A Letter to God

NCERT Solutions

Oral Comprehension Check

Page 5

Question 1.
What did Lencho hope for?
Answer:
Lencho hoped for a good rain as it was much needed for a good harvest.

Question 2.
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Answer:
Lencho compared the raindrops with new coins because they were promising
him a good harvest resulting in more prosperity.

Question 3.
How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Answer:
The rain changed into hailstones as a strong wind began to blow and huge
hailstones began to fall alongwith the rain. All the crops in Lencho’s field got
destroyed because of the weather conditions.

Question 4.
What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer:
Lencho was filled with grief after the hail stopped as everything was ruined
and there was nothing that he could feed his family with. He could see a bleak
future for him and his family.

Page 6
Question 5.
Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Answer:
Lencho had firm faith in God. He believed ‘ that God sees everything, even
what is deep in one’s conscience and help everyone in one’s problems. He
wrote a letter to God demanding him a hundred pesos to sow his field again.

Question 6.
Who read the letter?
Answer:
Postmaster read the letter.

Question 7.
What did the postmaster do after reading a letter?
Answer:
The postmaster laughed when he read
Lencho’s letter but soon he became serious and was moved by the writer’s
faith in God. He didn’t want to shake Lencho’s faith. So, he decided to
collect ,money and send it to Lencho on behalf of God.

Page 7
Question 8.
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer:
Lencho was not surprised to find a letter with money from God as he believed
that God will help him.

Question 9.
What made Lencho angry?
Answer:
There were only seventy pesos in the envelope whereas Lencho had demanded
a hundred pesos. The difference in the amount made him angry.

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 has complete faith in God as he is instructed that God knows
everything and helps us in our problems. There are few sentences which show
this

 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.
 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.
 “God”, he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this
year”.
 He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and still troubled,
went to town.
 God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho
what he had requested.

Question 2.
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter
God?
Answer:
The postmaster sends money to Lencho in order to keep
Lencho’s faith in God alive and firm as he was completely moved by it.
When postmaster reads the letter of Lencho to God, he becomes serious and
does not want to shake his faith and decides to answer the letter. He gathers
money with the help of his post office employees and friends on behalf of God
and signs the letter ‘God’ so that Lencho’s faith does not get shaken.
Question 3.
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why or why not?
Answer:
Lencho did not try to find out who had sent the money to him because he
never suspected the presence of God and had complete faith in God. He could
not believe that it could be – anybody else other than him who would send him
the money.
His faith in God was so strong that he believed that he had sent money to him
for his help in his problem.

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:
Lencho thinks that the post office employees have taken the rest of the money
as he had demanded a hundred pesos from God and in the letter there was
only seventy pesos and God cannot make such a mistake. So, he assumes that
they have stolen the money.
The irony in this situation is that Lencho suspects those people who helped
him in his problem and tried to keep his faith alive 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 almost impossible to find a person like Lencho as he is an unquestioning
and naive kind of person. He is not stupid if he doesn’t know who has sent him
money or a letter will reach God without any address. It is Lencho’s faith in
God. In real world, people are selfish and greedy and Lencho is totally lovable
and different.
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:
Conflict between Humans and Nature: The conflict between humans and nature
is illustrated by the destruction of Lencho’s crop by the hailstorm as Lencho
was expecting a good rain to have good harvest as that was the only hope he
had for his earning. He worked so hard to feed his family, but nature turned
violent and destroyed everything.
Conflict between Humans and Humans: The story also illustrated another
conflict, between humans themselves as the postmaster alongwith his friends
and staff sent Lencho money that Lencho demanded from God although they
didn’t know Lencho. Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of
money. He called them “a bunch of crook”. This shows that man does not have
faith in other man, thereby giving rise to this conflict.

Thinking about Language (Page 8,9,10,11)

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?

 gale,
 whirlwind,
 cyclone,
 hurricane,
 tornado,
 typhoon.

Question 1.
A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle c__.
Answer:
cyclone

Question 2.
An extremely strong wind __ a __.
Answer:
gale

Question 3.
A violent tropical storm with very strong wind __ p __.
Answer:
typhoon

Question 4.
A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel __n__.
Answer:
tornado
Question 5.
A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the Western Atlantic
Ocean __ r__.
Answer:
Hurricane

Question 6.
A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a
lot of damage __l__.
Answer:
whirlwind

Question 7.
Match the sentences in column A with the meaning of ‘hope’ in column B.
Answer:

A B

Will you get the subjects you want to a feeling that something good
1. (a)
study in college? I hope so. will probably happen.

1 hope you don’t mind my saying this thinking that this would

2. but 1 don’t like the way you are (b) happen (it may or may not

arguing. have happened.)

This discovery will give new hope to stopped believing that this
3. (c)
HIV/AIDS sufferers. good thing would happen.

We were hoping against hope that wanting something to happen

4. the judges would not notice our (d) (and thinking it quite

mistakes. possible)
 showing concern that what

1 called early in the hope of speaking you say should not offend or
5. (e)
to her before she went to school. disturb the other person a

way of being polite.

Just when everybody had given up wishing for something to

6. hope, the fishermen came back, (f) happen, although this is very

seven days after the cyclone. unlikely.

Answer:
1. (b)
2. (e)
3. (a)
4. (f)
5. (d)
6. (c)

3. Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as
suggested.
Question 1.
I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India, (which)
Answer:
I often go to Mumbai which is the commercial capital of India.

Question 2.
My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well, (who)
Answer:
My Mother who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.

Question 3.
These sportsperson are going to meet the President. Their performance has
been excellent, (whose)
Answer:
These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to
meet the President.

Question 4.
Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds, (whose)
Answer:
Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
Question 5.
This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
Answer:
This man whom I trusted cheated me.

4. Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the
following ideas emphatically.
(a) The trees lost all their leaves.
(b) The letter was addressed to God himself.
(c) The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
Answer:
(a) Not a leaf remained on the trees.
(b) It was nothing less than a letter to God.
(c) Never in his career as a postman had he seen that address.

5. 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

Huge mountains of The mass or ‘hugeness’ of

Cloud
clouds mountains

Raindrops

Hailstones

An epidemic (a disease) (hat

Locusts An ox of a man spreads very rapidly and leaves

many people dead

Answer:

Object Metaphor Quality or Feature Compared

 Huge mountains of
Cloud The mass or ‘hugeness’ of mountains
clouds

Raindrops Coins Money that a good crop will bring

Hailstones Frozen pearls brightness of pearls

An epidemic (a disease) that spreads

Locusts a plague of locusts very rapidly and leaves many people

dead

Lencho An ox of a man strong

Short Answer Type Questions:- A Letter to God

Q.1. Where was the house’ located?

Ans. ‘The House’ was located on the top of a low hill.

Q.2. Why do you think it is called ‘the’ house and not ‘a house’?
Ans. It is called ‘the house’ and not ‘a house’ because it was the only house in
the entire valley.

Q.3. Why did Lencho keep gazing at the sky?

Ans. Lencho kept gazing at the sky because he wished for rain.

Q.4. How did Lencho feel when it started raining?

Ans. Lencho felt very happy.

Q.5. What was the effect of the rain on the crops?

Ans. His crops were destroyed because of the rain and the storm.
Q.6. Lencho had only one hope. What was it?
Ans. Lencho’s only hope was help from God.

Q.7. Who was Lencho?

Ans. Lencho was a hard-working farmer.

Q.8. What had Lencho been doing throughout the morning?

Ans. He had been looking at the clouds in the northeast throughout the
morning.

Q.9. What did Lencho’s field need badly?

Ans. His fields needed heavy rain badly.

Q.10. What does Lencho call the rain-drops?

Ans. He calls the big rain-drops ten cent pesos and the small rain-drops five-
cent pesos.

Q.11. How did Lencho’s field look after the hail had rained?
Ans. The field looked as if covered with salt.

Q.12. What was the effect of the hail storm on tile valley?
Ans. No crop or vegetation was left in the entire valley.

Q.13. Who did Lencho write a letter to?

Ans. Lencho wrote a letter to God.

Q.14. How much money did Lencho demand from God?

Or
Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
Ans. In his letter, Lencho demanded one hundred pesos from God.

Q.15. How much money did Lencho receive from God?

Ans. He received only seventy pesos from God.

Q.16. Who sent the money to Lencho?

Ans. The postmaster sent the money to Lencho.

Q.17. Why did the postmaster decide to answer Lencho’s letter to God?
Ans. By doing so he wanted to protect Lencho’s faith in God.

Q.18. How did Lencho feel when he counted the money in the envelope?
Ans. He got angry after counting the money in the envelope.

Q.19. Who does Lencho blame for the loss of thirty pesos in the envelope?
Ans. He blames the post-office employees for this loss.

Q.20. What does Lencho call the post-office employees?

Or
How did Lencho describe the post-office employees?
Ans. He calls them “a bunch of crooks.”
Q.21. What were trenches feelings when he found the letter with money in it?
What did he do after opening the letter?
Ans. Lencho was not at all surprised to see the money in the letter as he was
fully confident about it. He knew that God will send money to him. On opening
the letter he found seventy pesos instead of a hundred. So, he wrote another
letter to God to send and rest of the amount but now not through the mail as
the post office employees were crooks.

Q.22. Whom did Lencho write a letter? What did he ask for?
Ans. When Lencho’s annual crop was completely destroyed due to heavy rains
and hailstorm and there was no one to help hint during the crisis. At that time
Lencho wrote a letter to God.

He wrote the letter requesting Him to send 100 pesos so that he could sow his
fields again till the next crop.

Q.23. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the
letter ‘God’?
Ans. The postmaster was a kind, generous, helpful and God-fearing man. When
he received the letter written to God asking for 100 pesos, he felt sympathetic
towards Lencho. Hence, he decided to help Lencho. He gave a part of his
salary and asked other employees to help. He signed the letter ‘God’ in order
to preserve the man’s faith in God.

Q.24. How far would you agree that one’s positivity can bring in a spark of
brightness even in adverse circumstances’?
Ans. It is absolutely true that optimism can bring about a spark of brightness
even in adverse situations. It was Lencho’s innocent optimism that eventually
led to his getting seventy pesos. In fact, it was his positivity despite the
hailstorm that he even wrote a letter to God in the first place. His hope finally
triumphed.

Q.25. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter with money in it? Why/Why not?
Ans. Lencho was not at all surprised to receive an envelope with money in it
because he had utter faith in God. His unshakeable faith gave him firm
confidence.

Q.26. What impression do you form the postmaster after reading the story ‘A
Letter to God’?
Ans. The postmaster was a kind, generous, helpful, amiable and God-fearing
man. He was generous, as he helped Lencho with 70 pesos. He also wrote a
reply to Lencho’s letter in order to maintain his faith in God.

Q.27. Why was Lencho angry? What did he do?

Ans. Lencho had deep faith in God and hence wrote a letter to God asking for
100 pesos. But when he received 70 pesos instead of 100, he was angry. He
wrote another letter to God asking him to send the rest of the money, but not
through the post-office as they were a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Q.28. Lencho calls the raindrops ‘new coins’. Why does he call them so?
Ans. Lencho hoped to get good crops because of raindrops. He thought he
would earn good money so he called them new coins. But raindrops soon
turned into hailstones which destroyed all his crops and ruined his hopes.

Q.29. Why were Lencho and his family in distress? Whom did he ask for help?
Ans. Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstones. He feared
that he and his family would go hungry. He had no one to help but he had full
faith in God whose eyes see everything. He wrote a letter to God asking for a
hundred pesos to sow the crop and live until the next harvest.

Q.30.”Now we’re really going to get some water woman.” Is Lencho sure that
it is going to rain? Give a reason for your answer.
Ans. Yes. Lencho is sure that it is going to rain. He needs rain for his crops. He
has been gazing at the sky since morning. He has perhaps seen some signs of
coming rain. True to his prediction. It soon starts raining.

Q.31. What are the raindrops compared to and why?

Ans. It starts raining. Lencho is very happy. He compares the big drops of rain
to ten-cent pieces and the little ones to five-cent pieces. Lencho needs rain for
a good harvest. If he has good crops, he will get money. That is why he
compares the raindrops to coins.

Q.32. Did the letter reach God? Why did the postmaster send a reply to
Lencho?
Ans. No, the letter did not reach God. The postman saw the letter addressed to
God. He took the letter to the postmaster. The postmaster did not want to
shake Lencho’s faith in God. So he sent a reply to Lencho. He sent seventy
pesos to him

Q.33. Why was Lencho angry when he received the letter?

Ans. Lencho had asked God to send him a hundred pesos. But when he opened
the envelope he found only seventy pesos in it. He thought that the post-office
employees had taken the rest of the money. So he became angry when he
received the letter.

Q.34. Lencho describes the post office employees as “a bunch of crooks.”

(1) Were they a bunch of crooks?
(ii) How would you describe them?
Ans. Lencho thought that the post office employees had cheated him. So he
calls them “a bunch of crooks.” But they were not crooks. They were kind
people. They wanted to help Lencho. So they collected seventy pesos and sent
the money to Lencho by mail.

Q.35. Where was Lencho’s house situated?

Ans. Lencho was a farmer. His house was the only one in the valley. It was
situated on the top of a low hill overlooking the valley. From this height, he
could see the river. He could also see his fields of ripe corn dotted with
flowers. The flowers always promised a good harvest.
Q.36. What did Lencho and the earth need immediately?
Ans. The only thing the earth needed was rain. Lencho, being a farmer wished
for heavy rain. At least, a shower was necessary. His fields needed water
immediately otherwise the crop would be completely mined. So, he would
constantly look at the sky towards the north-east.

Q.37. How did the rain come as predicted by Lencho and how did he receive it?
Ans. Lencho’s wife was preparing supper. The older boys were working in the
field. It was during the meal, in the north-east huge mountains of clouds could
be seen approaching. Then, as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began
to fall. Lencho went out to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body. To
him, the raindrops were like the new coins.

Q.38. Why were the raindrops like new coins for Lencho?
Ans. Lencho had been impatiently waiting for the rain. The earth needed a
downpour immediately. At least, a shower was necessary to save the crops.
Fortunately for Lencho, in the north-east huge mountains of clouds could be
seen approaching. Big drops of rain began to fall. Every drop was precious for
the fields and the crops. The bigger drops were worth ten-cent pieces and the
little ones were fives.

Q.39. Why did Lencho’s happiness change into deep concern?

Ans. As Lencho had predicted the rain did come. At mealtime, it came in the
form of big drops. Naturally, the rain gladdened his heart. He could see better
prospects of a good crop. However, his happiness was short-lived. Suddenly, a
strong wind began to blow. The rain turned into big hailstones. The falling of
heavy ball of big hailstones for an hour completely destroyed everything—
leaves, trees, and the standing crops. Naturally, such a heavy loss put Lencho
into a deep concern.

Q.40. Describe the loss caused by the heavy fall of hailstones in general and to
Lencho in particular.
Ans. For an hour, the hailstones rained on the house, the garden, the hillside,
and the cornfield. Actually, the whole valley was covered with them. Leaves
and flowers were destroyed. Lencho’s fields were covered with a white layer.
The corn was totally destroyed. The hail had left practically nothing. There was
no chance of any corn that year for Lencho.

Q.41. In the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house …, there was a single
hope ….’ What was that?
Ans. The hail had practically nothing left. The cornfields were totally
destroyed. Lencho and his family would have no corn that year. He could
expect no help from human beings. In the hearts of all who lived in that
solitary house, there was a single hope: help from God. Only God could save
them from such a miserable situation.

Q.42. Why did Lencho think of writing a letter to God? What did he write in the
letter?
Ans. The hailstones completely destroyed Lencho’s cornfields. They would
have no corn that year. Having lost all hopes, Lencho thought of writing a
letter to God. He requested God to send him a hundred pesos to sow his fields
again. He wrote that he needed money to live until the new crops came. If God
didn’t help, his family would face starvation.

Q.43. What was the address written and how was the letter sent to God?
Ans. Lencho had unshaken faith in God and His mercy. Therefore, he decided
to write a letter to God for help. He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope and put
the letter inside. He went to the post office and placed a stamp on the letter.
Finally, he dropped it into the mailbox.

Q.44. How did the postmaster react when a postman showed him the letter to
God?
Ans. When a postman received Lencho’s letter, he laughed heartily and took
that letter to the postmaster. The postmaster looked at the letter to God and
laughed heartily too. However, he soon grew serious. He was impressed with
the sender’s faith in God who tried to correspond Him. “What a faith”! he
could utter only such words.

Q.45. Why did the postmaster decide to answer Lencho’s letter?

Ans. After laughing at the very idea of a letter to God, the postmaster became
serious soon. He was impressed with the unshaken faith of the sender in God.
He wished he had the faith of the man who wrote that letter to God. So, in
order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster decided to answer
the letter.

Q.46. How did the postmaster answer Lencho’s letter by sending him the
money?
Ans. The postmaster didn’t want to shake the writer’s faith in God and so
decided to help him. It needed something more than goodwill. So he collected
money from his employees and himself contributed a part of the salary. He
could collect only seventy pesos. He put the money into the envelope and put
a single word `God’ as the signature and posted it to Lencho.

Q.47. Why did Lencho go a bit earlier than usual to the post office the
following Sunday?
Ans. Lencho had firm faith in God and His mercy. He did expect a reply from
Him. So, on the following Sunday, he went to the post office a bit earlier than
usual. The postman handed over the letter to Lencho. The postmaster was only
contented to perform a good deed.

Q.48. Why did Lencho show no surprise on seeing the money?

Ans. Lencho had a firm faith in God. He did expect help from Him. He didn’t
show any surprise when he received the sum of seventy pesos. He believed in
the mercy of God and expected definite help from him. So, he showed no
surprise when he received the money.

Q.49. Why was Lencho angry after he counted the money?

Ans. Lencho had demanded a sum of a hundred pesos as an immediate help
from God. He did hope in God’s mercy and help. However, his happiness was
short-lived when he counted the money. The sum was short by 30 pesos.
Lencho believed that God did send him a hundred pesos but the dishonest post
office employees embezzled money.

Q.50. Why did Lencho ask help from God? Did he receive it?
Ans. Lencho had written a letter to God requesting him to send a sum of one
hundred pesos. This money was necessary to show his fields again and to live
until the new crop coming. The help did come in the form of 70 pesos. Actually,
it was not God but the kind-hearted postmaster who had collected the money
and sent to Lencho by post-signing God.’

Q.51. What did Lencho write in his second letter to God? Why did he ask Him
not to send the rest of the money by post mail?
Ans. Lencho wrote to God that he received only 70 pesos out of the 100 that
he had asked for. He asked God to send him the rest of the money as he
needed it very much. He even asked God not to send the money through the
postal mail. He said that the post office employees were dishonest and ‘a
bunch of crooks’.

Q.52. Lencho has great faith in God. Does he have the same kind of faith in
man? Taking examples from the story describe his attitude towards God and
man.
Ans. Lencho’s crop was totally destroyed. He had great faith in God. He wrote
a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos as help. The postmaster and the
employees collected seventy pesos and sent the money to him. Lencho
thought that the employees had stolen 30 pesos. He wrote another letter to
God asking for 30 pesos more but not through the post office. He called the
employees ‘a bunch of crooks’. This highlights Lencho’s attitude to God and
man. He had full faith in God but doesn’t have any faith in man.

Q.53. What is ironic about the ending of the story?

Ans. The end of the story is rather ironic. The postmaster was greatly
impressed by Lencho’s faith in God. He didn’t want to shake his faith in God.
He collected a sum of seventy pesos from his employees and contributed a
part of his salary. However, his great act of charity was not recognised and
appreciated by the man who received help. On the contrary, the helpers were
ironically called ‘a bunch of crooks’.

Long Answer Type Questions:- A Letter to God

Q.1. Lencho received the money and a letter from God but still, he was not
happy. Was it not in his attitude to be happy with what he achieved? Did he
not know the pleasure of being grateful to others? Reflecting on the values
required to lead a happy life, explain in about 100-120 words.
Ans. Lencho had full faith in God and hence, had written a letter to God asking
for 100 pesos. But when he received the money and a letter from God, he was
not happy. It was not his attitude to be happy with what he received, nor was
he ungrateful to God. He was angry because he had received 70 pesos instead
of 100. He did not doubt God for it. He wrote another letter to God asking him
to send the rest of the money but not through the post-office as they were a
bunch of crooks. This shows that Lencho had full faith in God and was
confident that his desire would be fulfilled. It was Lencho’s innocent optimism
that eventually led to his getting seventy pesos. Optimism and faith can lead
to a happy life.

Q.2. The postmaster represents such people who still believe in helping others
mention those values of the postmaster which you would like to emulate in
yourself. Write in 100-120 words.
Ans. The postmaster was a kind, generous, helpful, amiable and God-fearing
man. He received a letter from Lencho which was written to God asking for 100
pesos so that he could sow his fields again. The postman felt sympathetic
towards Lencho. He decided to help Lencho. He gave up a part of his salary
and asked all other employees to help. Even friends were made to contribute
to the cause of charity and he managed to collect 70 pesos. He sent the money
to Lencho along with a reply. He did so in order to preserve the man’s faith in
God. This shows the postmaster was a nice man at heart.

Q.3. “If you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.” Lencho
had faith in God but he didn’t manage to solve the problem by himself. Did he
lack the courage to resolve his matter himself? What values did he lack?
Explain it in 100-120 words.
Ans. Lencho was a hardworking farmer. He was completely dependent upon
the crops of his fields. His annual crop was completely destroyed due to heavy
rains and hailstorm. In the entire village, there was no one to help him during
the times of financial crisis. He had a firm belief in God and hence wrote a
letter requesting Him to send 100 pesos so that he could sow his fields again
till the next crop. This act did not prove that he lacked the courage to resolve
his problem but shows that he did not have any option left for himself He had
a firm belief in God. He was an ox of a man but lacked money to stand again.

Q.4. Show Lencho’s faith and confidence in God with examples from the lesson.
Ans. Lencho had full faith in the help of God. The following sentences in the
story tell us about it. ‘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.’
Again, Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money in the
envelope—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. The above facts from the text prove his deep faith and
confidence in God.

Q.5. Give the character-sketch of Lencho.

Or
“I wish I had the faith of the man.” Describe Lencho’s character in light of the
above statements.
Ans. Lencho was a hardworking farmer. He labored 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.
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’.
But Lencho was a caring head of the family. He got sad and worried that his
family would have to go hungry.

Q.6. Why did Lencho write a letter to God? Who received the letter and what
did he do?
Ans. Lencho was a hard-working farmer. He was expecting a good harvest. But
unfortunately, a hail storm came and destroyed his crop completely. Now he
had nothing to support the family. He had no money to purchase the seed for
sowing. But he had a firm faith in God. He believed that God would help him.
He was a simple man. He Wrote a letter to God. He asked God to send him a
hundred pesos. He wanted this money in order to sow seeds again and to live
until the next harvest season.
Lencho went to town and pasted the letter. At the post-office, a postman took
out the letter from the letterbox. He read the address on it and had a good
laugh. He showed the letter to the postmaster was greatly impressed by the
faith of Lencho. He did not want to shake Lencho’s faith in God. He collected
money from his employees. He put this money into an envelope and addressed
it to Lencho.

Q.7. (i) What did the postmaster need to answer the letter? How did he collect
it?
(ii) How did Lencho react to help?
Ans. (i) Lencho’s crop had been destroyed. He needed God’s help. So he wrote
a letter to God. He posted the letter. At the post-office, a postman took the
letter out of the letterbox. He laughed at reading the address. He showed the
letter to the postmaster. The postmaster also laughed. But he praised
Lencho’s firm faith in God. He did not want to shake this faith. He was very
kind. He decided to help Lencho. He and the post-office employees collected
some money. The postmaster gave a part of his salary. They put the money
into an envelope and addressed it to Lencho.
(ii) The next Sunday Lencho came to the post-office. He asked if there was any
letter for him. The postman gave him the envelope. Lencho opened the letter.
He found that the money was less than what he had requested for. He thought
that God could not have made a mistake. He wrote another letter to God. He
asked God to send him the rest of the money. But he should not send it
through the mail as the post-office employees were a bunch of crooks.

Q.8. How do you think the postmaster felt when he received Lencho’s second
letter? What do you think he did?
Ans. When Lencho opened the letter, he found only seventy pesos in it. He
thought that God could not make a mistake. Perhaps the post office employees
had cheated him. He wrote another letter to God. He wrote that the post office
employees were a bunch of crooks. The story does not tell us what the
postmaster felt when he received the second letter. Perhaps he felt shocked. It
is possible that he realized that sometimes even good intentions are
misunderstood. I think he met Lencho and explained everything to him. He
told him that the post-office employees were not a bunch of crooks. In fact,
they were kind and helpful. They had collected money to help him.
Q.9. Write the story of Lencho’s faith in God.
Or
Write a brief summary of the story ‘A Letter to God’.
Ans. Lencho was a simple farmer. He was very hard-working. But one year, his
harvest was completely destroyed by the hailstorm. He had firm faith in God.
He wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos. The postmaster saw the
letter. He decided to help Lencho. He collected money from his employees. He
gave some part of his own salary also. But the money was less than what
Lencho had asked for. The postmaster put the money into an envelope and
addressed it to Lencho. Next Sunday Lencho came to collect his letter. When
he counted the money he became angry. He wrote another letter to God. He
asked God to send him the rest of the money. But he asked God not to send
money through the mail as the employees of the post-office were a bunch of
crooks.

Q.10. Lencho described the post-office employees as a ‘bunch of crooks’. Were

they really a bunch of crooks? How would you describe them?
Ans. A crook is a person who cheats others. He earns his living by dishonest
means. Lencho requested God for a hundred pesos. He received a letter in the
mail. When he opened it he found seventy pesos in it. He thought that the
post-office employees had taken the rest of thirty pesos. So he called them a
bunch of crooks. But in fact, they were kind and generous people. They did not
want to shake Lencho ‘s faith in God. So they raised money to help him. But
they could not raise a hundred pesos. So they put seventy pesos in an
envelope and addressed it to Lencho. The post-office employees were good
people. They did an act of kindness and Charity. It was wrong for Lencho to
call them a bunch of crooks

Q.11. Why did Lencho need God’s help?

Ans. Lencho was a simple farmer. He was very hard-working. His crops had
always been good. One year, he wished that there should be some rain so that
his crop would be better. Lencho was sure that the rain would come. In the
evening it started raining. But soon the rain changed into a hailstorm. The hail
fell on the house, the garden, the hillside and the corn-field. The field looked
white as if it had been covered with salt. No leaves were left on the trees. The
flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s crop was completely destroyed.
His heart was filled with sorrow. But he had faith in God. He was sure that God
would help him. He wanted God’s help for sowing seed and for living until the
next harvest.

Q.12. Describe Lencho as a farmer. How did the rain gladden his heart but the
heavy hailstones that followed left him a worried man?
Ans. Lencho was a farmer who lived in a house that was on the top of a small
hill. From that height, he could see the river and its fields. Lencho was an ‘ox’
of a man. He was strong and worked as an animal in his fields. The only thing
the earth and the fields needed was heavy rain. At least, a shower was very
necessary. Lencho’s older boys were working in the field. He could see huge
mountains of clouds in the north-east. It gladdened his heart. As predicted by
him, big drops of rain began to fall. The raindrops were like ‘new coins’.
Unfortunately, Lencho’s happiness was short-lived. Suddenly a strong wind
began to blow. Along with the rain, very large hailstones began to fall. Within
an hour the house, the garden, the hillside, and the fields were covered with a
white sheet of hailstones. The leaves, trees and the flowers were destroyed.
The hail had nothing left. The corn was totally destroyed. That year they would
have no corn. They would survive on the mercy of God. All such dismal
prospects worried Lencho.

Q.13. What circumstances made Lencho write a letter to God? What does this
act show about him?
Ans. The rain did come but came with disastrous hailstones that ruined
everything. The leaves, plants, and flowers were ruined. The corn was totally
destroyed. The hail had nothing left. That year Lencho and his family would
have no corn. They would be on the verge of starvation. All such dismal
prospects worried Lencho. There was only one hope— help from God.
Lencho and his wife were highly religious and had unshaken faith in God. They
believed in God’s mercy and also believed that ‘no one dies of hunger’. So,
Lencho decided to write a letter to God. He wrote that he needed immediate
help. He wrote that without God’s help his family would face starvation. He
needed a hundred pesos in order to sow his fields and live until the fresh crop
coming. He wrote the letter and wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope and dropped it
into the mailbox.

Q.14. Writing a letter to God for help really shows not only the unshaken faith
in God of the writer Lencho but also shows his utter simplicity and innocence.
Comment.
Ans. Lencho was a simple and hardworking farmer who worked like an ox in his
fields. When the heavy fall of hailstones destroyed his corn totally, he and his
family were rather on the verge of starvation. He was left with one hope, help
from God. He believed that God was all-merciful and hears the call of those
who are of a clear conscience. He requested Him to send a hundred pesos
immediately to help him to sow his fields. He and his family also needed some
money to live on until the fresh crop coming.
Writing a letter to God and addressing it `To God’ shows the writer’s unshaken
faith in God. He was a simple man not distrusting that such a letter could
reach God. His innocence and firm belief in God’s mercy even deeply
impressed and influenced the postmaster who decided to answer his letter. He
didn’t want to shake the writer’s faith in God. He collected and sent 70 pesos
as help signing the letter with one word, ‘God’. Lencho had so much faith in
God and His mercy that he didn’t show any surprise when he received the
money sent to him. He wrote another letter requesting Him to send the rest of
the money immediately but not through the postal mail as the post office
employees were a ‘bunch of crooks’.

Q.15. Why did the postmaster and his employees decide to help Lencho? Was
their effort appreciated by the receiver of that help?
Ans. Lencho was a simple-hearted farmer who had tremendous faith in God.
The heavy hailstones destroyed his corn. There was only one hope — help from
God. So, Lencho wrote a letter to God describing his and his family’s miserable
condition. He requested for a hundred pesos to help in sowing the crop and
living till the next crop came. The postmaster himself, a generous man, first
laughed at the idea of Lencho’s having a correspondence with God. However,
he soon became serious. He was highly impressed by Lencho’s unshaken faith
in God. He didn’t want to break his faith in God. So he decided to answer the
letter and help Lencho. He needed something more than goodwill. He asked
his employees to collect money for this cause. He also contributed a part of his
salary. All in all, they collected 70 pesos. The postmaster put the money in an
envelope and mailed it to Lencho. He wrote a single word as a signature, God.
Ironically, this noble act of charity by the postmaster and employees was not
appreciated by Lencho. On the contrary, he called them ‘a bunch of crooks’
who embezzled the remaining 30 pesos. He never knew who were the real
helpers. He only wrote God not to send the remaining 30 pesos through the
mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks’.

Q.16. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? Describe the
ironic ending of the story.
Ans. Lencho’s faith in God was complete and unshaken. When he lost all
hopes, he looked towards God for help. And he was sure that God would come
to the help of a simple man of clear conscience like him. So, when he saw the
money, he was not at all surprised as he had been waiting for it. But when he
counted the money, he became angry. He was sure that someone had stolen
thirty pesos out of the hundred sent by God. Who could be they except the
employees at the post office? Therefore, he wrote a second letter to God to
send him the rest of the money immediately. He asked Him not to send money
through the mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks.’
The situation at the end becomes quite ironical. It is ironical that men who
collected pesos to help Lencho were called `a bunch of crooks, by him. He
couldn’t know till the end who had really sent that money.

Q.17. Draw a character sketch of Lencho, the farmer in about 120-150 words.
Ans. Lencho was a simple man as farmers usually are everywhere. He was a
man of limited means and earned his living by farming his fields. His older
sons helped him in farming activities. His wife did the same but also managed
the kitchen and other household works. Lencho was highly religious. So was
his wife. He had unshaken faith in God. He believed that God always helps
people with a clear conscience. Therefore, when he lost all hopes and he and
his family were on the verge of starvation, he looked towards God for help. His
deep faith in God even impressed the postmaster who decided to help him. He
was strong and sturdy like an ox. Not only that, he worked day and night in
the fields. Being a farmer, he had a deep knowledge about the weather, the
winds and the rains of his region.
He was simple-hearted. He was rustic inhabit and thoughts. He was a little
educated to write a letter. He shows his innocence by trying to have a
correspondence with God directly. He wrote ‘To God’ on the top of the
envelope and posted the letter into the mail-box.
While he had unshaken faith in God, he mistrusted the motives of men. He
could never know and nor did he ever try to know who had sent him those
seventy pesos to help him. It is quite ironic that he abused his helpers by
calling them ‘a bunch of crooks’.

Q.18. Give a character sketch of the Postmaster in your own words. Don’t you
think that he should have deserved a better recognition and appreciation of
his act of charity?
Ans. It takes all kinds of people to make this world. The postmaster has all
that is good in human thinking and behaviour. He has a thorough
understanding of a sharp, sympathetic and sensitive mind. He knows how the
mind of a God-fearing rustic like Lencho works. He is sensitive and
sympathetic to human feelings. He doesn’t want to break the deep faith of the
writer in God. The fat and friendly postmaster had a large heart too. First, he
laughed at the man who wanted to have a direct correspondence with God. But
he soon became serious. After reading the letter, he was deeply moved and
impressed by Lencho’s faith in God.
He knew that merely goodwill was not sufficient. The farmer needed financial
help. So he collected a sum of 70 pesos from his employees. He also
contributed a part of his salary. He did so as to keep Lencho’s faith in God. He
wrote a single word as a signature: God.
It is ironical that a simpleton like Lencho could never know his real benefactor.
Nor did he ever try to know how and from whom he received those seventy
pesos. Naturally, his work of charity deserved better recognition and
appreciation from the receiver. Ironically, the postmaster and his employees
who had sent seventy pesos were called ‘a bunch of crooks’ by Lencho.