How the Camel Got His Hump

AP / NCERT Solutions for Grade 8 English Supplementary Reader It So Happened
Chapter 1 – How the Camel Got His Hump

Comprehension Check (Page 3)

1. What tasks, do you think, were assigned to the dog and the ox?

Various tasks were assigned to all the animals. The dog was assigned to fetch and carry sticks since he was carrying a stick in his mouth. The ox was assigned to plough the field as there was a yoke on his neck.

2. Why did the camel live in the middle of the desert?

The camel was the laziest animal as he did not want to work and help man. So, he lived in the middle of a desert. 

3. What made the dog, the horse and the ox very angry?

The dog, the horse and the ox were very angry because man assigned them the work of the camel too, as he lay lazy in the middle of the desert.

4. How did the Djinn know the horse was complaining against the camel?

The horse told Djinn that the animal which stayed in the middle of the desert had a long neck and long legs. So, Djinn understood that it was the camel.

Comprehension Check (Page 5)

1. The camel was looking at his own reflection in the pool. What does it suggest to you about the camel?

The camel was looking at his own reflection in the pool. This  indicated that he was proud of his appearance, especially his back. He thought that he was the most handsome animal. He admired himself upon seeing his own reflection in the pool.

2. The camel said, “Humph” repeatedly. How did it affect him?

The camel’s back puffed up into a huge hump for repeating the word “Humph” over again and not performing the tasks assigned to him.

3. What, according to the Djinn, was the use of the “humph”?

According to the Djinn, the camel missed his daily work for three continuous days. Hence, he said that the camel would be able to perform his tasks for three days without eating. The hump on his back would help him to store food and use the energy derived from it without eating food and work for a longer period.

4. “…he has never yet learnt to behave”. In the light of this, what is the writer’s opinion about the camel?

The writer opines that the camel is a very lazy. The camel would spend his time eating sticks, thorns and prickles. When he got the hump, the Djinn asked him to go out of the desert and help the other three animals – horse, ox and dog.  As he was lazy he did not work for three days. But the camel didn't learn his lesson properly and still worked lazily as before. He, to this day, is unable to complete the pending work of the missed three days and as a result, carries the hump.

Exercise 

Discuss the following topics in groups.

1. Can this story be factually true?

No, it is not a factually true story. It is an imaginative tale.

2. What, according to you, is the story about? Consider the following:

1. How the world began.
2. Why everyone should do his/her share of work seriously.
3. How animals are important to humans.
4. How the camel got his hump

Answer : (4) How the camel got his hump.

3. What did you do over the weekend? Were you generally active or idle? Please check your back before starting to discuss or answer the question.

The last weekend I woke up at 6 a.m. and joined my father in waking . Then I helped my mother in doing the household chores. In the evening I played chess with my dad. I spent my weekend happily.  Yes, I have checked my back, and there is no hump.

4. There are broadly two categories of workers – those who prefer to do today what they can do tomorrow and those who prefer to do tomorrow what they can do today. Where do you belong?

I belong to the first category of workers, i.e., those who prefer to do today what they can do tomorrow.