How the Camel got his hump

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

Ans. 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?

Ans. The camel was the laziest animal. Hence, he lived in the middle of a howling desert because he did not want to work. He ate sticks, thorns and prickles and whenever anybody came to speak to him he just said “Humph!” and nothing more.

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

Ans:

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. This meant that the three of them would need to work double-time in order to make up for the camel’s laziness.

Question 4:

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

Answer:

While the other animals were assigned the camel’s work due to his laziness, the horse complained against the camel to the Djinn who was in charge of all the deserts. He told him that the animal which stayed in the middle of the desert with a long neck and long legs had not done a stroke of work since the beginning of the week. Hearing this, the Djinn instantly understood that the horse was referring to the camel for his idleness, who was not helping them in work

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Question 1:

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

Answer:

It indicates that he was proud of his looks and appearance, especially his back. Perhaps he assumed that he was the most handsome-looking animal and was admiring himself upon seeing his own reflection in the pool.

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

Ans. The Djinn was trying hard to remind the camel about his work which the lazy animal avoided due to his idleness. The camel kept saying “Humph” again and again in a repetitive tone which annoyed the Djinn. In no time, 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.

Question 3:

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

Answer:

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.

Question 4:

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

Ans. The camel was very lazy animal and loves sitting idle and avoids doing work. All day he would spend eating sticks, thorns and prickles. However, after he got the hump, the Djinn asked him to go out of the desert and help the other three animals – horse, ox and dog and also behave like others while working. It was due to his laziness that he missed performing tasks for three days. The Djinn told him that his hump would help him to store food and use the energy derived from it without eating food. It would also help him to finish the pending work, and he would continue carrying the hump and living in the desert forever.