CBSE Class 10

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English

The Hack Driver NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Footprints Without Feet Chapter 8

The Hack Driver NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

The Hack Driver Read and Find out

Question 1.
Why is the lawyer sent to New Mullion? What does he first think about the place?
Answer:
The lawyer is sent to New Mullion to serve summons on a man called Oliver Lutkins. He did not ‘ like to go to a dirty place. He expected New Mullion to be a sweet and simple village unlike the dirty and shadowy corners of the city.

Question 2.
Who befriends him? Where does he take him?
Answer:
The delivery man befriended him. He took him to several places like Fritz’s where there was a chance to meet Lutkins. They also went to some other places in search of Lutkins.

Question 3.
What does he say about Lutkins?
Answer:
He says that Lutkins was a gambler and played the game of poker. He never paid his debts as he was very greedy and did not want to part with his money.

Question 4.
What more does Bill say about Lutkins and his family?
Answer:
Bill says that Lutkins’ mother is a terror. He described her as a lady who was nine feet tall and four feet thick and she was quick as a cat. She was also very short-tempered.

Question 5.
Does the narrator serve the summons that day?
Answer:
No, the narrator does not serve the summons that day as he was not able to meet Lutkins on whom he had to serve the summons.

Question 6.
Who is Lutkins?
Answer:
Lutkins is the hack driver who is befooling the lawyer as Bill Magnuson.

The Hack Driver Think About It

Question 1.
When the lawyer reached New Mullion, did ‘Bill’ know that he was looking for Lutkins? When do you think Bill came up with his plan for fooling the lawyer?
Answer:
When the lawyer reached New Mullion, ‘Bill’ did not know that he was looking for Lutkins. As the lawyer got down at New Mullion, he found it to be a very messy place. But the presence of the delivery man was the only pleasant sight there. He was a man of forty, red-faced, cheerful and very friendly. When the lawyer enquired about ‘Lutkins’, he immediately came up with his plan of fooling the lawyer because he (Bill) knew that he himself was Lutkins. And the best way to escape from the lawyer was to be with him for the whole time.

Question 2.
Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. How is it that no one lets out the secret?
[Hint: Notice that the hack driver asks the lawyer to keep out of sight behind him when they go into Fritz’s.] Can you find other such subtle ways in which Lutkins manipulates the tour?
Answer:
Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village to find ‘Oliver Lutkins’ as he hides his real identity from the lawyer. He knew that the lawyer had come there to serve summons on him because he had not responded to many letters of the court.

No one lets out the secret for the whole day as Lutkins was an oversmart, clever and frivolous person. First of all he tells the lawyer to keep out of sight when they go to Fritz’s to find Lutkins so that nobody could notice him.

Secondly, Bill did not let the lawyer get down from the hack and ask about Lutkins from anyone. He (Bill) himself asked everyone about Lutkins. It seemed that everybody in the village knew about the mischief of Lutkins. Moreover, he tells the lawyer that Lutkins is very smart and never returns anybody’s money back and if he tries to collect in those fancy clothes, he’ll be suspicious and get away from him.

When he meets his mother as ‘Bill’ and introduces himself by saying, ‘Remember me I am Bill Magnuson, the carter and the hack man’, it gives a hint to his mother not to recognise him. In this way, the oversmartness of Bill and the innocence of the lawyer did not let the secret, that Bill was Lutkins, out.

Question 3.
Why do you think Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer?
Answer:
The lawyer spent nearly his whole day with Bill at New Mullion to find Oliver Lutkins as he had to serve summons on him in a case as a witness. Lutkins, in the guise of Bill, was with him the whole day. He took the lawyer to all the places wherever Lutkins hung out. At Fritz’s, Gustafs barber shop, Gray’s barber shop and even his mother, almost everybody in the village, had seen the lawyer and laughed at him for his simplicity and innocence and how he was being befooled by Lutkins himself. Only the neighbours of Lutkins had not seen the lawyer so they were anxious to meet him.

Next day when the lawyer is sent again to serve the summons on Lutkins along with a man who had seen Lutkins, the lawyer meets Lutkin’s mother at the station only, she laughs at him and tells him to go to their neighbours to have coffee as they were very anxious to meet him.

Question 4.
After his first day’s experience with the hack driver, the lawyer thinks of returning to New Mullion to practise law. Do you think he would
have reconsidered this idea after his second visit?
Answer:
On the first day, the hack driver spends almost the whole day with the lawyer to find Lutkins as the lawyer had to serve summons on him. The lawyer feels highly obliged and thankful to the hack driver for his kind consideration and concern for even strangers. The hack driver arranges lunch for him, accompanies him everywhere.

The lawyer was too touched and obliged by the behaviour of Bill. He became fond of his simplicity – and humanity. He imagined an honest and happy life beyond the strict limits of universities and law firms. He decided to come to New Mullion and start a new beautiful life.

He must have reconsidered his idea of settling down at New Mullion after realising the fact of being deceived by Lutkins under his nose. He could not foresee the malignant and mischievious intentions of Bill under the cover of simplicity and innocence.

Question 5.
Do you think the lawyer was gullible? How could he have avoided being taken for a ride?
Answer:
‘Gullible’ means ‘someone easily deceived’. We can say that the lawyer was gullible. ‘Lutkins’ under the facelet of Bill befooled him, deceived him the whole day. He was with him but he never let disclose his real identity to the lawyer.

But the lawyer could have avoided it. He could refuse his offer of ride across the village. He could have taken another hack or cart. Moreover he could have got down from the cart himself and asked about Lutkins from somebody himself. Definitely he would have found Lutkins but he was totally dependant on the hack driver who befooled him.

The Hack Driver Extra Questions and Answers

The Hack Driver Short Answer Questions

Question 1.
Lutkins was really ‘a hard fellow to catch’. How?
Answer:
Lutkins was really a hard fellow to catch. He was a crook. He impressed the narrator by his open friendly and affectionate nature. He disguised himself many times. He had a good relationship with all in his village. So, it was difficult to catch him.

Question 2.
How does Lutkins befool the lawyer?
Answer:
Oliver Lutkins was the hack driver. He impressed the narrator by his simplicity and pleasant appearance. He introduced himself as Bill. The hack driver made a complete fool of the narrator by taking him to all the places where he could find Lutkins but every time missed him by a fraction of minutes. He had a good understanding with his town folks who helped him in befooling the lawyer.

Question 3.
How did the hack driver sketch the character of Lutkins?
Answer:
The hack driver called Lutkins “a good for nothing fellow”. He told that Lutkins did not stick to any single place. The hack driver tried to portray Lutkins as a shrewd and shoddy person. He told the narrator that Lutkins was fond of playing poker. He borrowed money from many people. He was a perfect duper. He was known for taking people for a ride.

Question 4.
What attitude did the lawyer have for country life? How did his experience at New Mullion change it?
Answer:
The lawyer hated city life as he found city people cunning and at times very aggressive. He assumed country life to be sweet and simple but his visit to New Mullion completely changed his attitude. He was disappointed with sights at the countryside and above all, he was duped by Lutkins who changed his assumption that country life was simpler than the city life.

Question 5.
What does the narrator describe as ‘a pretty disrespectful treatment’?
Answer:
The hack driver took the narrator to the farmyard of his mother. He introduced the young lawyer to Lutkins’ mother as a young man representing the court in the city. They followed her to the kitchen. But they ran for cover as she brought out a hot iron rod from the kitchen to shove them away. The lawyer called it ‘a pretty disrespectful treatment’.

Question 6.
What did the hack driver tell the narrator about Lutkins’ mother?
Answer:
The hack driver told the narrator that Lutkins’ mother was a real terror. She was about nine feet tall and four feet thick and quick as a cat. She could also put people down by talking. It was proved when on meeting the narrator, she did not show respect for him. She chased him with a hot iron ‘ rod.

Question 7.
Describe the young lawyer’s first encounter with the hack driver.
Answer:
When the young lawyer reached New Mullion to serve summons on Oliver Lutkins, he came across a man of forty who was red-faced and cheerful. He introduced himself as Bill, the hack driver. The narrator trusted him and told him about his purpose to visit the place.

Question 8.
Who was the hack driver? What really hurt the narrator’s feelings?
Answer:
The hack driver himself was Oliver Lutkins. He was not Bill Magnuson as he had told the narrator. He had befooled the narrator. The narrator’s feelings were hurt when Lutkins and his mother both laughed at him as though he were a boy of seven.

Question 9.
Which were the places where the narrator and hack driver went to search for Lutkins? How was he missed everywhere?
Answer:
The hack driver took the narrator to many places in New Mullion to locate Lutkins. Some of them were Fritz’s place, Gustaff’s barber shop, Gray’s barber shop, poolroom and his mother’s farmyard. He was missed everywhere by five minutes or so.

Question 10.
How was the hack driver recognised?
Answer:
The lawyer was ordered to go back to New Mullion to fetch Lutkins with a man who had worked with Lutkins. He saw Bill the hack driver with Lutkin’s mother talking and laughing at the platform. His escort told him that Bill was Lutkins himself.

Question 11.
How did the people at the law firm receive the narrator?
Answer:
The Chief of the law firm was very angry with the narrator. The narrator was sent back to New Mullion to trace Oliver Lutkins with another man, who had worked with Lutkins earlier.

Question 12.
Why did the narrator, a young lawyer, not like his job in a law firm?
Answer:
The narrator, a young lawyer, did not like his job in a law firm. He joined the law firm to practise as a lawyer but he was given work of a delivery boy who had to serve summons on people. He had to-go to dirty and shadowy corners of the city. Sometimes, he even got beaten up.

Question 13.
How did Lutkins’ mother treat the lawyer?
Answer:
The hack driver ‘Bill’ introduced the narrator as a representative of the city court, and that he had a legal right to search all properties of Oliver Lutkins. The mother went inside the kitchen and got an iron rod from the old fashioned store and marched on them shouting and scaring them away.

Question 14.
Why was the narrator disappointed when he reached New Mullion?
Answer:
The narrator was disappointed when he reached New Mullion because he did not like the muddy streets and unpainted looks of shops and houses. It was a small town that held no attraction.

Question 15.
What job did the narrator get after graduation? Did he like his work?
Answer:
The narrator got the job of a junior assistant clerk in a law firm. He was assigned the job of serving summons. He did not like his work as he had to go to muddy and dirty streets and sometimes he was given a beating too. The work was somewhat mean and he wanted to change it.

Question 16.
Why was he happy to go to New Mullion? Why did he go there?
Answer:
He was happy to go to New Mullion, because it was forty miles away and he didn’t have to go to dirty and muddy streets and corners of the city to trace his victims. He had to serve summons on a man called Oliver Lutkins.

Question 17.
What sight did the lawyer find at the station “agreeable”?
Answer:
The delivery man at the station was the only agreeable sight at the station. He left a deep impression on the narrator’s mind. He was a very amiable person, the narrator really admired him. His earnest demeanour, simplicity and humour refreshed the young lawyer.

Question 18.
With what impression did the lawyer come back to the city?
Answer:
The narrator returned to the city fully satisfied and feeling great. He was happily impressed by the town New Mullion and its simple, slow-speaking, wise neighbours. He was so impressed that he wanted to settle down there.

Question 19.
Why do you think were the neighbours anxious to meet the lawyer?
Answer:
The narrator had accompanied the hack driver ‘Bill’, to find Lutkins, to many neighbourhood houses. One neighbour was left, where the narrator could not go. Lutkins and his mother described the young lawyer as an innocent boy who had been duped by Lutkins. This neighbour was also keen to look at the young lawyer who was duped by Lutkins.

Question 20.
Where did the narrator have his lunch at New Mullion? What was special about the lunch?
Answer:
The narrator was hungry. He wanted to offer lunch to the hack driver too. The hack driver suggested that they would have lunch prepared by his wife on Wade’s Hill. And he charged half a dollar from the narrator. The narrator enjoyed the peaceful scenic beauty of meadows and woods while he had his lunch.

The Hack Driver Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
In life, people who easily trust others are sometimes made to look foolish. One should not be too trusting. Describe how Oliver Lutkins made a fool of the young lawyer. [2018]
Answer:
In the story Oliver Lutkins made a fool of the young lawyer. When the lawyer reached New Mullion, Lutkins came up with his plan to fool the lawyer when the lawyer told him that he was looking for Oliver Lutkins, Lutkins openly takes the lawyer all over the village. When the lawyer said he needed to catch the afternoon train back he realized that he would need to keep him occupied till he left.

He also had to ensure that the lawyer did not speak or question anyone else about him or he would be caught. He therefore told the lawyer that Lutkins never paid anybody a cent and so if he tried to collect money from him in his fancy clothes he would be suspicious and get away. Instead he would go into Fritz’s and ask for Lutkins, and the lawyer was kept out of sight behind him.

In this way Lutkins was always the first to enter a place and prevented the lawyer from directly meeting and speaking to the people. He would then most probably take the people into his confidence so that no one let out the secret of his true identity. At last Bill cornered a friend of Lutkins and made him

admit that he had gone out to his mother’s farm. He then convinced the lawyer that Lutkins’ mother was a terror and so it was best that he dealt with her himself. He introduced himself and the lawyer to her and told her the reason for their visit. This introduction was enough for her to get an idea about what was happening and she too put on an act and did not let out the secret but managed to make a fool of the young lawyer.

Question 2.
Lutkins appeared humble but he was not. Appearances can be deceptive.
Do you think in real life we come across such people frequently? Does it indicate lack of integrity in human?
Answer:
Lutkins appeared humble but he was not. When the lawyer came to the city, he was happy to meet the hack driver. In fact, the hack driver himself was Oliver Lutkins. He impressed the lawyer with his simplicity and nature. He befooled the lawyer by taking him in search of Lutkins. He pretended to be honest and helpful but he just befooled the lawyer.

Yes, in real life we come across such people. Their appearance is deceptive. They present themselves as caring, friendly and cooperative. Initially, they show their care and concern but when they get an opportunity, they show their true colours and dupe us. There is no compassion in them. Yes, it indicates lack of integrity in human values. There is a lack of commitment, honesty and sensitiveness.

Question 3.
Lutkins played with the emotions of the young lawyer. By the end of the story, he was hurt on knowing the truth of the hack driver. Would you call Lutkins an insensitive fellow? Should we hurt the feeling of somone like this?
Answer:
Lutkins played with the emotions of the young lawyer. He impressed him by his deceptive nature. He pretended to help him. But he was making a fool out of him. He roamed around the city with the lawyer in search of Lutkins. He did not reveal that he himself was Lutkins. Wherever he went, he made the lawyer a laughing stock for others.

Everyone was amused to see how Lutkins was making a fool of the lawyer. By the end of the story when the lawyer revisited the place, he was hurt to know how the hack driver had befooled him. No doubt the hack driver was an insensitive human being. He did not care for his emotions. No, we should not hurt someone’s emotions for the sake of self¬entertainment

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English

For Anne Gregory NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 11

For Anne Gregory NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

For Anne Gregory Thinking about the Poem

Question 1.
What does the young man mean by ‘great honey-coloured ramparts at your ear?’ Why does he say that young men are ‘thrown into despair’ by them?
Answer:
“Great honey-coloured/Ramparts at your ear” means white hair of the beloved. White hair reflects the maturity and the growing age of the beloved. The young are thrown into despair on seeing her white hair because they find her unattractive and too old to be a beloved.

Question 2.
What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?
Answer:
The colour of the young woman’s hair is grey. She is ready to use any colour, say, black or brown or carrot for dying her hair. She wants to impress her despaired lover who had not seen her inner beauty.

Question 3.
Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car,a phone, a dress) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise?
Answer:
Usefulness, quality, durability, utility, price and looks of an object are some factors which make the object desirable.

For Anne Gregory Extra Questions and Answers

For Anne Gregory Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the stanza given below and answer the questions that follow:

Question 1.
But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.

(a) Anne Gregory wants to argue on the point that a young man will love her alone.
Answer:
for herself

(b) Anne wants to change the …………. of her hair to make her lover love her and not her hair.
Answer:
colour

(c) Anne would give her hair orange, yellow or carrot colour. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Find the antonym of ‘hope’ in the extract.
Answer:
despair.

Question 2.
“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

(a) The old religious man wants to give the from a religious text.
Answer:
evidence

(b) The yellow hair refers to the colour of the hair and the
Answer:
age

(c) Only God can love us for ourselves. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘saintly’ in the extract.
Answer:
religious.

For Anne Gregory Long Answer Question

Question 1.
The poet in the poem, ‘For Anne Gregory’ conveys that we should give importance to the inner beauty and not to the physical appearance. Elaborate with reference to the poem. [Delhi 2019]
Answer:
The lady has attractive yellow hair, but shuns any suitor who falls for her hair rather than herself. The lady asserts that she can dye her hair into shades of brown, black, or carrot to ward off desperate men and assert that a genuine lover should love her for herself and not for her hair. The poet declares that human love is fickle and drawn to exterior appearances. The poet declares that loving a person for his true character rather than the external accoutrements, is a godly quality. God loves a human being for their true selves and not for their yellow hair, proving that a gay coat does not make a person a gentleman.

NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English

A Letter to God NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 1

A Letter to God NCERT Text Book Questions and Answers

A Letter to God Oral Comprehension Check

Question 1.
What did Lencho hope for?
Answer:
Lencho hoped for getting a better crop that year.

Question 2.
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Answer:
Lencho said that the raindrops were like new coins because they were round in shape and almost of the same size. Secondly, he knew that good rain meant good crop which ultimately meant good money.

Question 3.
How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Answer:
The pleasant and auspicious rain changed into a large hailstorm as a strong wind began to blow. Lencho’s field was covered with snow and it looked white as if it were covered with salt.

Question 4.
What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer:
When the hail stopped, Lencho was disappointed to see that the whole crop was spoiled. He felt very sad.

Question 5.
Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Answer:
Lencho had faith in God alone. He wrote a letter to God.

Question 6.
Who read the letter?
Answer:
The postmaster read the letter.

Question 7.
What did the postmaster do then?
Answer:
The postmaster collected some money from the employees and sent it to the poor farmer.

Question 8.
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer:
No, Lencho was not surprised to find a letter for him from God with money in it. He took it very casually.

Question 9.
What made him angry?
Answer:
Lencho became angry to see only seventy pesos instead of hundred pesos.

A Letter to God Thinking about the Text

Question 1.
Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer:
Lencho had complete faith in God. The lines which show his extreme faith in God are:
(i) Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God.
(ii) God, if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.
‘Lencho showed not, the slightest surprise on seeing the money.’
‘God could not have made a mistake’.
‘God: Of the money I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me, send me the rest.’

Question 2.
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Answer:
The postmaster sent money to Lencho because he was extremely impressed by the extreme faith of a poor farmer in the supreme power of God. He signed the letter God because he didn’t want to shake the poor man’s faith in God.

Question 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 had sent the money to him because he could not think that anybody other than God could have given him the money.

Question 4.
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.)
Answer:
Lencho thought that the post office employees had taken the money. The irony is that the post office employees donated the money to help Lencho but he accused them of stealing the money from the envelope sent by God.

Question 5.
Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is?
Answer:
Yes, there are people like Lencho, who are innocent enough to think that the God would certainly help them as they have full faith in the supreme power of God. Lencho is a very simple man who had extreme faith in God; he is a man of clear conscience.

Lencho is a simple and innocent fellow who is naive but not stupid. It was his firm faith in God that he thought of writing a letter to God. He has an unquestioning attitude.

Though Lencho has immense faith in God, he is a poor judge of human nature. He lacks the value of gratefulness. What I like most about him is his immense faith in God and his simplicity.

Question 6.
There are two kinds of conflicts in the story ‘A letter to God’: between humans and nature and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer:
It is true that there are two kinds of conflicts in the story between humans and nature and between humans themselves. In the beginning of the story, Lencho is shocked to see the hailstorm wipe out the happiness along with the crop in the field. The moment Lencho was rejoicing at the rainfall, he did not know that it was the end of his happiness. On the other hand, Lencho who had extreme faith in the power of Almighty does not have the slightest trust in the employees of the post office. He considers them a bunch of crooks though they tried to help him.

A Letter to God Extra Questions and Answers

A Letter to God Reference-to-Context Questions

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow.

Question 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 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.

(а) The house was located on the
Answer:
crest of a low hill

(b) The only thing the earth needed was
Answer:
a downpour

(c) One could see huts and the field of ripe corn dotted with the flowers from the height of the hill. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Find the word from the passage which means ‘top of a hill’.
Answer:
crest

Question 2.
“Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.” 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.”

(a) Lencho compared the raindrops with the
Answer:
silver coins

(b) The family was happy as the rain was much needed for a good
Answer:
harvest

(c) The woman heard from Lencho that it was going to rain. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Find the word from the passage which means ‘symbol of prosperity’.
Answer:
new coins.

Question 3.
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.

(a) Lencho was satisfied as the rain outside was much for a good harvest.
Answer:
needed

(b) Suddenly a strong wind began to blow and along with the rain very large began to fall.
Answer:
hailstones

(c) Very large stones that came along with the rain resembled golden pearls. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Find the words from the passage which means ‘hailstones’.
Answer:
‘Frozen pearls’.

Question 4.
“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. 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.”

(a) Lencho exclaimed with sadness that the ………….. was getting bad as it was raining with hailstones.
Answer:
weather

(b) Lencho was worried about how his family would …………… as the hailstones had completely destroyed the cornfield.
Answer:
survive

(c) The hailstorm not only destroyed Lencho’s cornfield but also damaged the whole valley. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) ‘A plague of locusts’ means
Answer:
a large number of insects that can cause great damage to the crops.

Question 5.
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”. 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.” 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.

(a) The single hope for the family was
Answer:
help from God.

(b) Lencho at last decided to write to God.
Answer:
a letter

(c) Lencho believed that God does not let anyone die of hunger. (TFue/Faise)
Answer:
True

(d) Give the meaning of the word ‘conscience’ with reference to the extract.
Answer:
a person’s moral sense of right and wrong.

Question 6.
“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.

(a) Lencho requested God to send him
Answer:
a hundred pesos

(b) At the post office Lencho placed a on the letter and dropped it into the mailbox.
Answer:
stamp

(c) Lencho wrote the letter to God because God will sow his field again. (iVue/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Find the synonym of the word ‘anxious’ from the extract.
Answer:
‘troubled’

Question 7.
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!”

(a) The postman laughed heartily because he saw the letter to God.
Answer:
addressed

(b) The postmaster became serious suddenly and was impressed to see Lencho’s in God.
Answer:
faith

(c) The postmaster was an amiable man and praised Lencho’s faith in God. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Give the synonym of ‘letter writing’ from the extract.
Answer:
‘correspondence’.

Question 8.
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’.

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.

(a) It was impossible for the postmaster together together the
Answer:
hundred pesos

(b) When the postmaster opened the letter, he needed something more than, ink and paper.
Answer:
goodwill

(c) The postmaster managed a hundred pesos from his friends. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Give the synonym of ‘grateful’ from the extract.
Answer:
‘obliged’.

Question 9.
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 slightest surprise 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.

(a) Lencho became angry because he did not get the that he requested God.
Answer:
amount

(b) Lencho came to the post office the following to ask if there was any letter for him.
Answer:
Sunday

(c) The postmaster had performed a good deed by helping Lencho. (True/False)
Answer:
True

(d) Give the meaning of the word ‘a conscious action’ from the extract. ”
Answer:
deed

Question 10.
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.”

(a) Lencho called the post office employees ………. because he thought that they had cheated him.
Answer:
a bunch of crooks

(b) There were wrinkles on his brow because he was ………….
Answer:
angry

(c) Lencho wrote in his second letter that he received seventy pesos only. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Give the meaning of the word’ “creased” from the extract.
Answer:
‘wrinkling’.

A Letter to God Short Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in 30 – 40 words each:

Question 1.
(i) Where was ‘the house’ located?
(ii) Why do you think it is called ‘the’ house and not ‘a’ house?
Answer:
(i) The house was located on the top of a low hill.
(ii) It is called ‘the house’ because it is the only house on the top of the hill.

Question 2.
Why did Lencho keep gazing at the sky?
Answer:
Lencho knew that his fields needed water immediately. He was eagerly waiting for the rain, therefore he gazed at the sky.

Question 3.
“Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.” Is Lencho sure that it is going to rain? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer:
Lencho was sure that it was going to rain because he kept watching the sky throughout the day. Through his experience, he knew that the clouds would certainly bring rain.

Question 4.
(i) How did Lencho feel when it started raining?
(ii) What was the effect of the rain on the crops?
Answer:
(i) Lencho was excited when he came out of his house to have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body. He compared the raindrops with coins, as he knew that a good rain would mean a good crop and a good crop would mean a lot of money.
(ii) The rain brought with it destruction. There was hailstorm for about an hour and it covered the field. The corn was totally destroyed.

Question 5.
What are the raindrops compared to and why?
Answer:
Raindrops are compared to coins. He compares big raindrops to ten-cent coins and smaller ones to five-cent coins. He knew that the raindrops would certainly be helpful in giving him rich harvest. Naturally, it would make him get more money.

Question 6.
Lencho had only ‘one hope’. What was it?
Answer:
Lencho was a God-fearing man and had a firm faith in the benevolence of God, who he thought would certainly help him. God was his only hope.

Question 7.
Did the letter reach God? Why did the postmaster send a reply to Lencho?
Answer:
The letter did not reach God but it certainly reached the postmaster who was a God-fearing and kind-hearted man. He decided to send a reply to Lencho as he was moved by the firm faith of a farmer in God, and he did not want to disappoint him.

Question 8.
Lencho describes the post office employees as ‘a bunch of crooks’.
(i) Were they ‘a bunch of crooks’?
(ii) How would you describe them?
Answer:
(i) The post office employees were really very good people who tried to help a poor farmer. They were not a bunch of crooks.
(ii) They can be described as kind-hearted, generous, helpful and God-fearing men.

A Letter to God Long Answer Questions

Question 1.
Describe the character of Lencho in the light of his faith and attitude towards God and man.
Answer:
Lencho was a hardworking farmer who had immense faith in God. He had such an immense faith in the existence and helpfulness of God that he started communicating with him. He wrote a letter to God requesting him to send him one hundred pesos. When he received seventy pesos, he was not surprised at all. He even doubted the integrity of the post office employees who, he thought, had stolen his thirty pesos. He was a poor judge of human nature. His attitude towards man was negative. He could not think of a help from man.

Question 2.
Lencho called the post office employees ‘a bunch of crooks’. What does it show about his attitude towards men? Was he not A person of humility, appreciation and gratefulness? Elaborate.
Answer:
Lencho called the post office employees a bunch of crooks as he thought that they had stolen his money sent by God. He was not correct in his assessment of the employees. It shows that he had a negative attitude towards mankind. He was not a fair judge of man’s nature.

It seems he was too naive to have the sense of humility, appreciation and gratefulness. He hurt the feelings of the post office employees unintentionally. He was a simple man who had immense faith in God but could not think of any help from men. His anger and attitude towards them shows that he did not have any faith in men. He did not credit the post office employees for their help out of ignorance but he should not have called them a bunch of crooks.

Question 3.
What kind of people were the post office employees? What do you like about the gesture of the postmaster?
Answer:
The post office employees were very generous, kind and helpful people. When they received the letter for God from Lencho, they were impressed with his faith in God althought initially they made fun of it.They did not want to hurt his feelings and shake his faith in god. They decided to help him by sending him money.

It was a noble gesture on their part. All of them contributed by giving a share of their salaries. It shows their kindness and generosity. They could have told Lencho the truth about God but their sensitivity stopped them from doing so. They did not want to hurt his feelings. They had sympathy and compassion for Lencho. The postmaster’s generosity, his sensitivity, initiative and his noble gesture make him a good human being in the eyes of the readers.