PRACTICE SHEET ANSWER SCHEME

Subject: English Topic: A Letter to God

Grade: X Div: Roll No: Date:

Q1 Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
(a) 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.”
”The woman who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God
willing.”
i. What had Lencho planted in his fields?
Lencho had planted corn in his field.

ii. What was Lencho waiting for?

Lencho was waiting for rain because his field of ripe corn was dotted with
flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing that the earth
needed was a downpour or at least a shower.
iii. Where was Lencho’s house located?
Lencho’s house was located on the crest of a low hill.

iv. Find the word from the passage which means ‘very closely’.
intimately

(b) The postmaster - a fat, amiable fellow - also broke out laughing, but
almost immediately he turned serious and tapping the letter on his desk,
commented. “What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this
letter.
i. Which letter is being referred to in the extract?
The letter that Lencho wrote to God is being referred to in the extract.

ii. What were the contents of the letter?

Lencho had written to God asking for a hundred pesos in order to sow his
field again and to live until the crop comes.

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iii. How and why did the postmaster help the writer of the letter?
The postmaster did not want to shake the writer’s faith in God, so he
helped Lencho by collecting money from his employees and friends, but it

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was not possible for him to gather the full amount.

iv. Give the antonym of the word ‘amiable’.

unfriendly/disagreeable

Q2 Answer the following questions in 30-40 words each.

(a) What did Lencho compare the raindrops to and why?
Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins because the crop showed
signs of a good harvest and the only thing needed was a downpour or at
least a shower.
Good harvest meant prosperity for Lencho as he needed the money to
fulfil his basic needs.
(b) What was the postmaster’s reaction to Lencho’s letter?
After reading Lencho’s letter to God, the postmaster laughed but soon
realised that Lencho had firm faith in God and his belief should not be
shaken. So, he decided to help Lencho with the help of his post office
employees. He collected seventy pesos and handed the envelope to
Lencho himself in which he also contributed a part of his salary.
(c) What was the condition of Lencho’s field after the hailstorm?
After an hour of hail stones raining on the countryside, the field was white
as if covered with salt. Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was
totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s soul
was filled with sadness.
(d) Why did Lencho not want the money to be sent through mail?
Lencho wrote in his second letter that he received only seventy pesos but
he needed a hundred pesos. He requested God not to send the rest of the
money by post since the post office employees were a bunch of crooks and
would steal the money.

Q3 Answer the following questions in 100-120 words.

(a) How did the hailstones affect Lencho’s field? What was Lencho’s only hope?
Lencho, a hardworking farmer, worked like an ox for a good harvest, and
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 ripen, but
the rain followed by hailstorm completely destroyed the crops.

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 PRACTICE SHEET ANSWER SCHEME
It made him sad. He was worried for his family.
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 sow a new crop and to survive till the next harvest.
(b) Give the character sketch of Lencho.
Lencho was a hardworking farmer. He laboured like an ox. He had good
knowledge of farming and knew his crop needed a downpour to give him
good yield. Lencho had great faith in God. He knew how to read and write.
He wrote a letter to God for help when his crops were totally ruined by
hailstones. Lencho was a caring head of the family. He was saddened and
worried that his family would have to go hungry. He was a simple and
innocent farmer. He could not reason out things. He blamed the post-
office employees for cheating him of 30 pesos and called them ‘a bunch of
crooks’.
(c) How do you think the postmaster felt when he received Lencho’s second letter?
What do you think he did?
Personal response
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