English Language & Literature — CBSE Class 10 board question

Lencho's Response (A Letter to God):
Lencho, a farmer, suffers great loss when a hailstorm destroys his crops. His response is rooted in deep, unquestioning faith in God. Rather than despairing, he writes a letter directly to God asking for 100 pesos. When he receives 70 pesos (sent by the postmaster and employees), he writes again, accusing "a bunch of crooks at the post office" of stealing the rest. His faith never wavers, but ironically, he shows ingratitude toward the very humans who helped him.

Kisa Gotami's Response (The Sermon at Benares):
Kisa Gotami is devastated by her son's death and desperately seeks medicine to revive him. The Buddha sends her to fetch mustard seed from a house untouched by death. Finding no such house, she realises that death is universal. She overcomes her grief by surrendering selfishness and accepting that death is the common fate of all mortals.

Comparison:
Lencho overcomes loss through blind faith in God. Kisa Gotami overcomes it through wisdom and acceptance of life's reality. Both find consolation — one through belief, the other through enlightenment.

Source: Chapter 1 — A Letter to God; Chapter 8 — The Sermon at Benares

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• What examiners look for: Both characters must be discussed with equal weight; the question has two parts — response to suffering AND how they overcame it.
• Lencho's irony is a key point — his faith is absolute, but he is ungrateful to human helpers. Mention this for full marks.
• Kisa Gotami's arc — first trip (denial/desperation) → second trip (realisation) → acceptance — must be clear.
• Avoid retelling the full story; focus on the response and resolution.
• A brief comparative line at the end earns the synthesis mark.