CBSE Class 10 English The Tale of Custard the Dragon Assignment Set 03

Short Answer Type Questions
 

Question. Describe how Custard’s reaction was different from that of others, on seeing the pirate?
Answer: Custard's reaction was different from that of others, on seeing the pirate. When the pirate arrived, others ran away to hide. But it was only Custard who went bravely to attack the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Question. Why did Belinda tickle the dragon?
Answer: Belinda tickled the dragon unmercifully because it was very scared and cried for a safe cage. They all laughed at it as it was a coward.

Question. In which kind of a house did Belinda live ? And with whom ?
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house with a little black kitten called Ink, a little grey mouse called Blink, a little yellow dog called Mustard and a little pet dragon called Custard.

Question. How brave are Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard as shown in first part of the poem ?
Answer: In the first part of the poem, Belinda is described as brave as a barrel full of bears, while Ink and Blink could chase lions down the stairs. Meanwhile, Mustard the dog was as brave as a tiger who was in an angry mood.

Question. 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. How was Custard considered and treated by others ?
Answer: Custard was considered a coward by Belinda and others because he always cried for a nice and safe cage. Belinda would tickle him unmercifully because he was a scaredy-cat, and even Ink, Blink and Mustard would be quite rude to him. All of them would usually laugh at the cowardly dragon.

Question. How did the pirate appear in the house of Belinda ? Or Give a brief description of the pirate in the poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’.
Answer: The pirate appeared in Belinda’s house with a pistol in his left hand and another one in his right hand, and he even held a short sword in his teeth. His beard was black and one of his legs was wooden and it was quite obvious that he had not come with good intentions.

Question. How did Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard react on seeing the pirate ?
Answer: On seeing the pirate, Belinda became pale with fear and cried for help. Meanwhile, Mustard the dog ran away fast, uttering a short, sharp cry. On the other hand, Ink went slowly, down to the bottom of the house and Blink hid himself in his mousehole.

Question. ‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.’ Who is Custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice safe cage’?
Answer: Custard is a small pet dragon of Belinda. He was a coward and cried for a nice safe cage because he wanted to hide in it in case of any danger. He felt that he would be safe in the cage.

Question. Why did Belinda cry for help? Who came to her help?
Answer: Belinda cried for help because she was afraid of the pirate. Custard came to her help.

Question. What did Custard do when he saw the pirate?
Answer: When Custard saw the pirate, he jumped up emitting an explosive sound and clashed his tail on the floor. Then with a loud rattling sound he went to the pirate and ate the pirate hurriedly, noisily and completely.

Question. What did others do when Custard gobbled the pirate?
Answer: After Custard had gobbled the pirate, Belinda embraced him and Mustard licked him. At the same time, Ink and Blink moved around Custard with joy and no one mourned the dead pirate.

Question. What did Custard look like ?
Answer: Custard, the little dragon, looked really dangerous with spikes on his top and scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace and nose like a chimney. He had sharp teeth and his toes looked like daggers. His physical appearance was very scary, but he was a coward who always cried for a nice and safe cage.

Question. What did everyone do when the pirate came?
Answer: The moment the pirate entered the house, everyone got scared and ran away as fast as they could. Belinda become pale with fear and Mustard ran away with a terrified cry. Meanwhile, Ink trickled to the bottom of the household and Blink ran back into his mousehole. Belinda even cried out for help. But it was only Custard who went bravely to attack the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Question. ‘Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears’ Identify two poetic devices used in the above line.
Answer: The two poetic devices used in the given line are as follows:
1. Simile : As brave as a barrel.
2. Alliteration : Brave, a barrel full of bears.
 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question. 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-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. Who was the real hero ? How did he save the other animals ? Was he proud of his bravery? Justify your answer with instances from the poem.
Answer: Custard the dragon was the real hero in the poem. When the pirate had entered their house, he had proved his bravery while the others had escaped to safety.
On hearing the sound of the pirate’s entry, Custard had jumped up and snorting like an engine, he had attacked the pirate. On the other hand, the pirate had gulped some grog and fired two bullets at him, but they had not hit the dragon at all. So, Custard went ahead and gobbled up the pirate.
As he had saved everyone’s lives, everybody appreciated his bravery. But the dragon did not acknowledge his bravery as he was a humble dragon. Moreover, when the others boasted about their bravery, Custard readily agreed that everyone was braver than him.
In the end, though he was the saviour who had gobbled up the pirate, Custard kept crying for a nice safe cage and went back to his cowardly ways.

Question. Why do you think Custard, the dragon, was called a coward? How was Custard able to save all his house-mates 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-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. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why the dragon is called ‘cowardly dragon’? How did he prove everyone wrong?
Answer: The Custard every time cried for a nice safe cage because he thought that the little white house in which he lived with Belinda and her other friends was not safe.
The dragon appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage so he was called a dragon. Later when the pirate entered the house everyone was scared and ran and disappeared, except Custard who faced him boldly, attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him.

Question. 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 and disappeared 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.
 

Extract Based Questions

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.

Question. In what way does the dragon’s desperate wish to remain in a cage challenge the traditional behaviour of dragons?
Answer: For Custard, his cage was his refuge and he desperately wished to remain in the safety of his sanctuary because he was a coward.

Question. What is the significance of the use of the words ‘giggled’ and ‘weeck’ to describe laughter in the poem and to what effect is this word choice used by the poet? Answer in about 40 words.
Answer: Ogden Nash has used the onomatopoeic words ‘giggled’ and ‘weeck’ to describe the giggling of Belinda and the mouse Blink respectively. The poet has used hyperbole to obviously exaggerate Belinda shaking the house with her giggling and has imagined how the mouse would sound in this fun mood for comic effect.

Question. What can you infer from the repetition ‘suddenly, suddenly’ in the above extract?
(a) There was an immediate change in the scene.
(b) It focuses on the hasty attack and the loud noise.
(c) It emphasises that an unexpected noise was heard.
(d) It draws our attention to the loud cry that occurred.
Answer: (c) It emphasises that an unexpected noise was heard.

Question. Identify the contrasting belief about dragons that does not apply to Custard in the poem.
Answer: All dragons are brave and fearsome animals.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink, And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Question. The animals mentioned in the given lines live
(a) with Belinda in her house
(b) in a circus owned by Belinda’s father
(c) in a zoo managed by Belinda’s family
(d) at Belinda’s animal farm
Answer: (a) with Belinda in her house

Question. What was the name of the little yellow dog? What has it been compared to and why?
Answer: The name of the little yellow dog is not mentioned in the extract. It has been compared to mustard as the taste of mustard is sharp and so is the dog.

Question. Complete the sentence using ONE word only.
The poetic device used in the third line of the extract is _____.
Answer: simile

Question. Did Custard match his physical appearance?
Answer: No, Custard did not match his appearance, as he looked dangerous but actually was a coward. He always cried for a nice and safe cage, while everyone laughed at him for his cowardice.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follows :
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

Question. Fill in the blank appropriately.
‘he’ in the given extract refers to _____.
Answer: the pirate

Question. What did everyone do when the pirate came?
Answer: When the pirate came, Belinda cried for help and became pale with fear. Mustard ran away with a terrified cry and Ink hid himself at the bottom of the house, while Blink disappeared in his hole. It was only Custard who jumped in front of the pirate and showed the courage to face the pirate.

Question. Describe the appearance of the pirate.
Answer: The pirate had a beard and a wooden leg. He held a gun in both his hands and a knife between his teeth. All in all, his appearance was quite sinister.

Question. What is the rhyming scheme of the given stanza?
(a) aabb
(b) abcbc
(c) ababc
(d) ababa
Answer: (a) aabb