Class 10 English Chapter 1
A Letter to God
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 5)
Question 1:
What did Lencho hope for?
Answer:
Lencho had hoped for a downpour or at least a shower for his ripe corn fields as it was
needed for a good harvest.
Question 2:
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Answer:
Lencho compared the raindrops to ‘new coins’ – the big drops as ten-cent pieces and the
little ones as fives. As his crops were ready for harvest, he hoped that the rains would bring
him prosperity; so he felt the raindrops were like ‘new coins’.
Question 3:
How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Answer:
The rain started pouring down. But suddenly a strong wind blew and very large hailstones,
like frozen pearls, began to fall along with the rain. The hailstorm continued for an hour and
destroyed Lencho’s corn fields and washed away the flowers from the plants too.
Question 4:
What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer:
After the hailstones stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with grief and dismay. He realised that
everything was ruined by the hailstorm and nothing was left to feed his family for the entire
year. He could visualize the bleak future of his family.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 6)
Question 1:
Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Answer:
Lencho had a strong faith in God. He believed that God’s eyes see everything, even what is
deep in one’s conscience. Hence, he wrote a letter to God citing that he needed a hundred
pesos to sow his field that was destroyed by the hailstorm.
Question 2:
Who read the letter?
Answer:
The postmaster read Lencho’s letter addressed to God.
Question 3:
What did the postmaster do then?
Answer:
Initially, the postmaster broke out into laughter but was soon moved by the seriousness of
Lencho’s faith in God. He didn’t want to shake the writer’s faith in the Almighty, so he came up
with an idea to collect money from his employees and friends, gave a part of his salary and
sent it to Lencho.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 7)
Question 1:
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer:
No, Lencho was not at all surprised to receive a letter from God with money in it. He was very
confident and had firm faith in God that his request would definitely be taken care of by the
Almighty.
Question 2:
What made him angry?
Answer:
When Lencho counted the money, he found only seventy pesos, instead of the hundred
pesos demanded by him from God. He was confident that God could neither make a mistake
in sending him less money, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
Therefore, he came to the conclusion that the post office employees must have taken the
remaining thirty pesos from the envelope.
Thinking about the Text (Page 7-8)
Question 1:
Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer:
Lencho had complete faith in God as he was instructed that God could see everything and
helped whoever was in deep trouble. Given below are a few sentences which exhibit his faith
in God:
1. But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there
was a single hope of help from God.
2. 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.
3. “God”, he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year”.
4. He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and still troubled, went to town.
5. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had
requested.
6. 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”.
Question 2:
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Answer:
The postmaster was deeply moved by Lencho’s faith in God. Hence, he decided to send some
money to Lencho in order to avoid shaking the latter’s faith in God. So, he collected some
money from his colleagues and friends and signed the letter as ‘God’. The postmaster felt it
was an ideal ploy to convey a message to Lencho that God has sent him the money and that
God himself signed it.
Question 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 had sent him the money because he was confident
that God had sent it to him. Not for a moment did he suspect that someone else other than
God could have sent the money to him. His faith in the Almighty was so rock-solid that he
knew that nothing escapes God’s eyes. Lencho felt that God was aware of the unfortunate
incident faced by him and requested him to save him from this difficult situation.
Question 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.)
Answer:
Upon counting the money, when Lencho found only seventy pesos in the envelope instead of
the hundred pesos that he had requested from God, he was confident that the Almighty
couldn’t have made such a big mistake. From this situation, he suspected that the post office
employees could have stolen the remaining thirty pesos from the envelope. Hence, he called
them crooks.
The element of irony in this situation is that Lencho ends up suspecting those very people
who helped him in his crisis, in order to avoid shaking his faith in God.
Question 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 stupid ungrateful
selfish comical unquestioning
Answer:
It is not easy to find people like Lencho in the real world as he has a naïve and unquestioning
nature. From the story, we can conclude that he is not stupid. He is a literate person who
wrote a letter to God without any address requesting for money. Lencho had deep faith in
God and was confident that he would definitely receive some financial help from the
Almighty.
Question 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 conflicts between humans and nature are shown in the story when Lencho’s crops are
destroyed by the hailstorm. He had expected some good rain for a good harvest. However,
when his crops were damaged by the hailstorm, he lost all hope and became sad at the sight
of his destroyed field.
However, the story also depicts conflicts of humans between themselves. The postmaster
collected some money from his colleagues and friends and gave a part of his salary to help
Lencho so that the latter’s faith in God is not shaken. It was a beautiful act of selflessness and
kindness on their part. Despite their noble act, when Lencho received the money, he blindly
believed that God had sent him the money, and he blamed the post office employees for
stealing some money from the envelope. This implies that man lacks faith in his fellow human
beings, which gives rise to conflicts among themselves.
Thinking about Language (Page 8-11)
Question 1:
There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their
nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the
blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
gale, whirlwind, cyclone,
hurricane, tornado, typhoon
1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: __ __ c __ __ __ __
2. An extremely strong wind: __ a __ __
3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: __ __ p __ __ __ __
4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: __ __ __ n __ __ __
5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: __ __ r __ __
__ __ __ __
6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of
damage: __ __ __ __ l __ __ __ __
Answer:
1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: _c_ _y_ c _l_ _o_ _n_ _e_
2. An extremely strong wind: _g_ a _l_ _e_
3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: _t_ _y_ p _h_ _o_ _o_ _n_
4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: _t_ _o_ _r_ n _a_ _d_ _o_
5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: _h_ _u_ r
_r_ _i_ _c_ _a_ _n_ _e_
6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of
damage: _w_ _h_ _i_ _r_ l _w_ _i_ _n_ _d_
Question 2:
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
A B
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in – a feeling that something good will probably
college? I hope so. happen
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t – thinking that this would happen (It may or may
like the way you are arguing. not have happened.)
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS – stopped believing that this good thing would
sufferers. happen
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges – wanting something to happen (and thinking it
would not notice our mistakes. quite possible)
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her – showing concern that what you say should not
before she went to school. offend or disturb the other person: a way of being
polite
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the – wishing for something to happen, although this is
fishermen came back, seven days after the very unlikely
cyclone.
Answer:
A B
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in – wanting something to happen (and thinking it
college? I hope so. quite possible)
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t – showing concern that what you say should not
like the way you are arguing. offend or disturb the other person: a way of being
polite
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS – a feeling that something good will probably
sufferers. happen
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges – wishing for something to happen, although this is
would not notice our mistakes. very unlikely
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her – thinking that this would happen (It may or may
before she went to school. not have happened.)
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the – stopped believing that this good thing would
fishermen came back, seven days after the happen
cyclone.
Question 3:
Relative Clauses: Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as
suggested.
1. I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
2. My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
3. These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been
excellent. (whose)
4. Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
5. This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
Answer:
1. I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
2. My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
3. These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the
President.
4. Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
5. This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.
Question 4:
Using Negatives for Emphasis: Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express
the following ideas emphatically.
1. The trees lost all their leaves.
___________________________________________________________
2. The letter was addressed to God himself.
___________________________________________________________
3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
___________________________________________________________
Answer:
1. The trees lost all their leaves.
Not a leaf remained on the trees.
2. The letter was addressed to God himself.
It was nothing less than a letter to God.
3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
Never in his career as a postman had he seen that address.
Question 5:
Metaphors: In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say
what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.
Object Metaphor Quality or Feature Compared
Cloud Huge mountains of clouds The mass or ‘hugeness’ of
mountains
Raindrops
Hailstones
Locusts
An epidemic (a disease) that
spreads very rapidly and leaves
many people dead
An ox of a man
Answer:
Object Metaphor Quality or Feature Compared
Cloud Huge mountains of clouds The mass or ‘hugeness’ of
mountains
Raindrops Coins The money that the good crops
will bring when sold
Hailstones Frozen pearls Resembles the colour, hardness
and brightness of pearls
Locusts A plague of locusts The destruction caused by
plague and its consequences
Locusts A plague of locusts An epidemic (a disease) that
spreads very rapidly and leaves
many people dead
Lencho An ox of a man Strong and hardworking nature
resembles the working of an ox
in the fields
Chapter 1 Poem – Dust of Snow
Thinking about the Poem (Page 14)
Question 1:
What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s
mood changed?
Answer:
The ‘dust of snow’ refers to the snowflakes and its fine particles. The poet’s mood changed
due to the sudden shower of snowflakes. He was dismayed earlier, but it changed to a happy
and joyful mood as he felt refreshed and energized to enjoy the rest of the day.
Question 2:
How does Frost present nature in this poem? The following questions may help you to think
of an answer.
(i) What are the birds that are usually named in poems? Do you think a crow is often
mentioned in poems? What images come to your mind when you think of a crow?
(ii) Again, what is “a hemlock tree”? Why doesn’t the poet write about a more ‘beautiful’ tree
such as a maple, or an oak, or a pine?
(iii) What do the ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ represent — joy or sorrow? What does the dust of snow
that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree stand for?
Answer:
In the poem, Frost presents nature in a very unconventional manner.
1. Generally, poets consider birds and trees to represent beauty and positive qualities. They
write about birds such as parrots, peacocks, cuckoos, etc., and trees with beautiful
flowers and bearing tasty fruits. In this poem, Frost mentions a crow, which is often not
used in poems. Generally, a crow is a black bird with a harsh voice and is considered a bad
omen. Therefore, the word ‘crow’ in the poem brings foreboding and depressing pictures
to our mind.
2. Frost mentions “a hemlock tree”, which is a poisonous plant having small white flowers.
The poet however, didn’t choose to use a maple, pine or oak tree that symbolize beauty
and joyfulness. Instead, he chose the hemlock tree while leaving aside all the beautiful
trees of nature to represent his sadness and regretful feelings.
3. The ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ tree represent sorrow and depressing mood and feelings felt by
the poet in this world. The dust of snow symbolized a sense of natural joy and energy in
him. The dust of snow that the crow shakes off a hemlock tree refers to the sad and
depressing moments experienced by the poet initially which were gone as he enters into
a joyful and optimistic feeling.
Question 3:
Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar
moment that changed your mood that day?
Answer:
Yes, there have been innumerable times when I felt sad, depressed and hopeless due to some
unavoidable circumstances in my life. Sometimes, such moments were caused due to
indifferent behaviour and attitude of other people and sometimes due to my own conduct.
On one occasion, I returned tired and upset from school. Upon reaching home, my puppy
jumped and embraced me. This little joy literally changed my mood and I was overjoyed by
such a nice gesture by the little creature. This uplifted my mood for the rest of the day. I
played with my puppy for a while and caressed him with love and affection.
Poem – Fire and Ice
Thinking about the Poem (Page 15)
Question 1:
There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end
someday? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or
grew colder and colder?
Answer:
There are multiple theories about how the world will ‘end’. Yes, I do believe that the world will
end someday as we all know that every particular thing which begins also has an end to it.
This holds true for the world too, that if the Sun got so hot and it bursts, the entire life on
Earth would perish immediately as the planet would not be able to tolerate the intensity of
heat. On the contrary, if the Sun grew colder and colder, it is obvious that life will come to an
end without sunlight. We are aware of the fact that sunlight is a rich source of energy to all
the planets in the solar system.
Question 2:
For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:
greed avarice cruelty lust
conflict fury intolerance rigidity
insensitivity coldness indifference hatred
Answer:
‘Fire’ stands for greed, avarice, lust, conflict and fury. ‘Ice’ stands for cruelty, intolerance,
rigidity, insensitivity, coldness, indifference and hatred.
Question 3:
What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting
ideas in the poem?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is: a, b, a, a, b, c, b, c, b.
This rhyme scheme helps in projecting the contrasting ideas of ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ that are
presented in the poem. The poet Frost mentions both fire and ice as the probable ends of the
planet Earth. He talks about how ‘fire’ represents desire and might be a possible cause of the
end of the world. The poet also mentions ‘ice’ in the poem to symbolize the coldness and
indifference that people might have towards one another, which will be a reason good enough
to end the world. In the second stanza of the poem, the poet says that he knows enough
about hate in this world and is sure that even destruction through hatred (ice) would be
sufficient and adequate to bring about an end to the planet Earth.