Class 10 English — Lesson 1: A Letter to God (Important Questions & Answers)
Part 1: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) — (10 Questions)
Q1. Where was Lencho's house situated?
Answer: (b) Top of a low hill
Q2. What did Lencho expect from the sky?
Answer: (b) A downpour or a shower
Q3. What destroyed Lencho's fields?
Answer: (b) Hailstorm
Q4. Lencho compared the quantum of damage with:
Answer: (c) Plague of locusts
Q5. How much money did Lencho ask for?
Answer: (a) 100 pesos
Q6. What was the postmaster's immediate reaction on seeing the letter?
Answer: (b) He broke out laughing
Q7. Why did the postmaster decide to reply to Lencho's letter?
Answer: (c) To preserve Lencho's faith in God
Q8. How much money was the postmaster able to arrange?
Answer: (c) 70 pesos
Q9. How did Lencho feel when he counted the money?
Answer: (c) Angry
Q10. What did Lencho call the post office employees in his second letter?
Answer: (a) A bunch of crooks
Part 2: Very Short Answer Type Questions (10 Questions)
Q11. What was Lencho's occupation?
Answer: Lencho was a poor, hard-working farmer.
Q12. What did Lencho's field need the most?
Answer: Lencho's field needed a good downpour or at least a shower of rain.
Q13. What did Lencho compare the big raindrops to?
Answer: He compared the big raindrops to new ten-cent coins.
Q14. Why did the hailstones look like new silver coins to the boys?
Answer: The hailstones were white, shining, and round, just like new silver coins.
Q15. What was the only hope left in the hearts of Lencho's family?
Answer: The only hope left was help from God.
Q16. To whom did Lencho write a letter?
Answer: Lencho wrote a letter to God.
Q17. Why did Lencho go to the town?
Answer: He went to the town to mail his letter to God.
Q18. Describe the postmaster's physical appearance.
Answer: The postmaster was a fat and amiable (friendly) fellow.
Q19. What did the postmaster do to help Lencho?
Answer: He collected money from his employees, gave a part of his salary, and sent it to Lencho.
Q20. Why was Lencho not surprised to see the money?
Answer: Lencho had immense and unshakable faith in God, so he fully expected a reply.
Part 3: Short Answer Type Questions (15 Questions)
Q21. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coins'?
Answer: Lencho's crops were ready for harvest and only needed rain. Good rain meant a bumper crop and more money. Therefore, he compared raindrops to new coins (big drops as 10 cents and small drops as 5 cents).
Q22. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's fields?
Answer: The rain suddenly changed into a heavy hailstorm. Strong winds blew, and large hailstones fell for an hour. As a result, the entire cornfield was destroyed, and not a single leaf was left on the trees.
Q23. What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer: Lencho was filled with deep sadness. He looked at his ruined field and realized that they would have no corn that year. He feared his family might go hungry.
Q24. Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
Answer: When the hailstorm completely destroyed his crops, Lencho had no money and no food. He believed that God sees everything and helps those in distress. So, he wrote a letter asking God for 100 pesos to sow his field again.
Q25. What did the postmaster do after reading Lencho's letter?
Answer: At first, the postmaster laughed. But soon he became serious. He admired Lencho's deep faith in God and decided to answer the letter so that the farmer's faith would not shake.
Q26. Why did the postmaster sign the letter as 'God'?
Answer: The postmaster wanted to keep Lencho's trust in God alive. He didn't want Lencho to know that humans had sent the money, so he signed it as 'God'.
Q27. Why was Lencho angry when he received the letter?
Answer: Lencho became angry because he had asked God for 100 pesos, but he found only 70 pesos in the envelope. He believed that God could not make a mistake, so he thought the post office employees had stolen the rest of the money.
Q28. What did Lencho write in his second letter to God?
Answer: In his second letter, Lencho asked God to send the remaining 30 pesos. However, he requested God not to send it through the mail because the post office employees were a "bunch of crooks."
Q29. Was Lencho a religious man? Give reasons.
Answer: Yes, Lencho was deeply religious. Even though he worked like an ox in the fields, he knew how to read and write, and his first thought in times of trouble was to seek help from God.
Q30. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?
Answer: Lencho thinks the post office employees took the money. The irony is that the very people who collected money to help him out of kindness were blamed by Lencho for being thieves and dishonest.
Q31. Describe Lencho's character in short.
Answer: Lencho was a simple, hard-working farmer with unshakeable faith in God. He was honest and innocent but also naive — he could not see the kindness of the post office workers and instead blamed them for stealing.
Q32. What kind of person was the postmaster?
Answer: The postmaster was a kind, generous, and empathetic person. When he read Lencho's letter, instead of dismissing it, he took action to protect the farmer's faith. He contributed from his own salary and motivated his employees to donate as well.
Q33. How did Lencho's family feel before the rain came?
Answer: Before the rain came, Lencho and his family were hopeful and happy. They needed rain for their crops to grow. They looked at the dark clouds with great hope, knowing that rain would bring a good harvest and money.
Q34. What does the story tell us about blind faith?
Answer: The story shows that while faith can give a person strength during difficult times, blind and uneducated faith can lead to misunderstanding. Lencho's absolute trust in God made him suspect the kind people who helped him, calling them crooks.
Q35. What does Lencho's act of writing a letter to God tell us about him?
Answer: It tells us that Lencho had complete and unshakeable belief in God. He considered God as real and approachable, just like a person he could write to for help. It reflects his simple, innocent, and deeply spiritual nature.
Part 4: Long Answer Type Questions (10 Questions)
Q36. Write a detailed character sketch of Lencho.
Answer: Lencho is the protagonist of the story "A Letter to God." He is a simple, honest, and extremely hard-working farmer who works like an 'ox' in his fields. He has immense and innocent faith in God. When his crops are completely destroyed by a hailstorm, he does not lose hope. Instead, he turns to God for financial help. He writes a letter to God asking for 100 pesos.
However, his innocence also makes him blind to human kindness. When he receives 70 pesos instead of 100, he quickly suspects the post office workers of stealing, failing to realize they were the ones who helped him. This shows he is naive but pure at heart.
Q37. Discuss the character of the postmaster. How does he represent humanity?
Answer: The postmaster is a fat, friendly, and kind-hearted man. When he first reads Lencho's letter to God, he laughs at the unusual address. But he immediately recognizes the deep faith of the writer. Instead of ignoring it, he decides to help. He goes out of his way to collect money from his friends and employees, even contributing a part of his own salary. He manages to gather 70 pesos. By signing the letter as 'God', he shows his selfless nature. He represents true humanity and empathy by helping a stranger without wanting any praise or recognition.
Q38. "Faith can move mountains, but blind faith can cause misunderstandings." Explain this with reference to the story.
Answer: Lencho's extreme faith in God is remarkable. It gives him strength during a crisis. However, his faith is also rigid and uneducated, which turns into blind faith. He believes God is a physical entity who operates a postal system. Because of this blind faith, he fails to see the reality. When he receives less money, his absolute belief that "God cannot make a mistake" leads him to suspect the kind post office workers. This creates a huge misunderstanding where he calls his helpers a "bunch of crooks." The story teaches us that faith should be balanced with practical wisdom.
Q39. What is the central theme of the story "A Letter to God"?
Answer: The central theme of the story is the power of faith and the irony of human innocence. The story explores how unshakeable faith in God can give a person strength during hardship. At the same time, it shows how blind faith and innocence can lead to misunderstanding. The story also celebrates the goodness of humanity as seen through the postmaster and his colleagues, who help a stranger out of pure kindness. The greatest irony is that the helpers are mistaken for thieves by the very person they helped.
Q40. How does the author use irony in the story?
Answer: The author uses irony very effectively in the story. The biggest irony is that Lencho, who has great faith in God and believes in goodness, ends up calling the kind post office workers a "bunch of crooks." These workers had gone out of their way to collect money and help a stranger they had never met. Instead of gratitude, they received suspicion and blame. Another irony is that Lencho, who trusted God completely, could not trust the humans who were actually doing God's work. This makes the reader reflect on how blind faith can distort one's perception of reality.
Q41. Describe the hailstorm and its effect on Lencho's family.
Answer: At first, the rain that came was very welcome. Lencho and his family were happy as they watched the large drops of rain fall on the fields. However, suddenly a strong wind began to blow and large hailstones started falling along with the rain. It hailed for about an hour. When it stopped, the fields were completely white, as if covered with salt. Not a single leaf remained on the trees, and the flowers were gone from the plants. The entire corn crop was destroyed. Lencho's soul was filled with grief. He feared that his family would go hungry that year. The only hope left in their hearts was help from God.
Q42. What steps did the postmaster take after reading Lencho's letter?
Answer: After reading Lencho's letter, the postmaster was first amused. But then he became serious and was deeply moved by Lencho's strong faith in God. He decided that he must answer the letter. He did not want Lencho's faith to be shaken. He asked his employees to donate something to help Lencho. He also contributed a part of his own salary to the cause. Together, they managed to collect 70 pesos. He put the money in an envelope, addressed it to Lencho, and signed it as 'God' so that Lencho would believe it truly came from God. He sent the letter and felt satisfied that he had done a good deed.
Q43. Compare and contrast the characters of Lencho and the postmaster.
Answer: Lencho and the postmaster are two very different characters in the story. Lencho is a poor, simple, hard-working farmer who is deeply religious but also naive. His faith is blind and uneducated. He cannot see the kindness of humans and suspects even those who help him. On the other hand, the postmaster is educated, thoughtful, and kind. He is moved by another person's faith and takes practical steps to help. While Lencho's faith is directed only at God and makes him blind to human goodness, the postmaster's kindness represents real, human divinity. Together, they create a powerful contrast between blind faith and genuine compassion.
Q44. What does the story teach us about human nature?
Answer: The story "A Letter to God" teaches us several important lessons about human nature. First, it shows us that people like the postmaster and his employees are capable of great generosity and kindness, even towards complete strangers. Second, it teaches us that innocent or blind faith, while giving a person courage, can also lead to misunderstanding and ingratitude. Third, it shows that true goodness asks for nothing in return — the postmaster helped Lencho without expecting thanks. Finally, the story teaches us that humanity itself can be divine, as the post office workers collectively played the role of God in Lencho's life without him even realizing it.
Q45. How is the title "A Letter to God" significant?
Answer: The title "A Letter to God" is very significant and meaningful. It directly refers to the central action of the story — Lencho writing a letter addressed to God. The title captures the essence of Lencho's childlike and absolute faith in God. It is both literal and symbolic. Literally, it is a letter written by a farmer to God asking for money. Symbolically, it represents the pure and innocent trust a person can have in the divine. The title also sets up the irony of the story — while Lencho writes to God, it is human beings who respond, showing that God often works through people. The simplicity of the title mirrors the simplicity of Lencho himself.
Part 5: Grammar & Vocabulary Based Questions (5 Questions)
Q46. Read the line:
"The field was white, as if covered with salt." Identify the literary device (figure of speech) used here.
Answer: Simile.
Q47. Change the following sentence into Passive Voice:
"Lencho wrote a letter to God."
Answer: A letter to God was written by Lencho.
Q48. Combine the sentences using a Relative Pronoun (who/which):
Lencho was a farmer. His crop was destroyed by the hail.
Answer: Lencho was a farmer whose crop was destroyed by the hail.
Q49. Find the word in the passage which means the same as 'very close inspection' or 'deep look'.
(Line: "Lencho who knew his fields intimately...")
Answer: Intimately.
Q50. Identify the type of sentence:
"If it doesn't rain, we will all go hungry this year."
Answer: Conditional Sentence (First Conditional).
