Question

Read the following extracts and answer the questions.

Not a leaf remained on the trees. The corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were gone from the plants. Lencho's soul was filled with sadness. When the storm had passed, he stood in the middle of the field and said to his sons, “A plague of locusts would have left more than this. The hail has left nothing. This year we will have no corn.” That night was a sorrowful one. “All our work, for nothing.” “There's no one who can help us.” “We'll all go hungry this year.” (A Letter to God)

1. Why were there no leaves left on the trees?     (1)
   
   1. The locusts ate them up.
   2. An earthquake had occurred.
   3. There was a hailstorm.
   4. The animals grazed on them.
2. Fill in the blank with the correct word from the brackets.     (1)
   Lencho felt ______ (jubilant/devastated) when he saw his destroyed corn fields.
3. ‘When Lencho says, “All our work, for nothing,” what does he refer to? Explain in about 40 words.     (2)
4. ‘Why would Lencho have preferred a plague of locusts to a hailstorm?     (1)

Answer 1

1. There was a hailstorm.
2. Lencho felt devastated when he saw his destroyed corn fields.
3. Lencho refers to the hard work he and his family had put into cultivating their crops. However, the hailstorm destroyed everything, leaving them with no harvest. This meant they had no food or income for the year, leading to despair.
4. Lencho believed that a plague of locusts would have left more crops behind than the hailstorm. While locusts eat crops, they do not completely destroy everything, like hailstones, which left nothing behind.