Chapter 1: A Letter to God
Chapter 1: A Letter to God
Activity (Page 15)
These questions are based on the sample Money Order form
(i) In addition to the sender, the form has to be signed by the…
Answer: payee (upon receiving the money).
(ii) The ‘Acknowledgement’ section of the form is sent back by the post office to the… after the… signs it.
Answer: sender; payee
(iii) The ‘Space for Communication’ section is used for…
Answer: writing a brief message to the receiver.
(iv) The form has six sections. The sender needs to fill out… sections and the receiver…
Answer: The sender needs to fill out the main Money Order details (payee’s name, amount, sender’s name/address) and the sender’s address on the ‘Acknowledgement’ slip. The receiver primarily needs to sign the form upon receipt.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 17)
1. What did Lencho hope for?
Answer: Lencho hoped for rain. His field of ripe corn needed “a downpour or at least a shower”.
2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Answer: Lencho said the raindrops were like ‘new coins’ because the rain was essential for a good harvest, which would bring him money. He valued them so much that he called the big drops “ten cent pieces” and the little ones “fives”.
3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Answer: The rain changed suddenly when “a strong wind began to blow” and “very large hailstones began to fall”. The hail rained for an hour, covering the entire valley. Lencho’s fields were completely destroyed; the corn was gone, and the field was left “white, as if covered with salt”.
4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer: Lencho’s soul was “filled with sadness”. He was sorrowful, telling his sons that the hail had left nothing and they would have no corn that year.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 18)
1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Answer: Lencho had a single hope: “help from God”. He believed that God’s eyes “see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience”. He decided to write a letter to God, asking for “a hundred pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes”.
2. Who read the letter?
Answer: A postman first found the letter and showed it, laughing, to the postmaster. The postmaster, “a fat, amiable fellow,” also laughed but then became serious and read the letter.
3. What did the postmaster do then?
Answer: The postmaster was so impressed by Lencho’s faith that he decided to answer the letter “in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God”. He collected money from his employees, gave part of his own salary, and asked several friends to contribute “for an act of charity”. He gathered “a little more than half” (seventy pesos), put it in an envelope, and signed it with a single word: “God”.
Oral Comprehension Check (Page 19)
1. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer: No. “Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence”.
2. What made him angry?
Answer: Lencho became angry “when he counted the money”. He had asked for one hundred pesos but received only seventy. He believed God “could not have made a mistake”, so he immediately assumed the post office employees had stolen the rest.
Thinking about the Text (Pages 19–20)
1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer: Lencho has complete faith in God.
The key sentences are:
“But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God.”
“All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God…”
“Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence…”
“…God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.”
2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Answer: The postmaster sends money to Lencho because he was deeply moved by the farmer’s faith and did not want “to shake the writer’s faith in God”. He signs the letter ‘God’ so that Lencho will believe his prayer was answered directly by God, thus keeping his faith intact.
3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
Answer: No, Lencho did not try to find out who sent the money. This is because his faith was absolute. He was completely certain that the money could only have come from God and therefore felt no need to question its source.
4. 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 have taken the rest of the money; he calls them “a bunch of crooks” in his second letter.
The irony is that the post office employees are the very people who generously collected the money for Lencho “for an act of charity”. The people Lencho accuses of theft are actually his anonymous benefactors.
5. Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box.
Answer: Yes, people with simple and deep faith like Lencho can be found.
Using the words from the box, Lencho is:
naive: He has a simple, trusting view of the world, believing he can correspond directly with God.
unquestioning: He never doubts his faith. He doesn’t question how God sent the money, only that the amount is wrong.
He is not greedy (he only asks for what he needs) or stupid (he is literate and knows his work). He may seem ungrateful to the post office staff, but only because he is naive and unaware of their kind deed.
6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer:
Humans vs. Nature: This conflict is shown when the hailstorm (nature) destroys Lencho’s (human) crops. Lencho’s entire livelihood, which depends on nature, is wiped out by nature’s destructive power.
Humans vs. Humans: This conflict is illustrated by Lencho’s mistrust of the post office employees. The postmaster and his staff act with kindness, but Lencho, due to his naive assumption, accuses them of being “a bunch of crooks”. This is a conflict based on misunderstanding.
Thinking about Language (Pages 20–23)
I. Match the names in the box with their descriptions below. [cite: 174-176]
* A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: cyclone
* An extremely strong wind: gale
* A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: typhoon
* A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: tornado
* A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: hurricane
* A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: whirlwind
II. [cite_start]Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so. – Wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible).
I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing. – Showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person; a way of being polite.
This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers. – A feeling that something good will probably happen.
We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes. – Wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely.
I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school. – Thinking that this would happen (it may or may not have happened).
Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone. – Stopped believing that this good thing would happen
III. Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.
* I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
Answer: I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
* My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
Answer: My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
* These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)
Answer: These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.
* Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
Answer: Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
* This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
Answer: This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.
IV. Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.
* The trees lost all their leaves.
Answer: “Not a leaf remained on the trees.”
* The letter was addressed to God himself.
Answer: “It was nothing less than a letter to God.”
* The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
Answer: “Never in his career as a postman had he known that address.”
V. Metaphors: find metaphors from the story to complete the table.
Cloud – described as “huge mountains of clouds,” comparing their **massive and towering size** to mountains.
Raindrops – called “new coins,” comparing them to **money and prosperity**, as rain brings hope for a good harvest.
Hailstones – compared to “new silver coins” or “frozen pearls,” highlighting their round, white, and hard appearance**.
Locusts – referred to as “a plague of locusts,” likening them to a **disastrous disease that spreads and destroys everything.
Lencho – described as “an ox of a man,” comparing him to an **ox for his strength, endurance, and hard work** in the fields.
Listening (Page 24)
Based on the letter text provided on page 25 [cite: 232-239]:
* The writer apologises (says sorry) because…
[cite_start]Answer: she “haven’t written for a very long time”.
* The writer has sent this to the reader (Arti)…
Answer: (The table is slightly confusing. The writer is Jaya, the reader is Arti).
* The writer sent it in the month of…
Answer: January (The date is 25 January 2006).
* The reason for not writing earlier…
Answer: is not explicitly stated, but she mentions they have “just moved house”.
* Sarah goes to…
Answer: ‘Little Feet’ (a school).
* Who is writing to whom?
Answer: Jaya is writing to Arti.
* Where and when were they last together?
Answer: “at Bangalore last year”.
Poem: Dust of Snow
Thinking about the Poem (Page 26)
1. What is a “dust of snow”? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet’s mood changed?
Answer:
* A “dust of snow” refers to the fine, light particles of snow.
* The poet says that “The way a crow / Shook down on me / The dust of snow” is what changed his mood.
* The poet’s mood changed from one of regret to one of appreciation. Before the event, he “had rued” (regretted) the day, but the falling snow “saved some part” of it, lifting his spirits.
2. How does Frost present nature in this poem?
Answer: Frost presents nature using unconventional and traditionally negative symbols.
* (i) Instead of a “pretty” songbird, he uses a crow, which is often associated with bad omens or darkness.
* (ii) Instead of a beautiful tree like a maple or pine, he uses a “hemlock tree”, which is a poisonous plant.
* (iii) The ‘crow’ and ‘hemlock’ typically represent sorrow or negativity. The ‘dust of snow’ they produce, however, stands for a small, unexpected moment of joy or beauty from an unlikely source that changes the poet’s negative mood.
3. Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that changed your mood that day?
Answer: (This is a personal question for the student to answer based on their own experiences.)
Poem: Fire and Ice
Thinking about the Poem (Page 27)
1. There are many ideas about how the world will ‘end’. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it ‘burst’, or grew colder and colder?
Answer: (This is a personal question for the student to answer based on their own thoughts.)
2. For Frost, what do ‘fire’ and ‘ice’ stand for? Here are some ideas:
Answer:
* Fire: For Frost, ‘fire’ stands for desire. This can include intense emotions like greed, lust, conflict, and fury.
* Ice: For Frost, ‘ice’ stands for hate. This can include emotions like cruelty, intolerance, rigidity, coldness, and indifference.
3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
Answer:
* Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme is a-b-a-a b-c-b-c-b.
* (Stanza 1: fire (a), ice (b), desire (a), fire (a))
* (Stanza 2: twice (b), hate (c), ice (b), great (c), suffice (b))
* How it helps: The rhyme scheme links the two contrasting ideas of fire (desire) and ice (hate). By using the ‘ice’ (b) rhyme from the first stanza as the main rhyme in the second stanza, Frost connects the two concepts. It reinforces the idea that both are “great” and “suffice” for destruction, making them equally powerful, even though they are opposites.