Question Bank — First Flight 1 — A Letter to God

QUESTION BANK

Unit: First Flight — A Letter to God (Prose + Poem “Dust of Snow”)

Section A — MCQs (10 questions, 1 mark each)

1. What did Lencho hope for at the beginning of the story?
   a) A good harvest
   b) A heavy downpour
   c) Help from neighbours
   d) Money from the government

2. Which word best describes Lencho’s attitude towards God?
   a) Doubtful
   b) Unquestioning
   c) Indifferent
   d) Critical

3. Assertion (A): Lencho decided to write a letter to God.
   Reason (R): He believed that God’s eyes see everything, even what is deep in one’s conscience.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

4. The hailstones are compared to “new silver coins” because they
   a) were valuable
   b) looked white and round
   c) brought happiness
   d) could be collected

5. Who read Lencho’s letter first at the post office?
   a) The postmaster
   b) A postman
   c) The postmaster’s friend
   d) Lencho’s wife

6. Assertion (A): The postmaster collected money for Lencho.
   Reason (R): He did not want to shake Lencho’s faith in God.
   a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   c) A is true but R is false.
   d) A is false but R is true.

7. What does the crow symbolise in the poem “Dust of Snow”?
   a) Beauty
   b) Sorrow or ordinary events
   c) Joy
   d) Hope

8. Lencho called the post office employees “a bunch of crooks” because
   a) they stole his letter
   b) he believed they had kept part of the money
   c) they laughed at his letter
   d) they refused to help him

9. The phrase “an ox of a man” is a metaphor that highlights Lencho’s
   a) intelligence
   b) physical strength and hard work
   c) cruelty
   d) wealth

10. In “Dust of Snow”, the poet’s mood changed because of
    a) a long walk
    b) the dust of snow falling on him
    c) meeting a friend
    d) reading a book

Section B — Reference to Context (3 extracts, 4 marks each)

Extract 1

“The house — the only one in the entire valley — sat on the crest of a low hill… Lencho… had done nothing else but see the sky towards the north-east.”

1. Who is the speaker/narrator describing?
2. What was Lencho waiting for?
3. Identify the literary device used in “the only one in the entire valley”.
4. What does the phrase “done nothing else but see the sky” suggest about Lencho?

Extract 2

“God: Of the money that I asked for, only seventy pesos reached me. Send me the rest… But don’t send it to me through the mail because the post office employees are a bunch of crooks. Lencho.”

1. Who wrote this letter and to whom?
2. Why was Lencho angry?
3. Name the figure of speech used in “a bunch of crooks”.
4. What does this extract reveal about Lencho’s character?

Extract 3

“The way a crow / Shook down on me / The dust of snow / From a hemlock tree…”

1. Name the poet and the poem.
2. What happened to the poet?
3. Identify the literary device in “dust of snow”.
4. How did this small incident affect the poet’s day?

Section C — Short Answer (5 questions, 3 marks each)

1. Why did Lencho compare the raindrops to “new coins”?
2. What was the postmaster’s reaction on reading Lencho’s letter?
3. How did the postmaster help Lencho without shaking his faith?
4. In the poem “Dust of Snow”, how did a simple incident change the poet’s mood?
5. What two kinds of conflict are shown in the story “A Letter to God”?

Section D — Long Answer (2 questions, 6 marks each)

1. Draw a character sketch of Lencho in 100–120 words. Highlight his faith, hard work and simplicity.
2. “Faith can move mountains.” How does the story “A Letter to God” illustrate this statement? Write in 100–120 words with examples from the text.

Section E — Language and Writing (2 questions, 4 marks each)

1. From the unit, fill in the blanks with words that express emphasis through negatives (use words/phrases from the story):
   a) The hail had left __ on the trees.
   b) Lencho showed _ surprise on seeing the money.
   c) He had done ___ but look at the sky.
   (2 marks)

2. Write a short paragraph (80–100 words) on “The Power of Faith” using Lencho’s story as an example. (2 marks)