Please refer to The tale of custard the dragon Class 10 English Exam Questions provided below. These questions and answers for Class 10 English have been designed based on the past trend of questions and important topics in your class 10 English books. You should go through all Class 10 English Important Questions provided by our teachers which will help you to get more marks in upcoming exams.
Class 10 English Exam Questions The tale of custard the dragon
Class 10 English students should read and understand the important questions and answers provided below for The tale of custard the dragon which will help them to understand all important and difficult topics.
Short Answer Type Questions :
Question. Why was Custard, the dragon teased as Percival?
Ans. Custard, the dragon is teased as Percival by Ink, Blink and Mustard for his timidity.
They teased him as Percival because unlike Custard, he was a courageous and brave knight of King Arthur. Custard on the other hand, was meek (submissive) and always cried for a nice safe cage.
Question. What names did Belinda give to them?
Ans. Belinda lived with different animals. She gave the kitten the name Ink. She called the gray mouse as Blink. The little yellow dog was called Mustard. The dragon was coward, thus she named him as Custard.
Question. Describe the pirate who comes through the window?
Ans. The pirate had a wooden leg and his beard was black. He had a pistol in both his left and right hand and he held a cutlass in his teeth.
Question. Where did Belinda live? Who else lived with her?
Ans. Belinda lived in a little white house with other animals. There was a little black kitten, a little gray mouse, a little yellow dog and a little pet dragon.
They all lived together happily and with affection.
Question. How do they celebrate Custard getting rid of the pirate?
Ans. Belinda embraces him, Mustard, the dog licks him. Ink, the cat and Blink, the mouse dance around him in circles in celebration of Custard eating up the pirate.
Question. How is ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ a ballad?
Ans. A ballad is actually a story which is sung in rhyme to show adventure, suspense, romance etc. It is highly musical due to its rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme of the poem is aabb. The poem possess both these characteristics and hence, is a ballad.
Question. What do all of them do when the pirate comes?
Ans. When they see the pirate, Belinda cries for help. Ink, the cat, hides under the house, the mouse runs to his hole, the dog yelps and runs but the dragon attacks the pirate.
Question. What was the ‘nasty sound’ they all heard one day? How did they react to it?
Ans. The ‘nasty sound’ was of a pirate. Mustard looked at him and growled at it. Ink gave out ‘Meowch’ sound and Belinda cried ‘ooh’. They looked around to see what kind of sound it was. They were curious to know who had produced it.
Question. Why is it fair to say that Custard could be the ‘poster-boy’ for the belief that the real nature of a person is revealed at times of the greatest difficulty?
Ans. Custard could be the perfect poster-boy for the belief that the real nature of a person is revealed at times of the greatest difficulty. This is because Custard showed his true courageous nature when he fought fiercely with the pirate. He was considered as cowardly by his house mates before this incident.
Question. How did Custard face the pirate?
Ans. When the pirate came in Belinda’s house, all of her pets except Custard hid themselves. Custard jumped infront of the pirate to fight him. He even clashed his tail. During this fight, the pirate shot two bullets at him which missed its aim. Finally, Custard ate him and left no trace of him.
Question. Where did Belinda live and with whom?
Ans. Belinda lived in a little white house with her four pets and a red wagon. She had a black kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard and a coward dragon named Custard.
Question. Custard humbly accepts that other animals are braver than him. Give a reason to support your stance that humility is a virtue worth possessing.
Ans. Custard humbly accepts that other animals are braver than him because humility is a virtue worth possessing because it helps us in not placing too much importance to our achievements. It also allows us to accept our vulnerabilities.
Question. What did Custard look like?
Ans. Stanza three of the poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ describes the physical appearance of the dragon. Custard, the dragon has big sharp teeth. He has spikes on top and scales underneath him. His mouth is like a fireplace and his nose is like a chimney. He has daggers on his toes.
Question. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called ‘cowardly dragon’?
Ans. Custard cried for an nice safe cage because he was a ‘coward’ who wanted peace and safety.
He is called a ‘cowardly dragon’ because apart from him, all other pets are described as very brave. Belinda is as brave as a big group of bears, Ink and Blink can chase lions and Mustard is like an angry tiger.
Compared to all of them, the dragon demanded nice safe cage so it is called ‘Cowardly dragon’.
Question. Was everyone really as brave as they claimed?
Ans. Belinda and her three pets, excluding Custard, were very proud of their bravery but, they were not really brave. It was only Custard, who had the courage to face the pirate and fight him. So, among all, only Custard was brave.
Question. Did Custard match his physical appearance?
Ans. No, Custard did not match his appearance, as he looked dangerous but actually he was a coward. He always cried for a nice and safe cage, while everyone laughed at him for his cowardice.
Question. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example “Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon” — the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?
Ans. In the poem, ‘The Tale of Custard, the Dragon’, the poet has used a lot of poetic devices. Following are some of the devices used
(i) Simile Mouth like a fireplace.
(ii) Repetition The repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in stanza 1.
(iii) Onomatopoeia Use of sound words such as ‘weeck’ and ‘meowch’.
(iv) Metaphor Use of comparison such as ‘Nose for a Chimney’.
Question. The usage of words like ‘realio trulio’ creates a wonderful poetic effect. How?
Ans. The words ‘realio trulio’ create a wonderful poetic effect by making the poem interesting to read. In actual there are no such words as ‘realio’ and ‘trulio’. They actually mean ‘really’ and ‘truly’, respectively.
Question. Were Belinda and her pets grateful to Custard for killing the pirate? How did Custard react to their reactions?
Ans. Yes, Belinda and her pets were grateful to Custard for killing the pirate, but it was only temporary. Soon after expressing gratitude, Mustard, Ink and Blink started giving excuses for their cowardice and things went back to normal, as it was before the pirate incident. Custard, the dragon reacted in a humble manner and accepted that all other pets are braver than him.
Question. State the reason you think the poet named the animals Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard?
Ans. The poet named the animals Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard to make the poem interesting to read and to maintain the rhyming scheme of the poem. Mustard was named so because he was yellow in colour.
Question. What did everyone do when the pirate came?
Ans. When the pirate came, Belinda cried for help and became pale with fear.
Mustard ran away with a terrified cry and Ink hid himself in the bottom of the house, while Blink disappeared in his hole. It was only Custard who jumped in front of the pirate to fight him and showed the courage to face the pirate.
Question. How did Custard accept his cowardice and others bravery?
Ans. Custard accepted his cowardice by asking for safe cage and accepted other’s bravery when they boasted of how brave they could be infront of the pirate. But, in real, Custard was the bravest of all because he was the one who killed the pirate and saved everyone in the house. However, he chose to be humble and modest instead of boasting about himself.
Long Answer Type Questions :
Question. Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.
Ans. ‘The Tale of Custard the dragon’ is a very light hearted funny poem that is meant to be enjoyed by everyone. The fixed rhyme scheme and the use of wrong spelling to maintains and it, makes it easy and enjoyable to read. Even the names of the pets are rhyming and evokes laughter.
The description of Belinda and her pets makes the poem entertaining. Belinda’s bravery is described as equal to a group of bears. The smallest of her pets, her kitten Ink and mouse Blink have been shown so brave that they can scare a lion.
The dog Mustard is like an angry tiger. But the biggest of them all, the dragon is nice and cowardly. He is always crying for a safe cage. In addition, the reactions of these characters to the dangerous pirate, also makes it funny.
Question. The dragon, Custard was considered a coward. The humble dragon proved his bravery in adversity. Analyse that certain qualities like bravery and courage are situational and spontaneous. Express your views with reference to the poem, “The Tale of Custard, the dragon”.
Ans. It is true that bravery and courage are situational and spontaneous. This fact has been aptly conveyed in the poem ‘‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’’. wherein the dragon was considered a coward. He was laughed at for crying for a nice safe cage. He never boasted of his bravery and courage, unlike Belinda and her other pets do. Everyone else, including Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard claim to be brave. They even made fun of Custard’s cowardice.However, when the time to show their courage came, none of them could face the danger.
They hid themselves in some corner of the house. It was only Custard who dared to face the frightening pirate. He not only fought the pirate but also ate him up. It was a dangerous situation to which Custard spontaneously responded. His courage and bravery came out in a threatening situation. Hence, it is true that qualities like courage and bravery are situational and spontaneous.
Question. Do you think that one should be made fun of because of their preferences and choices in life?
Explain in the context of Custard, the dragon.
Ans. According to me, one should never make fun of anyone on the basis of their lifestyle and their choices.
One must always remember that choices and preference can depend on unexplanable factors.
In the poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’, Custard makes one such choice of wishing for a ‘nice safe cage’. He prefers comfort and safety. However, Belinda and her other pets always laugh at him.
They think of him as a coward for choosing to stay in cage and make fun of him. Custard, the dragon soon proved that his choice of comfort doesn’t make him a coward. Infact, instead of all the ‘brave’ pets of Belinda, it was Custard who fought the pirate. It was Custard who showed courage to face the pirate and kill him. Therefore, one must never judge anyone for choice. Appearance may be deceptive. Just like the dragon who appeared to be a coward but was actually courageous, another person might also be different from what show him/her to be his/her preferences.
Extract Based Questions :
Question. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
(i) How brave were the kitten and the mouse?
(ii) Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage?
(iii) Which word is similar to ‘anger’?
(iv) Which figure of speech has been used in the first and the third line of the stanza.
(v) Why was the dragon called the cowardly dragon?
Ans. (i) The kitten and the mouse were so brave that they could scare away lions.
(ii) Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward.
(iii) The word is ‘rage’.
(iv) Figure of speech used in first and third line is ‘Simile’.
(v) The dragon was called cowardly dragon because in spite of having immense strengths and potential , he always cried for a nice safe cage.
Question. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
(i) Who was tickled by Belinda?
(ii) Why did she tickle ‘him’?
(iii) Who are Ink, Blink and Mustard?
(iv) Why did they all laugh at ‘him’?
(v) What does realio, trulio mean?
Ans. (i) Custard, the dragon, was tickled by Belinda.
(ii) She tickled him to tease and make fun of him.
(iii) Ink is a little black kitten, Blink is a grey mouse and Mustard is a little yellow dog. They all are Belinda’s pets.
(iv) They are laughed at him because they all thought him to be a coward.
(v) Realio, trulio actually means really and truly. The words have been changed by the poet so as to give rhythm to the poem.
Question. Read the extract to attempt the questions that follow.
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) What is the colour of Belinda’s dog?
(iii) What were the kitten and the mouse called?
(iv) Which word in the stanza is an antonym of ‘dull’.
(v) Name the poetic device used in the line – “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”.
Ans. (i) The name of the poem is ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ and the name of the poet is Ogden Nash.
(ii) Belinda’s dog is yellow as mustard.
(iii) The kitten is called Ink and the mouse is called Blink by Belinda.
(iv) The word sharp is the correct antonym of dull.
(v) Simile is used in the line – “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”.
