A Letter to God Summary
A Letter to God Summary – The story, “A Letter to God” by G.L. Fuentes depicts the unwavering faith of a farmer in God. It begins with a farmer, named Lencho expecting for a rain shower to nourish his field of corn. He is confident that his harvest is going to yield him huge profits just like it does every year. To his utmost excitement, rainfall did happen but sooner, it turned into a hailstorm destroying his entire crop field. The damage posed a threat to the family’s survival as their entire livelihood was dependent on the year’s produce. Although disheartened, the family had robust belief in the almighty. Lencho, despite having worked day and night at the field, knew how to write and thus, decided to write a letter to God explaining his situation and asking for help. He went to town to post his letter addressed “To God”. The letter on being noticed by the postmaster, at first amused him, but then motivated him want to do something for the farmer so as to keep his immense belief intact. He contributes from his salary and collects money from his colleagues and friends who willingly contributed for an act of charity. To his dismay, he could only collect 70 pesos which he wrapped in an envelope to make it seem like a reply from the deity. On having found the letter, the writer (Lencho) is not at all shocked, but instead, he gets angry on finding that the amount is less than what he had expected. He again writes a letter to God conveying his disappointment and distrust in the employees of the post office who he thought had stolen the remaining amount.
Questions & Answers
1. The postmaster was a fat, amiable man. What is the meaning of amiable? (A Letter to God)
a) Helpful
b) Friendly
c) Rude
d) Enthusiastic
Answer: (b) Friendly
2. After reading the second letter the postmaster is most likely to have been __.
a) Alarmed
b) Bewildered
c) Offended
d) Distressed
Answer: (c) Offended
3. What was the only thing that the Earth needed according to Lencho?
a) Sunlight
b) Strong winds
c) A snowfall
d) A shower
Answer: (d) A shower
4. What is the figure of speech used in frozen pearls ?
a) Personification
b) Simile
c) Metaphor
d) Hyperbole
Answer: (c) Metaphor
Explanation:
Metaphor makes a comparison between the two, unlike things or ideas. The round, white frozen hailstones are compared to pearls.
5. Who were addressed as”bunch of crooks” in lencho’s second letter?
a) His family members.
b) Policemen.
c) Post office employees.
d) His fellow farmer friends.
Answer: (c) Post office employees.
Explanation:
Lencho expected to receive a sum of 100 pesos from the all-mighty but in return, he could only get 70 pesos and hence he believed the money to be stolen by the post office employees.
6. What was the family’s attitude the night after the hailstorm? (A Letter to God)
a) Furious
b) Confident
c) Optimistic
d) Frustrated
Answer: (c) Optimistic
7. What was the postmaster’s reaction on readingthe letter?
a) He started crying
b) He got angry
c) He found it to be humorous
d) He threw the letter away
Answer: (c) He found it to be humorous
Explanation:
He found the letter to be funny and unconventional as it was addressed to god. At the same time, he was amazed to
acknowledge Lencho’s faith in God and didn’t want his faith to diminish.
8. How much money did Lencho ask for?
a) 500 pesos
b) 1000 pesos
c) 10 pesos
d) 100 pesos
Answer: (d) 100 pesos
9. What did Lencho ask God for?
a) A hundred pesos
b) Pearls
c) Silver coins
d) Seventy pesos
Answer: (a) A hundred pesos
10. Why did the postmaster decide to reply to Lencho’s letter?
a) To preserve Lencho’s faith in God
b) He felt empathetic
c) All of these
d) He was a good man
Answer: (a) To preserve Lencho’s faith in God
11. What could be seen from Lencho’s house on the crest of the hill?
a) The river and the field of ripe corn.
b) The field of corn
c) The village
d) The river
Answer: (a) The river and the field of ripe corn.
Explanation:
Lencho’s house stood on the crest of the hill. From this height, the river and the field of ripe corn could be seen. The flowers of the ripe corn were promising a good harvest that year.
12. Who read the letter sent by Lencho?
a) One of the farmer
b) The Postmaster
c) His Wife
d) The God
Answer: (b) The Postmaster
13. What was the only hope left in the hearts of Lencho’s family?
a) Help from God
b) Help from farmer’s association
c) There was no hope left
d) Compensation from government
Answer: (a) Help from God
14. What destroyed Lencho’s fields?
a) Hailstorm
b) Heavy rainfall
c) Landslide
d) Flood
Answer: (a) Hailstorm
15. What did Lencho compare the raindrops to?
a) New coins.
b) Big coins.
c) Salt
d) Frozen pearls
Answer: (a) New coins.
Explanation:
Lencho compared the raindrops to new coins because raindrops helped him to grow and harvest a good crop which would bring him money.
16. Who did Lencho call a bunch of crooks ?
a) The postmaster.
b) The post office employees.
c) The villagers
d) The postman.
Answer: (b) The post office employees.
Explanation:
When Lencho found only seventy pesos instead of hundred pesos he had asked God for, he blamed the post office employees for stealing the money which he thought was sent by God.
17. Why did the postmaster help Lencho?
a) He was threatened by Lencho.
b) He knew Lencho personally.
c) He was a philanthropist.
d) He didn’t want Lencho’s faith in God to diminish.
Answer: (d) He didn’t want Lencho’s faith in God to diminish.
Explanation:
By going through Lencho’s letter to god, the postmaster was amazed by his level of faith in the supreme being and he wanted the same to remain intact.
18. What else did the reply demandapart from goodwill, ink and paper?
a) Money
b) New seeds
c) God’s signature
d) Lost crop
Answer: (a) Money
19. Why was Lencho satisfied?
a) On seeing the field of ripe corn with flowers
b) On seeing the working of labour on their fields
c) On seeing a new tractor in his field
d) On seeing a new buffalo
Answer: (a) On seeing the field of ripe corn with flowers
20. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hailstorm hoped?
a) Utter Sorrow
b) Delightful
c) Utter Happy
d) Utter Sadness
Answer: (d) Utter Sadness
21. Which crop was growing on Lencho’s fields?
a) Corn
b) Wheat
c) Rice
d) Barley
Answer: (a) Corn
22. Lencho wrote a letter to
a) The village master
b) God
c) The post master
d) The postman
Answer: (b) God
23. Why did Lencho go out in the rain?
a) To fed the fish
b) To harvest the crops
c) To protect the crops
d) To have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body
Answer: (d) To have the pleasure of feeling the rain on his body
24. Why did Lencho need money?
a) To buy a buffalo
b) To save his family from hunger
c) To buy a new phone
d) To buy a tractor
Answer: (b) To save his family from hunger
25. What type of conflict does the chapter (A Letter to God) highlight?
a) Conflict among humans
b) Both conflict between nature and humans and conflict among humans.
c) Conflict among God and nature
d) The conflict between nature and humans
Answer: (b) Both conflict between nature and humans and conflict among humans.
26. What did the hailstones resemble initially in the chapter A Letter to God?
a) 10 cent pieces
b) Gold coins
c) New silver coins
d) 5 cent pieces
Answer: (c) New silver coins
Explanation:
The hail stones appeared like new silver coins to lencho because they could yield good crop harvest and bring him a fortune.
27. Where did Lencho expect the downpour to come from?
a) North – East
b) North – West
c) North
d) South – East
Answer: (a) North-East
28. What kind of person was the postmaster?
a) Rude
b) Helpful
c) Cruel
d) Stubborn
Answer: (b) Helpful
Explanation:
The postmaster got out of his way to provide help to Lencho since he didn’t want him to lose his faith in the almighty.
29. Why are locusts mentioned in the text?
a) To compare this event to a past experience
b) To suggest that God was playing a role in the events
c) To indicate how much damage was done to the crops
d) To show how unpredictable farming can be
Answer: (c) To indicate how much damage was done to the crops
30. Who read Lencho’s letter to God?
a) None of these.
b) The postman
c) The postmaster
d) God
Answer: (c) The postmaster
Explanation:
The postman brought the letter addressed to God to the postmaster who then opened and read it. He was deeply touched by Lencho’s faith in God and helped him.
31. The field was white, as if covered with salt. This is how the field is described after the hailstorm. The pelting hailstones could have been easily seen as sugar cubes. Do you think comparing it with sugar would have been more appropriate? Why/Why not?
Answer: Comparing it to the hailstones is more appropriate because the hailstorm destroyed Lencho’s fields. Comparing the hailstones with sugar would mean that it benefitted him. On the contrary, the hailstorm caused a lot of damage and all his harvest was destroyed.
32. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Answer: The rainfall turning into a hailstorm shows the conflict between man and nature. Lencho was initially happy about the rain, but the hailstorm destroyed his crops, leaving him distressed. Later, when he blames the post office employees for stealing part of the money, it shows the conflict among humans.
33. Where were Lencho and his family in distress? Who did he ask for help?
Answer: Lencho and his family were in distress in the valley, as the hailstorm had completely destroyed their crop. Lencho asked God for help by writing Him a letter.
34. How do you know that Lencho was a hard-working farmer? Give some extracts from the lesson.
Answer: Lencho is called “an ox of a man” in the story, indicating his hard-working nature. His fields were full of ripe corn, a result of his labor. He also knew his field deeply, which shows his dedication.
35. How was Lencho’s cornfield destroyed? Had he any hope of help?
Answer: Lencho’s crops were destroyed by a hailstorm that came with strong winds. He became very sad as there was nothing left to feed his family. His only hope was his faith in God.
36. What did Lencho write in his second letter?
Answer: In his second letter, Lencho complained that he received only seventy pesos instead of the hundred he asked for. He believed the post office employees stole the rest and requested God not to send the remaining money through the mail.
37. 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 was naïve and unquestioning in his faith. He never doubted that God would send him money or wondered how the money came.
38. What did Lencho hope for?
Answer: Lencho hoped for rain so that his cornfields would flourish. He was a hard-working man who knew the needs of his field.
39. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Answer: Lencho had complete faith in God. This is shown by:
He wasn’t surprised on receiving the money, believing God sent it.
“There is no one who can help us—only God.”
“If God doesn’t help me, my family and I will go hungry.”
40. Explain the qualities of the post office employees. Answer in the context of the lesson A Letter to God.
Answer: The post office employees were kind, helpful, and compassionate. They contributed money to help Lencho and supported the postmaster in keeping Lencho’s faith in God alive.
41. How did the postmaster help Lencho?
Answer: The postmaster, moved by Lencho’s faith, decided to help. He collected money from post office employees, friends, and relatives to send to Lencho so his faith in God would not be broken.
42. What did Lencho call the raindrops? How did he value them?
Answer: Lencho called the big drops ten-cent coins and the smaller ones five-cent coins. He valued them because they were essential for his crops, hence compared to money.
43. What did Lencho write in the letter which he sent to God? How did he place it in the mailbox?
Answer: Lencho requested God to send him one hundred pesos to sow the fields again and survive till the new crop grew. He placed the letter in an envelope, wrote “To God” on it, fixed a stamp, and dropped it in the mailbox.
44. Who got Lencho’s letter and what did he do?
Answer: The postman received the letter and laughed, then showed it to the postmaster. The postmaster, touched by Lencho’s faith, decided to collect money and send it to him.
45. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Answer: No, Lencho was not surprised. He had complete faith that God would send him the money.
46. Lencho did not bother exploring any other means to resolve his situation but just turned to God. Do you feel that his approach was justified? Why/Why not?
Answer: Lencho’s approach was justified from his point of view because of his deep faith in God. He believed only God could help him and feared others would take advantage of his situation.
47. Was Lencho’s prediction of the weather accurate? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer: Lencho’s prediction was partially correct. He expected rain and it did rain, but he did not anticipate a hailstorm that destroyed his crops.
48. Why was Lencho angry when he received the letter?
Answer: Lencho was angry because he found only seventy pesos in the envelope, while he had requested a hundred. He thought the post office employees stole the rest.
49. Why did Lencho become angry when he counted the money?
Answer: Lencho believed God sent him exactly one hundred pesos. When he found only seventy, he thought the remaining thirty pesos had been stolen by the post office employees.
50. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter as ‘God’?
Answer: The postmaster sends the money because he is impressed by Lencho’s faith. He signs the letter as ‘God’ to preserve Lencho’s belief and not let him lose faith in divine help.
51. How did Lencho’s hope change to despair?
Answer: Lencho was initially happy with the rainfall but soon it turned into a hailstorm that lasted an hour and destroyed all his crops. His hope for a good harvest turned into despair over his family’s survival.
52. Why did Lencho keep watching the sky in the northeast direction?
Answer: Lencho was a hard-working farmer. He worked in his fields like an ox. His field was full of ripe corn with flowers due to his hard work. He knew his field deeply and that it needed a downpour for a good crop. He saw huge clouds coming from the northeast, so he kept looking toward that direction in the sky.
53. Why did the postmaster answer Lencho’s letter? What did he do?
Answer: The postmaster answered Lencho’s letter to maintain his faith in God. To do so, he collected money from his employees, contributed a part of his salary, and convinced friends to donate. Though he could not collect the full amount, he sent Lencho more than half the amount with a letter signed “God”. This act reflects his attempt to keep Lencho’s belief in divine help alive.
54. How can a positive attitude help in difficult situations?
Answer: A positive attitude brings hope and strength even in tough times. It helps people find solutions and stay resilient. For example, despite the hailstorm, Lencho wrote a letter to God with a hopeful attitude, which led him to receive seventy pesos. His optimism helped him cope with adversity.
55. What kind of person was the postmaster?
Answer: The postmaster was kindhearted and amiable. At first, he laughed after reading Lencho’s letter but later became serious. He was impressed by Lencho’s faith in God and decided to help him without shaking that faith. His actions showed he was God-loving and compassionate.
56. Why did Lencho call the post office employees “a bunch of crooks”?
Answer: Lencho believed that the post office employees took the remaining money sent by God. He asked for one hundred pesos but received only seventy, so he thought the employees had stolen the rest.
57. Did Lencho’s letter reach God? What happened instead?
Answer: No, Lencho’s letter did not reach God because there is no known address for God. The postmaster, astonished by Lencho’s faith, decided to respond and help him by collecting money and sending it in God’s name.
58. What did the postman do when he saw Lencho’s letter addressed to God?
Answer: The postman was astonished and laughed loudly when he saw the letter addressed to God, something he had never seen before. He then showed it to the postmaster.
59. What is the irony in Lencho’s reaction to the help he received?
Answer: The irony lies in the fact that Lencho accused the very people who helped him. He doubted the post office employees and called them crooks, even though they had selflessly collected money for him out of kindness.
60. Was Lencho justified in calling the post office employees ‘a bunch of crooks’? Why or why not?
Answer: No, Lencho was not justified. The post office employees had helped him by donating money and showing compassion for his faith. A group of crooks would never act so kindly or selflessly.
61. Was the postmaster a representative of God? Explain.
Answer: Yes, the postmaster can be seen as a representative of God. He read Lencho’s letter, made efforts to fulfill the request, and acted selflessly to help a stranger. He kept Lencho’s faith intact, collected money with help from others, and sent it in God’s name—displaying love, empathy, and humanity.
62. Describe Lencho’s reaction to the hailstorm and the sequence of events that followed.
Answer: Lencho’s crops were destroyed by a hailstorm, which left him devastated. Relying on his strong faith, he wrote a letter to God requesting 100 pesos to resow his field. The postmaster, touched by his faith, collected 70 pesos and sent it. Lencho, not surprised by receiving the money, was instead angry that the full amount hadn’t come and blamed the post office employees, showing both his faith and his misunderstanding of human kindness.
63. Write a letter as Lencho, to a friend and tell him about the destruction of your crop, and the letter you wrote to God and the reply with the money you received. Express your irritation about the post office employees also.
Answer:
43, Free lane,
Nepal,
5/7
20th January 20xx,
Dear Poko,
I hope you are hale and hearty. This year is not going to be good for me as the last year. The rain had ruined all my harvest. We have to starve. So, I thought to write a letter to God and ask him to send 100 pesos. I wrote a letter to God. And you know Poko, I got the money, but not the amount which I asked for. Thirty pesos were missing. I had a doubt on the post-office employees. So, I wrote a letter to God again and requested for the remaining money. I’m sure that he will definitely send the remaining money. I’m desperately waiting for a reply from God. I believe our life here will be safe and enjoyable.
My best wishes to your children and family members.
With love,
Lencho.
64. Write a character sketch of Lencho.
Answer:
Lencho was a farmer. He lived on the crest of a hill. He worked like an animal in his fields, but still, he knew how to write. He had good faith in God, with that he used to live happily. He was so simple that he did not know about the reality of the outer world. Lencho was a very hard working farmer. It was the result of his hard work that his fields were full of ripped corn with flowers. He knew his fields deeply because he always remained busy in his fields. He was waiting for a downpour or a lite shower for his crop. Lencho was very naive. He writes a letter to God. He did not know that God cannot be addressed directly. God is the supreme power and no one can see or talk to him directly. He had immense faith in God. He believed that God won’t let anyone die of hunger. When his crop was destroyed his only hope was the help of God. His faith was so strong that the postmaster was convinced to help him. We can say that Lencho had many qualities in his character but was very naive for the world.
65. In the lesson A Letter to God, what moral values does the postmaster display in his behaviour?
Answer:
The Postmaster first laughed looking at the letter which had a strange address. But soon he became serious. He was surprised at the faith that Lencho had in God. He wanted his faith to be intact in God. The postmaster was a kind and compassionate human being. He tried to keep Lencho’s faith in God intact by collecting the amount for him. He was an empathetic and softhearted person who cared for Lencho. He displayed good leadership qualities by asking each Post office employee to contribute to his extent. The postmaster himself gave a part of his salary and also requested his employees and a few friends to contribute for the good cause as a charity. He encouraged to perceive others in a more positive light. He was a man who fostered a sense of community building and wished to spread positivity which helps in creating a healthy society.
66. The Post Master represents the people who still believe in helping others. Mention those values of the Post Master which you would like to emulate. Write it in about 80–100 words.
Answer:
A postmaster is a kind-hearted man. He represents the people who still believe in helping others. After reading Lencho’s letter he has decided to help him. He is so determined in order to do so. The postmaster with the co-operation of his employees and friends collects some amount to keep Lencho’s faith in God alive. He himself has given a part of his salary. He has love and empathy towards Lencho knowing his situation. But he can not collect hundred pesos as Lencho requested, but in order to help Lencho, he sent seventy pesos. The postmaster is compassionate and even does not let Lencho know that they are helping him. He has sent the amount to Lencho in the name of God. In a nutshell, the postmaster possesses values like helping others, loving nature and compassion.
67. Lencho was very innocent that he wrote a letter to God. Discuss it in light of his second letter.
Answer:
Lencho was a very innocent farmer. He had a keen faith in God. When the hailstones destroyed his corn-fields thoroughly, he was unhappy and disappointed. He had faith, that God does not let anyone die of hunger. Although he was scared if God did not help him, his family would have to starve. His only hope was the help of God, whose eyes, sees everything. He wrote a letter to God to send him one hundred pesos that would be enough to sow his field again and to feed his family till the next crop. His letter was seen by the postman and then by the postmaster. The postmaster sent money to Lencho to continue his faith. But he could not send one hundred pesos as expected, he could send only seventy pesos. After getting the reply, Lencho counted the money and got annoyed. He wrote another letter to God. In his second letter, he called the post office employees “a bunch of crooks”, as he thought that they stole the thirty pesos that were sent to him by God. He also requested to send the remaining money, but not through the mail.
68. Show Lencho’s faith and confidence in God with examples from the lesson A Letter to God.
Answer:
Lencho has good faith in God. Lencho’s cornfield has been completely destroyed by the storm and hailstones. He thought only of one hope, the help from God. So he decided to write a letter to God asking for 100 pesos in order to resow his field. He placed a stamp on the letter and dropped into the mailbox. One of the employees, who was a postman, went to his boss and showed him the letter to God. He was inspired by the writer’s faith in God. In order not to shake the writer’s faith in God he decided to answer the letter. He collected money from his employees, he himself gave a part of the salary, and several friends of his were obliged to give something for an act of Charity. But he was able to collect only 70 pesos. He put the money in the envelope and addressed it to Lencho. When Lencho got the letter he did not show any bit of surprise. Instead, he became angry about getting only 70 pesos. He was sure that God could not have made a mistake nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested. He wrote another letter to God asking for the remaining pesos and asked not to send through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. This shows Lencho’s faith in God.
69. Lencho had faith in God but lacked faith in humanity. Elaborate with reference to A Letter to God.
Answer:
Lencho was a simple and hard working farmer. His corn crops were destroyed in a hailstorm and he was very sad. He felt that he and his family would go hungry the whole year unless they found someone who could help them. He had a firm faith in God, so he started correspondence with God and asked for a hundred pesos. He was confident of receiving the amount. The letter, on the other hand, was read by the postmaster of the post office. To ensure that Lencho does not lose faith in God, the postmaster collected money from post office employees and sent the seventy pesos that he had collected, to Lencho. When Lencho opened the envelope, he found a lesser amount in it. He was not happy. He thought that the rest of the money had been taken by the post office employees. He called them a bunch of crooks and wrote another letter to God asking for the remaining money but telling Him (God) not to send through the Post Office employees. He didn’t realise the irony that it was in fact, those people only who were the real helpers. Calling them ‘a bunch of crooks’ was not at all justified.
70. How and why did Lencho write a letter to God? Who received the letter and what did they do?
Answer:
Lencho was a poor and hard-working farmer. The hailstones destroyed his crop completely. Lencho and his family members became very sad. He thought that year they won’t have any crop. So they have to starve. But, Lencho had great faith in God. So, he thought that God won’t let them hungry and it was only the God who can help them. So he wrote a letter to God. Lencho was an ox of a man, working like an animal in the fields, but still, he knew how to write. The following Sunday he began to write a letter which he himself carried to town and placed in the mail. He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope. He requested God to send him one hundred pesos. That amount was enough to sow his fields again and feed his family. The postman received the letter and showed it to the postmaster. The postmaster was much impressed and came up with an idea. He decided to send money to Lencho. He collected the money from his employees, friends and gave a part of his salary and sent the money to Lencho.
