Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

Q.1. How much money did Lencho receive from God?
Ans. He received only seventy pesos from God.

Q.2. Who sent the money to Lencho?
Ans. The postmaster sent the money to Lencho.

Q.3 Why did the postmaster decide to answer Lencho’s letter to God?
Ans. By doing so he wanted to protect Lencho’s faith in God.

Q.4. How did Lencho feel when he counted the money in the envelope?
Ans. He got angry after counting the money in the envelope.

Q.5. Who does Lencho blame for the loss of thirty pesos in the envelope?
Ans. He blames the post-office employees for this loss.

Q.6. Why did Lencho keep gazing at the sky?
Ans. Lencho kept gazing at the sky because he hopefully wished for rain.

Q.7. Who was Lencho?
Ans. Lencho is portrayed as a simple man who is deeply connected to the land and his faith.  He lived with his family in a small village in a valley. He was also a religious man and believed in the power of prayer and faith.

Q.8. What had Lencho been doing throughout the morning?
Ans. In the story "The Letter to God," Lencho had been watching the sky throughout the morning, waiting for the rain to come.  Lencho's actions throughout the morning show his dedication to his work and his deep connection to the natural world. He is a farmer who depends on the rain for his livelihood, and the story highlights the importance of this relationship between humans and nature.

Q.9. What did Lencho’s field need badly?
Ans. Lencho's field badly needed rain in the story "The Letter to God."  When the rain finally arrives, Lencho is overjoyed, and he watches as the raindrops fall from the sky, believing that they are like "new coins" that will bring him wealth and prosperity. 

Q.10. What does Lencho call raindrops?
Ans. In the story "The Letter to God," Lencho calls the raindrops "new coins" because he believes that they represent an important source of wealth for farmers like him. To Lencho, the raindrops are like currency because they are essential for growing crops and supporting his family.

Q.11. How did Lencho’s field look after the hail had rained?
Ans.  After the hailstorm, Lencho's field was destroyed and looked like a barren wasteland. The fields were now covered in a white sheet of hailstones that had fallen from the sky.
Q.12. What was the effect of the hail storm on tile valley?
Ans. The hail storm mentioned in the story had a devastating effect on the valley where Lencho lived. It destroyed the all corn,  all the flowers disappeared and there was not a single leaf on the trees.

Q.13. Who did Lencho write a letter to?
Ans. Lencho wrote a letter to God, seeking his assistance during a time of great need. In the story, a hailstorm destroys Lencho's entire crop, which was his family's main source of livelihood. Facing an uncertain future, Lencho decides to write a letter to God, expressing his faith in God's goodness and asking for help.

Q.14. How much money did Lencho demand from God?
​Or
​Why did Lencho write a letter to God?
Ans. Lencho wrote a letter to God because he was facing a difficult situation that required immediate financial help. In the story, it is mentioned that a heavy hailstorm had destroyed his entire crop, which was the only source of livelihood for him and his family. In his letter, he requested a hundred pesos from God to help him.

Q.15. How did Lencho feel when it started raining?
Ans. Lencho's emotions upon seeing the rain in "The Letter to God" are portrayed as a mix of relief, joy, and gratitude. When he saw the rain clouds forming in the sky, he was overjoyed and could not contain his excitement. He saw the raindrops as "new coins" that would bring him wealth and prosperity, and he expressed his gratitude towards God for the rain.

Q.16. What was the effect of the rain on the crops?
Ans. The effect of the rain on Lencho's crops in the story "The Letter to God" was both positive and negative. On the one hand, the rain brought relief to Lencho and his family after the devastating hailstorm that destroyed their entire crop. The raindrops that fell on the parched earth were like "new coins" to Lencho, bringing hope and the promise of a new harvest. On the other hand, the rain was also too heavy and caused further damage to the already destroyed crops. The heavy rain

Q.17. Lencho had only one hope. What was it?
Ans. Lencho was a farmer who depended on his crops for his livelihood, and he understood the importance of rain for a good harvest. He hoped for good rain because it was much needed to water his crops and ensure a good harvest. 

Q.18. What does Lencho call the post-office employees?
Or
How did Lencho describe the post-office employees?
Ans. In this letter, Lencho described the employees as "a bunch of crooks" and "thieves" who had no shame in stealing from a poor man like him. Despite his anger, Lencho's faith in God remained strong, and he believed that God would punish dishonest employees for their actions.

Q.19. What were Lencho's 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 would 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 and rest of the amount but now not through the mail as the post office employees were crooks. 

Q.20. To Whom did Lencho write a letter? What did he ask for?  
Ans. When Lencho’s annual crop was destroyed due to heavy rains and hailstorms 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.

Q.21. 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 other employees to help. He signed the letter ‘God’ to preserve man’s faith in God.

Q.22. How far would you agree that one’s positivity can bring in a spark of brightness even in adverse circumstances?
Ans. Optimism can indeed bring about a spark of brightness even in adverse situations. It was Lencho’s innocent optimism that eventually led to his getting seventy pesos. It was his positivity despite the hailstorm that he even wrote a letter to God in the first place. His hope finally triumphed.

Q.23. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter with money in it? Why/Why not?
Ans. Lencho was not at all surprised to receive an envelope with money in it because he had utter faith in God. His unshakeable faith gave him firm confidence.

Q.24. What impression do you form of 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 to maintain his faith in God.

Q.25. 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’.

Q.26. 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.

Q.27 Why were Lencho and his family in distress? Whom did he ask for help?
Ans. Lencho’s crops were 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.

Q.28."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.

Q.29. 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.

Q.30. 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

Q.31. 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.

Q.32. Lencho describes the post office employees as “a bunch of crooks.”
(i) Were they a bunch of crooks?
(ii) How would you describe them?
Ans. 
(i) Lencho thought that the post office employees had cheated him. So he calls them “a bunch of crooks.” But they were not crooks. 
(ii) They were kind people. They wanted to help Lencho. So they collected seventy pesos and sent the money to Lencho by mail.

Q.33. 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.

Q.34. 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 northeast.

Q.35. How did the rain come as predicted by Lencho and how did he receive it?
Ans. Lencho’s wife was preparing supper(dinner). The older boys were working in the field. It was during the meal, in the northeast 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.

Q.36. Why were the raindrops like new coins for Lencho?
Ans. Lencho had been impatiently waiting for the rain. The earth needed a downpour(rain/shower) immediately. At least, a shower was necessary to save the crops. Fortunately for Lencho, in the northeast 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.

Q.37. Why did Lencho’s happiness change into deep concern?
Ans. As Lencho had predicted the rain did come. At mealtime, 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. A heavy ball of big hailstones for an hour destroyed everything— leaves, trees, and standing crops. Naturally, such a heavy loss put Lencho into deep concern.

Q.38. 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. The whole valley was covered with them. Leaves and flowers were destroyed. Lencho’s fields were covered with a white layer. The corn was destroyed. The hail had left practically nothing. There was no chance of any corn that year for Lencho.

Q.39. 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 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.

Q.40. Why did Lencho think of writing a letter to God? What did he write in the letter?
Ans. The hailstones destroyed Lencho’s cornfields. They would have no corn that year. Having lost all hope, 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.

Q.41. What was the address written and how was the letter sent to God?
Ans. Lencho had 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.

Q.42. 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 with him. “What a faith”! he could utter only such words.

Q.43. 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.

Q.44. 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 the signature and posted it to Lencho.

Q.45. 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 content to perform a good deed.

Q.46. Why did Lencho show no surprise in 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.

Q.47. Why was Lencho angry after he counted the money?
Ans. Lencho had demanded a sum of a hundred pesos as 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(stole) money.

Q.48. Why did Lencho ask for 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. It was not God but the kind-hearted postmaster who had collected the money and sent it to Lencho by post-signing God.’

Q.49. 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’.

Q.50. Lencho has great faith in God. Does he have the same kind of faith in man? Taking examples from the story describes his attitude towards God and man.
Ans. Lencho’s crop was 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 didn’t have any faith in man.