English Comprehension Camel

Camel

The camel is the oldest of domestic animal. It has been used for thousands of years, by the desert people of Africa and Asia to supply many of their needs. On the fertile edges of the desert, camels pull ploughs, turn wheels to irrigate the fields and carry goods to market. In the desert itself, they are still almost the only means of transport. They supply food, milk, and clothing in the form of wool and leather. This useful animal is well adapted to life in harsh, arid lands.

The Arabian Camel has one hump;

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The Bactrian Camel has two.

The hump is, in fact, a store of fat which is used as a source of energy when food and water are scarce. The camel can take up to 100 litres of water in ten minutes.

The camel has broad, soft feet for a steady grip in the sand. A thick skin protects it from the fierce daytime sun and bitterly cold night. The camel’s eyes have three eyelids to help keep out sand; its ears and nose are also adapted to keep out sand storms. Often called ‘The ships of desert’, they can carry loads of 200 kilos and more, travelling up to 160 kilometers a day.

Multiple-Choice Question:

1. Camel is the mainstay of the desert people of the world because it

(A) Does many works relating to their life

(B) Ploughs

(C) Transports things

(D) Supplies them many things.

2. Without camels the life of the desert people shall stop because

(A) Camels supply them many things

(B) They do various duties

(C) They provide them with essential things

(D) They are domestic animals

3. Camels don’t drink water almost daily because

(A) They store it in their bodies

(B) They don’t have much thirst

(C) Their taking up much more water lasts long

(D) They have no liking for it

4. It is rightly said that camels are called the ships of the desert because

(A) Without them desert life is not possible

(B) They do many jobs

(C) They help the desert people in many ways

(D) They are never tired

5. The word ‘fierce’ means

(A) Very much     (B) Great              (C) Very strange  (D) Very strong

Multiple Choice Questions (with more than one option):

6. On the fertile edges of the desert, a camel does jobs like

(A) Ploughing the fields                  (B) Sowing the seeds

(C) irrigating the land                      (D) providing security

7. Which of the following is /are correct statement/s?

(A) This animal is well adapted to live in harsh, arid climate

(B) The fur on its body keeps the body warm

(C) The animal has three eyelids

(D) The hump on its body is a store of water

8. The camels are a source of

(A) milk                (B) wool               (C) leather           (D) fibres

Fill in the blanks:

9. The camel has a broad, soft feet for a _____ in the sand.
10. The number of humps in a Bactrian camel is____.
11. The animal can store about _____ litres of water
12. The animal is commonly called as the ______ of the desert.
13. When food and water are _____, the stored fat provides energy to the animal.

True/False:

14. The camel’s eyes and ears are adapted to keep out snowstorms.
15. The synonym of ‘arid’ is dry.
16. The antonym of ‘demand‘ in the para-1 is source.
17. The animal is widely used by the Americans.
18. The word ‘bitterly’ is an adjective.

Answer key

(1)–(A); (2)–(C); (3)–(C); (4)–(A); (5)–(D); (6)–(A,C); (7)–(A,C); (8)–(A,B,C); (9)–steady grip; (10)–two; (11)–100; (12)–Ship; (13)–Scarce; (14)–False; (15)–True; (16)–False; (17)–False; (18)–False