SEBA Class X English Text book First Flight Chapter 2: Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom

SEBA Class X English Text book First Flight Dust of Snow

SEBA Class X English Text book First Flight Chapter 1: A Letter to God

NCERT Class X English Textbook Chapter 1: A Letter to God Questions and Answers

 1 A Letter to God

BEFORE YOU READ

     They say faith can move mountains. But what should we put our faith in? This is the question this story delicately poses.
    Lencho is a farmer who writes a letter to God when his crops are ruined, asking for a hundred pesos. Does Lencho’s letter reach God? Does God send him the money? Think what your answers to these questions would be, and guess how the story continues, before you begin to read it.

Activity

1. One of the cheapest ways to send money to someone is through the post office. Have you ever sent or received money in this way? Here’s what you have to do. (As you read the instructions, discuss with your teacher in class the meanings of these words: counter, counter clerk, appropriate, acknowledgement, counterfoil, record. Consult a dictionary if necessary. Are there words corresponding to these English words in your languages?)

    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.”
    
    The woman who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”. The older boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, “Come for dinner”. 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, and when he returned he exclaimed, ‘‘These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.’’
    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.
    
    ‘‘It’s really getting bad now,’’ exclaimed the man. “I hope it passes quickly.” It did not pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on the whole valley. 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. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “A plague of locusts would have left more than this. The hail has left nothing.

This year we will have no corn.’’
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. 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.
    
    “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm... .”
    
    He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town. At the post office, he placed a stamp on the letter and dropped it into the mailbox.
    
    One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office, went to his boss laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a postman had he known that address. 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. Starting up a correspondence with God!”
    
    So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he himself gave part of his salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something ‘for an act of charity’.
    
    It was impossible for him to gather together the hundred pesos, so he was able to send the farmer only a little more than half. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with it a letter containing only a single word as a signature: God.

    The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office.
        
    Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence — but he became angry when he counted the money. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
    
    Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing-table, he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. 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 I 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.”
    

***************************************************
crest: top of a hill
draped: covered (with cloth)
locusts: insects which fly in big swarms (groups) and destroy crops
conscience: an inner sense of right and wrong
peso: currency of several Latin American countries
amiable: friendly and pleasant
contentment: satisfaction
***************************************************
Oral Comprehension Check

1. What did Lencho hope for?

Answer: Lencho hoped for rain because his field needed water to grow the crops.

 

2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?

Answer: Lencho said this because he thought the rain would bring a good harvest, and the harvest would give him money. So, he saw the raindrops as valuable like coins.

 

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

Answer: The rain changed into hailstones when a strong wind started to blow. Big hailstones fell with the rain.

            All the crops in Lencho’s field were destroyed.

 

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

Answer: Lencho felt very sad and hopeless. He said the hailstorm had left him with nothing, and he thought that his family would go hungry.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

Answer: Lencho had faith in God. He believed that God would help him.

So, he wrote a letter to God asking for 100 pesos to support his family and sow his field again.

 

2. Who read the letter?

Answer: A postman read the letter first. Then he showed it to the postmaster, who also read it.

 

3. What did the postmaster do then?

Answer: The postmaster was touched by Lencho’s faith. He decided to help him. He collected money from his employees and friends, added some from his own salary, and sent it to Lencho with a letter signed ‘God’.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

Answer: No, Lencho was not surprised. He had strong faith in God, so he believed that God would send him the money.

 

2. What made him angry?

Answer: Lencho became angry because he received only seventy pesos instead of the hundred pesos he had asked for. He thought that the post office employees had stolen the rest of the money.

***************************************************
Thinking about the text

1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?  
Answer: Lencho has complete faith in God. The sentences that show this are: 
• "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."  
• "Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God."
• "God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested."

2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?  
Answer: The postmaster sends money to Lencho to preserve his faith in God. He is touched by Lencho's strong belief in God and doesn't want to break that faith. He signs the letter as "God" to make Lencho believe that the help came from God.

3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?  
Answer: No, Lencho did not try to find out who sent the money because he had complete faith that it was God who sent it. He didn't doubt God's help.

4. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?  
Answer: Lencho thinks that the post office employees have taken the rest of the money. The irony is that the post office employees, including the postmaster, were the ones who collected and sent the money to him out of kindness, but Lencho believes they are dishonest and stole the money.
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
naive
selfish
stupid
comical
ungrateful
unquestioning

Answer: Yes, there are people like Lencho in the real world. Lencho can be described as naive and unquestioning. He has complete faith in God and doesn't doubt the help he receives, but he doesn't realize who actually helped him. He might seem ungrateful as he blames the post office employees without knowing the truth.

6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer: The story illustrates two types of conflict:

1. Conflict between humans and nature: Lencho's crops are destroyed by a hailstorm. This shows the struggle between humans and natural forces, as Lencho and his family depend on the crops for survival, but nature's destructive power leaves them helpless.

2. Conflict between humans themselves: Lencho believes that the post office employees took part of the money he received from "God." This conflict arises from Lencho's misunderstanding and mistrust, despite the fact that the employees, especially the postmaster, had only good intentions in helping him.

Both conflicts highlight human vulnerability in different ways—one against nature's unpredictability and the other against misunderstandings among people.

***

Answer Bank of H.S.L.C.QUESTIONS From 2011 to 2020

 

PROSE SECTION:

 

(Section-A)

1. A Letter to God

G.L. Fuentes

 

A. Very Short type questions: Mark: 1

1. Choose the correct answer from the alternative given:

(a) I need a hundred pesos…

(currency of India/Spain/Latin America)                               (HSLC 15)

Answer: currency of Latin America

(b) Send me the rest……, since I need it very much……   (HSLC 16)

(relaxed/remaining part/be buried)

Answer: remaining part.

(c) The house _____ the only one in the entire valley sat on the crest of a low hill.

(wide/whole/flat) (HSLC 17)

Answer: whole.

2. What happened to Lencho’s fields after the hailstorm? (HSLC 15)

Answer: After the hailstorm Lencho’s cornfield was totally destroyed. Not a leaf remained on the trees. Flowers were gone from the plants and the fields became white as if it was covered with salt.

3. Where was Lencho’s house situated? (HSLC 16)

Answer: Lencho’s house was situated on the crest of a low hill.

4. “All through the night, Lencho thought only of this one hope:” What was Lencho’s only one hope? (HSLC 17)

Answer: Lencho’s only one hope was help from God.

5. What type of a man was the postmaster? (HSLC 19)

Answer: The postmaster was a fat , amiable person

6. What was the one hope of Lencho? (HSLC 20)

Answer: The one hope of Lencho was help from God.

7. What did Lencho say to his sons after the hailstorm? (HSLC 20)

Answer: After the hailstorm Lencho told his sons that even a plague of locusts would have left more corn than what was left by the hailstorm. He also said that there was no one to help them and they would go hungry that year.

 

B. Short type questions: Marks: 2/3

1. “These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins.” Why did Lencho consider the raindrops with new coins? (HSLC 15)

Answer: Lencho’s cornfields needed rain for a good harvest which in turn would bring him money and prosperity. So, when the drops of rain began to fall, Lencho was so happy that he considered them as ‘new coins’.

2. “But don’t sent it to me through mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks.”

What made Lencho think that the post office employees are a bunch of crooks? (HSLC 16)

Answer: Lencho received less money than he had asked for. He was sure that God could not make a mistake nor could he deny Lencho what he had requested. So, he suspected the post-office employees of having taken a part of his money and called them a bunch of crooks.

3. What did the postmaster do after he had received Lencho’s letter? (HSLC 17, 20)

Answer: The postmaster was impressed by Lencho’s deep belief in God and he decided to help Lencho himself. He collected money from his friends and employees. He himself gave a part of his salary. Then he put the collected money in an envelope and sent it to Lencho.

4. What did Lencho do throughout the morning? What did he see in the north-east? (HSLC 18)

Answer: Lencho had been watching the North-East sky throughout the morning in the hope of rain.

He saw huge mountains of clouds in the North-East.

5. “Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness.” Why? (HSLC 18)

Answer: Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness because the hailstorm had totally destroyed his field of corn. He saw a bleak future ahead. There was no one to help his family and he feared they would go hungry that year.

6. "The only thing the earth needed…." What 'only thing' did the earth need? (HSLC 19)

Answer: The only thing the Earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower.

7. What did Lencho write in his letter to God? (HSLC 19)

Answer: In his first letter to God, Lencho wrote about his helpless condition caused by the hailstorm. He requested God to send him one hundred pesos so that he could sow his field again and live until the crop grew.

In his second letter to God, Lencho made a complaint against the post-office employees. He wrote that of the money he had asked for, only seventy pesos reached him. He requested God not to send the money through the mail because the post-office employees were a bunch of crooks.

 

Additional Important Questions

 

Very short question answer (1 mark)

 

1. Why did Lencho keep gazing at the sky?

Answer: Lencho kept gazing at the sky because he hopefully wished for rain.

2. How much money did Lencho ask from God?

Answer: Lencho asked one hundred pesos from God in his letter to God.

3. How much money did Lencho receive from God?

Answer: Lencho received only seventy pesos from God.

 

Short question answer (2/3 marks)

 

1. Why do you think Lencho wrote a second letter to God?

Answer: Lencho wrote a second letter to God because he didn’t receive the hundred pesos from God that he asked for in his first letter.

2. What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story 'A Letter to God'?

Answer: The postmaster was a kind, friendly, helpful fellow. He helped Lencho with seventy pesos and even wrote a letter on behalf of God in order not to break his faith in God.

3. Why do you think Lencho called the post office employees 'a bunch of crooks' ?

Answer: After receiving the letter from “God” Lencho remained unsatisfied. The fact that he received only a little more than half of the amount he had requested for, made him angry. It was because he had a knowledge that ‘God’ couldn’t make a mistake; hence the money was assumed to be misappropriated by the post office employees for which they were called “a bunch of crooks” by Lencho.

4. Why did Lencho show no surprise on seeing the money?

Answer: Lencho showed no surprise on receiving the money because he had complete faith in God. He believed in God and expected a certain help from him.

5. How are the conflicts between human and nature and human themselves illustrated in the story?

Answer: This story has two conflicts firstly between nature and human where human have no control over nature. In one moment it can make you happy and in the next it can destroy all dreams in a second.

The second conflict is between humAnsthemselves where Lencho has no faith in human but God. He didn't even bother to find out who sent him the money or even if it's possible for God to write a letter. There was no gratitude at all.

6. “Lencho was an ox of a man,working like an animal in the field”-what does the writer mean to say through this statement ?

Answer: Lencho was a hardworking farmer. His only source to earn livelihood was the cornfield.

Therefore he worked hard like an animal with greater intimacy in his field for good harvest. That is why the writer used the statement aforesaid.

7. Read the following paragraph carefully and answer the questions that follows:

            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 reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and when he returned he exclaimed," These aren't raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are five."

1) What happened during the meal? (1)

Answer: During the meal big drops of rain began to fall.

2) What could one see in the north-east? (1)

Answer: In the north-east one could see huge mountains of clouds approaching.

3). Find word from the passage that meAnsto 'made a forecast'. (1)

Answer: Predicted.

4) What does Lencho call the rain drops? (2)

Answer: Lencho calls the big drops of rain ten cent pieces and the little ones five cent pieces.