What tasks, do you think, were assigned to the dog and the ox?
The dog was entrusted with the task of fetching and carrying things in its mouth while the ox had a yoke around its neck and was required to plough the fields for agriculture.
Why did the camel live in the middle of the desert?
The camel lived in the middle of the desert because he did not want to work.
What made the dog, the horse and the ox very angry?
As the camel was not working, the man thought that it is incapable of doing any work and thus asked the other three animals to work double to make up for the idleness of the camel. This made the three very angry.
How did the Djinn know the horse was complaining against the camel?
The horse described the physical appearance of the camel and also told the djinn that the thing (camel) has not done any work since Monday morning. This made the djinn realise that the horse was talking about the djinn’s camel.
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 its own reflection in the water when the djinn arrived to talk to him. This suggests that the camel was very self-involved and took proud in his vanity.
The camel said, “Humph” repeatedly. How did it affect him?
The camel was used to of saying ‘Humph’ to everyone when he was asked to work; he did the same with the djinn as well which enraged the djinn and he game the camel a hump in response to his ill behaviour.
What, according to the Djinn, was the use of the ‘humph’?
The djinn told the camel that as he had missed the first three days of work, he would be able to live and work without eating for three days. This meant that the camel could live off the nutrition stored in his hump for three days.
“…..he was never yet learnt to behave.” In the light of this, what is the writer’s opinion about the camel?
The final phrase seems to indicate that the author still thinks that the camel is an idle animal and does not like to work. Also, it indicates that the author believes that the camel is yet to understand how to behave properly amongst others.
Can this story be factually true?
This story is a tool for moral teaching and can’t b factually true as it involves talking animals and the djinn. These things do not exist in the real world.
What according to you, is the story about?
(i) How the world began.
(ii) Why everyone should do his/her share of work seriously.
(iii) How animals are important to humans.
(iv) How the camel got his hump.
The story talks about the camel not doing his share of work and behaving erratically with others. In response to his wrongdoings, he got a punishment in form of the hump. This indicates that every person should do his/her share of work seriously.
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.
On the weekend, I got up late. I watched my favourite TV series, played cricket in the afternoon.
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?
Do it yourself