A Letter to God AP 10th Class English First Flight Manabadi
Oral Comprehension Check
Question 1.
What did Lencho hope for ?
Answer:
Lencho realised that his crop needed some water. So he hoped for a downpour or at least a shower
Question 2.
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like new coins ?
Answer:
Lenchos fields were dry. Water was the urgent need then. Exactly at that time, it started raining. Each raindrop then was of great value. Hence, Lencho called raindrops new coins
Question 3.
How did the rain change ? What happened to Lenchos fields ?
Answer:What started as welcome rain soon turned into a harmful hailstorm. And it lasted long. The field became white. Not a leaf was left on the trees. It was destroyed completely
Question 4.
What were Lenchos feelings when the hail stopped ?
Answer:
Lenchos heart was full of sorrow. He stood sadly in his field. He felt that a plague of locusts wouldnt have harmed his crop so badly
Question 5.
Who or what did Lencho have faith in ? What did he do ?
Answer:
Lencho had full faith in God. He wrote a letter to God. He requested God to send him some money to help him overcome that crisis
Question 6.
Who read the letter ?
Answer:
The postman and the postmaster read the letter Lencho wrote to God
Question 7.
What did the postmaster do then ?
Answer:
The postmaster collected some money from his employees, and friends. He himself gave a part of his salary, and sent it to Lencho
Question 8.
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it ?
Answer:
No, Lencho was not surprised to receive the letter and money. His faith in God was so firm that he was sure to receive the reply
Question 9.
What made him angry ?
Answer:
Lencho asked God to send him one hundred pesos. But he found only seventy pesos in the cover. He became angry thinking that the post office people stole a part of God- sent money
Thinking about the Text
Question 1.
Who does Lencho have complete faith in ? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer:
Lencho had complete faith in God. The supporting sentences are:
There was a single hope; help from God Lencho thought only of his one hope; the help of God
Question 2.
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho ? Why does he sign the letter God?
Answer:
The postmaster saw Lenchos letter. He was moved by Lenchos firm faith in God. He wanted that faith to stay unshakeable forever. To ensure that, the postmaster sent money to Lencho. And to make sure that Lencho felt it was from God, he signed the letter God
Question 3.
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him ? Why/Why not ?
Answer:
Lencho believed that God would certainly answer him. Moreover, the letter he received bore the signature of God. When he had no doubt about the sender, why would he break his head to find out the actual sender ? So, he never tried to find out
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 found only seventy pesos in the cover. He believed that God had sent him one hundred pesos as he requested. So, Lencho thought that the postal personnel stole his money. The fact is that those posted employees pooled that money and sent to Lencho. The helpers being branded as thieves is the irony here
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?
Answer:
People like Lencho are definitely there in the real world. Fiction has its base in facts alone. The number may vary from time to time and place to place. Modern times witness lesser number of such persons. Lencho was naive. He was unquestioning too
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 story presents two kinds of conflicts. The first one is between nature and man. The hailstorm destroyed Lenchos corn crop completely. This shows the conflict between nature and man. Lencho accusing the postal employees of theft illustrates the second conflict between man and man
Thinking about Language
QuestionI.
Look at the following sentence from the story?
Answer:
Suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall.
Hailstones are small balls of ice that fall like rain. A storm in which hailstones fall is a hailstorm. You know that a storm is bad weather with strong winds, rain, thunder and lightning.
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
Question
- A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle : - - c - - - -
- An extremely strong wind : - a - -
- A violent tropical storm with very strong winds : - - p - - - -
- A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel : - - - n - - -
- A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean : - - r - - - - - -
- A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage : - - - - I - - - -
Answers :
- cyclone
- gale
- typhoon
- tornado
- hurricane
- whirlwind
QuestionII.
Notice how the word hope is used in these sentences from the story ?
Answers :
- I hope it (the hailstorm) passes quickly
- There was single hope : help from God
- In the first example, hope is a verb which means you wish for something to happen.
In the second example it is a noun meaning a chance for something to happen
Question.
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of hope in Column B?
A |
B |
Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so |
a feeling that something good will probably happen |
I hope you dont mind my saying this, but I dont like the way you are arguing |
thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.) |
This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers |
stopped believing that this good thing would happen |
We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes |
wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible) |
I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school |
showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite |
Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone |
wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely |
Answers:
- - d,
- - e,
- - a,
- - f,
- - b,
- - c
QuestionIII.
Relative Clauses
Look at these sentences?
- All morning Lencho - who knew his fields intimately - looked at the sky
- The woman, who was preparing supper, replied, "Yes, God willing."
The italicised parts of the sentences give us more information about Lencho and the woman. We call them relative clauses. Notice that they begin with a relative pronoun who. Other common relative pronouns are whom, whose, and which
- The relative clauses in (a) and (b) above are called non-defining, because we already know the identity of the person they describe. Lencho is a particular person, and there is a particular woman he speaks to. We dont need the information in the relative clause to pick these people out from a larger set
- A non-defining relative clause usually has a comma in front of it and a comma after it (some writers use a dash ( - ) instead, as in the story). If the relative clause comes at the end, we just put a full stop
- Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested
- I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
- My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
- These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)
- Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
- This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
- Sometimes the relative pronoun in a relative clause remains hidden. For example, look at the first sentence of the story
- The house - the only one in the entire valley - sat on the crest of a low hill.
We can rewrite this sentence as
- The house - which was the only one in the entire valley - sat on the crest of a low hill
- the relative pronoun which and the verb was are not present
Answers :
- I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India
- My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking
- These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President
- Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds
- This man, whom I trusted, cheated me
QuestionIV.
Using Negatives for Emphasis
We know that sentences with words such as no, not or nothing show the absence of something, or contradict something?
- This year we will have no corn. (Corn will be absent.)
- The hail has left nothing. (Absence of a crop)
- These arent raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. (Contradicts the common idea of what the drops of water falling from the sky are.)
But sometimes negative words are used just to emphasise an idea. Look at these sentences from the story
- Lencho.had done nothing else but see the sky towards the northeast. (He had done only this.)
- The man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body. (He had only this reason.)
- Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money. (He showed no surprise at all.)
Now look back at example (c). Notice that the contradiction in fact serves to emphasise the value or usefulness of the rain to the farmer
- Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically
- The trees lost all their leaves
- The letter was addressed to God Himself
- The postman saw this address for the first time in his career
Answers :
- Not a leaf remained on the trees
- It is nothing less than a letter to God
- Never in his career as a postman had he known that address
QuestionV.
Metaphors
The word metaphor comes from a Greek word meaning transfer. Metaphors compare two things or ideas : a quality or feature of one thing is transferred to another thing. Some common metaphors are?
- the leg of the table : The leg supports our body. So the object that supports a table is described as a leg
- the heart of the city : The heart is an important organ in the centre of our body. So this word is used to describe the central area of a city
- 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
Answer:
Question.
Speaking
Have you ever been in great difficulty, and felt that only a miracle could help you? How was your problem solved? Speak about this in class with your teacher?
Answer:
Good morning all. It happened when I was in eighth class. Till then I was scoring good marks in all exams. All of a sudden, I developed a complex. I was unable to remember and recollect what I had repeatedly studied till then. My teachers tried their best to anaylse and sort of the issue. But to no avail
Then my father took me to doctors, including psychologists and psychiatrists. Every effort turned out to be futile. We all lost all our hope. All started saying only a miracle could save me. Then carte the miracle in the form of my cousin. He used to spend a lot of time chatting with me. The chats were very encouraging, comforting and most importantly, confidence-building.
Gradually, I started to improve in my studies. In a few weeks, my cousins consistent and focussed talks reformed and restored me to my earlier levels. Experts say some unknown (unidentified) incident impacted my mind in such adverse way. My cousins intimate discussions helped me erase that unwanted impression from my psyche. I am ever grateful to my lovely cousin
Question.
Listening
Listen to the letter (given under In This Lesson) read out by your teacher/on the audio tape. As you listen fill in the table given below.
?
Answer:
Question.
Writing
Lencho suffered first due to drought and then by floods. Our country is also facing such situations in the recent years. There is flood and there is drought. There is a need to save water through water harvesting. Design a poster for your area on how to save water during summer and when it is available in excess?
Answer:
Question.
Activity?
- One of the cheapest ways to send money to someone is through the post office. Have you ever sent or received money in this way? Heres what you have to do. (As you read the instructions, discuss with your teacher in class the meanings of these words: counter, counter clerk, appropriate, acknowledgement, counterfoil, record. Consult a dictionary if necessary. Are there words corresponding to these English words in your languages?)
Answer:
- counter (n) : a small cabin or a part in an office or a business home where a particular service is rendered
- Are there words corresponding to these English words in your languages Only some; not all
- Fill out the Money Order form given below using the clues that follow the form
Answer:
- Five hundred
- 500 /-
- M. Surendranath; Room No. 21; Kaveri Block; Boys Hostel; Social Welfare Residential School; Machilipatnam
- 50××××
- Devendranath
- 10.11.2023
- 231 / 11 / 23
- 10.11 .2023
- Five hundred
- 500 /-
- Komali
- Maheswar
- Five hundred
- Surendra
- Surendra
- Hemalatha
- Veeraraghavan
- 12.11 .2023
- 231 / 11 / 23
- M. Devendranath; 12-42/A; Post Office Road; Mangalagiri
- 50xxxx
- Five hundred
- 12.11.2023
- For examination fee, as asked for
Question.
Think about who you will send the money to, and how much. You might want to send money for a magazine subscription, or to a relative or a friend?
Or you may fill out the form with yourself as sender and your partner as receiver. Use a part of your pocket money, and submit the form at the nearest post office to see how its done. See how your partner enjoys getting money by post
Notice that the form has three parts - the Money Order form, the part for official use and the Acknowledgement. What would you write in the Space for Communication
For examination purpose, as asked for
(the purpose for which the money is sent with any other note that is relevant.)
Now complete the following statements
- In addition to the sender, the form has to be signed by the ____________
- The Acknowledgement section of the form is sent back by the post office to the ____________ after the ____________ signs it
- The Space for Communication section is used for ____________
- The form has six sections. The sender needs to fill out ____________ sections and the receiver $qquad$
Answer:
- payee; postal assistant; postmaster; witness or identifier and paying official
- sender, payee
- the purpose for which the money is sent or any other related information
- Two (Section 1 and 6 (Space for Communication),
Two (Section 4 and 5 - Two Sections of Acknowledgement)
Additional Questions :
I. Read the following passage care fully
The house - the only one in the entire valley - sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho - who knew his fields intimately - had done nothing else but see the sky towards the north-east
"Now were really going to get some water, woman."
The woman who was preparing supper, replied, "Yes, God willing." The older boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, "Come for dinner". It was during the meal that, just as Lencho has predicted, big drops of rain began to fall
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 arent raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives."
Question 1.
What did Lencho do throughout the morning?
Answer:
Lencho spent the morning observing the sky towards the north-east
Question 2.
What was Lenchos prediction about the weather?
Answer:
Lencho predicted that they were going to get some water, expecting rain
Question 3.
Why were the boys playing near the house?
- They were avoiding work
- They were waiting for the rain
- They were preparing supper
Answer:They were waiting for the rain
Question 4.
What did Lencho compare the raindrops to when he went out?
- Flowers
- Coins
- Leaves
Answer: Coins
Question 5.
What did Lencho say about the big drops and little ones?
- Big drops are ten cent pieces, and little ones are fives
- Big drops are fives, and little ones are ten cent pieces
- Both big and little drops are ten cent pieces
Answer:
Big drops are ten cent pieces, and little ones are fives
Question 6.
Where did Lencho live in relation to the valley?
Answer:
Lencho lived on the crest of a low hill in the valley
Question 7.
What was the earth lacking for a perfect harvest according to Lencho?
Answer:
Lencho believed that the earth needed a downpour or at least a shower for a perfect harvest
Question 8.
Why did Lencho go out during the rain ?
- To check on the crops
- To feel the rain on his body
- To call the children for dinner
Answer:
To feel the rain on his body
Question 9.
What was the womans response when Lencho predicted rain?
- She disagreed with him
- She laughed at him
- She agreed, saying "God willing."
Answer:
She agreed, saying "God willing."
Question 10.
How did Lencho describe the air after the rain started?
- Hot and humid
- Fresh and sweet
- Dusty and dry
Answer:
Fresh and sweet
Question 11.
Where were the older boys during the mealtime?
Answer:
The older boys were working in the field during the mealtime
Question 12.
What did Lencho compare the raindrops to when he returned from outside?
Answer:
Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins when he returned from outside
Question 13.
What did the smaller boys do until the woman called them for dinner ?
- Played near the house
- Helped with supper
- Went to the field
Answer:
Played near the house
Question 14.
Why did Lencho say the drops were like coins?
- He believed it was a sign from God
- He wanted to impress his family
- He thought it was a meteorological phenomenon
Answer:
He believed it was a sign from God
Question 15.
How did Lencho describe the approaching clouds?
- Small and distant
- Dark and ominous
- Light and fluffy
Answer:
Dark and ominous
A Letter to God Summary in English
was a farmer. His family lived in a lone house on the crest of a small hill. Their sole income source was their corn crop. That year the plants grew well. But they then badly needed at least a shower. Lencho did nothing but saw at the sky for clouds to come and shower on their fields. One fine evening it started raining.
Lenchos joy knew no bounds. He described the raindrops as new coins of currency. That was the value of the rain in that hour of need. But Lenchos joy was shortlived. The rain soon turned into a severe hailstorm. That hailstorm reduced their corn crop to nothing
That meant they had to sow the seeds again. Till the new crop could be harvested, they had to go hungry. Lenchos family believed that God sees everything.
Their faith in God was immeasurable. They knew God never let his children die of hunger. Their faith in God could move mountains. Lencho thought for a while and decided to write a letter to God. In that letter he explained his critical condition and requested him to send him one hundred pesos immediately. On the cover he wrote "To God". When the postman saw the address, he laughed heartily. He showed it to the postmaster
He too laughed first. But immediately he turned serious. He was touched by Lenchos faith in God. He was moved and moved into action to ensure Lenchos faith in God remained intact. But, to do that, he needed one hundred pesos. Yet, he remained firm. He collected money from his employees and friends. Including his own contribution, it came to seventy pesos. He put that money in an envelope and put in it a paper signed God
Lencho later came to the post office to collect his letter. He was given the letter from God. The postmaster was eagerly looking at Lenchos face to see his surprise and happiness. But there were no such feelings on Lenchos face. He coutned the money. He became angry. He immediately wrote another letter to God. In it, he asked for the remaining thirty pesos. He requested God to not send that money through mail as the post office people were a bunch of crooks! Such was Lenchos faith in God ! And on seeing that letter, the postmaster turned speechless