The Tale of Custard the Dragon : poem | class 10th | english important questions

The Tale of Custard the Dragon important Questions and Answers

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1: ‘Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears’. Identify two poetic devices used in the above line.

Answer: (i) As brave as a barrel – Simile
(ii) Brave as a barrel full of bears – Alliteration

Question 2: Why did Belinda cry for help? Who came to her help?

Answer: Belinda cried for help because she was afraid of the pirate. The custard came to her help.

Question 3: How did Belinda’s pets, other than Custard, face the pirate?

Answer: All the animals other than the dragon used to boast about their bravery and made the fun of the dragon. But when the pirate entered the house, all got scared and ran away and disappeared except Custard, the dragon.

Question 4: How did each of Belinda’s pets react at the sight of the pirate?

Answer: Each of Belinda’s pets ran away and hid. They were scared at the sight of the pirate.

Question 5: Give a brief description of the pirate in the poem, ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’.

Answer: The pirate entered from the window. He had pistols in his left and right hand. He held a bright cutlass in his teeth. His beard was black and one leg was wood.

Question 6: Who all lived in a white house with Belinda?

Answer: Belinda lived in a white house with Ink – a black kitten, Blink – a grey mouse, Mustard – a yellow dog, Custard – a dragon and a red wagon.

Question 7: Why did everyone make fun of the dragon?

Answer: Everyone in the house used to laugh at the dragon because he always cried for a safe cage, whereas others used to boast about their bravery.

Question 8: How did they say their admiration for the dragon after the death of the pirate?

Answer: They became very happy. Belinda embraced him. Mustard licked him. Ink and
Blink jumped round surrounding him. They expressed their joy in this way. No one
mourned for the pirate.

Question 9: What did they say about their bravery after the pirate’s death?

Answer: Mustard said that he would have been twice as brave if he had not got nervous. Ink and Blink said that they had been three times as brave as he. But Custard said that he agreed with them. He said that they were braver than him.

Question 10: Who among them was actually brave? How did he show his bravery?

Answer: Custard, the dragon, was the only one who was actually brave. The others were all cowards. They disappeared when they saw the pirate. But the dragon-faced him bravely and swallowed him up.

Question 11: How is ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ a ballad?

Answer: A ballad is a poem that tells a story. The theme of a ballad is an adventure, bravery, romance, etc. Then it is highly musical due to its rhyme scheme. This poem has these qualities. But it is a parody of a ballad. The poet shows these qualities in a humorous way.

Question 12: What were the pet names of Belinda’s animals?

Answer: The little black kitten was called Ink. She gave the name Blink to the little grey mouse. The little yellow dog’s pet name was Mustard. The dragon was given the pet name Custard.

Question 13: How does the poet describe Belinda and her animals’ bravery? How was Custard different from them?

Answer: The poet says that Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink followed lions down the stairs. Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage. But Custard was a coward. He kept crying for a nice safe cage.

Question 14: How did the animals make fun of the dragon?

Answer: They laughed at the dragon. Belinda teased the dragon. She tickled him very hard. Ink, Blink and Mustard called him Percival. They sat in the red wagon and laughed at the cowardly dragon.

Question 15: Belinda and the other animals have been described as brave. But on seeing the pirate, they behaved in a cowardly way. How did they react?

Answer: Belinda turned pale with fear. She cried for help. Mustard ran barking fearfully. Ink went to the bottom of the house. The little mouse ran into his hole in no time.

Question 16: How did Custard prove to be brave when the pirate came?

Answer: Custard, the dragon, jumped and snorted like an engine. He struck the pirate with his tail like iron. There were different sounds of clatter, clank and jangle. He attacked the pirate as a robin attacks a worm.

Question 17: How did the pirate react when the dragon attacked him?

Answer: The pirate looked at the dragon with an open-mouth. He swallowed some liquor from his pocket flagon. He fired two bullets. But they did not hit the dragon. The dragon attacked him and swallowed him.

Question 18: Where did Belinda live? Which animals lived with her?

Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house. Some animals also lived with her. They were: a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog and little pet dragon.

Long Questions and Answers

Question 1: Why do you think Custard, the dragon was called a coward? How was Custard able to save all his housemates from the pirate? What values should Belinda have possessed, so that Custard too could have been among her favourites?

Answer: The dragon appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage, so he was called a cowardly dragon. Later, when the pirate entered the house with pistols in his left and right hand, everyone was scared and ran away and disappeared, except Custard who faced him boldly and attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him. Belinda should have been nice to him. She should have made him feel comfortable and safe in the house, instead of laughing and making fun of him with other pets. Belinda should have been protective towards him.

Question 2: Describe the fight between the dragon and the pirate.

Answer: The dragon had big sharp teeth, and spikes on top of him and scales underneath, but everyone laughed at him as he always cried for a safe cage, whereas everyone boasted about their bravery. But when the pirate entered, all were scared and ran away, except Custard who faced him boldly, attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him. All of them later felt obliged to Custard for saving their lives.