to God that if he didn't help him, his family would starve that year. So he requested to God to send him 100 pesos to buy seed to sow the field again and live. He addressed the letter “To God” and put a stamp on it and dropped it in to the mailbox.
26. Choose the meaning of the underlined words in the following sentences from the alternatives given in the brackets:
The postmaster a fat amiable fellow broke out laughing. (amenable / pleasant / witty)
The following Sunday, at daybreak he began to write a letter. (noon / evening / dawn )
The weather is perfect with some showers thrown in for good measure. (air / dust / rain)
Ans: (a) pleasant (b) dawn (c) rain
27. Write whether the following statements are true or false:
Lencho needed a thousand pesos in order to sow his field again.
The big drops are ten cent pieces.
Lencho was very surprised to receive a reply to his letter from God.
Ans: (a) false (b) true (c) false
28. Match the following sentences with the clauses given below:
But don't send the rest of pesos to me through the mail because the post office employees -------
(i) are a big number of robbers (ii) are a bunch of crooks (iii) are not fit for their work.
(b) Lencho's older boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were -----
(i) having their meal (ii) doing their homework (iii) playing near the house.
(c) A plague of locusts ------
(i) would have left more than this (ii) destroyed all the crops.
Ans: (a) are a bunch of crooks. (b) playing near the house. (c) would have left more than this.
29. Given below, only two statements are true. Find out those statements:
(a) The postmaster had the idea of answering the letter.
(b) The postmaster sent hundred pesos to Lencho.
(c) Lencho didn't have faith in the post office employees.
Ans: (a) and (c) are true.
30. Give a character sketch of Lencho? [4 marks]
Or,
Describe Lencho’s qualities in light of his faith in God. Do you have faith in God like Lencho? Was Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees right?
Ans : Lencho was a poor farmer who totally depended on the harvest to survive and fulfil the basic needs of his family. Once his crops were destroyed due to heavy rainfall and hailstones, and he was afraid to think how his family would survive. He believed that God would help him in his plight.
He had firm faith in God, he believed that God would not let him be hungry. Nowadays faith in God like Lencho’s is almost impossible and unseen. People are very much aware that nobody is willing to help others without any self-interest.
Lencho’s reaction towards post office employees was not right or justified but it was just because of his innocence as he could not believe that God had done such a mistake. It were only the post office employees who had stolen money according to him.
Word Meanings:
entire : complete
valley : a low area of land between hills or mountains
crest : top of a mountain or hill
ripe : developed to the point of readiness for harvesting and eating
corn : a kind of grain
downpour : a heavy fall of rain
shower : drizzle
intimately : in a private and personal way
supper : an evening meal, typically a light or informal one
predict : guess
approaching : coming close to someone or something
pleasure : a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment
satisfied : pleased
expression : the action of making known one’s thoughts or feelings
regard : consider or think of in a specified way
draped : covered with something (cloth)
curtain : a piece of material suspended at the top to form a screen
hailstones : pellet of hails
resemble : have a similar appearance to or qualities in common with someone or something
exposing : making visible by uncovering it
frozen : covered with rigid ice
quickly : at a fast speed
hillside : inclined side of hill
destroyed : ruined
plague : an unusually large number of insects infesting a place and causing damage
locust : insects which fly in big swarms (groups) and destroy crops
solitary : done or existing alone
upset : unhappy; disappointed or worried
instructed : ordered someone to do something especially in a formal way
conscience : an inner sense of right or wrong
daybreak : dawn
peso : currency of several Latin American countries
sow : to plant the seeds of a crop
envelope : paper over to mail letter
heartily : loudly
amiable : having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner
serious : thoughtful
tapping : to hit in gentle stokes
correspondence : letters set or received
evident : clearly seen or understood
resolution : a firm decision to do or not to do something
charity : help or money given to those in need
contentment : a state of happiness and satisfaction
deed : a brave or noble act
slightest : a very small amount
deny : refuse
wrinkling : a slight line or fold in something, especially fabric or skin of the face
lick : to strike with tongue gently
affixed : attached to something else
blow : cause to move
bunch : a number of things, typically of the same kind
crooks : dishonest people or criminals
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