Class 8 English (It so Happened) Chapter 1 Important Question Answers - How the Camel Got His Hump

Very Short Question Answers

Q1: Write the word meaning- Cud
Ans: Semi-digested food that comes from the stomach.

Q2: Who is the author of ‘How the Camel Got His Bump’?
Ans: Rudyard Kipling is the author of the story ‘How the Camel Got His Bump’.

Q3: Write the word meaning- Fetch
Ans: Go for and bring something back.

Q4: What did the camel use to say every time?
Ans: The camel used to say ‘humph’ every time.

Q5: What did the horse ask the camel to do?
Ans: The horse asked the camel to trot like him.

Short Question Answers

Q1: How did the horse describe the camel?

Ans: The horse described the camel as a thing that lived in the middle of the desert and had a long neck and long legs. The horse further added that the camel had not worked since Monday.

Q2: How many animals are mentioned in the story? Name them.
Ans: A total of four animals are mentioned in the story. These are the horse, the dog, the ox, and the camel.

Q3: What did the Man tell the dog, the horse and the ox?
Ans: The dog, horse, and ox worked for the Man. But the camel didn’t work. So, the Man called the former three animals and said they had to work double to make up the camel’s work.

Q4: How did the camel get the hump?
Ans: At the beginning of the world, all animals used to work for man. However, the camel used to lazily sit in the middle of the desert.When other animals asked him to work, he would reply by saying, “Humph”. The Man told the other animals to work double time because the camel was not working. They became mad and went to Djinn of the Deserts. The Djinn approached the camel and asked why he was not working. The camel only said, “Humph”. So, the Djinn made a hump on his back. Thus, the camel got the hump.

Q5: How did the Djinn appear? What was the camel doing?
Ans: The Djinn rolled himself in a dust cloak. He walked some distance and then found the camel. The camel was sitting beside a pool and watching its reflection.  

Q6: Why were the three animals angry with the camel?
Ans: The three animals used to work for man. But the camel remained motionless. So, the man asked the three animals to double their labor to make up for the camel’s pending work. So, they got angry with the camel.

Q7: The camel said, “Humph” repeatedly. How did it affect him?
Ans: The camel used to say “Humph” in reply to everything. He kept saying it repeatedly in front of the Djinn. So, the Djinn made a hump on his back, which he was very proud of. As a result, the camel developed a hump on his back.

Q8: What, according to the Djinn, was the use of the “humph”?
Ans: According to the Djinn, the “humph” would help the camel when it worked constantly. He said to the camel that, with the help of the hump, the camel could work for three days without eating anything.

Q9: “…he has never yet learned to behave”. In light of this, what is the writer’s opinion about the camel?
Ans: The writer thinks that the camel is still lazy. In reality, we see that other animals are used for many things by humans. But the camel is generally used only for traveling in deserts. So, the writer thinks the camel has not improved his behavior and spends most of the day sitting in laziness.

Q10: Describe how other animals asked the camel to work.
Ans: At the beginning of the world, animals used to ask for a man. However, the camel used to be idle and not work. In the story, the horse asked the camel to trot like him, but the camel replied by saying ‘Humph’. The dog then requested that the camel bring and fetch him. The camel replied to him with the same word – “Humph”. Finally, the ox asked the camel to plow like him. This time, the camel also replied to him, “Humph”. Thus, all three animals asked the camel to do any work, but they failed to make him do so.

Long Question Answers

Q1: How did the animals express their anger to the Djinn?
Ans: The horse, the dog, and the ox asked the camel to do work like them, but he did not listen to them. So, the Man asked the animals to double their work because the camel was not working. So, they became angry and started a meeting at the edge of the desert, where they met the Djinn of all deserts. They expressed their anger by saying the camel had not done any work since Monday. The ox said he only said “Humph” and did not plow. So, the Djinn listened to them, asked them to wait a minute, and left for the camel.

Q2: Is the title ‘How the Camel Got His Hump’ appropriate for the story?
Ans: The story is amusing and attempts to explain how the camel got its hump. It states that all animals except the camel used to work for Man at the beginning of the world. So, the Man asked other animals to double their work to make up for the camel’s work. It made the animals angry, and they came to the Djinn of all deserts and elaborated on the matter. The Djinn reached the camel and asked it to work. But the camel only said, “Humph”. So, the Djinn made a hump on his back. Thus, the story is about how the camel had a hump on his back. So, the title is appropriate for the story.