QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q.1. What did Lencho hope for?

Answer: Lencho hoped for a shower or a downpour so that he had a good harvest.

Q.2. Why did Lencho say that the raindrops were 'like new coins'? [HSLC-2015]

Answer: The raindrops would give nourishment to the crops in Lencho's field which in turn would ensure a good harvest. A good harvest would bring him good amount of money. So Lencho said that the raindrops were like new coins.

Q.3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's field?

Answer: The rain changed into a hailstorm. Big hailstones dropped from the sky. Everything in Lencho's field was destroyed. The crops, the flowers and the leaves on the trees were all damaged. The hailstones covered the field. It looked as if it was covered with salt. The whole field wore a white look.

Q.4. What was Lencho's feeling, when the hail stopped? [HSLC.'23]

Answer: Lencho felt that the hail had left nothing and that year they would have no corn. All their work went in vain. Since there was no one to help them, they would go hungry that year. Such were Lencho's thoughts after the hail had stopped.

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

Answer: Lencho had faith in God. He wrote a letter to God asking for one hundred pesos.

Q.6. Who read the letter?

Answer: The postmaster read the letter.

Q.7. What did the postmaster do after he had received Lencho's letter? [HSLC 2020]

Answer: The postmaster did not like to shake the faith of the writer. He decided to help the man. Accordingly he collected money and sent seventy pesos to Lencho, the writer of the letter.

Q.8. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?

Answer: No, Lencho was not at all surprised.

Q.9. What made him angry?

Answer: Lencho turned angry after he had counted the money. He begged God to send him one hundred pesos. When he found seventy pesos only he turned angry because he thought that God could not make such a mistake.

Talking About the Text:

Q.1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?

Answer: Lencho had full faith in God. The following sentences in the story tell this:

• Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God...... in one's conscience.
• God, he wrote, "If you don't help me this year.
• He wrote "To God' on the envelope ....... went to town. such was his confidence....
• Lencho showed not the little surprised on seeing the money.
• God: Of the money that I asked for only I need it very much.

Q.2. Why did the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter 'God'? [HSLC.'23]

Answer: The postmaster wondered at Lencho's deep faith in God. He did not like to shake his faith. So he sent him the money so that he would think that God had granted his appeal. The postmaster signed the letter 'God' so that Lencho would believe that it was really God who had sent him the money.

Q.3. Did Lencho try to find out who sent the money to him? Why/why not?

Answer: No, Lencho did not try to find out who had sent him the money. Because of his unwavering faith in God, he thought that it was none but God who sent him the money.

Q.4. Who does Lencho think has taken the 'rest of the money'? What is the irony in the situation?

Answer: Lencho thinks that the employees in the post office, whom he had termed as a bunch of crooks, have taken the rest of the money. The irony in the situation is that the same postmaster and his employees who had raised money and sent it to Lencho are suspected as taking away some of the money that Lencho believed God had sent him.

Q.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 in the real world, who have unwavering faith in God and His grace. Lencho is a naive, unquestioning man. But he is a stupid person who could write a letter addressed to God. Probably he believed that the postal service was there in heaven also. He is ungrateful to his fellowmen as out of stupidity he could not think that his fellowmen could help him. Of course, that is the irony in the story.

Q.6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story, between humans and nature and humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?

Answer: The first conflict in the story is between man and nature. Lencho and his family expected a shower or downpour so that they might have good crops. In fact, the raindrops delighted Lencho so much so that he compared them with coins. But the situation changed. The rain was followed by a destructive hailstorm that completely damaged his crops. He was afraid of starvation during the year. The situation shows how man has to struggle against natural forces for his existence and survival.

The second situation is the conflict between Lencho and the postmaster and the employees of the post office. With a view to not shaking Lencho's faith in God, the postmaster and the employees sent seventy pesos to Lencho as they could not collect one hundred pesos that Lencho wanted from God. He could not imagine the benevolent act of the postmaster and called them a bunch of crooks who he thought had taken away thirty pesos as he believed that God could not send less than what he wanted. Mistrust of man on fellow men caused the conflict between man and man.

Talking about Language:

I. Look the following sentences from the story.

Suddenly a strong wind began to blow and alnog with the rain very large hailstones began to fall.

Hailstones are small balls of ice that fall like rain. A storm in which hailstones fall is a hailstorms. You know that a storm is a bad weather with rain, thunder and lightening.

There are different names in different parts of the world for storm to help you. 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 a cyclone.

Gale whirlwind cyclone hurricane tornado typhoon

1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle is

2. An extremely strong wind is a gale. 3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds is a typhoon. 4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel is . >p 5. A violent storm with very strong winds, specially in the western Atlantic ocean is a hurricane 6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage is a whirlwind.

• Answer: 1. Cyclone
• Answer: 2. Gale
• Answer: 3. Typhoon
• Answer: 4. Tornado
• Answer: 5. Hurricane
• Answer: 6. Whirlwind

II. Use of “hope” in different forms:

• Answer: (a) “I hope it passes away.” — “Hope” is used as a verb here.
• Answer: (b) “There was a single hope: help from God.” — “Hope” is used as a noun here.

In the first example 'hope' is a verb which means you wish for something to happen. In the second example it is a noun meaning a chance for something to happen.