Extract Based Questions: The Letter - Class 10 PDF Download

Q1: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
“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. ’’

(a) What building is being referred to here?
Ans: The post office is being referred to here.

(b) Why is the old man called a pilgrim?
Ans: The old man comes to the post office with feelings of faith and love.

(c) Why is the building the goal of his journey?
Ans: The old man comes to the post office to check if there is a letter for him from his daughter Miriam.

Q2: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
“But for the faith and love that warmed him, he could not have borne the bitter cold. ”

(a) Who is the ‘he’ in this line?
Ans: The ‘he’ mentioned in this line is Coachman Ali.

(b) Why was he at the post office in the bitter cold?
Ans: Ali came to the post office daily to wait for a letter from his daughter Miriam, despite the bitter cold and waited there till the letters had been sorted out for delivery’.

(c) What gave Ali the strength to brave the bitter cold?
Ans: The old man loved his daughter Miriam who had gone off to the Punjab with her husband five years ago. He had faith that she would write to him. This love and faith gave him the strength to bear the bitter winter cold.

Q3: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
“The old man got up, raised his eyes to heaven in gratitude and stepping forward put his hands to the door. ”

(a) Who is the old man?
Ans: The old man is Coachman Ali.

(b) Why did he raise his eyes to heaven in gratitude?
Ans: The clerk sorting out the letters had called out his name. Thinking he had got a letter from his daughter Miriam (for which he had been waiting for the past five years), he thanked god and stepped forward to receive the letter.

(c) Why had the clerk called out his name?
Ans: Every day, regardless of the weather, Ali came and sat on a bench at the post office waiting for his daughter’s letter. The clerk called out his name in jest even though there was no letter for him for the fun of seeing him jump up and come to the door.

Q4: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
“Now he understood the meaning of love and separation. He could no longer enjoy the sportsman’s pleasure and laughter at the bewildered terror of the young partridges bereft of their parents. ”

(a) Who is he?
Ans: He is Coachman Ali.

(b) Why had he understood the meaning of love and separation now?
Ans: Ali’s daughter Miriam had gotten married and gone away to the Punjab with her husband and he had not heard from her for the past five years.

(c) How had he reacted to hunting partridges earlier?
Ans: Earlier, Ali had laughed at the young partridges who had been separated from their parents.

Q5: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
“That day he could not contain his impatience. ”

(a) Who is he?
Ans: He is Coachman Ali.

(b) Why was he impatient?
Ans: Ali had been waiting in vain for his daughter’s letter for the past five years. He knew that he was sick and approaching his end. He was impatient to have news of his daughter before he died.

(c) How did he show his impatience?
Ans: Ali walked up to the Postmaster and asked if he had a letter for him from Miriam rather than waiting quietly.

Q6: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
“He knew at once that this was the letter the old man had been waiting for: it must be from his daughter Miriam. ”

(a) Who is ‘he’?
Ans: The ‘he’ mentioned here is the Postmaster.

(b) Where was the old man?
Ans: The old man had died.

(c) Which literary device has been used in these lines?
Ans: The literary device used here is irony. Ali had waited for five years for a letter from his daughter Miriam and now when the letter arrived, Ali was dead.