Questions & Answers: "A Letter to God"

Complete guide to "A Letter to God" for English students. Below you will find important questions and model answers to help you prepare.

16 Questions

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Textbook

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Question 1

1 Mark

What did Lencho hope for?

Model Answer

Lencho hoped that God would send him enough money to replace his lost crops and secure a future for his family.

Question 2

1 Mark

Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coin'?

Model Answer

Lencho compared the raindrops to "new coins" because the rain would help his crops grow, ensuring a good harvest. A successful harvest meant financial security, just like receiving money.

Question 3

1 Mark

How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's field?

Model Answer

At first, the rain seemed like a blessing, nourishing the parched land. However, it soon turned violent—a hailstorm replaced gentle showers, destroying the crops and leaving Lencho’s field devastated.

Question 4

1 Mark

What were Lencho’s feeling when the hailstorm stopped?

Model Answer

When the hailstorm stopped, Lencho was overcome with despair and disbelief as he surveyed his ruined field, yet he clung to hope that God would soon restore his fortunes.

Question 5

1 Mark

Who or what did Lencho have faith in? what did he do?

Model Answer

Lencho had unwavering faith in God. Believing divine intervention would overcome his plight, he wrote a heartfelt letter to God, requesting financial aid to replace his ruined crops and secure his family’s future.

Question 6

1 Mark

Who read Lencho’s letter?

Model Answer

Lencho’s letter was read by the postal workers at his local post office, who, moved by his faith, pooled their money to help him.

Question 7

1 Mark

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

Model Answer

Lencho’s complete faith is in God. After the hailstorm destroys his crops, he writes, “Dear God, I have full faith in You” and “I know you will not fail me,” believing that only divine intervention will provide for his family’s needs.

Question 8

1 Mark

Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter 'God'?

Model Answer

The postmaster sends money because Lencho’s heartfelt letter, filled with unwavering faith after his crops are destroyed, deeply moves him and his colleagues. Although they cannot match the full amount Lencho requested, they pool what they have to help him. By signing the letter "God," the postmaster symbolically acknowledges Lencho’s belief that only divine intervention can provide for his needs, while also playfully suggesting that their collective act of kindness is, in a way, a human answer to his prayer.

Question 9

1 Mark

Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why / Why not?

Model Answer

Lencho never sought out who sent the money because he was convinced it came directly from God. His unwavering faith in divine intervention left no room for the idea that human beings could be responsible, so he didn't feel the need to investigate further.

Question 10

1 Mark

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

Model Answer

Lencho assumes that the postal workers have withheld some of the money. The irony is that while his complete faith in God leads him to believe divine intervention would provide, he mistrusts the very human kindness that actually helped him. This contrast highlights the tragic misplacement of his skepticism, as he fails to see that the postal workers’ generosity was a genuine answer to his prayer.

Question 11

1 Mark

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 following: greedy, naive, stupid, ungrateful, selfish, comical, unquestioning.

Model Answer

Yes, there are people like Lencho in the real world. I'd describe him as naive and unquestioning. His absolute faith in divine intervention blinds him to the genuine human kindness offered by the postal workers, making his perspective both innocent and somewhat comical.

Question 12

1 Mark

There are two kinds of conflict in the story of Lencho: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?

Model Answer

In the story, the conflict between humans and nature is depicted when an unexpected hailstorm destroys Lencho’s crops, illustrating nature’s indifferent power over human lives. In contrast, the conflict among humans emerges when Lencho, despite receiving help from postal workers, mistrusts their generosity. He accuses them of withholding money, believing that only divine intervention should provide for his needs. This dual conflict underscores both the vulnerability of humans to nature's unpredictable forces and the complexities of human relationships marked by suspicion and miscommunication.

Question 13

1 Mark

A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle?

Model Answer

Hurricane or Cyclone.

Extra Practice

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Question 1

1 Mark

Why is the ending of the story 'A Letter to God' considered deeply ironic?

Options

Option A

Lencho's crop was destroyed by the rain he had eagerly prayed for, showing nature's cruelty.

Option B is correct

Lencho suspected the post office employees of theft and called them a 'bunch of crooks', when they were actually the ones who had collected money to help him.

Option C

The postmaster decided to keep thirty pesos for himself and his employees as a processing fee for delivering the letter.

Option D

Lencho lost his faith in God after receiving only seventy pesos instead of the hundred pesos he had requested.

Explanation

The irony lies in the stark contrast between expectation and reality. The postmaster and his employees acted out of pure kindness to keep Lencho's faith in God alive by collecting seventy pesos from their own pockets. However, instead of being grateful to them, Lencho assumed that God had sent the full hundred pesos and that the post office employees had stolen the missing thirty pesos, calling them a 'bunch of crooks'. Option A describes situational misfortune but not the central situational irony of human behavior. Option C is factually incorrect as the employees did not keep any money. Option D is incorrect because Lencho's faith in God remained unshaken; he blamed the humans, not God.

Question 2

1 Mark

What does the postmaster's decision to answer Lencho's letter and collect money reveal about his character?

Options

Option A

He wanted to show off his generosity and authority to his subordinates at the post office.

Option B

He was superstitious and feared that ignoring a letter addressed to God would bring bad luck to the post office.

Option C is correct

He was an empathetic and kind-hearted man who was deeply moved by Lencho's absolute faith and did not want it to be shaken.

Option D

He wanted to play a prank on Lencho by pretending to be God and sending him partial money.

Explanation

When the postmaster first read the letter, he laughed, but he quickly became serious. He was amazed by Lencho's immense, unquestioning faith in God. Not wanting to shake this faith, he decided to answer the letter by organizing a charity contribution among his friends and employees. This highlights his empathy, kindness, and deep respect for the feelings of others. Options A, B, and D misrepresent his selfless and compassionate intentions as vanity, superstition, or malice.

Question 3

1 Mark

In the early part of the story, Lencho compares the falling raindrops to 'new coins' (ten-cent pieces and fives). What does this metaphor signify?

Options

Option A

The physical shape and silver-like shine of the rain as it fell from the dark clouds.

Option B is correct

The immediate financial prosperity and successful harvest that the rain promised for his ripe cornfield.

Option C

The money he would have to spend on purchasing extra water and seeds for the upcoming season.

Option D

The frozen hail that would soon turn into valuable silver ice-drops on the ground.

Explanation

Lencho was a hardworking farmer whose entire livelihood depended on his corn crop, which was desperately in need of a downpour. The arrival of rain meant a bumper harvest, which would ultimately be sold in the market to yield money (coins) for his family's sustenance. Thus, he viewed the rain not just as water, but as direct economic wealth. Option A refers only to physical appearance, whereas the metaphor is deeply tied to value. Option C is incorrect as the rain was natural and free. Option D refers to the destructive hailstones which Lencho later compared to 'frozen pearls', not the beneficial raindrops.