Oral Comprehension Check
1. What did Lencho hope for?
Lencho hoped for rain as his field of ripe corn needed a downpour for a good harvest.
2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like 'new coins'?
Lencho said the raindrops were like 'new coins' because the rain would help his corn grow and bring him money, just like coins bring prosperity.
3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho's fields?
The rain changed into a severe hailstorm that destroyed Lencho's entire cornfield, leaving nothing behind.
4. What were Lencho's feelings when the hail stopped?
When the hail stopped, Lencho felt filled with sadness as his corn was totally destroyed and his family would face hunger.
5. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?
Lencho had complete faith in God. He wrote a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos to help his family survive and resow his fields.
6. Who read the letter?
The postman read the letter first and then showed it to the postmaster.
7. What did the postmaster do then?
The postmaster decided to help Lencho by collecting money from his employees and friends, sending it to Lencho with a letter signed 'God'.
8. Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
No, Lencho was not surprised at all to find the letter with money because he had complete faith that God would answer his letter.
9. What made him angry?
Lencho became angry when he counted the money and found only seventy pesos instead of the hundred he had asked for from God.
Thinking about the Text
1. Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
Lencho has complete faith in God. The following sentences from the story tell us this:
- "All through the night, Lencho thought only of his one hope: the help of God"
- "...he knew how to write. The following Sunday... he began to write a letter... It was nothing less than a letter to God."
- "Lencho showed not the slightest surprise on seeing the money; such was his confidence"
- "God could not have made a mistake, nor could he have denied Lencho what he had requested."
2. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter 'God'?
The postmaster sends money to Lencho because he is deeply moved by Lencho's unwavering faith in God and doesn't want to shake this faith. He signs the letter 'God' to maintain the illusion that God himself has answered Lencho's letter, thereby preserving Lencho's strong belief.
3. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
No, Lencho did not try to find out who had sent the money to him because he had absolute faith that God himself had sent the money in response to his letter. He never doubted for a moment that it could be anyone else.
4. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation?
Lencho thinks the post office employees have taken the rest of the money. The irony is that the very people he accuses of being "a bunch of crooks" are actually the ones who had generously collected and sent him the money in the first place.
5. Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is?
Yes, there are people like Lencho in the real world who have immense faith despite their circumstances. Lencho can be described as:
- Naive: He unquestioningly believes God will send him money through mail
- Unquestioning: His faith is absolute without any doubts
- Comical: His actions seem humorous to others
- Ungrateful: He doesn't appreciate the postmaster's help and even accuses the employees
6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Conflict between humans and nature: This is shown through the hailstorm that destroys Lencho's crops, threatening his family's survival.
Conflict between humans themselves: This is illustrated when Lencho accuses the post office employees of stealing money, creating a misunderstanding despite their good intentions.
Thinking about Language
I. Storms Vocabulary
Match the names in the box with their descriptions:
Answers:
- 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
II. Meanings of 'Hope'
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of 'hope' in Column B:
| Sentence |
Meaning |
| 1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so. |
- wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible) |
| 2. 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 |
| 3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers. |
- a feeling that something good will probably happen |
| 4. We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes. |
- wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely |
| 5. 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.) |
| 6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone. |
- stopped believing that this good thing would happen |
III. Relative Clauses
Join the sentences using who, whom, whose, which:
- I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.
- My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.
- These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.
- Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.
- This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.
IV. Using Negatives for Emphasis
Find sentences in the story with negative words which express the following ideas emphatically:
- The trees lost all their leaves: "Not a leaf remained on the trees."
- The letter was addressed to God himself: "Never in his career as a postman had he known that address."
- The postman saw this address for the first time in his career: "Never in his career as a postman had he known that address."
V. Metaphors
Find metaphors from the story:
| Object |
Metaphor |
Quality or Feature Compared |
| Cloud |
Huge mountains of clouds |
The mass or 'hugeness' of mountains |
| Raindrops |
New coins |
The value and prosperity that coins represent |
| Hailstones |
New silver coins |
The shiny, precious appearance of silver coins |
| Locusts |
A plague |
An epidemic (a disease) that spreads very rapidly and leaves many people dead |
| Lencho |
An ox of a man |
The strength and hardworking nature of an ox |
Poems - Questions and Answers
Dust of Snow by Robert Frost
The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
Glossary:
hemlock: A poisonous plant (tree) with small white flowers
rued: held in regret
1. What is a "dust of snow"? What does the poet say has changed his mood? How has the poet's mood changed?
A "dust of snow" refers to fine particles of snow that fall from a tree when disturbed. The poet says that a crow shaking down snow from a hemlock tree has changed his mood. His mood has changed from sorrowful and regretful to more positive and hopeful, saving at least part of a day he had otherwise wasted in sadness.
2. How does Frost present nature in this poem?
(i) Usually, beautiful birds like nightingales or skylarks are mentioned in poems. A crow is rarely mentioned as it's often associated with darkness and ill omen. When we think of a crow, images of darkness, death, or bad luck come to mind.
(ii) A hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. The poet doesn't write about more 'beautiful' trees because he wants to show that even things typically considered unpleasant or ominous can bring positive changes.
(iii) The 'crow' and 'hemlock' represent sorrow or negative elements. The dust of snow that the crow shakes off represents a small, unexpected moment of beauty or joy that can transform one's perspective.
3. Have there been times when you felt depressed or hopeless? Have you experienced a similar moment that changed your mood that day?
[Personal answer - This will vary for each student. A sample answer:] Yes, there have been times when I felt low, especially after performing poorly in an exam. Once, while feeling particularly disappointed, I saw a small child helping an elderly person cross the road. This simple act of kindness unexpectedly lifted my mood and made me realize that small positive moments can brighten even the worst days.
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Glossary:
perish: die
suffice: be sufficient
1. There are many ideas about how the world will 'end'. Do you think the world will end some day? Have you ever thought what would happen if the sun got so hot that it 'burst', or grew colder and colder?
Yes, scientifically we know that the world will end someday - either when the sun expands into a red giant and engulfs Earth, or when the universe continues expanding. If the sun got too hot and burst, all life on Earth would be destroyed instantly. If it grew colder, Earth would freeze, making life impossible. Both scenarios would lead to the end of the world as we know it.
2. For Frost, what do 'fire' and 'ice' stand for?
For Frost, 'fire' represents desire, passion, greed, and intense emotions that can consume and destroy. 'Ice' represents hatred, coldness, indifference, and rigidity that can also lead to destruction. Both extremes of human emotion have the power to end the world.
3. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem? How does it help in bringing out the contrasting ideas in the poem?
The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAABCBCB. This structured rhyme scheme helps emphasize the contrasting ideas of fire and ice by creating a balanced, almost argumentative structure. The regular pattern mirrors the logical way the poet presents two different perspectives on how the world might end, making the contrast between the destructive powers of desire (fire) and hatred (ice) more pronounced and memorable.