How The Camel Got His Hump: 8th CBSE English Chapter 1

How The Camel Got His Hump 8th Class NCERT CBSE English ‘It So Happened’ Chapter 1

Question: Why did early man domesticate a few animals?

Answer: Early man domesticated animals for different purposes. They used them to carry heavy loads, draw carts and plough the field.

Question: Which animal in your opinion is man’s best friend and most useful too?

Answer: The dog is man’s best friend. It provides security and even draws the sledge on ice. It is known for its faithfulness. The horse and the elephants have also been very friendly to man.

Question: Do you think the camel renders no service to man?

Answer: The camel is rightly called the ship of the desert. It renders a variety of services to man. It is the chief means of transport across the desert. It ploughs the fields and gives milk and meat to its master.

Question: Do yon think hump on a camel’s back has no use?

Answer: The hump on a camel’s back is an obstruction in riding. But it is vary useful. It coma ins fat arid food. A camel can get its food from the hump for several days.

Question: Who was Djinn? How did he set the camel right?

Answer: Djinn was in-change of all deserts. So the horse, ox and the dog complained to him about the camel’s laziness. The Djinn scolded the camel, gave a hump on its back and ordered it to serve man as did other animals.

Question: What tasks, do you think, were assigned to the dog and the ox?

Answer: The dog was assigned the task of fetching and carrying sticks, while the ox was assigned the task of ploughing.

Question: Why did the camel live in the middle of the desert?

Answer: The camel lived in the middle of the desert because it did not want to work. It ate sticks, thorns, and prickles, and when anybody spoke to it, it said “Humph!” and nothing more.

Question: What made the dog, the horse and the ox very angry?

Answer: The man told the dog, the horse and the ox that since the camel cannot work, he would leave it alone and the three of them would have to work double-time to make up for the work not done by the camel. This made the three of them very angry.

Question: How did the Djinn know the horse was complaining against the camel?

Answer: The Djinn knew that the horse was complaining against the camel because he was the in charge of all deserts and knew about everything happening in relation to his deserts.

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

Answer: The camel’s looking at his own reflection in the pool shows that he was proud of his appearance, especially his back. He liked admiring himself.

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

Answer: When the camel said “Humph!” repeatedly despite the Djinn’s warning, his back puffed up into a big hump.

Question: What, according to the Djinn, was the use of the “humph”?

Answer: The Djinn assured the camel that his “humph” would not create a problem for him while working. Since the camel had skipped work for three days, he could live on his humph and would be able to work for three days without eating. This means that the hump was a kind of food reserve.

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

Answer: According to the writer, the camel is still a very lazy animal that is unwilling to work. After he got the hump, the Djinn asked him to go out of the desert to help the other three animals. It seems that the camel still did not behave himself and worked lazily in the desert itself. It is for this reason that he was still unable to complete the pending work of those three missed days; and he continued carrying the hump and living in the desert.

Discuss the following topic in groups.

Question: Can this story be factually true?

Answer: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Question: 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: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Question: 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.

Answer: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

Question: 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?

Answer: This question requires you to use your own perspective as well as your analytical skills. The answer to the question would vary from one person to another. It is suggested that you read the text carefully and try attempting it on your own.

How The Camel Got His Hump – Question: What made the Three very angry?

Answer: The Three (the Dog, the Horse and the Ox) were hard working animals. They did different works for men. The Dog carried heavy loads, the Horse drew carts and the Ox ploughed the field. These three were fed up with the Camel because he didn’t do any work. So one day they complained to Man about the Camel’s laziness. At this the Man became angry. He told the three to leave the Camel alone and work double time to compensate his (Camel’s) work. That made the three very angry. They held a panchayat but it proved invain. The camel came chewing and laughed at them.

Question: How did the Camel get a hump?

Answer: In the beginning the camel was a lazy animal. He didn’t want to work and lived in the middle of a desert away from other working animals. But the animals never forgot him and his nature. They wanted him to work like them. They complained against him to the Djinn, who was in-charge of all deserts. The Djinn decided to punish such an idle animal. He told the Camel to work like other animals but the Camel showed no willingness to work. This made the Djinn angry. He put a curse on the Camel. Soon the Camel’s back puffed up into a big bump. This is how the Camel got a hump.