Welcome to our comprehensive guide on NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 1, “A Letter to God”. Designed by senior educationists and board examiners, this resource provides flawless, textbook-accurate answers to help students secure maximum marks in their CBSE examinations. We cover every single question, activity, and grammar exercise from the official NCERT textbook, ensuring complete clarity and conceptual depth.
Class 10 English A Letter to God NCERT Solutions
The study of Class 10 English begins with the profound story of Lencho, a simple farmer whose unwavering faith in the almighty forms the core of “A Letter to God”. To excel in the CBSE Board Examinations, students must not only comprehend the literal events of the story but also master the art of presenting their answers in a structured, high-scoring format. This guide is meticulously designed to provide step-by-step solutions to every textbook exercise, aligning perfectly with the latest CBSE marking schemes and pedagogical guidelines.
Before diving into the core text, the NCERT textbook introduces a practical pre-reading activity centered around the post office system, which plays a pivotal role in the narrative. Understanding the vocabulary associated with postal transactions is essential for students, as it bridges the gap between the literary text and real-world applications. Words such as counter, counter clerk, appropriate, acknowledgement, counterfoil, and record are not mere vocabulary terms; they represent the functional machinery of communication that Lencho relies upon.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
Fill out the Money Order form given below using the clues that follow the form. Now complete the statements given in the textbook activity. (Page No. 2)
Answer:
To complete the money order form activity accurately, students must understand the flow of money transfer through a post office. The completed statements based on the textbook clues are as follows:
(i) In addition to the sender, the form has to be signed by the counter clerk.
(ii) The ‘Acknowledgement’ section of the form is sent back by the post office to the sender after the receiver signs it.
Continuing with the remaining statements from the post office money order activity, we find the functional division of the form. These sections ensure that the money reaches the correct destination with proper documentation:
(iii) The ‘Space for Communication’ section is used for writing a brief message, purpose, or communication for the receiver.
(iv) The form has six sections. The sender needs to fill out four sections (Sender’s address, Receiver’s address, Amount in words/figures, and Space for Communication) and the receiver fills out none (as they only sign the acknowledgement upon delivery).
The vocabulary words introduced in this activity are crucial for comprehension. The ‘counter’ refers to the desk where transactions occur, while the ‘counter clerk’ is the official handling the process. ‘Appropriate’ means suitable or correct, ‘acknowledgement’ is the receipt of delivery, ‘counterfoil’ is the sender’s copy for records, and ‘record’ refers to the official registered entry of the transaction.
Understanding these postal terms helps students appreciate the irony later in the story. Lencho, despite being a simple farmer, is literate enough to navigate these postal procedures, showing that he is not entirely cut off from modern systems. This contrast makes his absolute, literal faith in God’s physical address even more striking and poignant.
By mastering these introductory concepts, students build a strong foundation for the textual questions. The CBSE board frequently tests students on their ability to connect classroom learning with practical life skills, making this money order activity a highly relevant starting point for Class 10 preparation.
Oral Comprehension Check Questions and Answers
The Oral Comprehension Check sections are strategically placed throughout the chapter to test the student’s immediate understanding of the plot, character motivations, and shifting tones. Answering these questions requires a precise grasp of the text’s key events, such as the transition of the rain from a blessing to a curse. Let us examine the first set of comprehension questions from the text.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
What did Lencho hope for? (Page No. 5)
Answer:
Lencho, a dedicated and hardworking farmer who knew his fields intimately, hoped for a downpour or at least a shower. His fields of ripe corn, dotted with flowers, were in desperate need of water to guarantee a prosperous and high-yielding harvest for his family.
Question 2
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’? (Page No. 5) [BOARD EXAM FAVORITE]
Answer:
Lencho compared the raindrops to ‘new coins’ because the rain was directly linked to his financial prosperity. He anticipated that a good rainfall would yield a rich harvest of corn, which he could sell in the market to earn money; thus, he equated the large drops to ten-cent pieces and the small ones to five-cent pieces.
Question 3
How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields? (Page No. 5)
Answer:
The pleasant rain suddenly changed into a destructive storm when a strong wind began to blow, accompanied by very large hailstones. The hailstorm raged for an hour across the entire valley, completely destroying Lencho’s crops, stripping the trees of their leaves, and leaving the fields looking white as if covered with salt.
Question 4
What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped? (Page No. 5)
Answer:
When the storm finally subsided, Lencho’s soul was filled with deep sadness and despair. Standing in the middle of his ruined field, he realized that the hail had left absolutely nothing, and he lamented to his sons that even a plague of locusts would have left more than what remained.
Question 5
Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do? (Page No. 6) [BOARD EXAM FAVORITE]
Answer:
Lencho had unshakable and absolute faith in God, whom he believed could see everything, even what is deep within a person’s conscience. Driven by this extreme faith, he wrote a letter addressed directly to God, detailing his plight and asking for a hundred pesos to resow his fields and sustain his family.
Question 6
Who read the letter? What did the postmaster do then? (Page No. 6)
Answer:
A postman at the office first read the letter’s unusual address and showed it to the postmaster, who initially laughed but quickly became serious. Deeply moved by the writer’s immense faith, the postmaster decided to answer the letter by collecting money from his employees, contributing a part of his own salary, and gathering seventy pesos to send to Lencho.
Question 7
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it? What made him angry? (Page No. 7)
Answer:
No, Lencho showed not the slightest surprise upon receiving the envelope with money, as his confidence in God’s assistance was absolute. However, he became extremely angry when he counted the money and found only seventy pesos instead of the hundred he had requested, believing that God could not make a mistake and that the post office employees must have stolen the rest.
Textbook Questions and Board Exam Solutions
The “Thinking about the Text” section contains analytical questions that require students to evaluate character traits, identify literary devices like irony, and discuss thematic conflicts. These questions are highly favored by CBSE examiners for long-answer questions (5 marks). Providing structured, textual evidence is key to securing full marks in this section.
Reading for Meaning
Question 1
Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this? (Page No. 7)
Answer:
Lencho has complete, unquestioning, and absolute faith in God, viewing Him as a supreme savior who monitors all human suffering. The sentences from the story that vividly illustrate this absolute faith are:
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “‘God,’ he wrote, ‘if you don’t help me, my family and I will go hungry this year.’”
- “He wrote ‘To God’ on the envelope, put the letter inside and, still troubled, went to town.”
- “God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested.”
Question 2
Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’? (Page No. 7) [BOARD EXAM FAVORITE]
Answer:
The postmaster is deeply impressed and moved by the extraordinary depth of Lencho’s faith, wishing he possessed a similar connection with the divine. He decides to send the money to Lencho for the following reasons:
- To prevent Lencho’s faith in God from being shaken or shattered due to a lack of response.
- To keep the spirit of hope alive in the distressed farmer’s heart during a time of crisis.
- He signs the letter ‘God’ to preserve the illusion of divine intervention, ensuring Lencho believes his prayers were answered directly by the Almighty.
Question 3
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not? (Page No. 7)
Answer:
No, Lencho did not make any attempt to find out who had sent the money to him. This lack of curiosity stems from his absolute and unwavering conviction that God had directly answered his letter; to him, the arrival of the money was a natural consequence of his prayer, leaving no room for doubt, suspicion, or the possibility of human charity.
Question 4
Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation? (Page No. 7) [BOARD EXAM FAVORITE]
Answer:
Lencho believes that the post office employees took the remaining thirty pesos from the envelope.
- The irony of the situation lies in the fact that the postmaster and his staff had selflessly contributed their own money out of pure charity to help Lencho.
- Instead of receiving gratitude, they are accused of being a “bunch of crooks” who stole the money, presenting a sharp contrast between their noble intentions and Lencho’s suspicious reaction.
Critical Reflection
Question 5
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 box to answer the question. (Page No. 7)
[Box: greedy, selfish, naive, stupid, ungrateful, comical, unquestioning]
Answer:
In the contemporary world, it is extremely rare to find individuals like Lencho who possess such blind, absolute faith. Based on his actions and reactions in the story, Lencho can be characterized as:
- Naive: He is simple-minded and lacks the worldly wisdom to understand that God does not operate physical postal addresses.
- Unquestioning: His faith is completely devoid of doubt, accepting the arrival of the money as a direct divine transaction.
- Ungrateful: He fails to appreciate the human kindness behind the money, immediately assuming the postal staff are thieves.
Question 6
There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated? (Page No. 7) [BOARD EXAM FAVORITE]
Answer:
The two conflicts are masterfully illustrated in the narrative through the following events:
- Conflict between Humans and Nature: This is shown when Lencho’s hopeful anticipation of rain is met with a devastating hailstorm. Nature acts as an indifferent, destructive force that completely wipes out his livelihood, leaving him helpless and sorrowful.
- Conflict between Humans themselves: This is illustrated when Lencho distrusts the very people who helped him. His inability to recognize the postmaster’s charity and his quickness to label the staff as “crooks” highlights the lack of trust and understanding among humans.
Answering these questions with precise textual references ensures that students demonstrate a mature understanding of the text. The conflicts and ironies highlighted in these solutions are central to the CBSE Class 10 curriculum, making them essential study material for exam preparation.
Grammar Solutions: Relative Clauses and Negatives
The grammar section of “A Letter to God” focuses on two key linguistic structures: Relative Clauses (specifically non-defining relative clauses) and the use of Negatives for Emphasis. Mastering these structures is essential for the integrated grammar section of the CBSE Class 10 English paper, which includes sentence reordering, gap filling, and sentence transformation.
Vocabulary and Structures in Context
Question 1
Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested. (Page No. 9)
Answer:
To join these sentences using non-defining relative clauses, we must place commas around the clause to provide additional, non-essential information about the noun:
- I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)
I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India. - My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)
My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
Continuing with the sentence-joining exercise, we apply the relative pronouns ‘whose’ and ‘whom’ to indicate possession and objective cases respectively:
- These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)
These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President. - Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)
Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds. - This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)
This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.
A non-defining relative clause provides extra information about a noun that is already clearly identified. In writing, these clauses are separated from the rest of the sentence by commas. If the clause is removed, the sentence still makes complete sense. For example, in “My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show,” the core message remains intact even without the clause.
Sometimes, relative pronouns can remain ‘hidden’ or omitted in informal writing, but in formal grammar exercises, identifying and placing them correctly is vital. Students must pay close attention to the punctuation rules associated with these clauses, as missing commas can lead to a loss of marks in the board exams.
The second grammatical concept in this chapter is the use of negative words to emphasize an idea rather than simply stating an absence. In literature, authors use negatives like ‘no’, ‘not’, or ‘nothing’ to create a dramatic effect, drawing the reader’s attention to the intensity of a situation.
Question 2
Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically. (Page No. 10)
Answer:
The emphatic negative sentences from the text corresponding to the given ideas are:
- The trees lost all their leaves.
“Not a leaf remained on the trees.” - The letter was addressed to God himself.
“It was nothing less than a letter to God.” - The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.
“Never in his career as a postman had he known that address.”
These emphatic negatives are highly effective in narrative writing. Instead of saying “The trees were bare,” the author writes, “Not a leaf remained,” which paints a much more vivid and bleak picture of the destruction. Students should practice incorporating such structures into their own writing tasks to enhance their expression.
Vocabulary Exercises: Storm Names and Metaphors
A strong vocabulary is the hallmark of an excellent English student. The vocabulary exercises in this chapter focus on categorizing different types of storms and understanding the use of metaphors. These exercises help students appreciate the figurative language used by the author, G.L. Fuentes, to convey deep emotions and natural phenomena.
Vocabulary and Structures in Context
Question 1
Match the names of the storms in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks. (Page No. 8)
[Box: gale, whirlwind, hurricane, cyclone, tornado, typhoon]
Answer:
Based on meteorological definitions, the correct storm names for each description are:
- A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: cyclone
- An extremely strong wind: gale
- A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: typhoon
- A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: tornado
- A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: hurricane
- A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: whirlwind
Understanding these distinctions is important for descriptive writing. A ‘gale’ is simply a very strong wind, whereas a ‘cyclone’ or ‘typhoon’ involves complex tropical weather systems. A ‘tornado’ is characterized by its distinct funnel-shaped cloud, while a ‘whirlwind’ is a localized spinning wind.
The next vocabulary exercise explores the semantic range of the word ‘hope’. Depending on the context, ‘hope’ can function as a verb (expressing a wish) or a noun (representing a chance or feeling). Matching these sentences helps students understand how words shift meaning based on usage.
Question 2
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B. (Page No. 9)
Answer:
The correct matching of the sentences with the contextual meanings of ‘hope’ is as follows:
- Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so.
-> wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible) - I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing.
-> showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite - This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers.
-> a feeling that something good will probably happen - We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes.
-> wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely - I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school.
-> thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.) - Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone.
-> stopped believing that this good thing would happen
The final vocabulary exercise deals with metaphors. A metaphor is a literary device that compares two unrelated things by transferring the qualities of one to another, without using ‘like’ or ‘as’. The story of Lencho is rich with metaphors that highlight the scale of his emotions and the natural elements.
Question 3
Find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. (Page No. 10)
Answer:
The completed metaphor table from the text is detailed below:
- Cloud: Huge mountains of clouds -> Compares the massive size, height, and heavy mass of the clouds to mountains.
- Raindrops: New coins -> Compares the financial value and prosperity brought by the rain to coins.
- Hailstones: Frozen pearls / New silver coins -> Compares the bright, round, and hard physical appearance of hailstones to pearls and coins.
- Locusts: A plague of locusts -> Compares the destructive and widespread ruin caused by the insects to a deadly epidemic.
- Ox of a man: Lencho -> Compares Lencho’s immense physical strength, capacity for hard work, and tireless nature to a working animal.
By analyzing these metaphors, students can appreciate how G.L. Fuentes elevates a simple story into a poetic narrative. Recognizing and explaining metaphors is a key skill tested in the extract-based questions of the CBSE Class 10 English board exam.
Class 10 English Writing Task and Poster Design
The final section of the chapter focuses on productive skills: speaking, listening, and writing. These activities are designed to assess a student’s ability to express themselves creatively and structuredly. The writing task, in particular, requires students to design a poster on water conservation, which is a highly relevant environmental issue.
Reflect and Respond
Question 1
Have you ever been in great difficulty, and felt that only a miracle could help you? How was your problem solved? Speak about this in class with your teacher. (Page No. 10)
Answer:
Sample Classroom Speech:
“Respected Teacher and Friends, today I want to share a personal experience where I felt only a miracle could save me. Last year, during my final mathematics exam, I realized halfway through the paper that I had completely misread the instructions for the long-answer section, putting all my preparation at risk. Panic set in, and with only twenty minutes left, I felt completely helpless and prayed for a miracle. Just then, my teacher noticed my distress, calmed me down, and guided me to focus on the remaining questions systematically. Through her timely intervention and my sudden burst of focus, I managed to complete the essential sections and passed with respectable marks, realizing that miracles often come in the form of timely human guidance.”
Listen and Respond
Question 2
Listen to the letter read out by your teacher. As you listen, fill in the table given below. (Page No. 11)
Answer:
Based on the listening passage (Jaya’s letter to Arti), the completed table is as follows:
- The writer apologises because: she hasn’t written a letter for a very long time.
- The writer has sent this to the reader: to share news about moving to a new house and Sarah starting school.
- The writer sent it in the month of: January (specifically 25 January 2006).
- The reason for not writing earlier: she was busy with the process of moving and settling into their new home.
- Sarah goes to: ‘Little Feet’ school, which is very close to their new home.
- Who is writing to whom?: Jaya is writing to her friend Arti.
- Where and when were they last together?: They were last together at Bangalore last year.
This listening exercise trains students to extract specific information from an audio text, a skill that is tested in the Assessment of Speaking and Listening (ASL) in CBSE schools. Paying attention to dates, names, and reasons is key to scoring well in these tasks.
The final writing task requires students to design a poster on water harvesting. In the context of Lencho’s story, where water was either too scarce (drought) or too destructive (floods), water management is a highly appropriate theme. A good poster must be visually appealing, contain catchy slogans, and offer practical solutions.
Writing Task
Question 3
Design a poster for your area on how to save water during summer and when it is available in excess. (Page No. 12) [BOARD EXAM FAVORITE]
Answer:
Below is the structured textual layout and content design for the poster:
========================================================================
SAVE WATER, SECURE THE FUTURE!
========================================================================
[Visual Idea: A split illustration showing a dry, cracked earth on one side
and a lush green landscape with rainwater harvesting systems on the other.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART A: BEATING THE SUMMER SCARCITY (How to Save Water in Summer)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* FIX THE DRIPS: Repair leaking taps and pipes immediately. Every drop counts!
* BUCKET OVER HOSE: Use buckets instead of running hoses to wash cars and floors.
* REUSE AND RECYCLE: Use kitchen wastewater (used for washing vegetables) to water plants.
* SMART IRRIGATION: Water your garden early in the morning or late in the evening to reduce evaporation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART B: HARVESTING THE ABUNDANCE (When Water is Available in Excess)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* INSTALL RAINWATER HARVESTING: Direct rooftop rainwater into storage tanks or recharge wells.
* CREATE RAIN GARDENS: Build natural depressions to absorb excess runoff and recharge groundwater.
* USE BARRELS: Collect rainwater in large barrels for non-potable household chores.
* PREVENT RUNOFF: Keep soil covered with vegetation to allow water to seep naturally into the ground.
========================================================================
"Remember: Water is Life! Conserve it Today!"
Issued in Public Interest by: The Green Club, Class 10, [School Name]
========================================================================When presenting a poster design in the CBSE exam, students should draw a neat box around their content. Using clear headings, bullet points, and catchy slogans like “Every drop counts” or “Water is Life” helps in securing full marks under the ‘Format’ and ‘Content’ parameters of the marking scheme.
By practicing these writing and speaking tasks, students develop a holistic command over the English language. These solutions provide a comprehensive roadmap for Class 10 students to master “A Letter to God” and approach their board exams with absolute confidence.In conclusion, mastering the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Chapter 1, “A Letter to God”, is essential for securing a perfect score in your board exams. By understanding the nuances of relative clauses, metaphors, and structured writing tasks, students can confidently tackle any question. Keep practicing these solutions to build a strong foundation in English literature and grammar.