A Letter to God
Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions
SAI (2 marks)
1. How was Lencho's cornfield destroyed? Had he any hope of help? (2020C)
2. Did the letter reach God? Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho?
(2020)
3. What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped? (2020)
4. Why did Lencho's happy mood change into concern? (2020)
SA II (3 marks)
5. The postmaster had mixed emotions while opening the letter. Explain.
(2023)
6. Why did the night after the rains turn sorrowful for Lencho? (2023)
7. What is ironic about the post office staff helping Lencho? (2021C)
A III (4 marks)
8. With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its
flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow
and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did
resemble new silver coins. (2021C)
(i) Who is 'he'?
(ii) What satisfied him?
(iii) What is ironic about 'silver coins'?
(iv) How did the 'silver coins' affect the corn field?
(v) 'draped in a curtain of rain' Which part of speech is
'draped'?
LAI (5 marks)
9. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (Term
I, 2021-22)
,All through the night, 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. Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the
fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he
began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the
mail. It was nothing less than a letter to God.
I. Study the following statements:
(i) Lencho decided to write a letter to God
(ii) All through the night he thought of his only one hope.
Choose the correct option:
(a) (i) is the cause and (ii) is the effect.
(b) (ii) is the cause of (i).
(c) (ii) preceded (i).
(d) Both (i) and (ii) happened at the same time.
II. 'Lencho was an ox of a man means:
(a) He was very hard-working.
(b) He owned an ox.
(c) He ploughed his field with an ox.
(d) His ox could work like a man.
III. 'But still he knew how to write' implies that:
(a) Lencho could write as he was a farmer.
(b) Ordinarily, a farmer did not know how to write.
(c) All farmers knew how to write.
(d) A farmer cannot know how to write.
IV. Why did he write the letter on Sunday?
(a) Sunday is a holy day for the Christians.
(b) God listens to people only on Sunday.
(c) Lencho was busy rest of the week.
(d) The Post office would open on Monday.
V. Find a suitable word from the passage to complete the following:
Loss: Gain :: Despair: _________
(a) Help
(b) Hope
(c) Deep
(d) Carry
, CBSE Sample Questions
MCQ (1 mark)
1. Lencho is _________ when he says, "that's what they say: no one dies of
hunger." (Term I, 2021-22)
(a) doubtful
(b) stressed
(c) confused
(d) dismissive
ANSWERS
Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions
1. All of a sudden, there was a heavy hailstorm, rain and strong wind. It
destroyed Lencho's cornfield. Very soon his field was covered with hailstones
and no trees and crops remained. There was no hope of yield for the farmer,
Lencho.
2. No, the letter did not reach God. The postman saw the letter addressed to
God asking for 100 pesos. He took the letter to the postmaster. The postmaster
did not want to shake Lencho's faith in God. Hence, he decided to help Lencho.
He gave a part of his salary and asked the other employees to help. He sent
seventy pesos to Lencho in reply and signed the letter 'God' in order to
preserve the man's faith in God.
3. Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood
in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “a plague of locusts would have
left more than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn."
That night was a sorrowful one for them, but in the heart of Lencho there is
only one hope - help from God.
4. Lencho had strong faith in God, for when his crops needed rain, Lencho
wished and prayed for the rain to God. Next morning he sat in his house and
waited for the rain. As soon as the rain started he became very happy and
, began calling the raindrops silver coins. But unfortunately the rain was
accompanied with hailstorm, it turned into a disaster to the crops, plants and
trees, not even a leaf remained on them. The crops were totally destroyed.
Seeing this, Lencho's heart was filled with sadness and thus his mood changed
into concern.
5. When the postmaster came across the letter, he broke out laughing, but
turned serious immediately. He
admired the writer's faith in God and wished he could have such faith. He
decided to answer the letter, but after opening realized that the writer had
asked for money, so he decided to collect money and send it on behalf of God.
6. The rain changed into hailstones as a strong wind began to blow and huge
hailstones began to fall alongwith the rain. Lencho was filled with grief after
the rain stopped as everything was ruined and there was nothing to feed his
family. In this way the night turned into sorrowful for Lencho.
7. Lencho is a hardworking simpleton with blind belief and when his crops
were completely destroyed in the hailstorm, he became worried about his
family and wrote a letter to God. The post office employees decide to help the
poor man out and collected seventy pesos and sent the letter but the man
doubted the post office employees because he did not get the full amount and
called the post office staff a bunch of crooks. This is the irony of the post office
staff helping Lencho.
8. (i) (b) Lencho
(ii) (a) Rainfall
(iii) (b) Destructive hailstones look like silver coins.
(iv) (a) They covered all the fields.
(v) (b) Verb
9. I. (b) (ii) is the cause of (i).
II. (a) He was very hard-working
III. (b) Ordinarily, a farmer did not know how to write.
IV. (a) Sunday is a holy day for the Christians.
V. (b) Hope
CBSE Sample Questions
1. (d)
Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions
SAI (2 marks)
1. How was Lencho's cornfield destroyed? Had he any hope of help? (2020C)
2. Did the letter reach God? Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho?
(2020)
3. What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped? (2020)
4. Why did Lencho's happy mood change into concern? (2020)
SA II (3 marks)
5. The postmaster had mixed emotions while opening the letter. Explain.
(2023)
6. Why did the night after the rains turn sorrowful for Lencho? (2023)
7. What is ironic about the post office staff helping Lencho? (2021C)
A III (4 marks)
8. With a satisfied expression he regarded the field of ripe corn with its
flowers, draped in a curtain of rain. But suddenly a strong wind began to blow
and along with the rain very large hailstones began to fall. These truly did
resemble new silver coins. (2021C)
(i) Who is 'he'?
(ii) What satisfied him?
(iii) What is ironic about 'silver coins'?
(iv) How did the 'silver coins' affect the corn field?
(v) 'draped in a curtain of rain' Which part of speech is
'draped'?
LAI (5 marks)
9. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (Term
I, 2021-22)
,All through the night, 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. Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the
fields, but still he knew how to write. The following Sunday, at daybreak, he
began to write a letter which he himself would carry to town and place in the
mail. It was nothing less than a letter to God.
I. Study the following statements:
(i) Lencho decided to write a letter to God
(ii) All through the night he thought of his only one hope.
Choose the correct option:
(a) (i) is the cause and (ii) is the effect.
(b) (ii) is the cause of (i).
(c) (ii) preceded (i).
(d) Both (i) and (ii) happened at the same time.
II. 'Lencho was an ox of a man means:
(a) He was very hard-working.
(b) He owned an ox.
(c) He ploughed his field with an ox.
(d) His ox could work like a man.
III. 'But still he knew how to write' implies that:
(a) Lencho could write as he was a farmer.
(b) Ordinarily, a farmer did not know how to write.
(c) All farmers knew how to write.
(d) A farmer cannot know how to write.
IV. Why did he write the letter on Sunday?
(a) Sunday is a holy day for the Christians.
(b) God listens to people only on Sunday.
(c) Lencho was busy rest of the week.
(d) The Post office would open on Monday.
V. Find a suitable word from the passage to complete the following:
Loss: Gain :: Despair: _________
(a) Help
(b) Hope
(c) Deep
(d) Carry
, CBSE Sample Questions
MCQ (1 mark)
1. Lencho is _________ when he says, "that's what they say: no one dies of
hunger." (Term I, 2021-22)
(a) doubtful
(b) stressed
(c) confused
(d) dismissive
ANSWERS
Previous Years' CBSE Board Questions
1. All of a sudden, there was a heavy hailstorm, rain and strong wind. It
destroyed Lencho's cornfield. Very soon his field was covered with hailstones
and no trees and crops remained. There was no hope of yield for the farmer,
Lencho.
2. No, the letter did not reach God. The postman saw the letter addressed to
God asking for 100 pesos. He took the letter to the postmaster. The postmaster
did not want to shake Lencho's faith in God. Hence, he decided to help Lencho.
He gave a part of his salary and asked the other employees to help. He sent
seventy pesos to Lencho in reply and signed the letter 'God' in order to
preserve the man's faith in God.
3. Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood
in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “a plague of locusts would have
left more than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn."
That night was a sorrowful one for them, but in the heart of Lencho there is
only one hope - help from God.
4. Lencho had strong faith in God, for when his crops needed rain, Lencho
wished and prayed for the rain to God. Next morning he sat in his house and
waited for the rain. As soon as the rain started he became very happy and
, began calling the raindrops silver coins. But unfortunately the rain was
accompanied with hailstorm, it turned into a disaster to the crops, plants and
trees, not even a leaf remained on them. The crops were totally destroyed.
Seeing this, Lencho's heart was filled with sadness and thus his mood changed
into concern.
5. When the postmaster came across the letter, he broke out laughing, but
turned serious immediately. He
admired the writer's faith in God and wished he could have such faith. He
decided to answer the letter, but after opening realized that the writer had
asked for money, so he decided to collect money and send it on behalf of God.
6. The rain changed into hailstones as a strong wind began to blow and huge
hailstones began to fall alongwith the rain. Lencho was filled with grief after
the rain stopped as everything was ruined and there was nothing to feed his
family. In this way the night turned into sorrowful for Lencho.
7. Lencho is a hardworking simpleton with blind belief and when his crops
were completely destroyed in the hailstorm, he became worried about his
family and wrote a letter to God. The post office employees decide to help the
poor man out and collected seventy pesos and sent the letter but the man
doubted the post office employees because he did not get the full amount and
called the post office staff a bunch of crooks. This is the irony of the post office
staff helping Lencho.
8. (i) (b) Lencho
(ii) (a) Rainfall
(iii) (b) Destructive hailstones look like silver coins.
(iv) (a) They covered all the fields.
(v) (b) Verb
9. I. (b) (ii) is the cause of (i).
II. (a) He was very hard-working
III. (b) Ordinarily, a farmer did not know how to write.
IV. (a) Sunday is a holy day for the Christians.
V. (b) Hope
CBSE Sample Questions
1. (d)
