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10th Class - English

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10th Class - English
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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 3 The Letter

TexBook Questions

Question 1.
Look at the picture of the old man given below ? Working with your partner, note down the feelings of the old man.

Answer:
The old man seems to wait passionately for someone near to his heart.

  • His eyes are untiringly looking for somebody
  • He is looking ad and lonely
  • He was looking worried about the well-being of the person he is waiting for
  • His positive reflects his helplessness as well as grief buried deep in his heart
Question 2.
Can you think of reasons for these feelings? Discuss with your partner and note down possible reasons?

Answer:
There can be many reasons behind this gloomy aspect:

  • Pain of separation from family
  • Realisation of past mistakes
  • Grief over losing someone dear
  • Loveliness and lack of sympathy
  • Rash and careless attitude resulting in seclusion
Question 3.
Answer the following questions by ticking the correct options ?
  • Ali walking to the Post Office daily even in biting cold weather shows his
  • courage
  • optimism
  • foolishness
  • strength of will

Answer

  • optimism
  • The Post Office is referred to as Ali "place of pilgrimage" as he
  • visited it daily
  • came there to pray for a letter from his daughter
  • went there with faith and hope
  • believed God would bless him if he went there

Answer

  • went there with faith and hope
  • The Post Master rudeness to Ali reveals his
  • lack of empathy
  • preoccupation with his work
  • preconceived notions
  • sensitivity

Answer

  • preconceived notions
  • Ali did not come to the Post Office for several days as
  • he had given up hope
  • he was upset by the Post Master rebuke
  • he was unwell and not able to walk to the Post Office
  • he was busy hunting

Answer

  • he was unwell and not able to walk to the Post Office
  • "Tortured by doubt and remorse, he sat down in the glow of the charcoal sigri to wait. " The Post Master was waiting for
  • a letter from Miriam
  • a letter from his own daughter
  • a letter from Ali
  • Ali to deliver Miriam letter to him

Answer

  • Ali to deliver Miriam letter to him
Question 4.
Answer the following questions briefly?Who was Ali ? Where did he go daily

Answer:
Ali was an old coachman. He went to the Post Office daily with a hope to get the letter of his daughter Miriam who went away from her father after her marriage.

I. "Ali displays qualities of love and patience." Give evidence from the story to support the statement

Answer:
Undoubtedly, Ali displays wonderful qualities of love and patience. The title of the story itself speaks volumes of his boundless love for his daughter Miriam and his great patience which he shows for obtaining her letter. As the day dawns, he takes his way to the Post Office and sits on the bench in the corner and waits for hours together for the dark to call out his name for getting the letter of his daughter. It has been his daily routine. That fateful day has never appeared when he can receive a letter from Miriam. But this situational truth has neither diminished his love for his daughter nor his patience which he shows in waiting for the letter

II. How do you know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office

Answer:
Ali was familiar figure at the Post Office as all the staff members of the Post Office knew him by face because he came daily to the Post Office. Everybody right from the postmaster to the peon knew and recognized Ali by face. Usually they made fun of him while talking about his abnormal behaviour. They even called him a madman who came daily to the Post Office though he never got a letter

III. Why did Ali give up hunting

Answer:
Ali gave up his passion for hunting simply because he grew old and weak physically in his later days. Though he lost his youthful stamina and energy, yet the instincts of hunting were still present in him. Truthfully, the main and the most important reason for his leaving hunting was his separation from his daughter after her marriage. His loneliness made him realise that real pleasure lies in lovihg dear ones and living with them. Therefore, he stopped killing birds and animals because it causes separation

IV. What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story, The Letter

Answer:
As a coin has two sides, the postmaster also appears to have two aspects of his character. In the first half of the story, he seems very hard-hearted and unsympathetic. Even the writers comparison of his face with dull pumpkin reveals the insensitivity of his character but as the story proceeds further and he is put in the same tight corner in which poor old Ali is already husding, a sudden change appears in him. When he gets no information from his ill daughter, he gets maddened with grief and he realizes old All agony and craziness to come daily to the Post Office to get his daughters letter. Now his fatherly sentiments rise up to understand the love-lorn soul of Ali. His attitude becomes very sympathetic and kind to Ali.

V. The postmaster says to Ali, "What a pest you are, brother !" Do you agree with the statement ? Give reasons for your answer

Answer:
To the postmaster, All appears to be a pest. It is, perhaps, because he comes daily to the Post Office with a hope to get a letter of his daughter. Just as a pest is a constant source of disturbance and torture to human beings in the same way, daily presence of Ali weighs quite heavy on the minds of the postmaster and his subordinates. Otherwise old Ali is neither very aggressive in his actions nor very malignant in his behaviour that he should be called a pest. Later on the hearts of all of them melt in to pity for Ali.

VI. "Ali came out very slowly, turning after every few steps to gaze at the post office. His eyes were filled with tears of helplessness, for his patience was exhausted, even though he still had faith." Why were Ali eyes filled with tears of helplessness ? What had exhausted his patience but not his faith

Answer:
Ali was not keeping well for many days. His constant sickness deprived him of all his physical strength and stamina. He was also losing hold on his patience on account of his physical ailment and weakness. He knew that it was impossible for him now to make a daily visit to Post Office for getting the letter of his daughter. He also realized that his days were numbered, therefore his eyes were filled with tears.

Though his physical infirmities and the shadow of approaching death exhausted his patience, yet they could not crush down his spirits and firm faith that one day his daughters letter would certainly come to him. His faith won because a letter came for him in the end

VII. "Tortured by doubt and remorse, he sat down in the glow of the charcoal sigri to wait." Who is tortured by doubt and remorse? Why? What is he waiting for

Answer:
The heart of the postmaster was almost laden with deep grief and agony. An element of doubt, whether in the early hours of the morning, he saw old Ali or his ghost, also crept up in his mind. He was swaying in s&ite of great confusion mentally and he was deeply agonized at heart on account of his daughter illness. He is waiting for both-an information from his daughter to pacify his grief and also for old Ali to reappear to dispel his feeling of doubt which darkened his senses

Question 5.
The writer carefully builds up an atmosphere of loneliness and grief in the story. Working in groups, pick out words/ phrases from the story that build up the atmosphere. Copy the following table in your notebook and complete it?
Loneliness Grief
An old man was walking through the town, now and again drawing his tattered clothes tighter to shield his body from the cold and biting wind the whole town was wrapped in deathly silence
his lonely way #

Answer:

Loneliness
  • An old man was walking through the town, now and again drawing his tattered clothes tighter to shield his body from the cold and biting wind
  • His lonely way
  • Now he understood the meaning of love and separation. He could no longer enjoy the pleasure of hunting and laughing at the bewildered terror of the young Partridges bereft of their parents
  • A pitiable figure a century behind his time
  • From some houses came the sound of grinding mills and sweet voices of women singing at their work and the sounds helped him along his lonely way
  • Although the hunters instinct was in his very blood and bones, such loneliness had come into his life since the day Miriam had gone away
Grief
  • The whole town was wrapped in deathly silence
  • .....and for the last five years he had no news of his daughter for whose sake alone he dragged along a cheerless existence
  • He reflected deeply and came to the conclusion that the whole universe is built up through love and that the grief of separation is inescapable. And seeing this, he sat down under a tree and wept bitterly
Question 6.
Complete the table by explaining the following phrases/sentences in your own words ?
Phrases/Sentences Meanings
happy memories light up a life that is nearing its close #
the sounds helped him along his lonely way #
the cold used sleep to extend its sway over all things even as a false friend lulls his chosen victim with caressing smiles #
when the evening of his life was drawing in, he left his old ways and suddenly took a new turn #
the whole universe is built up through love and that the grief of separation is inescapable #
the post-master, a man with a face as sad and as inexpressive as a Pumpkin, would be seen sitting on his chair inside #
the post-master, a man with a face as sad and as inexpressive as a Pumpkin, would be seen sitting on his chair inside #
The haughty temper of the official had quite left him in his sorrow and anxiety, and had laid bare his human heart. #

Answer:

  • When the life of a human being is drawing near its end, happy and pleasant memories of one earlier life help one in removing the dark shadow of approaching death
  • In the early hours of dawn when Ali was going to the Post Office, there was no living creature present around him. But he heard the singing of the women who were up early and the grinding noise of hand-mills, barking of dogs, the sound of foot-steps of a work-man. All these sound gave him solace and comforted him that he was not all alone.All these sound gave him solace and comforted him that he was not all alone
  • Just as an unfaithful friend hides his evil designs under a cover of affectionate smiles when he tries to play a dirty and fraudulent game with his friend, in the same way cold weather makes people sleep longer in their comfortable beds forgetting the biting cold and wind
  • Evening indicates the closing of the day. Many of the activities, din and noise of day-time comes to an end at evening. Ali was growing old. His end was approaching. Therefore, he gave up his sportive passions like hunting and brought a sedateness and steadiness in his life which suited his old age. Now going to the Post Office and waiting for his daughter letter became his daily practice. This change came to him at the evening of his life
  • Ali realized in his later years that it is perseverance, love and compassion that matter not destroying and teasing others. The existence of the entire universe is based on love. It is the element of love which has created the world. Just as the joys of love are essential for the creation of the world, in the same way, pain and grief, caused by separation of dear ones are unavoidable. These are two eternal truths of human life
  • The writer compares the face of the postmaster with a pumpkin. Just as a pumpkin is hardly attractive and appealing to the eyes, in the same way the face of the postmaster did not reveal any kind of joyful feeling. Only sadness was visible on his face which made the expression of his face quite hard and stony, capable of expressing no emotion
  • At the time of distribution of letters, the clerk calls out the names of the people whose letters he comes across. This daily practice of the clerk is compared with the mode of worship adopted by a worshipper of Vishnu. The writer means to say that worshipper of Vishnu calls out various names of Vishnu while he offers prayers to his sacred deity
  • The postmaster, who was the incharge of the Post Office, was very haughty and rude in the beginnning. Later on, when his daughter fell ill and he received no information from his sick daughter, his heart was afflicted with deep grief and agony. Now his fatherly instinct compelled him to express his painful feeling and he realized miserable condition of old Ali

Listening Task

Question 7.
Now you are going to listen to an article about the break-up of the Joint Family system in India?
As you listen to the passage complete the boxes given below.

Answer:

    Causes of neglect of the elderly
  • Diminishing concept of joint family
  • Pressure of modern life
  • Poor financial condition and job prospects
  • Individualistic aspirations of the younger generation

Writing Task

Question 8.
Tortured by doubt and remorse, the postmaster sits in the glow of a charcoal sigri that night, waiting for news of his daughter. As he sits, he writes his diary?
As the postmaster, write a diary entry in about 150 words outlining your feelings about the day events.

Answer:
Tuesday, 15th May 20XX

10:30 p.m. Today I am filled with shame and guilt for my rude behaviour towards Ali, a poor father. Ali used to come to the Post Office daily to enquire about a letter from his daughter. Everybody laughed at him and made fun of him. I was no exception. I also insulted him and called him a pest. Today, when my own daughter is not well and I am waiting for some news from my daughter, I realise the pain, agony and suffering of Ali. I understand his fatherly concern for his daughter. I am filled with remorse and repentance for fny inhuman behaviour towards Ali. In the mail, while searching for my daughters letter, I found Miriams letter. Poor Ali had been waiting for this letter for so long. I have taken that letter and I wish to give.that letter to Ali with my own hands as soon as he reaches the Post Office. I would repent for my misbehaviour by asking forgiveness from Ali. Ali s heart and soul lie bare before me

Speaking Task

Question 9.
  • The postmaster believes that he saw Ali. What do you think ? Discuss with your partner and present your views in front of the class
  • The postmaster was anxiously waiting for his ailing daughter news. On not getting any news he visits his daughter town. Now construct a dialogue between the postmaster and his daughter and enact it

Answer:

  • The story was really interesting as well as touching. It has taught us a very wonderful lesson i.e. to value the sentiments of others and feel love and show patience for one another. The postmaster realized his mistake, but too late. He found himself in the same situation as Ali and his fatherly sentiments rose up to understand Ali state of mind. On getting Ali letter, he realized the truth of Ali anxiety and agony and wanted to hand over the letter to him. I think his belief that he saw Ali, stemmed from his conscience that was eager to break out the news of getting Ali letter to him. In my opinion, that was a hallucination
  • The postmaster knocks at the door. His daughter opens the door and is surprised to see her father. Tears of joy came into her eyes
Daughter Oh! Father. How happy I am to see you here. Come Inside. Postmaster (Hugs his daughter) How are you, my child? I was very worried about you. You didnt even write a letter to tell me about your well-being. Daughter Father, I am very sorry. I can understand your feelings. But I didnt want to disturb you further by telling you about my illness. Postmaster (In a complaining tone) Atleast, you could have written a letter just to say that you are well. Daughter I wanted to come and spend a few days with you. Postmaster (with joy) Really! Then what are you waiting for? Pack your things and Ill ask your in-laws to send you with me. I am sure they will not object. Daughter Of course not. I am going to get something to eat for you; then Ill get ready to go home. (Responses may vary)

Important Question

NCERT CBSE for Class 10 English Literature Chapter 3 The Letter Important Questions

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
‘The whole universe is built up through love and the grief of separation is inescapable."
Year of Question:(Board 2014, Set PRE2N18, QUD9VQW)

(a) When did the speaker acquire this philosophy ?
(b) What pain has the speaker gone through ?
(c) What does the word ‘inescapable’ mean ?

Answer:
(a) The speaker here is Ali. He had been a hunter and known for his expertise in killing but now when he is
away from his own daughter he realizes it.
(b) The pain of separation.
(c) Something that can’t be avoided/prevented.
Year of Question:(CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014)

Question 2.
The postmaster did not receive his own letter all that day. He worried all night, and getting up at three, went sit in the office.
Year of Question:(Board 2012)

(a) Replace any one letter of the word ‘receive’ to change its meaning.
(b) Why was the postmaster worried ?
(c) What did one night spent in anxiety teach the postmaster ?

Answer:
(a)Receive-deceive.
(b)The postmaster was worried because his daughter was not well and he had not received any letter from her.
(c)One night spent in anxiety taught the postmaster that letters are not mere words, they are emotions and something which is priceless.

Question 3.
But when the evening of his life was drawing in, he left his old ways and suddenly took a new turn.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2013, Set 101)

(a) What does the phrase ‘evening of his life’ refer to ?
(b) What do you understand by the phrase ‘he left his old ways’ ?
(c) Why did he take a new turn ?

Answer:
(a) It refers to old age of Ali.
(b) Ali had been a hunter but later he stopped ‘his old ways’ i.e., he stopped hunting animals.
(c) He took a new turn as he had realized the meaning of love and separation.

Question 4.
"In the grey sky of early dawn, stars still glowed, as happy memories light up a life that is nearing its close. An old man was walking through the town, now and again drawing his tattered clothes tighter to shield his body from the cold and biting wind".
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 44)

(a) Whose life is drawing to a close ?
(b) Where is he going and why ?
(c) What does this show about his character ?

Answer:

(a) Coachman Ali.
(b) To the post-office in order to check if his daughter has sent him a letter.
(c) He is determined and doesn’t care for physical comforts.

Question 5.
An old man was walking through the town, now and again drawing his tattered clothes tighter to shield his body from the cold and biting wind.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 61)

(a) Who was the ‘old man’ ? Where did he intend to go ?
(b) How did he brave the adversity of the weather ?
(c) What trait does his walking to the post-office even in biting cold weather reveal about his temperament ?

Answer:
(a) The old man was coachman Ali. He intended to go to the post-office in the hope of hearing from his daughter.
(b) The poor man was ill-clad and his tattered clothes couldn’t protect him from the biting cold. Still defying the weather he held his clothes tight and continued walking.
(c) Ali’s defiant attitude towards the unfavourable weather highlights his firm determination and immense will power.

Question 6.
"Tortured by doubt and remorse, he sat down in the glow of the charcoal sigri to wait".
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 45)

(a) Who is the person referred to in this extract ?
(b) Why is he tortured by remorse ?
(c) What is he waiting for and why ?

Answer:
(a) The postmaster.
(b) He had been cruel, callous and insensitive towards Ali.
(c) He was waiting for a letter from his daughter as she was unwell.

Question 7.
"The whole universe is built up through love and the grief of separation is inescapable".
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 48)

(a) When did the speaker acquire this philosophy ?
(b) What pain has the speaker gone through ?
(c) Whose love changes the speaker and how ?

Answer:
(a) The speaker here is Ali. He had been a hunter and known for his expertise in killing but now when he is away from his own daughter he realizes it.
(b) The pain of separation.
(c) It is the love for his daughter Miriam that has changed the speaker. Now, he no longer hunts.

Question 8.
‘But for the faith and love that warmed him, he could not have borne the bitter cold’.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 40)

(a) Who is being referred to as ‘he’ in the given extract ?
(b) Why was ‘he’ in the bitter cold ?
(c) How was he able to gain strength to bear the bitter cold ?

Answer:
(a) Coachman Ali.
(b) He went to the post-office daily despite the bitter cold and waited for a letter from his only child, Miriam. 1
(c) His love for his daughter and faith that she would write to him gave him strength to bear the bitter cold. 1

Question 9.
‘For several days Ali had not come to the post-office. There was no one with enough sympathy or understanding to guess the reason, but all were curious to know what had stopped the old man.’
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 21)

(a) Why did Ali come to the post-office ?
(b) Why had Ali stopped coming to the post-office ?
(c) Why were all curious to know ?

Answer:
(a) Ali came to the post-office in the hope of finding a letter from Miriam.
(b) Ali stopped coming to the post-office because he had died.
(c) All were curious to know because he had been a regular visitor and now had stopped coming to the postoffice altogether.

Question 10.
‘Ali came out very slowly, turning after every few steps to gaze at the post-office. His eyes were filled with tears of helplessness, for his patience was exhausted, even though he still had faith.’
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 23)

(a) Ali’s eyes were filled with tears because.........
(b) Ali had faith that.........
(c) His patience was exhausted because.........

Answer:

(a) the postmaster had misbehaved with him.
(b) he would hear from Miriam.
(c) he had not received any letter from Miriam during the last five years.

Question 11.
Beholding the wooden arch of this building, the old man was filled with the joy that the pilgrim feels when he first sees the goal of his journey.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 18)

(a) Ali’s walking to the post-office daily even in biting cold weather shows his.........
(b) The post-office is referred to as Ali’s place of pilgrimage as he.........
(c) Ali’s daughter got married.........

Answer:
(a) optimism.
(b) went there with faith and hope.
(c) five years ago.

Short Answer Type Questions (2 marks each)

Question 1.
The postmaster says to Ali, ‘What a pest you are brother ?’ Do you agree with the statement ? Give reasons.
Year of Question:(Board 2014, Set PRE2N18, QUD9VQW, Board Term-I 2011, Set 19)

Answer:
Ali is not a pest. Though Ali comes daily to the post-office; he waits patiently without disturbing anyone. Hope lures him to the door whenever the post-office employees jokingly call out his ‘name’. But he does not rebuke them. He silently goes and sits on his seat not bothering or troubling anyone.

Question 2.
Why was Ali leading a cheerless existence ?
Year of Question:(Board 2014, Set QUD9VQW)

Answer:
Value Points :
Old and lonely, no happiness, desperately longed for a letter from his daughter. People insulted and ridiculed him.
Detailed Answer:

Ali was an old man who lived a life of loneliness. There was no happiness in his life. His only daughter had shifted to Punjab after getting married and he desperately longed for a letter from her end. People at the post office insulted him, ridiculed him but he paid no attention to them. He only wanted a letter from his daughter. It seemed that the only aim of his existence was to get a letter from his daughter which came only after his death. He didn’t receive it while he was alive and thus led a cheerless life.


Question 3.
Why did Ali visit the post-office daily ? (NCT 2014)
Year of Question: (Board Term-I 2011, Set 28)

Answer:
Ali used to visit the post-office everyday. He had been visiting the place for many years with the hope that one fine day he will receive a letter from his only daughter, Miriam. (The Letter)

Question 4.
Why could Ali not enjoy a sportsman’s pleasure of hunting any more after Miriam left him ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2013, Set 8SRR)

Answer:
Value Points:
Understood the meaning of love and separation-gave up hunting partridges-could now understand the grief of parents of the hunted animals went through after getting separated from their young ones.
Detailed Answer:

Ali was a skilled hunter. No animal could escape his eyes. The moment he saw any rabbit or partridge it was as good as in his bag. But then suddenly his life changed. His daughter Miriam got married to a soldier and went to live’ in Punjab with him. Ali got no news of her after that. He became sensitive and realized the meaning of love and separation. He could no longer enjoy a sportman’s pleasure because he felt that the animals and birds must also be having the same feelings and he stopped hunting. He could understand the grief of parents of the hunted animals which they went through after getting separated from their young ones.

Question 5.
What were Ali’s reasons for giving up hunting ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 18, Set 41)

Answer:
Ali was a sure shot. He realized the pain of separation on being separated from his daughter. So, he gave up hunting as he could no longer bear the thought of children being separated from parents.

Question 6.
How do you know that Ali was a familiar face at the post-office ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 43)

Answer:
Ali went to the post-office daily. He was the first one to be there, people knew him and laughed at him, called out his name and enjoyed seeing him jump.

Question 7.
Why according to Dhumaketu was the post-office a sacred place for Ali ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 54)

Answer:
When Ali’s only daughter, Miriam, married and went away, he realised the pain of separation and understood the loneliness and grief. It had been five years and he was anxious to receive a letter - news of well being from his daughter. So he would visit the post-office daily, as a ritual in the hope of receiving a letter from Miriam.

Question 8.
Ali had lost the zeal to do anything else except to come to the post-office and wait for his name to be announced. Comment.
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 67)

Answer:
Ali had lost the zeal after his daughter married and shifted to Punjab. He realized how sad life was and he gave up hunting. His only aim in life now was coming to the post-office like a pilgrimage and collecting his letter.

Question 9.
How can you say that Ali was an embodiment of love and patience ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 59)

Answer:
Ali was a loving father, always expecting a letter from his daughter who lived with her husband after marriage. Since the last five years, he had got no news of his daughter. He went to the post-office everyday to enquire if there was a letter from her. This shows that he was an embodiment of love and patience. .

Question 10.
Who was Lakshmi Das ? Why did Ali give him money ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 53)

Answer:
Lakshmi Das was one of the employees of the post-office. Convinced by his faith that he would receive a letter from his daughter. Ali gave Lakshmi Das five golden guineas to deliver the letter at his grave, when it came because he knew his end was very near.

Question 11.
How did loneliness come into Ali’s life ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011 Set 54)

Answer:
Ali was a hunter earlier. He had one daughter who got married to a soldier and left Ali. There was no news of her for five years. Ali became lonely and suffered from the pangs of love and separation. He gave up hunting. He always expected a letter from his daughter Miriam and regularly went to the post-office to look for her letter.

Question 12.
Why did the postmaster get annoyed with Ali ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 64)

Answer:

Ali asked the postmaster to write down Miriam’s name in his register as it could be useful when a letter should come from her. The postmaster was annoyed at Ali’s ignorance as Miriam’s name was of not any significance to anyone except her father - coachman Ali.

Question 13.
"Ali got up and saluting the post-office as though it housed some precious relic, went off-a pitiable figure a century behind his time." In this extract what do you understand by the phrase ‘precious relic’ and ‘a century behind his time’.
Year of Question: (Board Term-I 2011, Set 17)

Answer:
The phrase ‘precious relic’ here means the letter from Ali’s daughter ‘Miriam’ for which he was waiting. ‘Century behind his time’ means in this fast paced world Ali happens to expect a letter from his daughter, relentlessly coming to the post-office for five long years, braving severe weather condition. So, he is old fashioned.

Question 14.
Why was Ali called a ‘mad man’ by the men at the post-office ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 22)

Answer:
Ali came everyday to the post-office without fail to look for a letter from his daughter. He had been waiting for the letter for five years. So the men at the post-office called him a mad man.

Question 15.
What kind of childhood did Ali’s daughter have?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 24)

Answer:
Ali’s daughter had a very lonely childhood. She had little communication with her father as most of the time he was out of home, busy hunting with his friends.

Question 16.
What is the role of ‘the letter’ in the story by Dhumaketu ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2011, Set 25)

Answer:
The whole story revolves around the letter which Ali had been waiting for. Again it is the same letter which transforms the postmaster and makes him realize the essential worth of a human letter.

Question 17.
What was Ali’s profession when he was young ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2010, Set 25)

Answer:
Ali was a hunter. When Ali sighted the earth-brown partridge, the poor bird was as good as in his bag - his sharp eyes would spot the hare crouching in yellow brown shrub and in another moment it was dead, even the best hunting dogs would fail but Ali never missed to notice game nor did he ever miss his mark.

Question 18.
What brings about a change in the postmaster ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2012, Set 25)

Answer:
At first the postmaster is arrogant; he rebukes Ali and is insensitive to his feelings but after separation from his daughter he realizes his mistake and goes to Ali’s grave to place the letter there.

Question 19.
Why was Ali undisturbed by the insensitivity of the people ?
Year of Question:(Board Term-I 2013, Set 25)

Answer:
Ali was a loving and devoted father. He was undisturbed by the insensitivity of people because he was desperate to get a letter and that had become a mission and all other things were insignificant.

Long Answer Type Questions (4 marks each)

Question 1.
Justify the title ‘The Letter’.
Year of Question: (Board Term-I 2012, Set 19)

Answer:
Terribly missing his daughter, indifferent to bad weather and health, Ali went to the post-office everyday without fail in the hope to receive a letter from his daughter. The employees at the post-office made fun of him. Not bothered by their jokes he returned to the post-office the next day. Even when he was not well, struggling to breathe, with clear signs of his approaching end he made to the post-office. With his patience exhausted, but faith intact he gave five gold guineas to the post-office clerk with a promise to deliver the letter at his grave after his death. The entire lesson is woven around the letter and Ali’s optimism to receive it one day.

Question 2.
Coachman Ali and the post master share feeling of guilt but their realization comes a little too late to make amends. Describe what they feel guilty about and how the realizations comes to them.
Year of Question: (Board Term-I 2012, Set EC2,56)

Answer:
Coachman Ali gambles and drinks in his younger days without caring for his family. It is only when his daughter runs away that he realizes his mistake. Life turns over a new leaf and he waits day in and day out for a letter from her which never comes. Finally, when the letter does come, he is no longer alive.
Postmaster makes fun of Ali. Only when his own daughter is ill and he gets no news of her, he realizes Ali’s pain and anguish. He feels sorry for having made fun of Ali. When the letter comes, he decides to deliver it himself and make personal amends for his behaviour but it is too late but Ali is no more.

Question 3.
After paying five gold coins to Lakshmi Das, Ali rests assured that he would get his daughter, Miriam’s letter, although at his grave. He writes down the account of the journey of his life and his feelings for his daughter. As Ali, write the diary entry in 150 words.
Year of Question:(O. D. Comptt. 2010)

Answer:

15 September 2014 10 p.m.
Dear Diary

After meeting Lakshmi Das and giving him five golden guineas, I am feeling relieved now. I only wish that he will surely deliver Miriam’s letter at my grave. What a miserable life I have led for the last five years.

Being a staunch lover of humanity I realised that the whole universe is made through love and grief of separation is inescapable. After the marriage of my daughter Miriam, I have realized what separation is. I have not got any letter from her for the past five years.

I wanted to tell her and shpw her that I have changed. I have left hunting since the day of her marriage. I wanted to tell her how much I love her. So, I became a routine visitor to the post-office for having news of my own daughter, though I was called by the names like ‘pest’, ‘mad person’, etc. But I never minded and waited for the letter only. The postman made fun of me. The post master scolded me but I had a hope for the letter. Father’s heart would always miss the daughter though I was always humiliated by everyone in the post-office.

Now, I sense my last days are approaching. I have given five golden guineas to the clerk Laxmi Das and requested him to put my letter on my grave when it arrives. Ultimately, I have to leave for my heavenly abode believing the letter would come, though after my death.

May God bless you Miriam.

Question 4.
You are one of the villagers who have noticed Ali and his helplessness. Write a letter to your friend giving an account of the life and experiences of this lovely man.
Year of Question:(O. D. Comptt. 2009)

Answer:

ABC Lane
Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur ‘
18 May 2014 Dear friend

Today, I would like to tell you about coachman Ali’s life story which will definitely bring tears in your eyes. A man who died grieving for his daughter and spent many years endlessly waiting for a letter from her. Coachman Ali was a clever shikari who was not able to pass even a day without hunting. But in the later half of his life, he left his old ways and his life took a new turn. When his only child Miriam got married and left him. For five years, he had no news of her. He now understood the meaning of love and separation. Whenever he waited for his daughter Miriam’s letter outside the post-office, employees of the office laughed at him and called him a mad man, but he remained undeterred. He became unwell and knew his end was near. Therefore, he handed over five gold coins to a clerk at the post-office and told him to deliver Miriam’s letter to him at his grave. When a letter for Ali arrived, the clerk, true to his promise, went to Ali’s grave to deliver Miriam’s letter. It is a story of an ordinary man who died waiting endlessly with no one to understand his grief and loneliness.

Abu

Question 5.
Lakshmi Das, the clerk makes a diary entry regretting his misbehaviour towards Ali when he pestered him. Imagine you are Lakshmi Das. Make the diary entry in 150-175 words.
Year of Question: (Delhi II, 2008)

Answer:

18 June 2014
10 p.m.

Dear Diary

What a situation it was when Ali pestered me to take the money only to deliver the letter at his grave as he felt that the end of his life was near. I saw tears in his eyes but not his emotions and feelings. I was happy to get the golden coins and put them into my pocket. After giving me the coins, Ali was never seen again. Later I came to know that he was no more as he did not visit the post-office for a long time. I realized that I was wrong. I could not understand a father’s feelings for his only daughter. There was one of the officials who always made fun of him and spoke rudely to him, called him a pest and misbehaved. But now I am regretting my misconduct towards him. My conscience has awakened. I realize he just used to come to seek his daughter Miriam’s letter but we treated him badly.

I had to keep the promise made to him and I put the letter on his grave as promised. I feel a sense of fulfilment within myself and I will write a letter to his daughter.

Laxmi Das

Question 6.
Imagine you are the postmaster and have just gone and laid Miriam’s letter on Ali’s grave. You come back home and reflect on whatever’s happened. The newly awakened father’s heart in you is reproaching you for having failed to understand Ali’s anxiety. As the postmaster write a diary entry in about 150-175 words outlining your feelings.
Year of Question: (Board Sample Paper 2006, Set-II)

Answer:

17 July 2014
11 p.m.

Dear Diary

Today, we had gone to deliver Miriam’s much awaited letter to Ali. But unfortunately, the letter was delivered to Ali’s grave. I am in a position to understand Ali’s concern and anxiety. My newly-awakened father’s heart is reproaching me for having failed to comprehend Ali’s misery. I have now realized the value of each letter and will never again view them merely as envelopes and postcards. My heart is filled with compassion and regret at having rebuked Ali so much that I actually visualised seeing Ali enter the post-office even though he has been dead for the past three months. I think, I will spend the rest of my life repenting my callous attitude at not having understood a person’s pain, helplessness and misery.

Value Based Questions (4 marks each)

Question 1.
Life is often a reflection of one’s own deeds. God renders us according to our deeds. Do you think Ali and the postmaster are examples of this philosophical thought ? (The Letter)
Year of Question: (Board 2014, Set PRE2N18)

Answer:
Value Points:
Life is often a reflection of one’s own deeds. God renders us according to our deeds.
Ali realized the meaning of separation only when his daughter left him; earlier he didn’t have time for her.
Post master never understood Ali’s agony and made fun of him.
He too had to face the consequences when he had to wait to get the news of his ailing daughter.(CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014)

Detailed Answer:

There is no denying the fact that life is often a reflection of one’s own deeds. God renders us according to our deeds. We have to believe in the Karma theory and the letter is a good example of this theory. Ali a skilful hunter did not know the meaning of grief and separation until he himself got separated from his daughter Miriam who left him after getting married. Earlier he didn’t have time for her as he was busy hunting animals but after his daughter left, he used to go to the post office and sit there from morning till night, waiting for a letter from her end. The postmaster always made fun of this habit of Ali. He never paid much attention to the emotions and feelings of Ali. He never understood Ali’s agony. But a day came when the postmaster had to face the same consequences when he had to go wait to get the news of his ailing daughter. He understood how difficult it was to wait day after day for something which never came. He realized that letters were not mere postcard or envelops, they were much more than that.
Thus, we find out that ‘The Letter’ is an example of a philosophical thought and people should keep it in mind to lead the life in a humanitarian way.

Question 2.
One feels other’s pain only when one goes through it himself/herself. Explain the postmaster’s change of heart in the chapter ‘The Letter’ and why it took place. (120-150 words)
Year of Question:(Board Term-12013, Set 5007,8SRR)

Answer:
Value Points:
Postmaster very practical-thinks Ali to be a pest Does not feel any sympathy Ali dies-Postmaster ‘sees’ him and talks to him Finds out about Ali’s death Personally goes to deliver the letter
Understands Ali’s pain only when his own daughter is unwell and away-feels ashamed of his behaviour-One must try to empathise with others. (CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014)


Detailed Answer:
.
The postmaster in the story ‘The Letter’ was a very practical man. He used to think Ali as a pest. He had no feeling of sympathy for him or his circumstances. But then times changed and his own daughter fell ill. She lived in another city. He wanted to know about her well-being but was fully dependent on the letter of his daughter that would inform him about it. It was at this moment that he realized Ali’s pain as he himself felt it. He felt ashamed of his behaviour of calling Ali a pest. One day, while he was looking for his daughter’s letter in the heap of latest arrival of letters, he found Miriam’s letter in it. He decided to deliver it to Ali himself. Ali ‘came’ at the usual hour. He talked to him but was later informed that Ali was dead. He was shocked. He decided to go personally to his grave to deliver the letter. Thus the story teaches us to empathise with others.

Question 3.
The word ‘Letter’ is interwoven in the text and imparts us the value of letters which are living documents of human emotions. Justify.
Yera of Question:(2010)

Answer:
Letters and envelopes are not merely dead pieces of paper. They are the living documents of human love and concern. Who else but Ali can explain it well who, in the whole chapter, kept on waiting for his daughter Miriam’s letter. He even gave up hunting as, after his daughter’s marriage, he realized the essence of love and the pangs of separation. These pangs of separation transformed even the postmaster who could also understand the agony of a separated father when he himself waited for his sick daughter’s letter. Only a man with a father’s heart can understand the anxiety and worry of another father separated from his child. The whole story revolves round the letter which both the postmaster and Ali waited for. Ali gave five gold guineas to Lakshmi Das to deliver his letter at his grave, after his death telling us the importance of Miriam’s letter. Thus, due importance must be given to letters and they should not be treated as merely pieces of paper. We must realize the value of relations.

Important Questions and Answers - The Letter by Dhumaketu

Question1.
Who was Ali, and where did he go daily?

Answer:

  • Who was Ali:
  • Ali was a former "shikari" (hunter) known for his sharp hunting skills
  • Where did he go:
  • Ali visited the "post office" every day for "five years," waiting for a letter from his daughter, "Miriam."
Question2.
What qualities of love and patience does Ali display?

Answer:

  • Love for Miriam:
  • Ali abandoned hunting, his greatest passion, after Miriam left
  • His only purpose became waiting for news from his daughter, showing his deep love
  • Patience:
  • Ali waited at the "post office" every day for "five years" despite the cold and the mocking of the postmen
  • Even though he never received a letter, his faith and hope remained strong
Question3.
Why did Ali give up hunting?

Answer:

  • Reason for giving up:
  • Ali gave up hunting when his daughter, "Miriam," left him after her marriage
  • He realized the pain of separation and could no longer enjoy hunting, which once gave him joy
  • Ali understood that "love" and "separation" are powerful forces in life, and his heart was filled with longing for his daughter
Question4.
How do we know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office?

Answer:

  • Recognition by Post Office Workers:
  • Ali was mocked by the postmen, who knew he would come daily to wait for a letter that never arrived
  • The postmaster and clerks called him a "mad man" because he kept coming, despite never receiving a letter
Question5.
What impression do you form of the postmaster?

Answer:

  • Insensitive and Rude:
  • The postmaster was initially dismissive of Ali, calling him a "pest" and showing no empathy
  • Change of Heart:
  • When the postmaster anxiously awaited news about his own "daughters illness," he began to understand Alis pain
  • His heart softened, and he became more compassionate, realizing the emotional weight of a "letter."
Question6.
Why were Alis eyes filled with tears of helplessness?

Answer:

  • Exhausted Patience:
  • After waiting for five long years without receiving a letter from "Miriam," Alis patience was worn out
  • Despite his faith, he felt helpless and defeated because his long wait had not yielded any results
  • Tears of Love:
  • His tears reflected the sorrow of not hearing from his daughter, which had been his sole hope in life
Question7.
How does the postmaster feel when he waits for news of his daughter?

Answer:

  • Doubt and Remorse:
  • The postmaster experiences "doubt" and "remorse" as he anxiously waits for news about his daughters illness
  • He feels guilty for not understanding Alis pain earlier and regrets how he treated him
  • Realization:
  • The postmaster recognizes the value of every letter and understands the emotional connection it carries for the receiver
Question8.
Why did Ali give the clerk five golden guineas?

Answer:

  • Payment for a Promise:
  • Ali gave "five golden guineas" to the clerk, asking him to deliver Miriams letter to his "grave" after he died
  • This act showed Alis belief that the letter would arrive, even if it came after his death
Question9.
Why was the postmaster filled with remorse after Alis death?

Answer:

  • Regret for Past Behavior:
  • The postmaster felt remorse for his previous rudeness to Ali when he realized how much Ali had suffered waiting for his daughters letter
  • Now, in a similar situation, waiting for news about his own daughter, the postmaster understood Alis pain and dedication

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