Oral Comprehension - Page 5
Q1. What did Lencho hope for?
Ans: Lencho hoped for rain as the only thing that his field of ripe corn needed was a shower.
Q2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Ans:
Lencho’s crops were ready to be harvested. Raindrops would have helped
in getting a better harvest, resulting in more prosperity. So Lencho
compared them with ‘new coins’.
Q3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Ans:
The rain started pouring down. But suddenly, a strong wind blew, and
very large hailstones, like frozen pearls, began to fall along with the
rain. The hailstorm continued for an hour, destroying Lencho’s corn
fields and washing away the flowers from the plants.
Lencho After Rain
Q4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Ans:
After the hail stopped, Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. He could
see a bleak future for him and his family. He was worried about the
lack of food for the coming year.
Oral Comprehension - Page 6
Q1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Ans:
Lencho had faith in God. He believed that God’s eyes see everything,
even what is deep in one’s conscience. He wrote a letter to God saying
that he needed a hundred pesos(the monetary unit used in several
countries) to sow his field again.
Q2. Who read the letter?
Ans: The Postmaster read the letter.
Q3. What did the postmaster do then?
Ans: Initially,
the postmaster broke out into laughter but was soon moved by the
seriousness of Lencho’s faith in God. He didn’t want to shake the
writer’s faith in the Almighty, so he came up with an idea to collect
money from his employees and friends, give a part of his salary and send
it to Lencho.
Oral Comprehension - Page 7
Q1. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Ans: No,
Lencho was not at all surprised to see the letter from God with money
inside it. His confidence and faith in God were such that he had
expected that reply from God.
Q2. What made him angry?
Ans:
When he finished counting the money, he found only seventy pesos. But
he had demanded a hundred pesos. He was confident that God could neither
make a mistake nor deny him what he had requested. Therefore, he
concluded that the post office employees must have taken the remaining
thirty pesos.
Thinking about the Text
Q1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Ans: Lencho had complete faith in God. The sentences in the story that show this are as follows:
(a)
But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary (single) house in
the middle of the valley, there was a single hope: help from God.
(b)
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 (Inner sense of right or wrong).
(c) “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.”
(d) He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town.
(e) God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.
(f) It said: “God: of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest, since I need it very much.”
Q2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Ans: The
Postmaster was moved by Lencho’s complete faith in God. So, he decided
to send money to Lencho. Moreover, the postmaster did not want to shake
Lencho’s faith in God. So, he signed the letter as ‘God’. It was a good
ploy (plan or action) to convey a message that God had himself written
the letter.
Q3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
Ans: No,
Lencho did not try to find out who had sent the money to him. This is
because he had great confidence in God and never suspected that it could
be someone else other than God who would send him the money. His faith
in God was so strong that he believed that God had sent him the money.
Q4.
Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the
irony in the situation? [Remember that the irony of a situation is an
unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing
because it is the opposite of what is expected.]
Ans: Lencho thinks that the post office employees have taken the money. It
is the post office employees who sent the money to Lencho. But, on the
other hand, Lencho thinks they have stolen his money. The element of
irony in this situation is that Lencho ends up suspecting those very
people who helped him in his crisis in order to avoid shaking his faith
in God.
Ans:
I don't think there can be any such people in the real world. Lencho
was literate and yet he didn’t know how his letter would reach God
without any address. He was a naive and stupid farmer with blind faith
in God and his powers.Q6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Ans:
- The conflict between humans and nature is shown by the destruction of Lencho’s crops by the hailstorm (thunderstorm that produces hail). As the crops failed because of hail, Lencho started feeling sad and gloomy after the storm appropriately projected (predicted) the conflict (clash) between nature and man.
- The Story also shows another conflict between humans themselves. The postmaster, along with the help of the other post office employees, sent Lencho the money that they could manage to collect. They were not related to Lencho in any manner. It was an act of kindness and selflessness on their part.
- Even though they did a good deed, Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of money. This shows that man does not have faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.
Thinking about the Language
Q1. There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.
(a) A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: ____ c _____
(b) An extremely strong wind: _____ a _____
(c) A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: _____ p _____
(d) A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: _____ n _____
(e) A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic ocean: _____ r _____
(f) A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: _____ l _____
Ans:
(a) Cyclone
(b) Gale
(c) Typhoon
(d) Tornado
(e) Hurricane
(f) Whirlwind
Q2. Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
Ans:
Q3. Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which as suggested.
(a) I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
(b) My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
(c) These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)
(d) Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
(e) This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
Ans:
(a) I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
(b) My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
(c) These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.
(d) Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
(e) This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.
Q4. Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.
(a) The trees lost all their leaves.
_________________________________________
(b) The letter was addressed to God himself.
_________________________________________
(c) The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
_________________________________________
Ans:
(a) The trees lost all their leaves.
Not a leaf remained on the trees.
(b) The letter was addressed to God himself.
It was nothing less than a letter to God.
(c) The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
Never in his career as a postman had he seen that address.
Q5. In pairs,
find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say
what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you. 
Ans:
2023
Q1: The postmaster had mixed emotions while opening the letter. Explain. (2023)
Ans: When the postmaster opened the letter, he initially burst into laughter but quickly became serious. He admired the writer's unwavering faith in God and wished he could possess such faith. However, he also realized that the writer had asked for money in the letter, which prompted the postmaster to collect funds and send a reply on behalf of God.
Q2: Why did the night after the rains turn sorrowful for Lencho? (2023)
Ans: The night after the rains turned sorrowful for Lencho because the hailstorm had destroyed everything, leaving nothing for him to feed his family. The crops, plants, and trees were ruined, causing great distress and sadness for Lencho.
2021
Q1: What is ironic about the post office staff helping Lencho? (2021 C)
Ans: The irony lies in the fact that Lencho, a simple and hardworking man with blind faith, doubted the post office staff who were actually trying to help him. The staff collected seventy pesos and sent it to Lencho, but he accused them of being a bunch of crooks because he did not receive the full amount.
Q2: 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 cornfield?
(v) 'draped in a curtain of rain' - Which part of speech is 'draped'?
Ans: (i) 'He' refers to Lencho.
(ii) Lencho was satisfied with the sight of his field of ripe corn, with its flowers, being nourished by the rain.
(iii) The irony lies in the fact that the hailstones, which resembled silver coins, caused great destruction and devastation to the cornfield.
(iv) The hailstones, resembling silver coins, damaged the cornfield by covering it entirely and destroying all the crops.
(v) 'Draped' is a verb in this context.
Q3: 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.
Ans: (b)
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.
Ans: (a)
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.
Ans: (b)
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.
Ans: (a)
V. Find a suitable word from the passage to complete the following:
Loss: Gain :: Despair:___ .
(a) Help
(b) Hope
(c) Deep
(d) Carry
Ans: (b)
2020
Q1: How was Lencho’s cornfield destroyed? Had he any hope of help? (2020C)
Ans: Lencho's cornfield was destroyed by a heavy hailstorm accompanied by rain and strong wind. The hailstones covered his field, leaving no trees or crops. Unfortunately, Lencho had no hope of help.
Q2: Did the letter reach God? Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho? (2020)
Ans: No, the letter did not reach God. The postman found the letter addressed to God and decided to take it to the postmaster. The postmaster, wanting to preserve Lencho's faith in God, decided to help him. He sent a reply to Lencho, along with seventy pesos, signed as 'God', in order to maintain the man's faith.
Q3: What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped? (2020)
Ans: When the hail stopped, Lencho's feelings were filled with sadness. He stood in the middle of his field and expressed his sorrow to his sons, saying that even a plague of locusts would have left more than the hail had. He realized that there would be no corn yield that year.
Q4: Why did Lencho’s happy mood change into concern? (2020)
Ans: Lencho's happy mood changed into concern when the rain turned into a hailstorm. The hailstones destroyed his crops, plants, and trees completely. Seeing the devastation, Lencho became concerned about the future and the well-being of his family.
