NCERT MCQ Solutions for Class 8 English It So Happened Chapter 1 How the Camel got his Hump

The Camel’s “Humph!” represents his stubborn refusal and lazy attitude. It’s a catchphrase that defines his unwillingness to cooperate or contribute to the group’s efforts.

The setting of a “Howling Desert” emphasizes the Camel’s isolation and desire to escape responsibility. This desolate environment reflects his empty, unproductive existence away from the working world.

The stick symbolizes the Dog’s role and duty, which is to fetch and carry. Each animal approaches the Camel with a symbol of its own specific type of work.

The Ox, a beast of burden, asks the Camel to plough. This highlights the theme of shared labor, where every member of a community is expected to contribute.

In folklore and mythology, a Djinn (or genie) is a powerful supernatural spirit, often associated with a specific domain. Here, the Djinn acts as a magical authority figure.

This illustrates the concept of shared responsibility. When one member of a team is lazy, the burden of their work often falls unfairly upon the others.

The Camel’s mockery of the animals’ meeting shows his arrogance and disdain for their collaborative efforts. He places himself above the community and its rules.

The Djinn’s phrase “I’ll humph him” is a clever play on words. It suggests that the Camel’s own negative response will be turned back on him as a punishment.

This is the story’s central magical event. The physical manifestation of the hump is a direct, poetic consequence of the Camel’s repeated utterance of “Humph,” symbolizing his laziness.

The story provides a “just-so” explanation for a real biological feature. The hump is cleverly re-framed as a tool that allows the Camel to work off his debt.

Mentioning specific days of the week adds a realistic, structured timeline to the mythical tale. The Camel’s three days of idleness lead to this confrontation on Thursday.

The act of admiring his reflection characterizes the Camel as vain and self-absorbed. This vanity contributes to his idleness and isolation from the other working animals.

After receiving his punishment, the Camel is ordered to rejoin society and contribute. This reinforces the story’s moral that everyone must participate and do their share of work.

Fables often teach a moral lesson. This story serves as a cautionary tale, demonstrating that idleness and a refusal to work inevitably lead to negative and lasting consequences.

Rudyard Kipling was a renowned author famous for his “Just So Stories,” which are imaginative origin myths explaining how various animals acquired their distinctive features.

This detail grounds the fantastical story in realistic biology. Camels are adapted to desert life and can survive on tough, thorny vegetation that other animals cannot eat.

The saddle represents the Horse’s domesticated role and its specific duty. It serves as a visual contrast to the idle, unburdened Camel, highlighting the theme of work.

The story concludes by suggesting that while the Camel was forced to work, his bad attitude never fully changed, adding a touch of realism to the fantastical tale.

The story uses wordplay to connect the sound of the Camel’s complaint (“humph”) to the name of his physical punishment (“hump”), making the moral lesson more memorable.

The animals’ anger reflects a sense of injustice. They are upset because the Camel’s refusal to work violates the principle of fairness and shared responsibility within their group.