Q1: Lencho received the money and a letter from God but still, he was not happy. Was it not in his attitude to be happy with what he achieved? Did he not know the pleasure of being grateful to others? Reflecting on the values required to lead a happy life, explain in about 100-120 words.
Ans: Lencho had full faith in God and hence, had written a letter to God asking for 100 pesos. But when he received the money and a letter from God, he was not happy. It was not his attitude(behaviour) to be happy with what he received, nor was he ungrateful to God. He was angry because he had received 70 pesos instead of 100. He did not doubt God for it. 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. This shows that Lencho had full faith in God and was confident(assured) that his desire would be fulfilled. It was Lencho’s innocent optimism(hopeful) that eventually(finally) led to his getting seventy pesos. Optimism and faith can lead to a happy life.
Q2: The postmaster represents such people who still believe in helping others mention those values of the postmaster which you would like to emulate in yourself.
Ans. The postmaster was a kind, generous(readiness to give something), helpful, amiable(friendly) and God-fearing man. He received a letter from Lencho which was written to God asking for 100 pesos so that he could sow his fields again. The postman felt sympathetic(liking) towards Lencho. He decided to help Lencho. He gave up a part of his salary and asked all other employees to help. Even friends were made to contribute to the cause of charity(help in the form of money) and he managed to collect 70 pesos. He sent the money to Lencho along with a reply. He did so in order to preserve the man’s faith in God. This shows the postmaster was a nice man at heart.
Q3: “If you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.” Lencho had faith in God but he didn’t manage to solve the problem by himself. Did he lack the courage to resolve his matter himself? What values did he lack?
Ans. Lencho was a hardworking farmer. He was completely dependent upon the crops of his fields. His annual crop was destroyed due to heavy rains and hailstorms. In the entire village, there was no one to help him during the times of financial crisis. He had a firm belief in God and hence wrote a letter requesting Him to send 100 pesos so that he could sow his fields again till the next crop. This act did not prove that he lacked the courage to resolve his problem but showed that he did not have any option left for himself. He had a firm belief in God. He was an ox of a man but lacked the money to stand again.
Q4: Show Lencho’s faith and confidence in God with examples from the lesson.
Ans: Lencho had full faith in the help of God. The following sentences in the story tell us about it. ‘Lencho thought only of his one hope: `the help of God’, whose eyes, as he had been instructed, see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience(values).’
Again, Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money in the envelope—such was his confidence. But he became angry when he counted the money. ‘God could not have made a mistake nor could he have denied(refuse) Lencho what he had requested. The above facts from the text prove his deep faith and confidence(trust) in God.
Q5: Give the character sketch of Lencho.
Or
“I wish I had the faith of the man.” Describe Lencho’s character in light of the above statements.
Ans: Lencho was a hardworking farmer. He laboured (worked hard) like an ox. He had good knowledge of farming and knew his crop needed a downpour(heavy rainfall) to give him a good yield(agricultural production).
Lencho had great faith in God. He was literate. So, he wrote a letter to God for help when his crops were ruined(damaged) by hailstones.
He was a simple and innocent farmer. He could not reason out things. He blamed the post-office employees for cheating him of 30 pesos and called them ‘A bunch of crooks’.
But Lencho was a caring head of the family. He got sad and worried that his family would have to suffer from starvation due to the destruction of crops.
Q6: Why did Lencho write a letter to God? Who received the letter and what did he do?
Ans: Lencho was a hard-working farmer. He was expecting a good harvest. But unfortunately, a hail storm came and destroyed his crop completely. Now he had nothing to support the family. He had no money to purchase the seed for sowing. But he had a firm faith in God. He believed that God would help him. He was a simple man. He Wrote a letter to God. He asked God to send him a hundred pesos. He wanted this money in order to sow seeds again and to live until the next harvest season.
Lencho went to town and posted the letter. At the post office, a postman took out the letter from the letterbox. He read the address on it and had a good laugh. He showed the letter to the postmaster and was greatly impressed by the faith of Lencho. He did not want to shake Lencho’s faith in God. He collected money from his employees. He put this money into an envelope and addressed it to Lencho.
Q7: (i) What did the postmaster need to answer the letter? How did he collect it?
(ii) How did Lencho react to help?
Ans: (i) Lencho’s crop had been destroyed. He needed God’s help. So he wrote a letter to God. He posted the letter. At the post office, a postman took the letter out of the letterbox. He laughed at reading the address. He showed the letter to the postmaster. The postmaster also laughed. But he praised Lencho’s firm faith in God. He did not want to shake this faith. He was very kind. He decided to help Lencho. He and the post-office employees collected some money. The postmaster gave a part of his salary. They put the money into an envelope and addressed it to Lencho.
(ii) The next Sunday Lencho came to the post office. He asked if there was any letter for him. The postman gave him the envelope. Lencho opened the letter. He found that the money was less than what he had requested. He thought that God could not have made a mistake. He wrote another letter to God. He asked God to send him the rest of the money. But he should not send it through the mail as the post-office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Q8: How do you think the postmaster felt when he received Lencho’s second letter? What do you think he did?
Ans: When Lencho opened the letter, he found only seventy pesos in it. He thought that God could not make a mistake. Perhaps the post office employees had cheated him. He wrote another letter to God. He wrote that the post office employees were a bunch of crooks. The story does not tell us what the postmaster felt when he received the second letter. Perhaps he felt shocked. It is possible that he realized that sometimes even good intentions are misunderstood. I think he met Lencho and explained everything to him. He told him that the post office employees were not a bunch of crooks. They were kind and helpful. They had collected money to help him.
Q9: Write the story of Lencho’s faith in God.
Or
Write a brief summary of the story ‘A Letter to God’.
Ans: Lencho was a simple farmer. He was very hard-working. But one year, his harvest was completely destroyed by the hailstorm. He had firm faith in God. He wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos. The postmaster saw the letter. He decided to help Lencho. He collected money from his employees. He gave some part of his own salary also. But the money was less than what Lencho had asked for. The postmaster put the money into an envelope and addressed it to Lencho. Next Sunday Lencho came to collect his letter. When he counted the money he became angry. He wrote another letter to God. He asked God to send him the rest of the money. But he asked God not to send money through the mail as the employees of the post office were a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Q10: Lencho described the post-office employees as a ‘bunch of crooks’. Were they really a bunch of crooks? How would you describe them?
Ans: A crook is a person who cheats on others. He earns his living by dishonest means. Lencho requested God for 100 pesos. He received a letter in the mail. When he opened it he found 70 pesos in it. He thought that the post-office employees had taken the rest of the 30 pesos. So he called them a bunch of crooks. But in fact, they were kind and generous people. They did not want to shake Lencho ‘s faith in God. So they raised money to help him. But they could not raise 100 pesos. So they put 70 pesos in an envelope and addressed it to Lencho. The post-office employees were good people. They did an act of kindness and Charity. It was wrong for Lencho to call them a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Q11: Why did Lencho need God’s help?
Ans: Lencho was a simple farmer. He was very hard-working. His crops had always been good. One year, he wished that there would be some rain so that his crop would be better. Lencho was sure that the rain would come. In the evening it started raining. But soon the rain changed into a hailstorm. The hail fell on the house, the garden, the hillside and the corn field. The field looked white as if it had been covered with salt. No leaves were left on the trees. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed. His heart was filled with sorrow. But he had faith in God. He was sure that God would help him. He wanted God’s help for sowing seed and for living until the next harvest.
Q12: Describe Lencho as a farmer. How did the rain gladden(filled with happiness) his heart but the heavy hailstones that followed left him a worried man?
Ans: Lencho was a farmer who lived in a house that was on the top of a small hill. From that height, he could see the river and its fields. Lencho was an ‘ox’ of a man (strong man). He is a strong and hardworking farmer. The only thing the earth and the fields needed was heavy rain. At least, a shower was very necessary. Lencho’s older boys were working in the field. He could see huge mountains of clouds in the north-east. It gladdened his heart. As predicted by him, big drops of rain began to fall. The raindrops were like ‘new coins’.
Unfortunately, Lencho’s happiness was short-lived. Suddenly a strong wind began to blow. Along with the rain, very large hailstones began to fall. Within an hour the house, the garden, the hillside, and the fields were covered with a white sheet of hailstones. The leaves, trees and the flowers were destroyed. The hail had nothing left. The corn was totally destroyed. That year they would have no corn. They would survive on the mercy of God. All such dismal(depression) prospects worried Lencho.
Q13: What circumstances made Lencho write a letter to God? What does this act show about him?
Ans: The rain did come but came with disastrous(causing great damage) hailstones that ruined(destroyed) everything. The leaves, plants, and flowers were ruined. The corn was totally destroyed. The hail had nothing left. That year Lencho and his family would have no corn. They would be on the verge of starvation. All such dismal(depression) prospects worried Lencho. There was only one hope— help from God.
Lencho and his wife were highly religious and had unshaken faith in God. They believed in God’s mercy and also believed that ‘no one dies of hunger’. So, Lencho decided to write a letter to God. He wrote that he needed immediate help. He wrote that without God’s help, his family would face starvation. He needed a hundred pesos in order to sow his fields and live until the fresh crop came. He wrote the letter and wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope and dropped it into the mailbox.
Q14: Writing a letter to God for help really shows not only the unshaken faith in God of the writer Lencho but also shows his utter simplicity and innocence. Comment.
Ans: Lencho was a simple and hardworking farmer who worked like an ox in his fields. When the heavy fall of hailstones destroyed his corn totally, he and his family were rather on the verge of starvation. He was left with one hope, help from God. He believed that God was all-merciful and heard the call of those who were of a clear conscience. He requested him to send a hundred pesos immediately to help him to sow his fields. He and his family also needed some money to live on until the fresh crop came.
Writing a letter to God and addressing it `To God’ shows the writer’s unshaken faith in God. He was a simple man not distrusting that such a letter could reach God. His innocence and firm belief in God’s mercy even deeply impressed and influenced the postmaster who decided to answer his letter. He didn’t want to shake the writer’s faith in God. He collected and sent 70 pesos as help signing the letter with one word, ‘God’. Lencho had so much faith in God and his mercy that he didn’t show any surprise when he received the money sent to him. He wrote another letter requesting him to send the rest of the money immediately but not through the postal mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Q15: Why did the postmaster and his employees decide to help Lencho? Was their effort appreciated by the receiver of that help?
Ans: Lencho was a simple-hearted farmer who had tremendous faith in God. The heavy hailstones destroyed his corn. There was only one hope — help from God. So, Lencho wrote a letter to God describing his and his family’s miserable condition. He requested for a hundred pesos to help in sowing the crop and living till the next crop came. The postmaster himself, a generous man, first laughed at the idea of Lencho’s having a correspondence with God. However, he soon became serious. He was highly impressed by Lencho’s unshaken faith in God. He didn’t want to break his faith in God. So he decided to answer the letter and help Lencho. He needed something more than goodwill. He asked his employees to collect money for this cause. He also contributed a part of his salary. All in all, they collected 70 pesos. The postmaster put the money in an envelope and mailed it to Lencho. He wrote a single word as a signature, God. Ironically, this noble act of charity by the postmaster and employees was not appreciated by Lencho. On the contrary, he called them ‘a bunch of crooks’ who embezzled the remaining 30 pesos. He never knew who the real helpers were . He only wrote God not to send the remaining 30 pesos through the mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Q16: Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? Describe the ironic ending of the story.
Ans: Lencho’s faith in God was complete and unshaken. When he lost all hopes, he looked towards God for help. And he was sure that God would come to the help of a simple man of clear conscience(values) like him. So, when he saw the money, he was not at all surprised as he had been waiting for it. But when he counted the money, he became angry. He was sure that someone had stolen thirty pesos out of the hundred sent by God. Who could be they except the employees at the post office? Therefore, he wrote a second letter to God to send him the rest of the money immediately. He asked him not to send money through the mail as the post office employees were a ‘bunch of crooks.’
The situation at the end becomes quite ironic. It is ironic that men who collected pesos to help Lencho were called `a bunch of crooks, by him. He couldn’t know till the end who had really sent that money.
Q17: Draw a character sketch of Lencho, the farmer in about 120-150 words.
Ans: Lencho was a simple man as farmers usually are everywhere. He was a man of limited means and earned his living by farming his fields. His older sons helped him in farming activities. His wife did the same but also managed the kitchen and other household works. Lencho was highly religious. So was his wife. He had unshaken faith in God. He believed that God always helps people with a clear conscience. Therefore, when he lost all hopes and he and his family were on the verge of starvation, he looked towards God for help. His deep faith in God even impressed the postmaster who decided to help him. He was strong and sturdy like an ox. Not only that, he worked day and night in the fields. Being a farmer, he had a deep knowledge about the weather, the winds and the rains of his region.
He was simple-hearted. He was rustic and inhabitable and thought. He was a little educated to write a letter. He shows his innocence by trying to have a correspondence(connection) with God directly. He wrote ‘To God’ on the top of the envelope and posted the letter into the mail-box.
While he had unshaken faith in God, he mistrusted the motives of men. He could never know and nor did he ever try to know who had sent him those seventy pesos to help him. It is quite ironic that he abused his helpers by calling them ‘a bunch of crooks’.
Q18.:Give a character sketch of the Postmaster in your own words. Don’t you think that he should have deserved a better recognition and appreciation of his act of charity?
Ans: It takes all kinds of people to make this world. The postmaster has all that is good in human thinking and behaviour. He has a thorough understanding of a sharp, sympathetic and sensitive mind. He knows how the mind of a God-fearing rustic like Lencho works. He is sensitive and sympathetic to human feelings. He doesn’t want to break the deep faith of the writer in God. The fat and friendly postmaster had a large heart too. First, he laughed at the man who wanted to have a direct correspondence with God. But he soon became serious. After reading the letter, he was deeply moved and impressed by Lencho’s faith in God.
He knew that merely goodwill was not sufficient. The farmer needed financial help. So he collected a sum of 70 pesos from his employees. He also contributed a part of his salary. He did so as to keep Lencho’s faith in God. He wrote a single word as a signature: God.
It is ironic that a simpleton(innocent person) like Lencho could never know his real benefactor(supporting financially). Nor did he ever try to know how and from whom he received those seventy pesos. Naturally, his work of charity deserved better recognition and appreciation from the receiver. Ironically, the postmaster and his employees who had sent seventy pesos were called ‘a bunch of crooks’ by Lencho.
