STUDENTS’ ACADEMY ENGLISH

304,312,313 RJD Arcade, Above Kshitij Restaurant, Near Khodiya

Temple, New Ranip, Ahmedabad STD : 10
Girish Sir : 7575071517
Name : ___________________________ Batch No. : ____________ WORKSHEET

Answer the following in short. (Prose)

1. How did the hailstones affect the Lencho’s field? What was Lencho’s only hope?
Ans.
Lencho, a hardworking farmer, worked like an ox for a good harvest, depended completely
on his fields to take care of his family.
He expected a good harvest that year.
He needed a downpour for the crops to ripe, but the rain followed by hailstorm completely
destroyed the crops.
It made him sad.
He was worried for his family as he loved them so much.
But Lencho had firm faith in God and believed that nobody died of hunger.
So, he decided to seek help from God.
He wrote a letter to God and asked him for a hundred pesos to survive and to sow new crop.
2. Give a character sketch of Lencho.
Ans.
Lencho was a simple man and a hardworking farmer.
He worked as an ox in his field.
Lencho’s entire crops were badly destroyed by the hailstorm.
So, he became very sad as he was worried about his family.
He was an optimistic person. Although his only source of living was taken away, he didn’t
lose hope.
He had his last hope in God.
He was confident that God would help him in his distress.
Lencho was an innocent atheist who didn’t know that there was no such living person as
God who could send him money.
He had blind faith in God and sought solution of his problem from God only.
3. Give brief description about Lencho’s house and family.
Ans.
Lencho is the main character of the story “The Letter to God.”
He is a poor farmer who is the sole bread-earner of the family.
He had faith in God. Lencho lived in a small house which was situated on the crest of a low
hill in the valley.
His house was the only house in the entire valley.
He lived with his wife and his sons.
The elder ones used to work with him in the fields and the younger ones played near the
house.
Throughout the morning Lencho sat in his house and waited for the rain to come.
He wished for the rain or the shower for his field in which he had grown his crops.
STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE
 The rain would help his crops to get prepared for their harvest.
He saw the sky in the North-east. He assumed that they would be getting a good rain that
day.
This would help his crops to grow more effectively.
4. Sketch the character of the postmaster in the story ‘A Letter to God’.
Ans.
The postmaster was a fat and friendly fellow.
He was a sensible human being.
He first laughed looking at the letter which had a strange address.
But soon he became serious.
He was surprised at the faith that Lencho had in God.
He wanted his faith not to be shaken.
The postmaster himself gave a part of his salary and also requested his employees and a few
friends to contribute for charity.
He felt happy and satisfied when Lencho received the money.
This shows that he was a kind and empathetic person as well.
He loved to help others.
5. Who as Lencho and what circumstances forced him to write a letter to God?
Ans.
Lencho was a hardworking farmer who lived with his family on a crest of a low hill.
He was very caring and God loving man.
Though, he was a farmer he could read and write.
Lencho eagerly waited for the rainfall in order to get good harvest and he became happy
when it came.
But the pleasing rain changed into hailstorm and destroyed his crop.
He became sad and was worried about his family as they might remain hungry that year.
His last hope was the help from God as he had complete faith in him.
Hence, he wrote a letter to God asking him to send hundred pesos to survive and to reharvest.
6. How did the postmaster and post office employees helped Lencho? How did he react to their
help?
Ans.
The Postmaster and post office employees were very generous as they contributed for the act
of charity.
First they laughed when they saw Lencho’s letter to God, but soon they were impressed by
his faith in God.
They decided to send some money to Lencho so that his faith in God does not get shaken.
They collected seventy pesos and sent it to Lencho.
When Lencho got the envelope and opened it to count money, he became angry.
He again wrote a letter to God demanding the remaining thirty pesos.
He thought that post office employees had taken away the remaining money and called them
a bunch of crooks, which was not justified at all as they were the people who had helped him.
But it shows his innocence and firm faith in God.
7. Why post master amazed after seeing letter?
Ans.
Postmaster was amazed after seeing the letter because he never thought that Ali was coming
to post office for getting a letter.

STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE

 Postmaster always thought that he was just doing time pass but when he actually received the
letter he was utterly surprised.
8. What did the postmaster do in order to not break Lencho’s firm belief / faith in the Almighty
/ God?
Ans.
In order to not break Lencho’s firm belief/faith in the Almighty/God, the postmaster decided
to answer the letter as God himself.
He collected money from his employees, friends and contributed a part of his salary to send
to Lencho.
He put the money in an envelope and sent it.
9. What were Lencho’s feeling when the hail stopped?
Ans.
Lencho became very sad because all his crops were destroyed.
He was very upset and worried thinking what will he eat now.
He could sense his future dark where he won't be able to feed his family in the year ahead.
Answer the following in short. (Poetry)
1. What is central idea of the poem ‘Dust of snow’?
Ans.
The poem expresses the significance of small things in changing one’s attitude.
The poet appreciates the beauty of the snowflakes, which changed his mood and saved many
precious moments from being wasted away.
The crow shakes off the snow dust from the hemlock tree.
The same way one can shake off the sadness from one’s heart.
2. Explain the message of the poem ‘Dust of Snow’?
Ans.
The short poem by Robert Frost throws light upon the unimaginable healing power of nature
and tiny things.
From a bad mood to ill-health, there is nothing that can’t be cured by nature.
The author was experiencing one such bad day when a crow’s movement near a hemlock tree
dusted snow upon him.
The snow instantly makes him happier.
His day gets a lot better.
Thus, the supremacy of nature as a whole made him realize how petty his problem was.
The fact that hemlock tree is poisonous combined with crow being the indicator of doom and
fear are used in the poem as the carriers of happiness in the life of narrator is ironical.
The poet, through these objects has tried to highlight that sometimes creatures linked with
negative aspects of life can be the bringer of change and happiness.
Being outdoors in nature, with all its unpredictability can benefit anyone, anywhere at any
time.
3. Why was the poet standing under the hemlock tree?
Ans.
The poet was depressed and hopeless.
He was in a state of sorrowful mood.
As he was lost in thoughts, he was standing under the hemlock tree.
The incident was not pre-planned.
4. ‘And saved some part of the day, I had rued’ Explain.
Ans.

STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE

 The poet was feeling depressed and hopeless .
So he was not in a good mood . He was standing under the hemlock tree .
Suddenly a crow shook dust of snow on him .
The small and simple incident changed his mood .
He realized the fact that he was spoiling his time and decided to enjoy the rest part of the day
.
5. What is a ‘dust of snow’? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s
mood changed?
Ans.
The fine particles of snow that are on the hemlock tree.
It could also refer to the tiny white flowers of the hemlock tree.
In a metaphorical sense, the dust of snow could refer to an unlikely and joyful event which
turned the poet's mood around.
The dust of snow falling on the poet has changed his mood.
The soft, cold touch of the snow changed the poet's mood from rueful to joyous.
A day that began with regrets changed into one of happiness after the dust of snow fell on
him.
6. What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ present – joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow that
the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
Ans.
The crow and hemlock tree represent sorrow and depression felt by the poet in this world.
The dust of snow is the symbol of natural joy and energy.
The dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree means passing through the sad and
depressing moments are entering into the time full of joy and happiness.
7. Our mental condition depends on our surroundings and it can be changed according to it.
Explain.
Ans.
It is true that our mental condition depends on our surroundings.
For example, if we go to greener places or nearby waterfalls, we get immense pleasure.
This poem also describes it.
The poet was sitting under a hemlock tree in a dejected mood, but when a crow shakes this
tree and dust of snow falls on the poet, it changes the poet’s mood.
It was a pleasant incident.
8. What mood of the poet is reflected in the poem? How does it reflect?
Ans.
The sorrowful and depressive mood of the poet is reflected in the poem.
The use of the bird ‘crow’, which is ugly and harsh, and hemlock tree, which is a poisonous
plant, reflects the poet’s mood.
9. Why does the poet use such poetically uncommon bird and tree? What does it reflect?
Ans.
The poet seems to be in a depressive and sorrowful mood.
In such a mood, one cannot think of a sweet and beautiful side of nature.
The harsh, bitter and poisonous images come to his mind.
That is why he uses an uncommon, harsh, ugly crow and poisonous tree like hemlock .
Answer the following in short. (Supplementary Reader)
1. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Ans.

STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE

 Yes, Tricki was very happy to go home.
When the dog was brought into the surgery, he was ill.
But in spite of that the dog got cured in two days without any medication.
The doctor provided proper diet to Tricki and regular exercise also helped a lot in his speedy
recovery.
The dog regained his best health and was no longer restless.
Now, I think Mrs. Pumphrey may again go back to her old ways of treating Tricki with love
and care or learning a lesson from what she experienced, she may mend her ways and make him an
agile and healthier dog.
2. Do you think the story ‘Triumph of Surgery’ is a real life Episode or mere fiction? Or is it a
mixture of both?
Ans.
This story could be a mixture of both real life episode and a fiction.
Mrs. Pumphrey has a pet dog, but he got ill because she overfeeds him.
She has good intention to take care of him, but excess of everything is bad and the episode
revolves around those people who do not take anything seriously.
It can also relate to the real life parents and the way they do excessive care of their children.
3. How did the doctor treat the dog?
Ans.
The doctor gave Tricki no food, but plenty of water for two days.
Slowly, the dog started showing interest in his surrounding sand began mixing with the other
dogs at the surgery.
On the third day, the doctor saw Tricki licking the empty supper bowls of the other dogs.
Next day, a separate bowl was kept for it and the doctor was pleased to note that Tricki had
run to eat its food with enthusiasm.
From that day onwards, its progress was rapid.
It did not require medicinal treatment of any kind and recovered quite well at the end.
4. Why does Mrs. Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is “A Triumph of Surgery” ?
Ans.
Mrs. Pumphrey thought that the dog’s recovery was a “triumph of surgery” because in two
weeks,Tricki had recovered completely and had been transformed into a hard-animal.
When Tricki saw her, it leaped into her lap and licked her face.
She was so excited that tears started rolling out of her eyes.
She declared Tricki's recovery as a triumph of surgery to express her happiness and gratitude
towards the doctor.
5. Why did Mrs Humphrey treat Tricky in a special way?
Ans.
Mrs Humphrey was an extremely rich lady but was foolishly indulgent in pampering her dog,
Tricky.
She served him with cream cakes, chocolates and cod-liver oil.
She did so because she treated Tricky like her son.
6. What did she do to bring him back to normal health? Was she successful?
Ans.
To bring Tricki to normal health she started giving him a beer and cod-liver oil.
She also gave him a bowl of Horlicks at night to make him sleep.
But she was not successful because all these things put an adverse effect on the little dog.

STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE

STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE
STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE
STUDENTS’ ACADEMY/D’VAL SIR : 8460567928/SOCIAL SCIENCE