CBSE OFFICIAL QUESTION BANK SOLUTIONS : A LETTER TO GOD
L-1 A Letter to God
Multiple Choice Questions based on an extract
(A) 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 good downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the
morning Lencho -who knew his fields intimately- had done nothing but see
the sky towards the north-east.
- i} Based on the detail of the house’s location, how can it best be described?
- a) majestic b) imposing c) solitary d) unique
Answer:(C)
- ii}The field of corn dotted with flowers means that
- a) not a single flower was bigger than a dot
- b) the flowers were scattered across.
- c) the flowers were in shaped like dots.
- d) the flowers had shrunk in size.
Answer:(B)
- iii}Lencho wished for a downpour or a heavy shower. Pick the option that correctly lists the correct match for kinds of rain.
- 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-i
- d) 1-iii,2-v,3-i,4-ii,5-iv
Answer:(D)
- iv) Based on the given extract, what is Lencho NOT likely to think while looking at his field?
a) Option (i)
b) Option (ii)
c) Option (iii)
d) Option (iv)
Answer: (D)
- v}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 cornfield.”
- d) “Those too lazy to plough in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”
(B) 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.”
- i}‘…bunch of crooks.’ Pick the option that DOES NOT collate with ‘bunch of’, correctly.
a) option (i)
b) option (ii)
c) option (iii)
d) option (iv)
Answer: (D)
- ii }What was the most likely response that the postmaster expected in 6 Lencho’s second letter?
- i) sorrowful ii) gratitude iii) disappointment iv) elation v) shock
a) ii and v
b) i and iii
c) ii and iv
d) iii and v
Answer:(C)
- iii}Pick the option that lists the option corresponding to—'with a blow of his fist.’
Answer:(D)
- iv} Lencho’s letter included
- a) details of his problems.
- b) description of the post office.
- c) belief of being looted.
- d) List of further demands.
Answer:(D)
- v} Pick the most suitable quote for this extract.
- a) “It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” – Mark Twain
- b) “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”- Confucius
- c) “You see a person’s true colours when you are no longer beneficial to their life.”- anonymous
- d) “True generosity means accepting ingratitude.” - Coco Chanel
Q10. Answer in 20-30 words.
i} People get support from family and friends during bad times. How does
Lencho’s family behave after the harvest is ruined?
Answer: There is no denying fact that we get support from family and friends in bad times. After his entire crop ruined in the hailstorm his family members solaced him and asked him not to lose hope.
They reminded him that in God's world no one had died of hunger. Lencho's entire family had faith in God's help.
ii }‘Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still, he
knew how to write.’ What does this line tell us about the norm amongst
such farmers, then?
Answer: Most of the times farmers did not know how to read and write though they are very honest with their work and do it with utmost dedications. But Lenchowas an exception, he was working as well as literate.
iii }What, according to you would have been the likely reaction of Lencho’s
wife upon knowing about him writing an actual letter to God?
Answer: Lencho's wife might be surprised by his husband's unwavering faith in God.
iv} Lencho waited eagerly for a reply to his letter to God. Do you think the postmaster was also very keen to know Lencho’s reaction upon receiving
the ‘reply’?
Answer: Yes the postmaster also very keen to know Lencho's reaction. He was content that he has performed a good deed by helping someone and now he wanted to see the jubilation of Lencho upon knowing that God has helped him.
Q11. Answer in 40-50 words
‘The field was white as if covered with salt.’ This is how the field is
described after the hailstorm. The pelting hailstones could have been easily
seen as sugar cubes. Do you think comparing it with sugar would have
been more appropriate? Why/ Why not?
Answer: In my opinion, it's better to compare snow with salt rather than sugar because snow and salt look similar. Sugar symbolises sweetness while a hailstorm compared to salt here is described as a destructive force. Hailstorm bought loss for lunch which was a bitter experience for him so its not right to compare hailstorm with Sugar.
ii}Lencho and his family knew the implications the hailstorm would have on
their lives. Write a conversation between Lencho and his wife as they
watched the downpour turned into a hailstorm.
Answer: After the hailstorm, lunch went out and saw the destruction that had been done by a hailstorm. He said that the invasion of locus would have left more food than the hailstorm left for him. Lencho said to her wife that they are going to starve the year and got really worried about the next move.
iii} 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?
Answer: Lencho did not bother any other way to resolving the situation because he thought that only God is the only person whom he can trust and on whom he has a lot of faith, can help him in this bad situation. Also, he lived on a low hill where no one else lived so it could be behind replying to God as the only option.
Q12. Answer in 100-120 words (beyond text and across texts)
i.) The people at the post-office contribute to put together whatever they can
manage, for Lencho.
(a) What do you think was the main reason behind their help? Would you
have done the same if you were one of the employees?
(b) As an employee, write about your perspective and reason(s) for
contributing to the fund. The fact that you don’t want to say ‘no’ to a cause
initiated by your boss, can also be an equally compelling reason!
Answer: (a) The main reason behind helping Lencho is to keep his faith in God intact as well as to perform an act of charity. Yes, I would have done the same if I were to be one of the employees.
(b) Of course, saying 'no' to a cause initiated by my boss won't be a wise decision. Lencho who is a poor farmer is in fear of going hungry this year. His field of ripe corn got destroyed due to an unexpected hailstorm. Helping is the true spirit of us human beings and I too won't hesitate while helping Lencho In addition to that, it is very rare to find people like Lencho these days. The man with firm faith in God. A true Gem. Thus, I would surely not regret contribution to the fund which is indeed an act of charity.
ii.) Read the given anecdote and analyse the similarities and differences with
reference to ‘A Letter to God’.
A very poor woman called-in a radio station asking for help from God. A
non-believer, also listening to this radio program, decided to make fun of
the woman. He got her address, called his secretary and ordered her to buy
food and take it to the woman.
However, the instruction was: "When the woman asks who sent the food,
tell her that it’s from the devil.''
When the secretary arrived at the woman's house, the woman was very
happy and grateful for the help. The Secretary then asked her, ''Don't you
want to know who sent the food?''
The woman replied, ''No, I don't even care because when God orders, even
the devil obeys!
Answer: There are many similarities like
- 1. Here women have faith in God in the same way the Lencho had in god.
- 2. The men made fun of her in the same way the postmaster did with Lencho's letter.
- 3.The men also helped the lady in the same way as the manager helped Lencho.
- 4. She considers a devil as help from god.
The differences are as follow -
- 1. The women became happy by seeing the food but Lencho became angry because the amount of money was less than desired.
- 2. The men said to pretend as if he was a devil if a lady asks. On the other hand, the postmaster signed as the god.
- 3. The postmaster was a representative of God. Evaluate this statement in the context of your understanding of ‘A Letter to God”.
Answer: Yes, the postmaster was a representative of God for at least three reasons. First, he was the one who actually read the letter, on behalf of God. Also, he made efforts to fulfil Lencho's prayers, which were addressed to God. So, the postmaster acted in God's place and tried to collect funds for the poor farmer. Thirdly, Lencho himself believed that God had answered his prayers and sent him the money.
Although the postmaster was a fellow human being and not God, but his actions were very kind, it can be concluded that he was indeed a representative of God.
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