A Letter to God by G. L. FUENTES-Questions and Answers

Questions and Answers on A Letter to God

Q1.What did Lencho hope for?

Ans: Lencho hoped for rain because his dry field of ripe corn needed it very much. They would die of hunger if his crop was not saved.

Q2. Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?

Ans: Lencho’s crops were ripe and ready for harvesting. Lencho imagined that he would get money by selling his crops in the market. So he called the raindrops new coins.

Q3. How did the rain change? What happened to Lencho’s fields?

Ans: Lencho was very happy when the rain started falling down in his fields. But soon, a strong wind blew and the raindrops changed into hailstones. His crops were destroyed.

Q4. What were Lencho’s feelings when the hail stopped?

Ans: When the hailstones stopped, Lencho was full of sadness. His crops were destroyed. He was shocked and full of worry. He thought that his family would die of hunger if no help reached him.

Q5. Who or what did Lencho have faith in? What did he do?

Ans: Lencho had full faith in God. He believed that God knows everything. God would certainly (surely) help him. So he wrote a letter to God requesting for 100 pesos to sow his crop again in his fields.

 2. Who read the letter?
Ans: The Postmaster read the letter.

Q6. What did the postmaster do then?
Ans: First, the postmaster laughed heartily. But after a few seconds, he became serious. Lencho’s firm faith in God had a deep effect on the postmaster. So he did not want to shatter (shake/break) Lencho’s faith in God. So he decided to collect money t help him.

Q7. What did the postmaster do not to shake Lencho’s faith in God?

                                    Or

What did the postmaster do to help Lencho?

Ans. The postmaster collected money from his employees in charity. He also gave some part of his charity. But he could collect only 70 pesos. He put that money in an envelope and waited for Lencho to deliver (give) it to him. He did so not to shake his faith in  God.

Q8.Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Ans: No. Lencho was not at all surprised to see the letter from God with money inside it. His confidence and faith in God were such that he had expected that reply from God.

Q9. What made him angry?
Ans: When he finished counting money, he found only seventy pesos. But he demanded hundred pesos. He was confident that God could neither make a mistake nor deny him what he had requested. Therefore, he concluded that the post office employees must have taken the remaining thirty pesos.

Q10. Why does the postmaster send money to Lencho? Why does he sign the letter ‘God’?
Ans: Postmaster was moved by Lencho’s complete faith in God. So, he decided to send money to Lencho. Moreover, the postmaster did not want to shake Lencho’s faith in God. So, he signed the letter ‘God’. It was a good ploy to convey a message that God had himself written the letter.

Q11. Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Whynot?
Ans: No, Lencho does not try to find out who had sent the money to him. This is because he had great confidence in God and never suspected that it could be someone else other than God who would send him the money. His faith in God was so strong that he believed that God had sent him the money.

Q12. Who does Lencho think has taken the rest of the money? What is the irony in the situation? [Remember that the irony of a situation is an unexpected aspect of it. An ironic situation is strange or amusing because it is the opposite of what is expected.]

Ans: Lencho thinks that the post office people have taken the money. It is the post office people who send the money to Lencho. But, on the other hand, Lencho thinks they have stolen his money. He calls them crooks. Thus there is an element of irony in this situation.

6. There are two kinds of conflict in the story: between humans and nature, and between humans themselves. How are these conflicts illustrated?
Ans: The conflict between humans and nature is shown by the destruction of Lencho’s crops by the hailstorm. As the crops failed by hail, Lencho started feeling sad and gloomy after the storm appropriately projects the conflict of nature and man. The Story also has shown another conflict, between humans themselves. The postmaster, along with the help of the other post office employees, sent Lencho the money that they could manage to collect. They were not related to Lencho in any manner. It was an act of kindness and selflessness on their part. Even though they did a good deed, Lencho blamed them for taking away some amount of money. This shows that man does not have faith in his fellow humans, thereby giving rise to this conflict.

---

Long Qs.

Q1. Why did Lencho write a letter to God? Why did he call the post office employees ‘a bunch of crooks’?

Ans. Lencho’s ripe corn fields were destroyed by hailstones. He was very sad. He knew that his family would die of hunger if no help reached him. He had full faith in God. He hoped that God would surely help him with money to sow crops again in his fields. So he wrote a letter to God.

The postmaster read his letter and laughed heartily. But soon, he became serious. He did not want to break Lencho’s faith in God. So he collected money from his employees to help Lencho. He put the money in an envelope and posted it. Lencho came to get his letter. He opened it and counted the money. He found it less by 30 pesos. He wrote another letter to God. He requested Him to send money directly, not via the post office. He also called the post office employees ‘a bunch of crooks’. He thought them dishonest persons and doubted that they had stolen his 30 pesos. This is the irony in the story.