Chapter 1 A Letter to God

1. What did Lencho hope for?

Ans. : Lencho hoped for rains as the only thing that his field of ripe corn needed was a shower.

2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Ans. : Lencho’s crops were ready for harvest. As raindrops would have helped in getting a better
harvest, resulting in more prosperity, so Lencho compared them with new coins.

3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?

Ans. : The rain was pouring down. But suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and very large
hailstones began to fall along with the rain. All the crop in Lencho’s fields destroyed.

4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

Ans. : After hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. He could see a bleak future for him
and his family. Hew was worried about lack of food for the coming year.

5. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Ans. : Lencho had faith in God. He believed that God’s eyes see everything, even what is deep in
one’s conscience. He wrote a letter to God saying that he needed a hundred pesos to sow his field
again.

6. Who read the letter?

Ans. : Postmaster read the letter.

7. What did the postmaster do then?

Ans. : The Postmaster first laughed. But then he became serious. He was deeply moved by the
writer’s faith in God. He did not want to shake this faith. So he decided to collect the money and send
it to Lencho.

Oral Comprehension Check

1.Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Ans. : No. Lencho was not at all surprised to see the letter from God with money inside it. His
confidence and faith in God was such that he had expected that reply from God.

2. What made him angry?

Ans. : When he finished counting moneyhe found only seventy pesos. But he demanded hundred
pesos. He was confident that God could neither make a mistake nor deny him what he had requested.
Therefore, he concluded that the post office employees must have taken the remaining thirty pesos
Thinking about the Text

1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Ans. : Lencho had complete faith in God. The sentences in the story that show this are as follows:
(i) 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.
(ii) 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.
(iii) “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.”
(iv) He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town.
(v) God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
(vi) It said: “God: of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest,
since I need it very much.”

2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Ans. : Postmaster was moved by Lencho’s complete faith in the God. So, he decided to send money to
Lencho. Moreover, the postmaster did not want to shake Lencho’s faith in God. So, he signed the
letter ‘God’. It was a good ploy to convey a message that God had himself written the letter.

3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
Ans. : No, Lencho does not try to find out who had sent the money to him. This is because he had
great confidence in God and never suspected that it could be someone else other than God who would
send him the money. His faith in God was so strong that he believed that God had sent him the money.

4. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?
[Remember that the irony of a situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is
strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected.
Ans. : Lencho thinks that the post office people have taken the money. It is the post office people who
send the money to Lencho. But, on the other hand, Lencho thinks they have stolen his money. He calls
them crooks. Thus there is an element of irony in this situation.

5. Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is?
You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.
Greedy Naïve stupid ungrateful
selfish comical unquestioning
Ans. : I don’t think there can be any such people in the real world. Lencho is literate and yet he
dosen’t know how his letter will reach God without any address. He probably would be naïve and
unquestioning.
6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between
humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Ans. : The conflict between humans and nature is shown by the destruction of Lencho’s crops by the
hailstorm. As the crops failed by hail, Lencho started feeling sad and gloomy after the storm
appropriately projects the conflict of the nature and the man. The Story also shown another conflict,
between humans themselves. The postmaster, along with the help of the other post office employees,
sent Lencho the money that they could manage to collect. They were not related to Lencho in any
manner. It was an act of kindness and selflessness on their part. Even though they did a good deed,
Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of money. This shows that man does not have
faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.
Extract Based Questions

A Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
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.

1. The field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers means that-
A. Not a single flower was bigger than a dot
B. The flowers were scattered across
C. The flowers had shrunk in size
D. The flowers were shaped like dots
Ans B. The flowers were scattered across.

2. Based on the details of the house’s location, how can it best be described?
A. Majestic
B. Imposing
C. Solitary
D. Unique
Ans C. Solitary

3. Lencho wished for a downpour or a heavy shower. Pick the option that correctly lists the
correct match for different kinds of rain.
(1) heavy rain (i) very heavy rain, tropical rain

(2) thunderstorm (ii) light rain that falls in very fine drops

it’s coming down quite strong and you get very wet
(3) drizzle (iii)
very quickly

Torrential
(4) (iv) really heavy rain that comes very suddenly
rain

is a violent, short-lived weather disturbance associated

(5) downpour (v)
with lightning, thunder and strong, gusty winds.
A. (1)-(ii), (2)-(iv), (3)-(v), (4)-(i), 5-(iii)
B. (1)-(iv), (2)-(i), (3)-(iii), (4)-(v), 5-(ii)
C. (1)-(v), (2)-(iii), (3)-(iv), (4)-(ii), 5-(1)
D. (1)-(iii), (2)-(v), (3)-(i), (4)-(ii), 5-(iv)
Ans D. (1)-(iii), (2)-(v), (3)-(i), (4)-(ii), 5-(iv)
4. Which quote supports the idea in the given extract?
A. “Farming is a profession of hope.”
B. “I would rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.”
C. “Farming looks mighty easy when your plough is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the
corn field.”
D. “Those too lazy to plough in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”
Ans A. “Farming is a profession of hope.”

B Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the North
East huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. The man went
out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body.
1. What could be seen approaching in the North-east?
A. A huge flock of birds could be seen approaching in the North-east.
B. Thick clouds of dust storm could be seen in the North-east.
C. Huge mountains of clouds filled with water could be seen in the North-east.
D. Thunder, lightning and a comet could be seen approaching in the North-east.
Ans B. Thick clouds of dust storm could be seen in the North-east.
2. Why did Lencho go out?
A. to have a look at his crop.
B. to quickly take the clothes hanging outside on the cloth stand inside to avoid them from getting
wet.
C. to feel the pleasure of rain on his body.
D. to take his animals under the shade as it was raining heavily.
Ans C. to feel the pleasure of rain on his body.
3. Which one of the following is not a synonym of predicted?
A. examine
B. foresee
c. speculate
D. None of these
Ans A. examine
4. What had Lencho predicted?
A. it was going to be a beautiful and windy day.
B. huge mountains of cloud would approach.
C. it would rain that day.
D. it would rain while he would be having his food
Ans C. it would rain that day.

C Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
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 upset, even though this seems like a total loss. Remember, no one dies
of hunger.
1. Which hope is mentioned here?
A. The help from God.
B. The help from his wife.
C. The help from his friends.
D. The help from his children.
Ans A. The help from God.

2. Who said, “Don’t be upset…”?

A. These words were spoken by Lencho.
B. These words were spoken by the postmaster.
C. These words were spoken by a postman.
D. None of the above
Ans A. These words were spoken by Lencho.
3. What loss had they suffered?
A. They had suffered the loss of their crop.
B. They had suffered the loss of their money.
C. They had suffered the loss of their land.
D. They had suffered the loss of their ancestral wealth.
Ans B. They had suffered the loss of their money.

4. Who was Lencho?

A. He was a hard working man.
B. He was a very nice and soft spoken person.
C. He was a postmaster.
D. He was the owner of a huge land area in the village.
Ans A. He was a hard working man.

D Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow:
With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its flower, 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.

1. Why was Lencho looking satisfied?

A. he had earned good money after selling his crop.
B. he had received help from God.
C. he had received help from post office employees.
D. he was hopeful of a good harvest.
Ans D. he was hopeful of a good harvest.

2. What was draped in a curtain of rain?

A. strong wind
B. new silver coins
C. frozen pearls which were very large hailstones.
D. field of ripe corn.
Ans D. field of ripe corn.
3. How did the weather change?
A. The rain suddenly stopped.
B. The big drops of rain suddenly changed into very large hailstones.
C. It rained heavily after the cloudburst.
D. It rained heavily but at the same time a bright sun was shining.
Ans B. The big drops of rain suddenly changed into very large hailstones.

4. Which literary device is used in the phrase ‘ran out to collect frozen pearls’?
A. Simile
B. Metaphor
C. Personification
D. Imagery
Ans B. Metaphor

E Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow :
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.

1. What kind of a man was Lencho?

A. hardworking
B. lazy
C. stubborn
D. economic
Ans A. hardworking

2. Why did he write a letter?

A. because he wanted to check his writing skills.
B. because he wanted help from God.
C. because he wanted to go to meet his family.
D. because he wanted to go abroad.
Ans B because he wanted help from God.

3. What do you mean by ‘an ox of a man’?

A. It means a hard working man.
B It means acting as an ox.
C. It means he behaves like an animal.
D. None of these
Ans A It means a hard working man.
4. Why did he visit the town?
A. to meet his friend.
B. to post the letter to God.
C. to buy vegetables.
D. for shopping
Ans B. to post the letter to God.

F Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow :
When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the
envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to
open it. It said, “God of the money that asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest,
since I need it very much. But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees
are a bunch of crooks, Lencho”.

1. How did Lencho paste the stamp?

A. He took glue from the post office window.
B. He licked it and pasted it.
C. He asked someone to paste it.
D. None of these
Ans B. He licked it and pasted it.

2. What happened to the letter after reaching into the mailbox?

A. The postmaster opened the letter and read it.
B. It was collected by the other post-office employees.
C. It was given back to Lencho.
D. It was misplaced.
Ans A. The postmaster opened the letter and read it.

3. Which word in the passage means the same as ‘attached’?

A. Envelope
B. Affixed
C. Crooks
D. Employees
Ans B Affixed
4. Whom did Lencho call ‘bunch of crooks’ and why?
A. His neighbours as they took his money.
B. His friends as they grabbed his money.
C. Post office employees as he got less money than he had asked for.
D. None of these
Ans C. Post office employees as he got less money than he had asked for.
PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTION

VERY SHORT QUESTIONS

Q1. What are the raindrops compared to and why? (CBSE 2011)
Ans: Raindrops are compared to new coins-ten-cent and five cent pieces. It is because they promised a good harvest and
as such good money.
Q2. How was Lencho sure that it was going to rain?
Ans: Lencho knew his fields intimately and he could predict the weather by looking at the sky. His experienced eyes saw
clouds and he predicted rain.
Q3. What promised a good harvest?
Ans: Lencho felt that the field of ripe corn dotted with flowers always promised a good harvest. That is why he was
anticipating a good harvest.
Q4. How did Lencho’s prediction about rain come true?
Ans: Lencho had looked towards the north east and remarked that they would get some water. His prediction came true
when it started raining in the evening.
Q5. Why did Lencho go out?
Ans: Lencho was eagerly awaiting for the rain which could be good for his crops. So he went out to have the pleasure of
feeling the rain on his body.
Q6. How did Lencho regard his field? Why?
Ans: When it started raining Lencho regarded his field with satisfaction. He was happy to see his crop draped in a curtain of
rain. He hoped to reap a good harvest.
Q7. “It’s really getting bad now.” What was getting bad and how?
Ans: Lencho was happy when it started raining. But the rain and the weather were getting bad. A strong wind was blowing
and hailstones were falling.
Q8. Why was Lencho’s soul filled with sorrow?
Ans: The hail and hailstones rained on the valley for an hour and it had left the field totally covered with snow. The crop
was completely destroyed. It made Lencho’s soul filled with sorrow.
Q9. Why was the family not really upset?
OR
People get support from family and friends during bad times. How does Lencho’s family behave after the harvest is
ruined? (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans: Though Lencho’s family was facing ruin, yet they were not really upset it was because having immense faith in God,
they were confident that God would help them.
Q10. Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho’s first letter addressed to God?
Ans: The postmaster was a generous and amiable man. He was impressed by Lencho’s firm faith in God. To sustain that
faith, the postmaster sent a reply to Lencho.
Q11. Why was Lencho angry when he received the letter?
Ans: The postmaster could raise only 70 pesos which he sent to Lencho, supposedly from God. Lencho was angry to find
30 pesos less than the amount he asked for. He was angry because he thought the post office employees had kept 30
pesos sent to him by God.
Q12. How was Lencho helped?
Ans: The postmaster, a kind-hearted and generous man, read Lencho’s letter addressed to God To sustain his; faith, the
postmaster raised money from friends and colleagues and sent it to Lencho, in the name of God.
Q13. Do you think the post office employees were ‘a bunch of crooks’?
OR
Explain the qualities of the post office employees. (CBSE SQP 2018-19)
OR
Why would you not agree with Lencho calling them a ‘a bunch of crooks’? (CBSE SQP 2018-19)
Ans: No, they were kind, generous and helpful persons. The postmaster contributed a part of his salary and motivated his
friends and colleagues for a charitable cause. So they were not a bunch of crooks.
Q14. How would you describe Lencho?
Ans: Lencho was a simple, naive and hard-working farmer. He was not only energetic, he had full faith in God also. He
became a victim of natural calamity, before God helped him indirectly.
Q15. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like new coins?
Ans: Lencho said that the raindrops were like new coins. It was because the raindrops could cause a good harvest that his
field needed most. Thus he would get a rich crop Further the raindrops had a brightness like new coins.
Q16. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Ans: The rain changed into heavy hailstone. In no time the whole valley was covered with hailstones. His fields. became
white as if covered with salt. His com was totally destroyed.
Q17. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Ans: When the hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness: He was very much troubled. His crop was totally
destroyed. He said, “The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no com. We will all go hungry.”
Q18. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
OR
Lencho did not bother exploring any other means to resolve his situation but just turned to God. Do you feel that
his approach was justified? Why/Why not? (CBSE QUESTION BANK)
Ans: Lencho had deep faith in God. He believed that God would help them all. No one would die of hunger as He sees
everything. Lencho decided to write a letter to God.
Q19. Who read the letter?
Ans: The postman and the postmaster read the letter.
Q20. What did the postmaster do then?
Ans: The postmaster burst into laughter on seeing the deep faith of Lencho in God. He collected money from his
employees. He even gave part of his salary. He put all the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and wrote a letter
containing a single word “God”.
Q21. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Ans: Lencho was not at all surprised to find a letter with money in it because he had immense faith in God.
Q22. What made him angry?
Ans: Lencho was angry at counting the money since it was less than the amount he had asked for. He had deep faith that
God could neither make a mistake nor could deny what was requested.
Q23. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter “God”?
Ans: The postmaster was a very generous fellow, in order not to shake Lencho’s faith in God, he collected money. and sent
it to Lencho. The postmaster signed the letter “God”, lest Lencho should think that the money had not been sent by God.
Q24. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/why not?
Ans: Lencho was a simple-minded person. He had firm faith in God. So he did not try to find out who had sent the money.
He was of the view that the money was sent by God and none else could do such an act.
Q25. Name the author of the lesson ‘A Letter to God’.
Ans: The author of the lesson ‘A Letter to God’ is G.L. Fuentes.