10th std A LETTER TO GOD by Gregorio Lopez Fuentes

 A LETTER TO GOD by Gregorio Lopez Fuentes

Read the extracts and answer the questions that follow.

1. 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.

(a) What did the earth need?

(b) What did Lencho do throughout the morning?

(c) Why had Lencho kept looking towards the north-east?

(d) What promised a good harvest?

Ans. (a) A downpour or a shower.

(b) Lencho waited for the rain.

(c) The rain-clouds were to come from that direction.

(d) The river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers promised a good harvest.

2. 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.

(a) Why did Lencho get angry?

(b) Who could not have made a mistake in Lencho’s eyes?

(c) Why did Lencho not surprise on seeing the money?

(d) What did Lencho find when he counted the money?

Ans. (a) Lencho got angry to find less money (that he had asked)

(b) God

(c) This was because Lencho had full confidence in God. He had firm faith in the help of God.    

(d) He found only 70 pesos and not 100, the amount he had asked for.

3. 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”.

(a) What was Lencho thinking while writing the letter?

(b) Why did the postmaster open the mailbox immediately after Lencho had posted his letter?

(c) How much money had Lencho asked for?

(d) Why did Lencho not want to send the rest of the money by mail?

Ans. (a) He thought that the post office employees had stolen a part of his money sent by God.

(b) He wanted to see Lencho’s response after receiving the money. He thought Lencho must have thanked God for sending the money

(c) One Hundred Pesos.

(d) He thought post office employees were dishonest people who had cheated him.

4. 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.”

(a) Why did Lencho go out in the rain?

(b) Why were the raindrops like `new coins’ for Lencho?

(c) How did these new coins ultimately bring disaster to his cornfield?

(d) Explain the description: ‘The air was fresh and sweet’.

Ans. (a) Lencho went out in the rain to have the happiness of feeling the rain on his body.

(b) They were like new coins because Lencho thought that it would yield a good harvest, and help him earn money.

(c) These new coins i.e., rain drops soon turned into hailstones which destroyed all his crops and ruined his hopes.

(d) The clouds brought cool and sweet smelling air in their wake.

5. “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 conies, because of the hailstorm ….”

(a) What help has he asked for?

(b) Why did he need help?

(c) Why did Lencho write a letter to God?

(d) Why was Lencho and his family in distress?

Ans. (a) He has asked for a hundred pesos in order to sow his field again.

(b) He needed help because the hailstorm had destroyed his crop, and his family would go hungry.

(c) Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstorm. He had nobody to help but he had faith in God.

(d) Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstones. He feared that he and his family would go hungry.

6. 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.’

(a) Why did no leaf remain on the trees?

(b) How did Lencho feel after the storm?

(c) What was the major effect of the hailstorm on the field?

(d) What made Lencho sad?

Ans. (a) A hailstorm had struck, leaving the field bare.

(b) Lencho was utterly unhappy and distressed.

(c) The corn was totally destroyed.

(d) He was left with no corn to sow and feed his family.

7. 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.

(a) How did Lencho feel when he saw his fields covered with the curtain of rain?

(b) What followed the rain?

(c) What did hailstone resemble?

(d) How did these new silver coins bring disaster to him?

Ans. (a) Lencho felt satisfied.

(b) A strong wind followed the rain.

(c) They resembled with silver coins.

(d) These new silver coins turned into hailstones which destroyed all his crops and ruined his hopes.

8. 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.

(a) What did Lencho think throughout the night?

(b) What does ‘Lencho was an ox of a man’ imply?

(c) Which line suggests that Lencho was literate?

(d) What strange action did Lencho take?

Ans. (a) He thought of one hope—the help of God.

(b) He was very hardworking—he worked like an ox.

(c) “The following Sunday… he began to write a letter ….” This line suggests that Lencho was literate.

(d) Lencho’s odd action was his letter addressed to God.

9. 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.”

(a) What was the postmaster’s reaction to seeing the letter?

(b) What did the postmaster wish?

(c) What kind of person was the postmaster?

(d) How did the postmaster help Lencho?

 Ans. (a) He first laughed then became serious.

(b) To have as much faith in God as the writer who wrote the letter to God had.

(c) He was an amiable, kind, pleasant and friendly person.

(d) The postmaster asked his colleagues and friends to contribute some money as an act of charity. He himself contributed some and mailed it to Lencho.

Short Answer Type Questions

Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:

1. What were tenches 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 rest of the amount but now not through the mail as the post office employees were crooks.

2. 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.

3. 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 the other employees to help. He signed the letter ‘God’ in order to preserve the man’s faith in God.

4. 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.

5. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter with money in it? Why/Why not?

Ans. Lencho was not at all surprised to receive the envelope with the money in it because he had utter faith in God. His unshakeable faith gave him firm confidence.

6. 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.

7. 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’.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10.”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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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 persons. They wanted to help Lencho. So they collected seventy pesos and sent the money to Lencho by mail.

15.  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.

16.  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.

17.  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.

18.  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.

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

Ans. As Lencho had predicted the rain did come. At the meal time, 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.

20.  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.

21.  In the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house …, there was a single hope ….’ What was that?

Ans. The hail had practically left nothing. 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.

22.  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.

23.  What was the address written and how was the letter sent to God?

Ans. Lencho had an 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.

24.  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.

25.  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.

26. 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 signature and posted it to Lencho.

27.  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.

28.  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.

29.  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 the money.

30.  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 came. 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.’

31.  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’.

32. 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.

33.  What is the ironical about the ending of the story?

Ans. The end of the story is rather ironical. 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’.

Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:

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.

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 for a 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.

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 the 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.

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.

5. Give the character-sketch of Lencho.

Or

“I wish I had the faith of the man.” Describe Lencho’s character in the light of the above statement.                                                                                               

Ans. Lencho was a hardworking farmer. He laboured 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.

6. Why did Lencho write a letter to God? Who received the letter and what did he do?

Ans. Lencho was a hard- 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 seed again and to live until the next harvest season.

Lencho went to the 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 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.

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.

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.

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 the money through the mail as the employees of the post-office were a bunch of crooks.

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

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 hails 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.

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 rains 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 left nothing. 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.

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 left nothing. 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 an 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.

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 is 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 was a ‘bunch of crooks’.

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’.

16. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? Describe the ironical 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 the 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.

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 an 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 an unshaken faith in God, he mistrusted easily 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 ironical that he abused his helpers by calling them ‘a bunch of crooks’.

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.