📝Page 17

Oral Comprehension Check

Q1. What did Lencho hope for?
Answer: Lencho hoped for a downpour or at least a shower for his ripe cornfield.

Q2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Answer: Lencho said the raindrops were like ‘new coins’ because the rain would help his crops grow, which would lead to a good harvest and eventually a lot of money. He saw the big drops as ten-cent pieces and the little ones as fives.

Q3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?
Answer: The rain changed into a hailstorm. Very large hailstones began to fall along with the rain. Lencho’s fields were completely destroyed. Not a single leaf remained on the trees, and the corn and flowers were totally gone. The field was covered in a layer of frozen hailstones, looking like it was covered with salt.

Q4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?
Answer: When the hail stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with sadness. He stood in the middle of his field and felt that all his hard work had been for nothing. He was sure that his family would go hungry that year.

📝Page 18

Oral Comprehension Check

Q1. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Answer: Lencho had complete faith in God. He wrote a letter to God, asking for a hundred pesos so he could sow his field again and live until the next harvest.

Q2. Who read the letter?
Answer: The postmaster read the letter.

Q3. What did the postmaster do then?
Answer: The postmaster was first amused, but then he was moved by Lencho’s great faith in God. He decided to answer the letter to keep Lencho’s faith from being shaken. He collected money from his employees and friends, gave a part of his own salary, and sent a little more than half the money requested to Lencho.

📝Page 19

Oral Comprehension Check

Q1. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer: No, Lencho was not surprised to find a letter with money in it. He was so confident in God’s help that he showed not the slightest surprise.

Q2. What made him angry?
Answer: Lencho became angry when he counted the money and found only seventy pesos. He believed that God could not have made a mistake or denied him what he had asked for.

Thinking about the Text

Q1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer: Lencho has complete faith in God and believes that only God can help him in his time of need. The story says: “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.” It also mentions that “All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God.”

His trust is further shown when he writes: “God, if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.” Even after receiving the money, he is not surprised because, as the story states, “Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence.” This proves that his faith in God was absolute.

Q2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Answer: The postmaster sends money to Lencho because he is deeply moved by Lencho’s immense faith in God. He doesn’t want to shake that faith. He signs the letter ‘God’ to make Lencho believe that the money was actually sent by God and to maintain the illusion that a direct correspondence with God is possible.

Q3. 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. His faith in God was so strong that he was absolutely certain that the money had come from God himself. He didn’t even consider that a human being could have helped him.

Q4. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?
Answer: Lencho thinks the post office employees have taken the rest of the money. The irony is that the very people who helped him are the ones he accuses of being “a bunch of crooks” and stealing from him.

Q5. Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is?
Answer: It is rare to find people like Lencho in the real world. Lencho is a person who is very trusting and has a simple, unwavering faith. He is also a hard worker. The appropriate words from the box to describe him are naive and unquestioning.

Q6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer: The conflict between humans and nature is shown through the hailstorm. Lencho, a poor farmer, depends entirely on his crops for survival. When the hail destroys his harvest, he is left helpless, showing how unpredictable and destructive nature can be for human life.

The conflict between humans themselves appears at the end of the story. The postmaster and his employees selflessly collect money to help Lencho. However, instead of being thankful, Lencho suspects them of dishonesty and accuses them of stealing part of the money. This highlights misunderstanding and mistrust among humans.

Thinking about Language

I. Match the storm words with their descriptions.
Answer:

1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: a cyclone.
2. An extremely strong wind: a gale.
3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: a typhoon.
4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: a tornado.
5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: a hurricane.
6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: a whirlwind.

II. Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
Answer:

1. I hope so. → wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible)
2. I hope you don’t mind… → showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite
3. This discovery will give new hope… → a feeling that something good will probably happen
4. Hoping against hope… → wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely
5. I called early in the hope… → thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.)
6. Just when everybody had given up hope… → stopped believing that this good thing would happen

III. Relative Clauses – Join the sentences.
Answer:

1. I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
2. My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
3. These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.
4. Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
5. This is the man whom I trusted, and he cheated me.

IV. Using Negatives for Emphasis.
Answer:

1. Not a leaf remained on the trees.
2. It was nothing less than a letter to God.
3. Never in his career as a postman had he known that address.

V. Metaphors from the story.
Answer:

• Cloud → Huge mountains of clouds (mass or hugeness of mountains)
• Raindrops → new coins (value and importance for survival)
• Hailstones → frozen pearls (white, icy, round shape)
• Locusts → a plague of locusts (large number and destruction)
• Disease → epidemic (not directly used but implied)
• Man → an ox of a man (strength and hardworking nature)

Speaking

Q1. Have you ever been in great difficulty, and felt that only a miracle could help you? How was your problem solved?
Answer: This is a personal experience question. To answer, you can describe a time when you felt hopeless and prayed for a miracle. Then, explain how the problem was solved, whether through a simple solution you overlooked or an unexpected kindness.

Listening

Q1. Fill in the blanks while listening.
Answer:

• The writer apologises because: he had not written for a very long time.
• The writer has sent this to: Arti
• The writer sent it in the month of: January 2006
• The reason for not writing earlier: they had just moved to a new house.
• Sarah goes to: Little Feet School
• Who is writing to whom? → Jaya is writing to Arti.
• Where and when were they last together? → Bangalore, last year.