NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 1 A Letter To God By G L Fuentes

Here we have given NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 1 A Letter To God By G L Fuentes

A Letter To God By G. L. Fuentes Part- I

About the Lesson

This lesson is about a farmer named Lencho  who writes a letter to God when his crops are ruined, asking for a hundred pesos.

Now the question arises-

• Are there people like Lencho in the real world?
• What kind of a person would you say he is?

In my opinion there might be a few people like Lencho in the real world. He is an unquestioning, naive kind of a person.

Glossary:

• Unquestioning = संदेह रहित- accepting something without dissent or doubt.
• Naive = निष्कपट/सीधा-सादा/सरल- natural and unaffected; innocent.

Lencho is a simple person. He has immense faith in God. He starts correspondence with God asking for money. He receives a lesser amount from God so, he blames the post office employees because when he opens the envelop and counts the money, he finds only seventy pesos though he had requested hundred pesos from God. The post office employees were  the real helpers, who had contributed parts of their salary.  But Lencho doesn’t act practically. Instead, he calls the post office employees a “bunch of crooks”

Glossary:

• A bunch of crooks = बदमाशों का एक झुंड- group of dishonest persons.
• Crook = धोखेबाज- dishonest, especially someone who uses position or power for his/her personal advantage.

Thus we find two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, due to the destruction caused to Lencho’s crops by the hailstorm and, between humans themselves- when the postmaster along with other employees send money to Lencho as an act of kindness and selflessness on their part, Lencho blames them for taking away some amount of money. He calls them “a bunch of crooks” This shows that man does not have faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.

Glossary:

• Conflict = संघर्ष/ टकराव/विरोध- an open clash between two opposing groups
• Hailstorm = ओला-वृष्टि- a storm during which hail falls
• Selflessness = निःस्वार्थता- the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
• Thereby = फलस्वरूप- as a result of that

About the author

Gregorio Lopez y Fuentes Born: 17 Nov. 1895, Veracruz, Mexico― Died: 10 Dec. 1966, Mexico City, Mexico. He was a Mexican novelist, poet, and journalist. He was one of the leading chroniclers of the Mexican Revolution.

• Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America.
• The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle, lasting roughly from 1910 to 1920, that transformed Mexican culture and government.
• Chroniclers= कालक्रम से अभिलेखन करनेवाला- someone who writes chronicles

Before You Read

They say faith can move mountains. But what should we put our faith in? This is the question this story delicately poses.

Lencho is a farmer who writes a letter to God when his crops are ruined, asking for a hundred pesos. Does Lencho’s letter reach God? Does God send him the money? Think what your answers to these questions would be, and guess how the story continues, before you begin to read it.

There is a saying, “faith can move mountains” . It means- If our beliefs and confidence are strong enough, we can achieve something that is very difficult.

Glossary:

Activity: 1.

• Delicately = कोमलतापूर्वक – in a delicate manner.
• Poses =  presents or constitutes.

One of the cheapest ways to send money to someone is through the post office. Have you ever sent or received money in this way? Here’s what you have to do. (As you read the instructions, discuss with your teacher in class the meanings of these words:

Consult a dictionary if necessary. Are  there words corresponding to these English words in your languages?)

Activity 1 Glossary

• Counter =a long flat-topped fixture in a store or bank across which business is conducted with customers.
• counter clerk = An employee who works in an office, especially one engaged in clerical or administrative work
• appropriate =suitable for a particular person or place or condition etc.
• Acknowledgement = acceptance of the truth or existence of something.
• Counterfoil = the part of a cheque, receipt, ticket, or other document that is torn off and kept as a record by the person issuing it.
• Record = A thing constituting a piece of evidence about the past, especially an account kept in writing or some other permanent form.

2. Fill out the Money Order form given below using the clues that follow the form.

• Think about who you will send the money to, and how much. You might want to send money for a magazine subscription, or to a relative or a friend.
• • Or you may fill out the form with yourself as sender and your partner as receiver. Use a part of your pocket money, and submit the form at the nearest post office to see how it’s done. See how your partner enjoys getting money by post!
• • Notice that the form has three parts — the Money Order form, the part for official use and the Acknowledgement. What would you write in the ‘Space for Communication’?

Now complete the following statements.

(i) In addition to the sender, the form has to be signed by the- payee.

(ii) The ‘Acknowledgement’ section of the form is sent back by the post office to the sender after             the- payee signs it.

(iii) The ‘Space for Communication’ section is used for- writing a note to the payee.

(iv) The form has six sections. The sender needs to fill out-four sections and the receiver- two.

Text Book

[THE house — the only one in the entire valley — sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a downpour or at least a shower.

Throughout the morning Lencho— who knew his fields intimately— had done nothing else but see the sky towards the north-east.

“Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.”]

Glossary:

• Entire = with no part left out; whole
• Crest = the top of a mountain or hill
• Low hill = foothill- तलहटी- a relatively low hill on the lower slope of a mountain.
• Ripe = readiness for harvesting and eating
• Corn = (the seeds of) plants, such as wheat- गेहूँ, maize- मक्का, oats- जई, and barley = जौ, that can be used to produce flour- आटा
• Dotted = full of
• Downpour = मूसलाधार बारिश- heavy rain
• Shower= बौछार- a short period of rain or snow.
• Intimately = closely)

[The woman who was preparing supper, replied, “Yes, God willing”. The older boys were working in the field, while the smaller ones were playing near the house until the woman called to them all, “Come for dinner”. It was during the meal that, just as Lencho had predicted, big drops of rain began to fall. In the north-east huge mountains of clouds could be seen approaching. The air was fresh and sweet. The man went out for no other reason than to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body, and when he returned he exclaimed, *‘‘These aren’t raindrops falling from the sky, they are new coins. The big drops are ten cent pieces and the little ones are fives.’’]

Glossary:

• Supper = a light evening meal- रात्रि का भोजन
• God willing = ‘if God wills it’, or ‘if that’s what God wants’ or if no problems occurs they will be able to get some water for their fields.
• Meal = भोजन- any of the regular occasions in a day when a reasonably large amount of food is eaten.
• Predicted = पूर्वानुमान करना- make a prediction about; tell in advance.
• Approaching = समीप आना- coming closer
• Exclaimed = cry out suddenly in surprise, strong emotion, or pain

(For any farmer, rains are like boon because rains help in getting a good harvest. Here Lencho is comparing the raindrops to new coins. The reason is that after rain he would have good harvest and he would get a lot of money from his harvest . Here rains are taken as a sign of future prosperity.)

[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. The boys, exposing themselves to the rain, ran out to collect the frozen pearls.

 ‘‘It’s really getting bad now,’’ exclaimed the man. “I hope it passes quickly.” It did not pass quickly. For an hour the hail rained on the house, the garden, the hillside, the cornfield, on the whole valley. The field was white, as if covered with salt.]

Glossary:

• Regarded = considered or thought of in a specified way.
• Draped = adorn, cover, or wrap (someone or something)
• Curtain = पर्दा/आवरण- a thick layer of something that makes it difficult to see anything behind it.
• Hailstones = ओला – a small, hard ball of ice that falls from the sky like rain.
• Resemble = समान होना – to look like or be like someone or something. Ex. You resemble your father very closely.
• Exposing = to show, make visible or apparent.
• Frozen = turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold. Here the frozen pearls refer to hailstones.
• Cornfield = a field in which corn is being grown.

• The field was white, as if covered with salt = due to large hailstones that had gathered in the field, the field looked like as if it was covered with salt.

[Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. 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. “All our work, for nothing.” ‘‘There’s no one who can help us.”  “We’ll all go hungry this year.”]

Glossary:

• Plague = a swarm of insects that attack plants.
• Locusts = insects which fly in big groups and destroy crops.

(Since, Lencho’s crop was completely destroyed due to hailstones, he said that if there would be the plague of locusts then it could save at least few and give at least a better result than what happened due to hailstones.)

• All our work, for nothing = all their hard work had gone in vain.

Oral Comprehension Check-I

Q1. What did Lencho hope for?

Ans: Lencho hoped for rains 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 for harvest. However, they required a good downpour before harvesting. After a downpour, he could sell the harvest and get money. That is why he compared the raindrops to ‘new coins’.

Q3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?

Ans: The rain was pouring down. But suddenly, a strong wind began to blow and very large hailstones began to fall along with the rain. The hail rained on the valley for an hour, because of which Lencho’s fields were destroyed. There was not a single leaf left on the trees and the flowers were gone from the plants. The corn was completely destroyed.

Q4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

Ans: When the hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. He looked around at his fields and said that even a plague of locusts would have left more than what was left after the hailstorm. He said that they would have no corn that year and they would go hungry. He was full of sorrow.

A Letter To God By G. L. Fuentes Part- II 

[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.

“Don’t be so upset, even though this seems like a total loss. Remember, no one dies of hunger.” That’s what they say: no one dies of hunger.”]

Glossary:

• Solitary = एकांत/ एकमात्र- existing alone; lonely.
• Valley = घाटी-  a low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it.
• God = Almighty- सर्वशक्तिमान
• Hunger =  भूख/ लालसा/ तीव्र इच्छा- starvation/ a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat.

[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.]

Glossary:

• Conscience = अंतःकरण- An inner sense of right and wrong
• Ox of a man- hardworking  (An ox of a man means a very strong man. Lencho was a hard working farmer. He worked hard in the field. His faith in God, made him to write letter to God. This shows how strong & hard working Lencho was. So the author compared him to an ox. This is a literary device called metaphor.
• Daybreak = प्रातः काल- the time in the morning when daylight first appears; dawn.

[“God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year. I need a hundred pesos in order to sow my field again and to live until the crop comes, because the hailstorm….”

He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town. At the post office, he placed a stamp on the letter and dropped it into the mailbox.]

Glossary:

• Pesos – the basic monetary unit of Mexico, several other Latin American countries, and the Philippines.
• Sow = बीज बोना- place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
• Hailstorm = ओला-वृष्टि- a storm during which hail falls
• Envelope एन्वलोप = लिफ़ाफ़ा- a flat paper container with a sealable flap, used to enclose a letter or document.
• Troubled = अशांत/ परेशान- beset by problems or difficulties.

[One of the employees, who was a postman and also helped at the post office, went to his boss laughing heartily and showed him the letter to God. Never in his career as a postman had he known that address. The postmaster — a fat, amiable fellow — also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned serious and, tapping the letter on his desk, commented, *“What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!”]

Glossary:

• Employee = कर्मचारी a worker who is hired to perform a job
• Heartily = दिल से/ उत्साह से/मन खोल के/ ख़ुशी मन से- in a hearty manner.
• Career = व्यवसाय- profession, occupation
• Amiable = मधुरस्वभाव/ सुशील/ सौम्य/ स्नेही- friendly and pleasant
• Tapping = striking with a quick light blow or blows
• Correspondence = Communication by exchanging letters with someone.

[So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter. But when he opened it, it was evident that to answer it he needed something more than goodwill, ink and paper. But he stuck to his resolution: he asked for money from his employees, he himself gave part of his salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something ‘for an act of charity’.]

Glossary:

• To shake one’s faith = कमज़ोर करना- to lessen the stability of; weaken
• To come up with an idea =  to suggest or think of an idea or plan
• Evident = सुस्पष्ट – capable of being seen or noticed; clear
• Goodwill = दया-भाव/ मित्रभाव/ सद्भाव/सद्भावना/सदिच्छा kindness, friendly feeling
• Stuck = caught or fixed; remained determined
• Resolution रेज़लूशन = दृढ़ निश्चय a firm decision to do or not to do something.
• Salary = तनख़्वाह/ वेतन/ परिलब्धियाँ – remuneration/ emolument    
• Obliged = आभारी/ मज़बूर grateful/ compelled/ under a moral obligation to do something
• Charity = उदारता/ करुणा/ दयालुता/ परोपकार/ धर्मार्थ संगठन― donations, help, relief, gift, etc.

Examples of Charity:

• 1. An organization set up to provide help and raise money for those in need.
• 2. The voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.
• 3. Help or money given to those in need.

[It was impossible for him to gather together the hundred pesos, so he was able to send the farmer only a little more than half. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and with it a letter containing only a single word as a signature: God.]

Glossary:

• Containing = सम्मिलित करना/ रखना – to consist of; comprise / have within itself

Oral Comprehension Check -II

Q1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

Ans: Lencho had faith in God. He had been instructed that God’s eyes see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience. Therefore, he wrote a letter to God expressing his need for a hundred pesos so that he could sow his field again and live until the crop grew again.

Q2. Who read the letter?

Ans: When the postman saw that the letter was addressed to God, he laughed and took the letter to the postmaster, who then read it.

Q3. What did the postmaster do then?

Ans: In order to keep the writer’s faith in God alive, the postmaster decided to answer the letter. When he read that Lencho needed hundred pesos, he asked for money from his employees. He himself gave a part of his salary. He could not gather the entire amount, but managed to send Lencho a little more than half the amount. He put the money in an envelope addressed to Lencho and signed it ‘God’.

[The following Sunday Lencho came a bit earlier than usual to ask if there was a letter for him. It was the postman himself who handed the letter to him while the postmaster, experiencing the contentment of a man who has performed a good deed, looked on from his office.

Lencho showed not the slightestsurprise on seeing the money; 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 Lencho what he had requested.]

Glossary:

• Contentment = संतुष्टि/सन्तोष satisfaction
• Performed = done
• Deed = कार्य- act / something that people do or cause to happen
• Slightest = थोड़ा भी / हलका- very little/ least/ small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none.
• Confidence = trust, belief, faith
• Denied = अस्वीकार करना/देने से मना करना- refuse to let have/ refuse to give (something requested or desired) to (someone).

[Immediately, Lencho went up to the window to ask for paper and ink. On the public writing-table, he started to write, with much wrinkling of his brow, caused by the effort he had to make to express his ideas. When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to open it. 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. But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”]

Glossary:

• Wrinkling = झुर्री/ सिकुड़न- make or cause lines or folds in (something, especially fabric or the skin)  
• Brow = (here) forehead
• Caused = (here)  made
• Effort = प्रयत्न – attempt
• Express =  व्यक्त करना-show by words/ convey (a thought or feeling) in words or by gestures and conduct.
• Licked = चाटना- pass the tongue over (something) in order to taste, moisten, or clean it.
• Affixed = stick, attach, or fasten (smth) to something else.
• Blow = प्रहार-a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon etc.
• Bunch =समूह- gang/ group
• Crooks = ठग/ धोखेबाज- rogue/ swindler

Oral Comprehension Check- III

Q1. Was Lenchosurprised 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 was such that he had expected that reply from God.

Q2. What made him angry?

Ans: He became angry when he found that the amount was less than what he had asked for. There were only seventy pesos in the envelope. 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 Lenchohave 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:

(i) But in the hearts of all who lived in that solitary house in the middle of the valley, therewas a single hope: help from God.

(ii) 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.

(iii) “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.”

(iv) He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town.

(v) God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.

(vi) 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 sent money to Lencho in order to keep Lencho’s faith in God alive. He turned serious when he read Lencho’s letter and wished he had the same faith in God. Even after he saw that Lencho had requested for money, he stuck to his resolution of answering the letter. He gathered as much money as he could and sent it to Lencho. He signed it ‘God’ so that Lencho’s faith would not get shaken.

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 was because he never suspected that it could be anybody 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 thought that the post office employees had taken the rest of the money. The irony of the situation was that the employees whom he called a “bunch of crooks” and suspected of taking some of the money were the same people who had contributed and sent him the money in the first place.

Q5. 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 to answer the question.

Greedy | Naive | stupid | ungrateful | selfish | comical | unquestioning

Ans: There might be a few people like Lencho in the real world. He is an unquestioning, naïve kind of a person.

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 illustrated by the destruction of Lencho’s crops by the hailstorm. Lencho had worked really hard on his fields and the harvest was really important for him. He required the money to feed his family. However, the nature turned violent. The rains were accompanied by a hailstorm, which destroyed the crops. The story also illustrates 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. He called them “a bunch of crooks”. This shows that man does not have faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.

MCQ Type Questions-1

Q1. What did Lencho hope for?

(a) A good shower of rain for his crop

(b) A new motorcycle

(c) A tractor

(d) None of the Above

Q2. Why was Lencho satisfied?

(a) On seeing a new tractor in his field.

(b) On seeing a new buffalo.

(c) On seeing the field of ripe corn with flowers.

(d) None of the Above

Q3. Why did Lencho need money?

(a) To buy a tractor

(b) To save his family from hunger

(c) To buy a new phone.

(d) To buy a buffalo.

Q4. What did the postmaster do then?

(a) He decided to collect the money and send it to Lencho.

(b) He throw away the letter.

(c) He decided to beat Lencho to teach him a lesson.

(d) He gave it to other postmaster.

Q5. Who read the letter sent by Lencho?

(a) His Wife

(b) The Postmaster

(c) One of the farmer

(d) The God

Q6. Who is the author of the lesson ‘A Letter to God’?

(a) G.L. Fuentes

(b) J.k. Rowling

(c) William Shakespeare

(d) Roald Dahl

Q7. What is the irony in this lesson?

(a) Lencho was sad after the hailstorm even though he was the one waiting for a shower.

(b) Postmaster laughed at Lencho but still helped arrange money for him.

(c) Lencho blamed the post office employees who in fact helped him.

(d) there is no irony.

Q8. What did Lencho think of the post-office employees?

(a) bunch of crooks

(b) rude

(c) unhelpful

(d) proud

Q9. Why was Lencho not surprised on seeing the money in the envelope?

(a) he was too sad to acknowledge it

(b) he had unwavering faith in God

(c) he was an ungrateful man

(d) none of the above

Q10. How much money was the postmaster able to arrange?

(a) 100 pesos

(b) Nil

(c) 1000 pesos

(d) 70 pesos

Q11. Why did the postmaster decide to reply to Lencho’s letter?

(a) he was a good man

(b) he felt empathetic

(c) to preserve Lencho’s faith in God

(d) all of the above

Q12. The postmaster was a fat, amiable man. What is the meaning of amiable?

(a) rude

(b) helpful

(c) friendly

(d) enthusaistic

Q13. How much money did Lencho ask for?

(a) 100 pesos

(b) 1000 pesos

(c) 10 peso

(d) 500 pesos

Q14. What was the only hope left in the hearts of Lencho’s family?

(a) compensation from government

(b) help from farmer’s association

(c) help from God

(d) there was no hope left

Q15. The field looked as if it were covered in _______ .

(a) salt

(b) locusts

(c) sugar

(d) ice

Q16. Which crop was growing on Lencho’s fields?

(a) Corn

(b) Barley

(c) Rice

(d) None of the above

Q17. Where did Lencho expect the downpour to come from?

(a) north

(b) north-east

(c) north-west

(d) south-east

Q18. Where was Lencho’s house situated?

(a) bottom of the hill

(b) top of a hill

(c) top of a plateau

(d) in a city

Q19. What destroyed Lencho’s fields?

(a) heavy rainfall

(b) hailstorm

(c) landslide

(d) flood

Q20. What did Lencho ask for in his second letter?

(a) more money

(b) remaining amount and not send it by mail

(c) remaining amount and send it by mail only

(d) he didn’t ask for anything

Answer Key

MCQ Type Questions-2

Passage-1 The house- the only one in the entire valley -sat on the crest of a low hill. From this height one could see the river and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers that always promised a good harvest. The only thing the earth needed was a good downpour or at least a shower. Throughout the morning Lencho -who knew his fields intimately- had done nothing but see the sky towards the north-east.

(i) Based on the detail of the house’s location, how can it best be described?

(a) majestic (b) imposing

(c) solitary (d) unique

(ii) The field of corn dotted with flowers means that

(a) not a single flower was bigger than a dot

(b) the flowers were scattered across.

(c) the flowers were in shaped like dots.

(d) the flowers had shrunk in size.

(iii) Lencho wished for a downpour or a heavy shower. Pick the option that correctly lists the correct match for kinds of rain.

1. Heavy rain- (i) light rain that falls in very fine drops

2. Thunderstorm- (ii)  very heavy rain, tropical Rain

3. Drizzle- (iii)  It’s coming down quite strong and you get very wet very quickly

4. Torrential rain- (iv) really heavy rain that comes very suddenly

5. Downpour- (v) is a violent, short lived weather disturbance associated with lightning, thunder and strong, gusty winds

(a) 1-ii, 2-iv, 3-v, 4-i, 5-ii   (b) 1-iv, 2-i, 3-iii, 4-v, 5-ii

(c) 1-v, 2-iii, 3-iv, 4-ii, 5-i  (d) 1-iii, 2-v, 3-i, 4-ii, 5-iv

(iv) Based on the given extract, what is Lencho NOT likely to think while looking at his field?

(i) Such a blessing, God! Thank you.

(ii) Just a downpour, God. And everything will be perfect.

(iii) All set for the grand harvest. I am going to be rich!

(iv) I wish we have enough food to eat after this harvest.

(a) Option (i)  (b) Option (ii)

(c) Option (iii)  (d) Option (iv)

(v) Which quote supports the idea in the given extract?

(a) “Farming is a profession of hope.”

(b) “I would rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world.” 

(c) “Farming looks mighty easy when your plough is a pencil, and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.” 

(d) “Those too lazy to plough in the right season will have no food at the harvest.”

Passage-2 When he finished, he went to the window to buy a stamp which he licked and then affixed to the envelope with a blow of his fist. The moment the letter fell into the mailbox the postmaster went to open it. 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. But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”

(i) ‘…bunch of crooks.’ Pick the option that DOES NOT collate with ‘bunch of’, correctly.

(i) keys (ii) grapes  (iii) flowers  (iv) islands

(a) option (i)   (b) option (ii)

(c) option (iii)   (d) option (iv)

(ii) What was the most likely response that the postmaster expected in Lencho’s second letter?

(i) sorrowful (ii) gratitude (iii) disappointment (iv) elation (v) shock

(a) ii and v  (b) i and iii

(c) ii and iv  (d) iii and v

(iv) Lencho’s letter included-

(a) details of his problems.

(b) description of the post office.

(c) belief of being looted. 

(d) List of further demands.

(v) Pick the most suitable quote for this extract.

(a) “It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” – Mark Twain

(b) “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.”- Confucius

(c) “You see a person’s true colours when you are no longer beneficial to their life.”- anonymous

(d) “True generosity means accepting ingratitude.” – Coco Chanel

Answer key for MCQs

I hope that you would have enjoyed NCERT Solutions for lass 10 English First Flight Chapter 1 A Letter To God By G L Fuentes. If you have any query regarding this chapter, please feel free to get in touch with me through comment box or social media and I assure you to resolve all your queries related to the topic as soon as possible.