Chapter 1: A Letter to God Dust of Snow Fire and Ice

Q1Written answer

There are different names in different parts of the world for storms, depending on their nature. Can you match the names in the box with their descriptions below, and fill in the blanks? You may use a dictionary to help you.

gale,	whirlwind,	cyclone,
hurricane,	tornado,	typhoon

1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: __ __ c __ __ __ __

2. An extremely strong wind: __ a __ __

3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: __ __ p __ __ __ __

4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: __ __ __ n __ __ __

5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: __ __ r __ __ __ __ __ __

6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: __ __ __ __ l __ __ __ __

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Worked solution

1. A violent tropical storm in which strong winds move in a circle: _c_ _y_ c _l_ _o_ _n_ _e_

2. An extremely strong wind: _g_ a _l_ _e_

3. A violent tropical storm with very strong winds: _t_ _y_ p _h_ _o_ _o_ _n_

4. A violent storm whose centre is a cloud in the shape of a funnel: _t_ _o_ _r_ n _a_ _d_ _o_

5. A violent storm with very strong winds, especially in the western Atlantic Ocean: _h_ _u_ r _r_ _i_ _c_ _a_ _n_ _e_

6. A very strong wind that moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage: _w_ _h_ _i_ _r_ l _w_ _i_ _n_ _d_

Q2Written answer

Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.

A	B
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so.	– a feeling that something good will probably happen
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing.	– thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.)
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers.	– stopped believing that this good thing would happen
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes.	– wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible)
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school.	– showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone.	– wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely

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Worked solution

A	B
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so.	– wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible)
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing.	– showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers.	– a feeling that something good will probably happen
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes.	– wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school.	– thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.)
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone.	– stopped believing that this good thing would happen

Q3Written answer

Relative Clauses: Join the sentences given below using who, whom, whose, which, as suggested.

1. I often go to Mumbai. Mumbai is the commercial capital of India. (which)

2. My mother is going to host a TV show on cooking. She cooks very well. (who)

3. These sportspersons are going to meet the President. Their performance has been excellent. (whose)

4. Lencho prayed to God. His eyes see into our minds. (whose)

5. This man cheated me. I trusted him. (whom)

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Worked solution

1. I often go to Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of India.

2. My mother, who cooks very well, is going to host a TV show on cooking.

3. These sportspersons, whose performance has been excellent, are going to meet the President.

4. Lencho prayed to God, whose eyes see into our minds.

5. This man, whom I trusted, cheated me.

Q4Written answer

Using Negatives for Emphasis: Find sentences in the story with negative words, which express the following ideas emphatically.

1. The trees lost all their leaves.

___________________________________________________________

2. The letter was addressed to God himself.

___________________________________________________________

3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.

___________________________________________________________

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Worked solution

1. The trees lost all their leaves.

Not a leaf remained on the trees.

2. The letter was addressed to God himself.

It was nothing less than a letter to God.

3. The postman saw this address for the first time in his career.

Never in his career as a postman had he seen that address.

Q5Written answer

Metaphors: In pairs, find metaphors from the story to complete the table below. Try to say what qualities are being compared. One has been done for you.

Object	Metaphor	Quality or Feature Compared
Cloud	Huge mountains of clouds	The mass or ‘hugeness’ of mountains
Raindrops
Hailstones
Locusts
		An epidemic (a disease) that spreads very rapidly and leaves many people dead
	An ox of a man

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Worked solution

Object	Metaphor	Quality or Feature Compared
Cloud	Huge mountains of clouds	The mass or ‘hugeness’ of mountains
Raindrops	Coins	The money that the good crops will bring when sold
Hailstones	Frozen pearls	Resembles the colour, hardness and brightness of pearls
Locusts	A plague of locusts	The destruction caused by plague and its consequences
Locusts	A plague of locusts	An epidemic (a disease) that spreads very rapidly and leaves many people dead
Lencho	An ox of a man	Strong and hardworking nature resembles the working of an ox in the fields

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