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

1.    What did Lencho hope for?

Ans: Lencho hoped for rains as then only he could get a better yield and thus feed his family.

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

Ans:  Lencho’s crops were ready for harvest. As raindrops would have helped in getting a better harvest, resulting in more prosperity, so Lencho compared them with new coins.  

3.    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, followed by a devastating hailstorm. All the crops in Lencho’s fields were destroyed.

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

Ans: After the hail stopped, Lencho’s heart was filled with sadness. He was completely shattered. He could see a bleak future for him and his family. He was worried about lack of food for the coming year.

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

Ans: Lencho had faith in God. He firmly believed that God can see everything and even knows what his people have in their hearts. He strongly felt that God will definitely help him out of this situation. He wrote a letter to God saying that he needed some money to sow his fields again.

6. Who read the letter?

Ans: The postmaster read the letter.

7. What did the postmaster do then?

Ans: The Postmaster was deeply moved by Lencho’s faith in God. He did not want to disillusion this faith. So he decided to collect the money and also asked his colleagues to contribute so that he can send it to Lencho.

8.    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 was such that he had expected that God would definitely send money and help him out of this situation.

9. What made him angry?

Ans:  When he finished counting money, he found only seventy pesos in it. But he had demanded hundred pesos He was confident that God could neither make a mistake nor deny him what he had requested. So, he was pretty sure that the post office employees must have taken the remaining thirty pesos.  

10. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?

Ans: Lencho has complete faith in God. The following sentences prove his confidence:
(i)                 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.
(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.”

11. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?

Ans: Postmaster was moved by Lencho’s strong faith in the God. So he decided to send money to Lencho. Moreover, the Postmaster did not want to disillusion him or shake his trust in God. So, he signed the letter ‘God’. It was a good ploy to convey a message that God had himself written the letter.

12. 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 him the money because he trusted God. His faith in God. His faith in God was so strong that he believed that only God could have sent him the money.

13. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?

Ans: Lencho  had all his doubts on people working in the post office. The irony of the situation is that Lencho blames those who had tried to help him out. In real life also we come across such situations. Many a time you would have tried helping someone and he may get a wrong message. Lencho thinks that the post office people have taken the money. But the fact is that they only tried to help him by sending money. But, on the other hand, Lencho thinks they have stolen his money. He even calls them crooks. Thus, there is an element of irony in this situation.