3rd Grade Reading : Fluency and Comprehension

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 3rd Grade Reading

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Fluency And Comprehension

Adapted from “How the Camel Got His Hump” in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1902) 

Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow‐wow with the Three.

“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new‐and‐all?”

“Certainly not,” said the Djinn.

“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.”

“Whew!” said the Djinn, whistling, “that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?”

“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog; “and he won’t fetch and carry.”

“Does he say anything else?”

“Only ‘Humph!’; and he won’t plough,” said the Ox.

“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.” 

"Camel my friend, what's this is hear of your doing no work, the world so new-and-all?", and the Djinn

"Humph!"

"Camel, you've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your 'scruciating idleness." 

"Humph!"

"I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often. Camel, I want you to work."

"Humph!"

No sooner has Camel said it than he sees his back, that he is so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping human

"Do you see that hump? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work," said Djinn. 

"How can I with this humph on my back?" asked Camel.

"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."

"Humph! Humph!"

From that day to this the Camel always wears a humph. Now we call is "hump" so that we will not hurt his feelings. However, he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave. 

According to the story, what did the camel eat? 

Possible Answers:

Milkweed

All choices are correct

Thorns 

Sticks

Correct answer:

All choices are correct

Explanation:

In the beginning of the story we are told what the camel ate.

"In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Howling Desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a Howler himself. So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles, most ‘scruciating idle; and when anybody spoke to him he said “Humph!” Just “Humph!” and no more. "

The correct answer is all of the choices. 

Example Question #1 : 3rd Grade Reading

Adapted from “How the Camel Got His Hump” in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1902) 

Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow‐wow with the Three.

“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new‐and‐all?”

“Certainly not,” said the Djinn.

“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.”

“Whew!” said the Djinn, whistling, “that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?”

“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog; “and he won’t fetch and carry.”

“Does he say anything else?”

“Only ‘Humph!’; and he won’t plough,” said the Ox.

“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.” 

"Camel my friend, what's this is hear of your doing no work, the world so new-and-all?", and the Djinn

"Humph!"

"Camel, you've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your 'scruciating idleness." 

"Humph!"

"I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often. Camel, I want you to work."

"Humph!"

No sooner has Camel said it than he sees his back, that he is so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping human

"Do you see that hump? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work," said Djinn. 

"How can I with this humph on my back?" asked Camel.

"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."

"Humph! Humph!"

From that day to this the Camel always wears a humph. Now we call is "hump" so that we will not hurt his feelings. However, he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave. 

Why can the camel goes three days without eating? 

Possible Answers:

The camel can go three days without eating because he can store a lot of food. 

The camel can go three days without eating because he can live on his humph. 

The camel can go three days without eating because he had a large stomach. 

The camel can go three days without eating because he doesn't need food, he just needs water. 

Correct answer:

The camel can go three days without eating because he can live on his humph. 

Explanation:

At the end of the story we are told that the camel can go three days without eating because of his humph. 

"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."

 

Example Question #1 : Fluency And Comprehension

Adapted from “How the Camel Got His Hump” in Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1902) 

Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, “Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.”

“Humph!” said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow‐wow with the Three.

“Djinn of All Deserts,” said the Horse, “is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new‐and‐all?”

“Certainly not,” said the Djinn.

“Well,” said the Horse, “there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.”

“Whew!” said the Djinn, whistling, “that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?”

“He says ‘Humph!’” said the Dog; “and he won’t fetch and carry.”

“Does he say anything else?”

“Only ‘Humph!’; and he won’t plough,” said the Ox.

“Very good,” said the Djinn. “I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.” 

"Camel my friend, what's this is hear of your doing no work, the world so new-and-all?", and the Djinn

"Humph!"

"Camel, you've given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your 'scruciating idleness." 

"Humph!"

"I shouldn't say that again if I were you. You might say it once too often. Camel, I want you to work."

"Humph!"

No sooner has Camel said it than he sees his back, that he is so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping human

"Do you see that hump? That's your very own humph that you've brought upon your very own self by not working. Today is Thursday, and you've done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work," said Djinn. 

"How can I with this humph on my back?" asked Camel.

"That's made a-purpose all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don't you ever say I never did anything for you. Stay with the Three, and behave."

"Humph! Humph!"

From that day to this the Camel always wears a humph. Now we call is "hump" so that we will not hurt his feelings. However, he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.

Why were the horse, dog, and ox mad at the camel? 

Possible Answers:

The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because the camel would not talk to them. 

The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because the camel only talked to the Man. 

The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because the camel got to eat better food than they did. 

The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because they had to work double-time since the camel refused to work. 

Correct answer:

The horse, dog, and ox were mad at the camel because they had to work double-time since the camel refused to work. 

Explanation:

We were told near the beginning of the story that the Man said the horse, dog, and ox would have to work double-time to make up for the camel not working. 

"At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, “Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new‐and‐all); but that Humph‐thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double‐ time to make up for it.”

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new‐and‐all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow‐wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ’scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said “Humph!” and went away again."

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