English CBSE Class 10 NCERT First Flight

Chapter 1 A Letter to God Free Solution of

Textbook Questions and Answers
A LETTER TO GOD
(Textbook Questions)

Answer: Lencho had hoped that rain would come. This will help the
crop of his field.

Answer: Lencho was confident that rain would be good for his crops.
The harvest would be good and he would be able to sell it to generate
money for him. Hence he said that larger drop of rain was equal to ten
cent coin and smaller drop was equal to five cent coin.
Answer: Suddenly the wind became stronger. Large hailstones started
falling with rain.
All the corn in his field was destroyed. All the flowers had fallen flat on
ground. The whole field was looking white as if covered with salt.

Answer: Lencho felt very disappointed. He realised that all his hard
work of growing crop had become a waste. Now they will not have corn
for the year. They will have to remain hungry for the year. He was very
much worried.

Answer: Lencho had a great faith in God. He believed that God sees
everything even if it is deep in his conscience. God helps those who are
in need of help.
He wrote a letter to God requesting him to send him 100 pesos. He
needed this money to once again sow his field and for survival of his
family. He did not know address of God. He wrote ‘To God’ on the
envelope and put it in the letterbox.

Answer: The postman read the address on the envelope and took it to
postmaster. The postmaster opened the envelope and read the letter.
Answer: Initially postmaster laughed after reading the letter. Later he
became serious and decided to keep faith of Lencho in God. The
postmaster collected small amounts of money for employees of post
office. He collected money from his friends also for the charity. In all he
could collect 70 pesos. He sent this money to Lencho through a letter
from God.

Answer: No, Lencho was not surprised to find a letter with money in it.
He had a confidence and faith that God will reply to his letter

Answer: Lencho had requested God to send him 100 pesos. But the
letter had only 70 pesos. He was confident that God had sent him 100
pesos but the employees of post office had taken out 30 pesos.

Answer: Lencho had complete faith in God. Following incidents tells us

that he had complete faith in god –

1. 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.
 2. 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.
3. “God,” he wrote, “if you don’t help me, my family and I will go
hungry this year.
4. He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still
troubled, went to town.
5. God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied
Lencho what he had requested.
6. 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.

Answer: The postmaster did not want to shake faith of Lencho in God.
So he collected money from employees of post office and his friends
and sent to Lencho.
He signed the letter ‘God’ because he wanted Lencho to believe that
money was sent by God.

Answer: Lencho had complete faith in God. So he was sure that the
money was sent by God. Therefore there was no need for him to find
out who had sent money.
Answer: Lencho thinks that employees of post office have taken the
balance money.
Postmaster and employees of post office had contributed and collected
money for Lencho. In spite of their goodwill and efforts to help, Lencho
thinks that post office people have taken out some money. This is the
irony of the situation.

greedy naive stupid ungrateful

selfish comical unquestioning

Answer: In real life people like Lencho do not exist. He was literate
person still he wrote a letter to God. People do have faith in God and
pray to seek his help. But nobody writes a letter to God.
Lencho was a naïve person.

Answer: Lencho had sowed his fields. He was expecting rain for a good
harvest in the field. This was necessary for his family to survive. One
day it started raining and the family was happy. But soon the rain
turned into a hailstorm. All the crop was completely destroyed. This
represent conflict between human and nature.
Lencho had written a letter to God requesting him to send 100 pesos.
Instead of address on the envelope, he wrote ‘To God’. The postmaster
opened the letter and read its contents. In order to keep the faith of
Lencho intact, he made efforts to collect money. He could collect 70
pesos which he sent to Lencho. But Lencho thought that the post office
people had kept balance money. In his next letter to God he called
them crooks. This is the conflict between human themselves.
gale whirlwind cyclone

hurricane tornado typhoon

Answer – Cyclone

Answer – Gale

Answer – Typhoon

Answer – Tornado

Answer – Hurricane
Answer – Whirlwind
A B (answers)

1. Will you get the subjects you want

thinking that this would happen
to study in college
(It may or may not have happened)
I hope so

2. I hope you don’t mind my saying showing concern that what you say
this, but I don’t like the way your are should not offend or disturb the other
arguing person: a way of being polite

3. This discovery will give new hope a feeling that something good will
to HIV/AIDS suffers happen

4. We were hoping against hope that

wishing for something to happen
the judges would not notice our
although this is very unlikely
mistake

5. I called early in the hope of wanting something to happen

speaking to her before she went to (and thinking it is quite possible)
school

6. Just when everybody had given up

stopped believing that thus good thin
hope. The fisherman came back
will happen
seven days after the cyclone.
Answer – I often go to Mumbai which is the commercial capital of India.

Answer – My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show

on cooking.

Answer – These sportspersons, whose performance has been

excellent, are going to meet the President.

Answer – Lencho prayed to God whose eyes can see into our minds.

Answer – This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.

Answer – Not a leaf remained on the trees.

Answer – It was nothing less than a letter to God.

Answer – Never in his career as a postman had he known that address.

Object Metaphor Quality or Feature compared

Huge mountains The mass or ‘hugeness’ of

Cloud mountains
of clouds

Raindrop
Coins Money that crop will bring
s

hailstones Frozen pearls Shine of pearls

A plague of
Locusts Destruction caused by plague
locusts

A plague of An epidemic ( a disease) that spreads rapid

Plague
locusts and leaves many people dead

Lencho An ox of a man Very strong person

****
 DUST OF SNOW
(Text book questions)

Answer: These are very fine particles of ice formed due to severe cold.
When they are very tiny, these are referred as ‘dust of snow’. The poet
was in a sad mood. Suddenly some quantity of dust of snow fell on him.
Its cold and soft touch changed the mood of poet.
Answer: Normally birds like cuckoo, mynah, peacock, parrot etc are
symbolically used in poems. These are the birds of happiness. In this
poem poet has made reference to a crow which represents sorrow.
Pine trees, Oak trees and other flowery plants are used in poems.
These plants represents beauty of nature and fragrance. The hemlock
tree is a poisonous tree. Use of this tree in the poem symbolizes that
the poet is fed up of this world.
Dust of snow represent freshness, happiness and pleasure. Mood of
the poet changes to happy from sadness. Poet wants to say that we
can look for happiness even in sad situations.

Answer: Students should write this based on their own experience and
discussion in the class. Some of the situation could be

1. Your school lost final match in a tournament. Next day you are
declared the best player of the tournament.
2. In the afternoon mother scolds you a lot for breaking a glass and
in the evening father gifts you a new bicycle.
3. A month prior to your final exam you fell ill for three weeks. In the
final exam you secured first rank.

****

FIRE AND ICE

(Text book questions)
Answer: The world will definitely end one day. That day could be very
far away or it may come sooner.
If the Sun gets very hot and bursts, inhabitants and vegetation will not
be able to tolerate such high temperature. Everything may start wilting
and melting or there could be fire all over the world. Such situation will
cause total destruction of Earth.
If the Sun goes colder gradually, inhabitants and vegetation will be able
to survive for some time. With passage of time, it may become so cold
that everything will freeze. In such situation there will be no life on
Earth.

greed avarice cruelty lust

conflict fury intolerance rigidity

insensitivity coldness indifference hatred

Fire – Greed, Avarice, Lust, Furry, Cruelty, Conflict, Intolerance

Ice – Rigidity, Insensitivity, Coldness, Indifference, Hatred

Answer: The rhyme scheme of the poem is abaa bcbcb. The poet has
very precisely brought the difference between desire and insensitivity.
He has equated these to fire and ice.
He says that extreme heat and extreme cold can bring end of life on the
earth. He draws a similarity and stresses that unending desires and
insensitivity is equally disastrous to the society and world. The world
can come to an end because of these wrong emotions.

English CBSE Class 10 NCERT First Flight

Chapter 1 A Letter to God Free Solution of
Extra Questions and Answers – Extract
Based Questions Sholart Answer Questions
 Long Answer Questions and Value Based
Questions
A LETTER TO GOD
(Extra Questions)
Extract Based Questions

1. Why was Lencho looking towards north-east?

Hide
Answer: Lencho looked towards that direction because clouds and
rains were to come from that direction.
2. Why earth needed a downpour?
Hide
Answer: In order to have a good harvest, a downpour or rain was
required.
3. Which word in the extract mean ‘to know closely’?
Hide
Answer: Intimately
4. Write antonym of ‘morning’.
Hide
Answer: Evening

1. Why did Lencho become angry?

Hide
Answer: Lencho had asked for 100 pesos but received only 70 pesos.
He thought that post office people had taken out some money. So he
became angry at receipt of money less than he had requested.
2. With whom did Lencho have confidence?
Hide
Answer: Lencho had supreme confidence on God.
3. Which word in the extract mean ‘minimum’?
Hide
Answer: Slightest
4. What did Lench do next?
Hide
Answer: Lencho wrote another letter to God requesting him to send
balance money.

1. How much money Lencho had asked for?

Hide
Answer: 100 pesos
2. Why Lencho needed money?
Hide
Answer: Lencho needed money because his crop was destroyed in a
hailstorm.
3. Which word in the extract mean ‘remaining’?
Hide
Answer: Rest
4. What did Lencho think about employees of post office?
Hide
Answer: Lencho thought that they were dishonest people.

1. Who spoke these lines?

Hide
Answer: Lencho spoke these lines.
2. To whom did the speaker said these lines?
Hide
Answer: Lencho said these lines to his family.
3. What is the currency of the area where the speaker lived?
Hide
Answer: Peso
4. How many houses the valley had?
Hide
Answer: The valley had only one house. Lencho lived there with his
family.
1. Who wrote these lines?
Hide
Answer: Lencho wrote these lines.
2. To whom are above lines addressed to?
Hide
Answer: These lines are addressed to God.
3. Why speaker needs to sow his field again?
Hide
Answer: Because the hailstorm had completely destroyed his crop.
4. Which crop the speaker wanted to sow.?
Hide
Answer: Corn.
1. Who is referred as ‘he’ in above extract?
Hide
Answer: Lencho
2. Which word in the extract means a large group?
Hide
Answer: Plague
3. What did ‘he’ notice in his field?
Show Answer
Answer: Lencho noticed corn was completely destroyed. All the flowers
had gone from the plant.
4. From which direction the storm had come?
Hide
Answer: The storm had come from north-east direction.
1.Who is speaker of above extract?
Hide
Answer: The post master is speaker of above extract
2. Who is referred as ‘the man’ in above extract?
Hide
Answer: Lencho.
3. What request was made by ‘the man’ in his letter?
Hide
Answer: Lencho had requested God to send him 100 pesos.
4. Was the request of ‘the man’ completely accepted by God?
Hide
Answer: No. Lencho received 70 peso while he had asked for 100
pesos.
(i) The earth needed
(a) a down pour
(b) a shower
(c) either of (a) or (b)
(d) both (a) and (b)
Hide
Answer: (c)
(ii) Lencho was looking toward which of the following directions
(a) North
(b) East
(c) North and East
(d) North- East
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iii) “Now we’re really going to get some water, woman.” Form where
was water expected to come?
(a) river
(b) hill
(c) ground
(d) sky
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iv) Who continued to work in the field till woman called them?
(a) younger boys
(b) older boys
(c) Lencho
(d) None of the above
Hide
Answer: (b)
(v) Based on the extract please classify following as fact and opinion

1. Lencho was a rich farmer, I believe so.

2. Lencho knew the needs of his fields.
3. The woman was a hopeful person.
4. Younger boys did not go far from their house to play
(a) F -1,2 and O -3,4
(b) F- 1,4 and O- 2,3
(c) F – 3,4 and O – 1,2
(d) F – 1,3 and O – 2,4
Hide
Answer: (b)

(i) Which of the following damage was not caused by the hail
(a) all leaves fell down
(b) all corn was destroyed
(c) all flower were gone from the plant
(d) all rivers were overflowing
Hide
Answer: (d)
(ii) When did Lencho go to his fields
(a) during the rain
(b) after the rain
(c) during the storm
(d) after the storm
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iii) An expression ‘Not a leaf remained on the trees.’ Has been used in
the extract. Which of the following is not the correct use of similar
expression?
(a) not a book remained in the library.
(b) not a rupee remained in purse
(c) not a health remained in my body
(d) not a spectator remained in the stadium
Hide
Answer: (c)
(iv) Based on the extract please classify following as fact and opinion

1. a plague of locusts would have left more than this

2. all our work, for nothing
3. the hail has left nothing
 4. there’s no one who can help us

(a) F -2,3 and O- 1,4

(b) F – 1,2 and O – 3,4
(c) F – 1,3 and O – 2,4
(d) F – 1.4 and O -2,3
Hide
Answer: (a)
(v) Which of the following word represents a group
(a) leaf
(b) plague
(c) soul
(d) storm
Hide
Answer: (b)
(i) As per the abstract, which of the following is correct?
(a) Lencho worked hardly in his fields
(b) Lencho worked hard in his fields
(c) Lencho did not know how to write
(d) Lencho worked during small hours of day
Hide
Answer: (b)
(ii) Lencho went to the town on
(a) Friday
(b) Saturday
(c) Sunday
(d) Monday
Hide
Answer: (c)
(iii) Lencho needed money due to which of the following reasons
(a) to sow his field again
(b) to live until the next crop
(c) either of (a) or (b)
(d) both (a) and (b)
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iv) Based on the extract please classify following into fact and opinion.

1. I think Lencho himself wrote the letter.

2. There was no need for him to carry the letter himself
3. Lencho needed hundred pesos
4. I wonder why Lencho did not write an open letter to God

(a) F – 1,2 and O -3,4

(b) F – 1,3 and O- 2,4
(c) F – 2,3 and O -1,4
(d) F – 2,4 and O – 1,3
Hide
Answer: (b)
(v) What is the correct sequence of following activities completed by
Lencho

1. wrote letter
2. dropped in the mail box
3. wrote address on the envelop
4. went to the town

(a) 1,2,3,4
(b) 1,3,4.2
(b) 4,3,2
(c) 4,2,1,3
Hide
Answer: (b)
(i) On what day the letter was received by Lencho?
(a) Friday
(b) Saturday
(c) Sunday
(d) Monday
Hide
Answer: (c)
(ii) What was written in the letter?
(a) Seventy only
(b) For you only
(c) Bless you
(d) God
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iii) Who gave the letter to Lencho?
(a) Postman
(b) Postmaster
(c) God
(d) Lencho himself collected it
Hide
Answer: (a)
(iv) A phrase ‘only a little more than half’ has been used in the extract.
Which of the following is not the correct use of ‘a little more than’?
(a) only a little more than necessary
(b) only a little more than wastage
(c) only a little more than one third
(d) only a little more than twenty
Hide
Answer: (b)
(v) Based on the extract please calssify following as fact and opinion

1. Had the postmaster tired a bit more, he would have gathered

hundred pesos.
 2. Lencho reached post office on Sunday
3. Postman was eagerly waiting for Lencho thus welcomed him
4. Postmaster was watching Lencho from his office

(a) F – 1,2 and O – 3,4

(b) F – 3,4 and O – 1,2
(c) F – 1,4 and O – 2,3
(d) F – 1,3 and O- 2,4
Hide
Answer: (c)
(i) What thing did Lencho ask at the window of the post office?
(a) paper
(b) ink
(c) either (a) or (b)
(d) both (a) and (b)
Hide
Answer: (d)
(ii) At the writing table, following activities and emotions could be
observed
(a) Lencho was writing
(b) Lencho was make lot of efforts to write
(c) Eybrows of Lencho were frowned
(d) All the above
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iii) What activities were completed by Lencho after writing the letter?
(a) bought a stamp
(b) licked the stamp
(c) affixed the stamp
(d) all the above
Hide
Answer: (d)
(iv) Who had picked up the letter from the mailbox?
(a) postman
(b) postmaster
(c) Lencho
(d) none of the above
Hide
Answer: (b)
(v) The money asked by Lencho was
(a) less than he received
(b) more than he received
(c) equal to what he received
(d) all the above
Hide
Answer: (b)

Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)

Answer: Lencho was angry because the letter had 70 pesos against his
request of 100 pesos. He wrote another letter to God requesting him to
send remaining money. He advised God not to send money through
mail because post office people were crooks.

Answer: The post master was kind and generous person. He appears
to be a god fearing person. He was a creative person and had a ‘can do
attitude’. Owing to above qualities he could mobilse 70 pesos for
Lencho.
Answer: Owing to hailstorm, crop of their field was completely
destroyed. They would have to remain hungry for the year. Hence they
were worried.
They had complete faith in God.

Answer: Hailstorm lasted for about an hour. The complete field had
become white as if salt had been spread on it. All the leaves of trees
had fallen off. The corn was totally destroyed and all the flowers had
fallen off the plants.

Long Answer questions (120-150 words)

Answer: World is full of grief and the same world is full of happiness.
Sorrow and delight are two sides of same coin called life.
Some people keep staring at sorrow for such a long time that they
neglect happiness. Lencho represents such people. He was in need of
100 pesos. He received 70 pesos which is a big part of requirement. He
should have been grateful to God. But he remained unhappy.
Happiness is made up of small events that occur by design or chance.
When one appreciates such little events one gets motivated on the path
of karma. As written in Gita, karma eventually leads towards
satisfaction and happiness.
On receipt of 70 pesos, I would have thanked God and immediately
started sowing my field. Probably God wanted to give balance 30 pesos
through better yield or higher price of crop.

Answer: He had faith in God and always wanted to support faith of

other human beings. He was touched by the address written on the
envelope. He thought very high of a person who had faith in God. He
did not want to shake faith of Lencho. So he decided to open the letter.
Postmaster was very kind hearted person. After reading the content of
the letter he understood that Lencho was really in trouble. So he
decided to help him by contributing some money to Lencho.
Postmaster was creative and had a ‘can do’ attitude. He realised that
he alone could not contribute much money. So he mobilized his
colleagues and friends to contribute toward the good cause. He
collected 70 pesos and sent this money to Lencho.
Postmaster did not believe in taking credit for helping others. He
wanted to remain anonymous because he thought it to be a service to
humanity.
I think such people still exist in society though their numbers are very
small.

Answer: I would have certainly felt very bad after reading the last line of
the second letter. The expectation of getting 100 pesos was alright but
calling my colleagues as ‘bunch of crooks’ was certainly insulting.
Immediately I would have realised the feelings of Lencho. He was
certainly in need of 100 pesos and had complete faith in God. This
would have pacified myself a lot.
I would have replied to his letter by signing God. I would state that he
may spend 40 peso in sowing his filed again. Remaining 30 pesos he
should utilse in supporting his family till new crop comes. I would have
advised him to work hard in his field. I would have assured him that if
he works hard in the field, the crop would be much better this time.
This way I would have addressed his concern and motivated him
towards his karma.
Answer: After the hailstorm had destroyed his crop, the full family was
under distress. The yearlong hunger was staring at them. There was
nobody nearby to whom they could approach for help. They had faith
only in God. They were sure that He sees everything and helps
everyone.
So profound was their faith and the need that Lencho decided to write a
letter to God. He wanted to communicate his need to God. The whole
family must have been praying for the help.
Lencho was literate person. Inspite of that, he decided to write a letter
to God. He must have pretty well known that a physical thing never
reaches God. But owing to his miserable condition he had become so
innocent that he wrote a letter to God.
Thus we can conclude that letter represents faith as well as innocence
of Lencho.
****
DUST OF SNOW
(Extra questions)
Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)
Answer: Poet was in a sad mood. He was walking by a hemlock tree. A
crow shook snow off the tree which fell on the poet. His mood changed
from sadness to happiness. So poet sees nature as a means of
happiness.

Answer: Poet wants to say that many times we are not able to control
situation in life hence we become sad. Even in sad situations we can
find little things in nature that can make us happy. We should look for
those moments and cherish these.

Answer: Poet was in a bad mood. He thought that his full day would be
ruined. He was feeling very depressed.
After snow fell on him, his mood changed and he thought that his
remaining day would be full of hope and happiness.
Answer: Initially the poet was in a sad mood. Poet uses crow and
hemlock to express his mood. Later dust of snow falls on the poet and
his mood changes.
Poet wants to give a message that even in grim situations we can find
some little things to make us happy.
Long Answer Questions (120-150 words)

Answer: Attitude is the way we behave and respond to daily activities of

life. Positive attitude is a state of always being optimistic and continue
to do best even in adverse situation. It is exactly opposite of pessimistic
attitude that sees wrong in everything and visualizes only failures.
Being positive in life is a virtue that see us through difficult times.
Successful people see circumstances as a challenge to overcome not a
punishment to suffer.
When we stop reacting and start responding, good thoughts start
coming to our mind. We become a master of ourselves and success
follows.
In the poem, the poet was initially sad for a reason not known to us. But
by an otherwise unimportant event of dust of snow falling on him, he
becomes happy. He looked at the event with a positive attitude and his
day became better.
Pranjal Patil, the first visually impaired IAS officer of India is an example
who has maintained positive attitude throughout her life.
We all should maintain positivity within and around us to remain happy
and become successful.
****
FIRE AND ICE
(Extra questions)
Short Answer Questions (30-40 words)

Answer: In the poem fire symbolizes desire and ice symbolizes hatred.
Each of these tribute is capable of destroying the world.

Answer: The poet wants to convey that uncontrolled desire and hatred
have the potential of destroying the world. Poet wants us to control our
materialistic nature. He wants us to respect every other human being
and environment.
Answer: The poet is aware about fire of passion and desire for
materialistic things. He thinks that uncontrolled desires can lead us to
destruction of world. He supports the thought that one day the world
may get destroyed due to excessive heat.

Answer: As per one of the two thoughts prevailing, world will become
so cold that no living being would survive. Poet has used ice
symbolically for insensitivity and hatred towards each other.
Thus ice is more than sufficient to end the world.
Long Answer questions (120-150 words)

Answer: Initially the poet narrates two thought that can end this world.
One school of thought says that someday the world would become so
hot that everything on the world would burn. Another thought is that the
world would become so cold that no living could survive on the world.
Later poet equates fire to uncontrolled desire, passion and materialistic
attitude of human beings. Their desire to extract more from nature has
become highly destructive. Poet equated ice to the insensitive attitude
of human beings and hatred towards each other. These evils can bring
the world to an end.
We need to control our needs. We should keep paying back to nature
more than we take. We need to foster brotherhood and affection in the
world.
This way we can make this world a better place to live.