A Letter to God

Short Type Answer Questions

Question 1. Who was Lencho? What were his main problems?

Answer: Lencho was a hardworking farmer, who lived on the crest of a low hill. Due to the
hailstorm his crops were destroyed, so he needed money to sow his field again and support his
family. These were the main problems of Lencho.

Question 2. Give a brief description of the view from Lencho’s house?

Answer: Lencho’s house was situated on the crest of a low hill and it was the only one in the
valley. One could easily see the river and the field of ripe corn from here.

Question 3. What did Lencho compare the raindrops to and why? [ CBSE 2011]

Answer: Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins because the crop needed the rain badly
and it was the sign of good harvest. Good harvest meant prosperity for Lencho as he needed
the money to fulfil his basic needs.

Question 4. Why did Lencho write a letter to God?

Answer: When Lencho’s crops were completely destroyed by the hailstorm, he wrote a letter to
God because he was the only hope in his despair. Lencho asked him to send hundred pesos to
sow his field again and support his family.

Question 5. Why and how did the postmaster help Lencho?

Answer: The postmaster was determined to help Lencho. He did not want Lencho’s faith in God
to be shaken so he asked his employees and friends to help Lencho. He also contributed a part
of his salary for this act of charity.

Question 6. How much money did Lencho need? How much did he get?

Answer: Lencho got seventy pesos. He was angry at the difference as he needed hundred pesos
to sow the crops again and to support his family till the next harvest.

Question 7. Why did Lencho not want the money to be sent through mail? CBSE 2016

Answer: Lencho wrote in his second letter that he received only seventy pesos but he needed a
hundred pesos. He requested God not to send rest of the money by post since the post office
employees were a bunch of crooks and would steal the money.
Question 8. Do you think that Lencho was right to call the post office employees a bunch of
crooks? Why or why not?

Answer: Lencho called the post office employees a bunch of crooks as he did not get full money
that he had demanded. He could not believe that God had sent him any less money so he
doubted these people. But he was not right to call them a bunch of crooks.

Question 9. How was Lencho sure that it was going to rain?

Answer: Lencho knew his fields intimately and he could predict the weather by looking at the
sky. His experienced eyes saw clouds and he predicted rain.

Question 10. What promised a good harvest?

Answer: Lencho felt that the field of ripe corn dotted with flowers always promised a good
harvest. That is why he was anticipating a good harvest.

Question 11. How did Lencho regard his field? Why?

Answer: When it started raining Lencho regarded his field with satisfaction. He was happy to
see his crop draped in a curtain of rain. He hoped to reap a good harvest.

Question 12. Why was Lencho’s soul filled with sorrow?

Answer: The hail and hailstones rained on the valley for an hour. It had left the field totally
covered with snow. The crop was completely destroyed. It made Lencho’s soul filled with
sorrow.

Question 13. Why was the family not really upset?

Answer: Though Lencho’s family was facing ruin, yet they were not really upset. It was because
having immense faith in God, they were confident that God would help them.

Question 14. Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho’s first letter addressed to God?

Answer: The postmaster “was a generous and amiable man. He was impressed by Lencho’s firm
faith in God. To sustain that faith, the postmaster sent a reply to Lencho.

Question 15. Why was Lencho angry when he received the letter?

Answer: The postmaster could raise only 70 pesos which he sent to Lencho, supposedly from
God. Lencho was angry to find 30 pesos less than the amount he asked for. He was angry
because he thought the post office employees had kept 30 pesos sent to him by God.

Question 16. Do you think the post-office employees were ‘a bunch of crooks’?
Answer: No, they were kind, generous and helpful persons. The postmaster contributed a part
of his salary and motivated his friends and colleagues for a charitable cause. So they were not a
bunch of crooks.

Question 17. How would you describe Lencho?

Answer: Lencho was a simple, naive and a hard-working farmer. He was not only energetic, he
had full faith in God also. He became a victim of natural calamity, befit God helped him
indirectly.

Question 18. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?

Answer: Lencho said that the raindrops were like new coins. It was because the raindrops could
cause a good harvest that his field needed most. Thus he would get a rich crop. Further the
raindrops had a brightness like new coins.

Question 19. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?

Answer: The rain changed into heavy hailstone. In no time the whole valley was covered with
hailstones. His fields became white as if covered with salt. His com was totally destroyed.

Question 20. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

Answer: When the hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. He was very much
troubled. His com was totally destroyed. He said, “the hail has left nothing. This year we will
have no com. We will all go hungry”.

Question 21. What made Lencho angry?

Answer: Lencho was angry on counting the money since it was less than the amount he had
asked for. He had deep faith that God could neither make a mistake nor could deny what was
requested.

Question 22. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter
“God”?

Answer: The postmaster was a very generous fellow. In order not to shake Lencho’s faith in
God, he collected money and sent it to Lencho. The postmaster signed the letter “God”, lest
Lencho should think that the money had not been sent by God.

Q. No. 23) ‘Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew
how to write.’ What does this line tell us about the norm amongst such farmers, then?
Ans. The line "Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still he knew
how to write" suggests that the ability to read and write was not common among farmers like
Lencho. It implies that the norm among farmers at that time was to focus solely on their
physical labor and not on education.

Q. No. 24) i. Explain the qualities of the post office employees.

Ans. Employees were kind and helpful.

ii. Why would you not agree with Lencho calling them “a bunch of crooks”?

Ans. Lencho was not at all justified in calling them ‘a bunch of crooks’ because they helped him
by collecting money and helping him.

Q. No. 25) Lencho had faith in God but lacked faith in humanity. Elaborate with reference to
‘A Letter to God’.

Ans.

 Lencho- a simple person

 Started correspondence with God, immense faith, asked for money

 Received a lesser amount, blamed the post office employees

 Didn’t realize the irony- they were the real helpers, who had contributed parts of their
salary.

 Didn’t act practically