Past board exam questions
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Explain the irony in Lencho blaming the postmaster for stealing money. (A Letter to God)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – any two points with textual evidence; Expression 1)
The irony is that Lencho suspects the very people who helped him. The postmaster and the post office employees had collected money from their own salaries and from friends to send him seventy pesos, yet Lencho, receiving less than he asked for, blames them and calls them ‘a bunch of crooks’ – a misplaced suspicion.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 5 marks
Read the following extract and answer the questions :
The postmaster — a fat, amiable fellow — also broke out laughing, but almost immediately he turned serious and, tapping the letter to his desk, commented, “What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter. Starting up a correspondence with God!”
So, in order not to shake the writer’s faith in God, the postmaster came up with an idea: answer the letter.
(A Letter to God)
(i) Justify the following statement : (1)
What faith! I wish I had the faith of the man who wrote this letter.
(ii) Fill in the blank with a correct word from the brackets. (1)
The postmaster turned serious on seeing the letter addressed to God because he realized that the writer had _____________ (immense/limited) faith in God.
(iii) Examine the portrayal of the postmaster in the given extract. (2)
(iv) Why did the postmaster initially laugh on seeing the letter ? (1)
(A) It was a blank sheet of paper.
(B) He lacked faith in God.
(C) He had received such letters earlier.
(D) He had never known such an address.
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(i) (Any one) The postmaster was surprised at the staunch faith Lencho had in God – enough to write a letter to Him; he admired, and even envied, Lencho’s unwavering faith.
(ii) immense
(iii) (Any two) He is shown as fat, amiable and jovial – he first laughs at the letter; but he soon becomes thoughtful and serious; he is kind and generous, deciding to answer the letter so as not to shake the writer’s faith in God.
(iv) (D) He had never known such an address.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 6 marks
How do Lencho in ‘A Letter to God’ and Kisa Gotami in ‘The Sermon at Benares’ respond to their experiences of suffering and loss ? How did they overcome their respective losses ?
(Answer in about 100-120 words.)
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(Content 3 – any three points supported by textual evidence; Expression 2; Accuracy 1)
Lencho, a poor farmer who depended on his crop, lost everything when a hailstorm destroyed his cornfield, leaving his family on the verge of starvation. He responded with unshakable faith, writing to God for a hundred pesos; even when he received less, he believed God had sent it and suspected the post office employees instead. Kisa Gotami’s loss was emotional: her only son died. She refused to accept his death and went from house to house, and then to the Buddha, seeking medicine to revive him. Both suffered great loss, but they overcame it differently. Lencho overcame his material loss through strong …
CBSE 2026 board paper · 6 marks
Compare the two stories, ‘Letter to God’ and ‘The Black Aeroplane’ from ‘Stories About Flying’. Examine how both these stories illustrate that help can come in unexpected forms.
(Answer in about 100-120 words.)
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(Content 3 – at least one point from each aspect, with textual evidence; Expression 2; Accuracy 1)
In ‘A Letter to God’, a hailstorm destroys Lencho’s crop and he writes to God asking for a hundred pesos. The help actually comes from the postmaster and his employees, who collect money for him, though Lencho never learns the true source and even suspects them of stealing. In ‘The Black Aeroplane’, a pilot flying through a storm, almost out of fuel and with his instruments dead, is guided safely to the runway by a mysterious black aeroplane, yet the controller says no other plane was on the radar. Both stories show that help arrives at a moment of extreme crisis and seems almost miraculous. …
CBSE 2026 board paper · 6 marks
How does Lencho’s faith in God, as shown in ‘A Letter to God’ contrast with the skepticism of Kisa Gotami in ‘Sermon at Benares’. Support your answer with details from the two texts.
(Answer in about 100-120 words.)
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(Content 3 – any three points with textual evidence; Expression 2; Accuracy 1)
Lencho, ruined when a hailstorm destroys his crop, turns at once to God in his crisis and writes a letter asking for a hundred pesos; Kisa Gotami, whose only son has died, tries to find a solution herself, carrying the dead child from house to house in search of medicine. Lencho believes in a divine miracle, whereas Kisa Gotami learns through real effort – searching for mustard seed from a house where no one has died. Lencho distrusts humans, even calling the post office employees ‘a bunch of crooks’, while Kisa Gotami places her trust in people and in the Buddha. Lencho’s faith only grows stronger when he …
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Faith can move mountains. Support briefly with reference to the chapter, “A Letter to God”.
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
When the hailstorm ruined his crops, Lencho did not lose hope; he kept his faith in God and wrote a letter asking Him for 100 pesos. He was sure that God would reply and not disappoint him. His faith did bring help: the postmaster and the post office employees collected 70 pesos and sent them to him, which he believed came from God.
CBSE 2026 board paper · 6 marks
Compare how the texts of ‘A Letter to God’ and ‘Dust of Snow’ use nature to either test or transform human emotion and belief.
(Answer in about 100-120 words.)
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(Content 3 – at least three value points; Expression 2; Accuracy 1)
In ‘A Letter to God’, nature is a powerful, dual-edged force that both sustains and destroys. The much-needed rain first fills Lencho with hope of a good harvest, but it soon turns into a hailstorm that ruins his entire crop, leaving his family in hardship and despair. Nature thus tests Lencho’s faith; yet his belief in God remains unshaken, and he writes to God for help. In ‘Dust of Snow’, on the other hand, nature is a gentle, positive force. A crow shaking down dust of snow from a hemlock tree – a small, ordinary event – brings an unexpected moment of renewal, and the poet’s sad mood is transformed instantly. Thus, in …
CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks
Is Lencho’s faith truly admirable or does it verge on blind superstition ? Justify your answer.
(A Letter to God)
(Answer in about 40-50 words.)
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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1)
Lencho’s faith is admirable in that it shows extraordinary hope and determination in adversity; he never doubts God, and even presumes that anything less than 100 pesos must have been stolen by the post office employees. Yet it verges on blind superstition: instead of working hard or thinking of a practical solution for his family’s survival after the hailstorm, he puts all his faith in a letter, and instead of believing in human kindness he trusts only his blind belief.
