The NCERT Class 8 English book It So Happend (printed as It So Happened in the textbook) is the Class 8 English supplementary reader: 8 chapters across 76 printed pages. The official NCERT PDF of every chapter sits in the table directly below, so the file you need is one tap away.
What this page adds is the measure of the book. You get the question count of every chapter, the exercise blocks that repeat through all 8 chapters, and a reading order built around the shortest and longest texts — useful before you open the PDF, not just after.
Download the official NCERT PDFs
These PDFs are NCERT’s own files, published on the official NCERT textbook portal at ncert.nic.in/textbook.php, so every link below carries the board’s copy of the book. Each chapter is a separate small PDF — open the chapter you need instead of waiting on a single full-book download.
| Ch. | Chapter | Pages | Official PDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How the Camel got his hump | 6 | |
| 2 | Children at work | 10 | |
| 3 | The Selfish Giant | 8 | |
| 4 | The treasure within | 9 | |
| 5 | Princess September | 11 | |
| 6 | The fight | 10 | |
| 7 | Jalebis | 11 | |
| 8 | Ancient Education System of India | 11 |
The book at a glance
Three numbers describe this book before you open it.
- 8 chapters across 76 printed pages, from a 6-page origin tale to an 11-page factual account.
- All 8 chapter PDFs are official NCERT files, linked in the table above.
- 112 questions in total — 92 inside the chapters and 20 as closing exercises.
- No numbered teaching sections: the named blocks are exercise blocks, and they repeat through the book.
- Each chapter’s study page below shows its current status.
The question load is not even. Princess September carries the most with 18 questions, while The Selfish Giant carries the least with 10. These counts describe this NCERT book, not any syllabus.
What is inside each chapter
| Ch. | Chapter | Sections | Activities | Figures | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How the Camel got his hump | — | — | — | 12 |
| 2 | Children at work | — | — | — | 15 |
| 3 | The Selfish Giant | — | — | — | 10 |
| 4 | The treasure within | — | — | — | 13 |
| 5 | Princess September | — | — | — | 18 |
| 6 | The fight | — | — | — | 15 |
| 7 | Jalebis | — | — | — | 15 |
| 8 | Ancient Education System of India | — | — | — | 14 |
The directory above lists the 8 chapters with what the book prints in each. The sections column reads 0 because the book’s named blocks are exercise blocks, not numbered teaching sections; the questions column counts every question in a chapter, from its Comprehension Check blocks to its closing exercises.
Chapter 1: How the Camel got his hump (6 pages)
How the Camel got his hump is a humorous origin tale that explains how the camel earned his hump, and at 6 pages with 12 questions it is the shortest, lightest read in the book.
Chapter 2: Children at work (pp. 7-16)
Children at work is a serious story about a child labourer, and its 15 questions ask a reader to sit with a difficult social theme before the lighter stories that follow.
Chapter 3: The Selfish Giant (8 pages)
The Selfish Giant is a fairy tale about a selfish giant whose refusal to share his garden keeps it trapped in winter — with 10 questions it is the book’s lightest question load.
Chapter 4: The treasure within (9 pages)
The treasure within is a profile of the architect Hafeez Contractor, showing that talent and determination can achieve a great deal when formal schooling does not come easily — 9 pages, 13 questions.
Chapter 5: Princess September (pp. 34-44)
Princess September is the story of a princess and her songbird, working through love, possession and freedom — and with 18 questions it carries the book’s heaviest question load.
Chapter 6: The fight (10 pages)
The fight is a story in which a physical fight between two boys ends in mutual respect and friendship, with 15 questions across its 10 pages.
Chapter 7: Jalebis (11 pages)
Jalebis is a humorous story about a boy, temptation and sweets, where the lessons of consequence and honesty arrive through laughter — 11 pages, 15 questions.
Chapter 8: Ancient Education System of India (11 pages)
Ancient Education System of India is the book’s only factual chapter — a survey of how education ran in ancient India, from Takshashila to Nalanda — so it is the one chapter where recall of facts matters more than story comprehension, at 11 pages and 14 questions.
The chapter prints these sections, in this order:
- Salient Features of Ancient Education System
- Sources of Education
- Viharas and Universities
- Takshashila or Taxila
- Role of the Teacher
- Nalanda University
- Role of Community
- Continuation of Indian Education System
Chapter study pages
Each chapter below links to its own study page when one is live; chapters still being prepared show their current status instead.
| Ch. | Chapter page |
|---|---|
| 1 | How the Camel got his hump (coming soon) |
| 2 | Children at work (coming soon) |
| 3 | The Selfish Giant (coming soon) |
| 4 | The treasure within (coming soon) |
| 5 | Princess September (coming soon) |
| 6 | The fight (coming soon) |
| 7 | Jalebis (coming soon) |
| 8 | Ancient Education System of India (coming soon) |
How to use this book
The book repeats the same shape in every chapter, so one reading order works for all of them.
- Start with How the Camel got his hump — at 6 pages it is the shortest chapter and the natural warm-up.
- Read the stories in order, but leave Ancient Education System of India for last and treat it as a separate task: it needs recall of facts, not plot.
- When a chapter carries a Before you read prompt — chapters 2 and 4 do — read it first; it sets the scene before the text begins.
- Read the story once, straight through, then work through the Comprehension Check.
- Finish with Think it Over, discussing your answers aloud where you can — these questions are open-ended reflection.
Three blocks repeat through the book, and each asks something different:
| Question block | What it asks | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Before you read | Sets the scene before you start the text | Chapters 2 and 4 |
| Comprehension Check | Checks understanding in small steps as you read | Every chapter |
| Think it Over | Discussion and reflection, often with no single right answer | Every chapter |
The book also prints two group-work variants: “Discuss the following topics in groups” in The Selfish Giant and “Work in small groups” in Jalebis.
Not sure what to read tonight? Pick by mood:
- A fairy tale: The Selfish Giant
- Humour: Jalebis
- A story about a fight: The fight
- A serious modern story: Children at work
- A factual account: Ancient Education System of India
- A short warm-up read: How the Camel got his hump
One common mistake is treating the question blocks as optional reading. They are not: every chapter carries between 10 and 18 questions, so the blocks hold most of the book’s actual work.
Related resources
This listing is maintained for the 2026-27 academic session using the NCERT textbook information available to us. NCERT remains the authority for confirming the latest edition.
This page is part of the Class 8 English hub on this site.
- Class 8 English hub — all Class 8 English books, including this one: Class 8 English.
- Class 8 books page — every NCERT subject for Class 8 in one place: NCERT Class 8 books.
- Main NCERT books directory — find any class and subject from the root: NCERT books.
Sources and data verification
What this page covers: the NCERT Class 8 English supplementary reader It So Happened, official NCERT edition, with the PDFs as published on ncert.nic.in. It covers that one book and its 8 chapters — not other Class 8 English material and not the CBSE scheme of subjects.
Session and maintenance: this listing is maintained for the current session using the NCERT information available to us.
Who settles what: NCERT settles textbooks, editions and PDFs; CBSE settles curriculum, syllabus and examinations. Textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical — for exam preparation, check the current official syllabus.
Reference: NCERT Class 8 English textbook It So Happened, official edition on ncert.nic.in. Section titles and exercise blocks quoted from the textbook; page references are to the official PDF.
Frequently asked questions
How many chapters are in the NCERT Class 8 English book It So Happened?
Eight chapters across 76 printed pages. The list runs from the 6-page How the Camel got his hump to the 11-page Ancient Education System of India.
Is the It So Happened PDF official and free to download?
Yes. Every PDF linked on this page is NCERT’s own file, hosted on ncert.nic.in, and each chapter downloads free as its own small PDF.
Which chapter is about a child labourer?
Children at work (pp. 7-16). It is the book’s most serious story, following a child labourer’s struggle.
Which chapter covers education in ancient India?
Ancient Education System of India, the final chapter. It covers Takshashila, Nalanda and the role of the teacher, and it is the only factual chapter in the book.
Where can I find answers to the questions in this book?
Start with the chapter study pages above — each chapter links to its own study page once one is live. For questions you must answer tonight, the Comprehension Check items are short recall questions you can work straight from the text.