Students should read the The Tale of Custard the Dragon Summary Class 10 English provided below prepared based on the NCERT Book for Class 10 English. In the summary, the teacher has provided the gist of the lesson. The students will be able to understand the entire chapter easily. Students should go through all Class 10 English Chapter Summary provided by us on our website.
Class 10 English The Tale of Custard the Dragon Summary
The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a whimsical fantasy. Belinda lives alone in her house with four pets, a dog, a cat, a mouse and a dragon named Custard. All other dwellers of the house except Custard, pride themselves on their fearlessness. They mock poor Custard for his timidity. However, when the real danger comes all others run away in a panic except Custard. Only Custard fights ferociously and swallows the pirate. The poem ends ironically. After the danger is past, everyone begins to boast again about their courage. Ironically, Custard who fought like a hero against the pirate agrees that everyone else is braver than he is. So, appearances may be deceptive. And even your
merit and real value may not be recognised by your unwilling rivals.
Summary in Hindi
द टेल ऑफ़ कस्टर्ड द ड्रैगन’ एक सनकी कल्पना है। बेलिंडा अपने घर में चार के साथ अकेली रहती है पालतू जानवर, कुत्ता, बिल्ली, चूहा और कस्टर्ड नाम का अजगर। घर के अन्य सभी निवासी कस्टर्ड, अपनी निडरता पर गर्व करें। वे बेचारे कस्टर्ड का उसकी कायरता के लिए मजाक उड़ाते हैं। हालाँकि, जब असली खतरा आता है तो कस्टर्ड को छोड़कर बाकी सभी लोग दहशत में भाग जाते हैं। केवल कस्टर्ड लड़ता है बेरहमी से और समुद्री डाकू निगल. कविता का अंत विडंबनापूर्ण है। खतरा टल जाने के बाद, सभी अपने साहस पर फिर से शेखी बघारने लगते हैं। विडंबना यह है कि कस्टर्ड जो समुद्री डाकू के खिलाफ नायक की तरह लड़े सहमत हैं कि हर कोई उससे ज्यादा बहादुर है। तो, दिखावे भ्रामक हो सकते हैं। और यहां तक कि आपका योग्यता और वास्तविक मूल्य को आपके अनिच्छुक प्रतिद्वंद्वियों द्वारा पहचाना नहीं जा सकता है।
The Tale of Custard the Dragon Class 10 English Important Questions
Extract Based Comprehension Questions
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth, And spikes on top of him and scales underneath, Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose, And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.uestion
Question & Answer
Question. What did the dragon look like?
Ans. The Dragon had spikes on top and scale underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace and nose was like a chimney. He looked dangerous as his toes looked like daggers.
Question. Why is the dragon’s mouth called a chimney?
Ans. Dragons can spit fire, therefore Custard’s mouth has been called a fireplace.
Question. Which word in the stanza means the same as “a small sword”?
Ans. The word is ‘Dagger’.
Question. Find from the passage a word which means a structure through which smoke or steam is carried up away from a fire.
Ans. The word is ‘Chimney’.
Extract Based Comprehension Questions
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound, And Mustard growled, and they all looked around. Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda, For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Question & Answer
Question. Which poetic device is used in these lines?
Ans. In the first line, the poet has used repetition in ‘Suddenly, suddenly’.
Question. Why was everyone frightened?
Ans. Everyone was frightened because a pirate was climbing up the window.
Question. Which word in the stanza means “unpleasant”?
Ans. The word is ‘Nasty’.
Question. What does a ‘nasty sound’ refer to?
Ans. A nasty sound refers to the entry of a pirate into the house.
Extract Based Comprehension Questions
Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help! But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household, And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
Question & Answer
Question. How did the people in the house react on seeing the pirate?
Ans. Belinda became pale with fear and the Mustard fled the scene. Ink went to the bottom of the house and Blink vanished in a mouse hole. They all cried for help.
Question. Why did everyone cry for help?
Ans. Everyone cried for help because they all got frightened of the pirate.
Question. What does ‘mouseholed’ mean?
Ans. Mouseholed has been used by the poet to mean the hole made by the mouse in which it disappeared.
Question. Write the antonym of ‘bottom’.
Ans. The antonym of bottom is ‘brim
Short Answer Questions
Question. How did Custard the dragon face the pirate? What was the outcome of their fight?
Ans: Custard the dragon jumped up snorting. He clashed his tail. Thus, he prepared himself to face the pirate. The pirate was amazed at this heroic gesture of the dragon. He gulped some wine to cheer up his drooping spirits. He fired two bullets but missed the aim. In the meantime, Custard the dragon swallowed him.
Question. How did Belinda and her pets behave when the pirate had been killed by Custard?
Ans: When the pirate had been killed by Custard, Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him and Ink and Blink gyrated around him.
Question. How did all boast of their false bravery?
Ans: After the pirate had been killed, Mustard boasted that he would have been twice as brave if he had not been confused. Ink and Blink said that they would have been thrice as brave.
Question. How is ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ a ballad?
Ans. 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.
Long Answer Questions
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.
Ans. Custard’s humbleness won every reader’s heart as he showed true bravery and did not boast like Belinda and her other pets. Everyone boasted of their bravery but when they faced real danger, it was only Custard, who had the courage to face it. And he proved his bravery by not running away and facing the pirate and killing him. Qualities like bravery and courage can only be tested when someone is actually put in a dangerous situation. Therefore, these qualities are situational as becomes clear from Custard’s example. Custard looked for comfort all the time but this did not mean that he was a coward.
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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. It is not right to make fun of anyone on the basis of their life style and their choices. Custard, the dragon, always wanted comfort and safety for him and therefore always cried for a nice safe cage. Belinda and other pets of the house made fun of him because they thought that he was a coward. Custard proved that just because he likes comfort, he is not a coward. In fact, he was the only one, who had the courage to face the pirate and kill him.
Question. Evaluate Ogden Nash’s ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ as a ballad. What message does the poet give to the readers in this poem?
Ans. Ballads are stories told in verse. Generally, ballads are tales of adventures and heroism. In the poem, the poet does present the encounter of Custard and the pirate in the typical spirit of a ballad. The four-line stanzas have the rhyme scheme: aa, bb throughout the poem. Ogden Nash gives a subtle message to the readers through the fate of Custard, the dragon. In this world of deceit, self-confidence, self-dependence and self-respect are essentials to earn your rightful place among your peers. The mere presence of physical strength is not enough. The more important point is that you must be conscious of your strength. You must be fully aware of the fact that many others who are far inferior in strength and power should have no right to taunt and ridicule you.
