Workbook Unit 1 A Letter to God

Words and Expressions Class 10 Solutions Unit 1 A Letter to God

Let’s Begin:

1. You have read about Lencho in ‘A Letter to God’, First Flight, textbook in English for Class X. How has the story of Lencho moved you ? What do you think about Lencho’s faith in God and his attitude towards the officials in the post office ? Do you think he is right in asking God for support and then blaming the people at the post office ? Discuss his actions with your friends. Why does he do so ?

Lencho was a poor farmer. He was quite hardworking too, an ox of a man. Due to severe rain and hailstorm his ripe corn crops were badly damaged and ruined. He got worried and anxious at this grave loss as that meant that his family would have to go hungry that year. Lencho had a firm faith in the Almighty and believed that only God could help him out of this bad situation. With great hopes he decided to write a letter to God to compensate him for the loss that he had suffered. It was naivety and sheer innocence on part of Lencho to ask and expect monetary and financial help from God. Lencho was a sincere, responsible and hardworking fellow.

He had devoted his utmost and sincerest efforts in sowing his crop fields. He could not imagine and believe all his efforts going waste in the wink of an eye. As a responsible fellow he was really concerned about the well being of his family and couldn’t bear to see them embroiled in any kind of difficulty. It was out of care, compassion towards his loved ones that he tried to do something unusual and out of the ordinary i.e. writing a letter to an invisible force that he thought is omni present. I feel great sympathy for the poor fellow as he had to suffer the loss for reasons that were out of his control. However, I also feel that it was quite inappropriate and unreasonable on part of Lencho to blame the post-office staff for the inadequate amount of money that he had received. The post office employees did nothing wrong but tried to help the poor fellow by doing their best. Lencho should have thanked God and the post-office staff for receiving such great assistance at the time of need.

2. The summary of the story of Lencho is given below. The sequence of the story is jumbled up.

(i) 4

(ii) 7

(iii) 3

(iv) 5

(v) 2

(vi) 8

(vii) 6

(viii) 10

(ix) 12

(x) 1

(xi) 13

(xii) 11

(xiii) 9

3. 

A. Lencho in his corn field.

B. Lencho writing letter to God.

C. Post office employees astonishing on seeing the letter.

D. Post-office employee collecting money to help Lencho

E. Lencho felt sad seeing the money he received and decided to write another letter.

Reading Comprehension - I

Once there was a tailor who was known for ___________ (cheat and thievery). He could cheat anyone with his cunning way of deceiving people. A trader challenged that the tailor would not be able to cheat him. He ___________ (go) to the tailor with ___________ (satin). The tailor ___________ (welcome). The trader (please) by the tailor’s praise. He told the tailor to make a coat for him. The tailor ___________ (praise) the trader (maximum). The trader ___________ (joy). The tailor ___________(recount) funny tales and the trader forgot ___________ (bet). The tailor started snipping ___________ and ___________ hide). Eyes of the trader ___________ (tears and joy) and yet the trader kept on asking for ___________ (stories). At last, the tailor told the trader that (tight) and ___________ (weep-blood).

Answer:

beating others in the art of cheating and thievery

went

a piece of satin tucked under his arm

welcomed him with great cordiality

was very pleased

praised 

to his maximum 

experienced great joy

recounted innumerable

about the bet completely 

the cloth rapidly

tucking in the extra pieces under his thighs hiding from the trader

more and more

if he told another story the coat would be too tight for him

he would weep tears of blood.

Vocabulary 

In this story you have come across a word “light-fingered” which means inclined to steal things. Some such words are given below. Use appropriate words and fill in the blanks.

light-headed, light year, light-hearted, light sleeper, light-duty

(a) The ___________ is a unit of distance used to measure distance in space.

(b) The farmer bought a ___________ truck to transport their produce, as it uses less dies.el.

(c) We had a fairly ___________ discussion with our colleagues. .

(d) Rita felt dizzy and ___________ after skydiving.

(e) He is a ___________, a slightest noise wakes him.

Answer:

(a) light year

(b) light-duty

(c) light-hearted

(d) light-headed

(e) light sleeper

Grammar:

1. You have come across Relative Clauses in the lesson ‘A Letter to God’. Read about the relative clauses again. Complete the sentences given below in the table by adding the most suitable clause from the box and make it a relative clause. The first one has been done for you.

(а) A tailor is a person who stitches clothes.

(b) A dictionary is a book ___________

(c) The book is about a scientist ___________

(d) What is the name of the player ___________

(e) I don’t like people ___________

(f) What is the name of the actor ___________

(g) Students ___________ should meet the principal in her office.

(h) Friends of the trader thought the tailor ___________ and can cheat anyone.

(i) Lencho ___________ thought God would help him.

(j) Those ___________ will succeed.

(k) God helps those ___________

Answer:

(b) which contains meaning of words

(c) who won the nobel prize

(d) who hit a century

(e) who tell lies

(f) who won the best actor award this year

(g) who need to fill in the application

(h) who is a crook

(i) who is faithful

(j) who believe in hard work

(k) who help themselves

Editing:

1. Suppose Lencho gets a hundred pesos in his envelope. He writes a letter to God expressing his gratitude. However, he has missed a word in each line. Help him with those words so that his letter is complete.

Dear God!

Thank for – Thank you for

(а) sending a hundred pesos help. ___________

(b) I am very for this kind gesture. ___________

(c) You were my only and your ___________

(d) help has my faith in you. ___________

(e) This money will help me until the crop ___________

(f) and I promise to hard in the future. ___________

Sincerely yours,

Lencho

Answer:

(a) sending me a

(b) very grateful for

(c) only hope and

(d) has increased my

(e) crop comes/grows

(f) to work hard.

Listening:

1. Here is an interesting story. The story has been told in two ways. Story A has all the odd sentences (1,8,5,…) and story B has the even sentences (2,4,6,…). Working in pairs, one of you take up Story A and the other take up Story B. The person with Story A will read out the first sentence and the partner (person with story B) will write in the space provided. Then the person with Story B will read sentence two and the partner will write in the space for sentence two. Likewise complete the whole story. Once the story is completed, both of you will read out to each other to check whether you have listened carefully to your partner and written the complete story.

Story – A

The Race:

1. Every evening the animals of the Machlipatti used to sit under the banyan tree.

2. _____________________

3. He said, “Let’s run a race!” “Who will run a race with you ?

4. _____________________

5. Choo-Choo, the rat, shouted, “No, he’s not the fastest runner.

6. _____________________

7. Everyone laughed at him.

8. _____________________

9. The starting point was the peepul tree and the finishing point was the neem tree.

10. _____________________

11. Kho-Kho and Choo-Choo started running.

12. _____________________

13. “He must be far behind.”

14. _____________________

15. He shouted, “I’ve won the race! I’ve won the race!”

16. _____________________

Story – B

The Race:

1. _____________________

2. One day Kho-Kho, the rabbit, was feeling bored.

3. _____________________

4. No one can run faster than you,” said Bhalu, the bear, eating a mango.

5. _____________________

6. I can run faster than him.”

7. _____________________

8. Then it was decided to have a race between Kho-Kho and Choo-Choo.

9. _____________________

10. Coocku, the cock, crowed to start the race.

11. _____________________

12. After running half the distance, Kho-Kho looked back but Choo-Choo was nowhere to be seen.

13. _____________________

14. When he was near the finishing point, Choo-Choo jumped over Kho-Kho’s shoulder and touched the neem tree first.

15. _____________________

16. Everyone cheered for Choo-Choo.

Speaking:

1. Lencho, the main character in the story, is a farmer. He supports his family through farming. The conflict in the story happens when a hailstorm strikes the field and destroys his farm. All the hard work, for nothing! The entire land is wrecked by catastrophe. There is no one who can help. Lencho’s complete faith in God is amazing during the calamity. So, one type of conflict dominating in the story is man versus nature. 

Discuss with your partner the natural calamities that play havoc in the lives of people. Collect photographs and make a visual presentation to share in the class.

Natural Disasters

Natural disasters are catastrophic events caused by natural forces, leading to significant damage and loss of life. They can happen suddenly and affect large areas, leaving communities devastated.

Earthquakes are one example of a natural disaster. They occur due to the sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, causing the ground to shake. This can lead to the collapse of buildings, infrastructure damage, and loss of life. The 2010 earthquake in Haiti is a notable example, which resulted in extensive destruction and a massive humanitarian crisis.

Floods are another common natural disaster. They occur when water overflows onto normally dry land, often due to heavy rainfall, river overflow, or storm surges. Floods can destroy homes, agricultural land, and infrastructure. The 2017 floods in South Asia affected millions, displacing many and causing widespread damage.

(Collect pictures and paste in your workbook.)

2. Try writing a small poem on the topic man versus nature. Read aloud the poem with the required stress and intonation. Given below is a poem written by Norman Littleford, which may help you think and compose.

Man vs Nature:

The heavens roared with thunder

as lightning filled the skies

was this God getting angry

or Nature’s big surprise.

Is Mother Nature telling us

the best way that she can

to stop the interference

and abuse she gets from man.

We marvel at her beauty

each time we look around

then dig up all her treasures

from their natural burial ground.

We forget that Nature gives us

all that keeps us living

we take it all and still want more

but never think of giving.

We build across the countryside

progressing every day

but Mother Nature can’t progress

for man is in the way.

                

                                         -by Norman Lulls ford

Writing:

1. The tailor here is a cheat, but Lencho in the story, ‘A Letter to God’, is naive and simple. He has immense faith in God. How do you distinguish between Lencho and the tailor? What makes them different ? Working in pairs, list the actions and qualities of Lencho and the tailor and draw their character sketches. The given cues will help you to draw a character sketch of these characters.

Lencho

Lencho was a poor, hardworking farmer with a simple and optimistic nature. He had strong faith in God and was full of hope. Despite his crop damage, he remained patient and determined. He wrote a childlike letter to God, showing his innocence. Lencho was responsible and concerned about his family's well-being, bravely finding solutions to his problems.

The tailor

The tailor was a cunning and dishonest person who often stole from others. He was quick-witted and exploited people's weaknesses for his gain. Greedy and clever, he was known for his thieving ways. The tailor was a skilled storyteller, weaving tales to distract and deceive, allowing him to steal without getting caught.

2. Writing a portrait or description of a person.

Raavi is a handsome, intelligent, and creative young engineer. He's resourceful, innovative, and enjoys making and repairing things. He has a great sense of style and loves movies and TV. Raavi is a people person, peace lover, and compassionate towards others. He's health-conscious, enjoys morning walks, and is a nature lover. He's a well-rounded and balanced individual.