CBSE Class 10 English The Tale of Custard the Dragon Assignment

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

INTRODUCTION—
‘The Tale of Custard, the Dragon’ is a funny poem that tells the story of a little girl Belinda and her pets.Belinda lives with her little pets – a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon, in her little house. Belinda and all her pets except the dragon have been described as very brave creatures. But the dragon is so coward that it is always looking for the safety of a cage.

SUMMARY—
This is a story of a girl Belinda, who has some strange pets. They have queer names. She calls the black kitten Ink, the little grey mouse as Blink, the yellow dog as ‘Mustard’ and the cowardly dragon ‘Custard’. Belinda’s, kitten, mouse and dog were very brave but the dragon was a coward. One day, a pirate came armed with a pistol into their house. Except the dragon, Custard, all the others were terrified of the pirate. Custard attacked the pirate and gobbled him up. Belinda then embraced him while Mustard licked him. Even after this brave incident, Custard did not give up his cowardly ways. He still kept on crying for a safe cage.

Explanation of the Poem

1. Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Explanation: In the beginning stanza of the poem, the characters of the poem are introduced. They are :Belinda, who lived in a little white house with her pets and a wagon. Her pets include a black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog and a little dragon. 

2. 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.

Explanation: Belinda called her little black kitten as Ink and her little grey mouse was called Blink. The colour of the dog was as sharp and yellow as mustard. Her dragon was called Custard. He was not brave like other pets but a coward.

3. 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.

Explanation: This stanza describes the dragon. Custard’s physical appearance. He carried all the features of a dragon that could make him powerful, scary and brave. It had big sharp teeth and spikes on its back that could easily scare anyone away. Custard also had the ability to spit fire which makes his mouth like a fireplace and thus his nose became a chimney. His toes were so pointed and sharp that could cut anything like a dagger.

4. 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.

Explanation: This stanza describes all the members of the house. Belinda as brave as many bears combined together into one. Ink and Blink had the power to chase away someone as strong as a lion. Belinda’s dog’s bravery is compared to that of a tiger. But Custard was just opposite to his physical appearance. He was not at all brave, but he always looked for a nice safe cage.

5. 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.

Explanation: Belinda tickled the dragon quite cruelly to make it laugh. The dragon was named Percival by Ink, Blink and Mustard. Seeing the dragon, react to the tickling, made all of them laugh and they laughed sitting in the wagon at the cowardly dragon.

6. 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.

Explanation: Belinda laughed a lot at the dragon. She laughed so loudly that it appeared that the house was shaking due to her laughter. Blink, the mouse said, ‘Week’ which is the giggling sound of the mouse.Ink and Mustard asked the dragon’s age to make fun of him as he always behaved like a kid. But Custard the dragon only wanted a nice safe cage for himself.

7. 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.

Explanation: When all the members were busy making fun of Custard, suddenly there came an unpleasant sound from the house. Mustard, the dog growled and looked around it for the sound. Ink cried ‘Meowch’ and Belinda cried ‘Ooh’ when they all saw a pirate, climbing the window of the house to rob it.

8. 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.

Explanation: The pirate looked very dangerous as he was carrying many weapons with him. He had pistol in both his hands. He also held a sharp blade between his teeth. He had black beard and a wooden leg.His looks and gesture made it quite clear that he meant to harm the house and the people living in it.

9. Belinda paled, and she cried Help ! Help !
But Mustard fled with terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mousehold.

Explanation: When Belinda looked at the pirate, she turned pale with fear and cried loudly for help. All her brave pets fled from the place. Mustard cried and ran away. Ink silently went to the bottom of the house and Blink very smartly disappeared in a mouse hole, leaving Belinda all alone.

10. But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Explanation: When all the pets hid themselves, it was the coward dragon, Custard, who came to their rescue. He jumped in front of the pirate and made huge sounds like an engine, in anger. He moved his tail and made clattering sounds like an iron rod striking the walls of a prison in a dungeon. Making all these dangerous sounds, he followed the pirate like a robin who follows a worm to eat it.

11. The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon.
He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit,
And custard gobbled him every bit.

Explanation: The pirate was shocked to see Belinda’s dragon. He gaped at him and drank some wine from a bottle that he carried in his pocket. The pirate then took out his pistol and fired two bullets at Custard.But he failed to hit him and Custard was unharmed. Then Custard swallowed the whole of the pirate,without leaving any trace of him.

12. Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

Explanation: Everyone was surprised to see Custard eating the pirate. There was joy all over the house.Belinda embraced him to express her gratitude for saving everyone. Mustard licked the dragon to show his love. Everyone celebrated the death of the pirate. They were all happy. Ink and Blink started dancing around the dragon out of happiness.

13. But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,
I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.

Explanation: After the pirate incident, it was quite clear who was brave and who was coward. But, Mustard gave an excuse for his cowardice and said that he would have been twice as brave as Custard if he had not got nervous; when the pirate came. Ink and Blink said that they would have been thrice as brave as the dragon. They started giving excuses for their running away. The humble dragon accepted that he was the most coward and everyone was braver than him. 

Extract Based Questions 

Read the lines given below and answer the questions that follow :

1. 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. What was the colour of the kitten ink ?
(i) white
(ii) black & white
(iii) black
(iv) black brown
Answer.(iii) black

Question. Here ‘she’ refers to ....................... .
(i) Belinda
(ii) Ink
(iii) Belinda’s sister
(iv) Belinda’s friend
Answer.(i) Belinda

Question. The dragon was a ..................... .
(i) coward
(ii) brave
(iii) intelligent
(iv) courageous
Answer.(i) coward

Question. Yellow dog was sharp as ................... .
(i) knife
(ii) sword
(iii) needle
(iv) mustard
Answer.(iv) mustard 

2. 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. What was the colour of his beard ?
(i) grey
(ii) black
(iii) brown
(iv) white
Answer.(ii) black

Question. Who held the pistols ?
(i) Dragon
(ii) Belinda
(iii) Pirate
(iv) Dog
Answer.(iii) Pirate

Question. Find a word in the passage which means the same as ‘thief’
(i) pirate
(ii) robber
(iii) burglar
(iv) pickpocketer
Answer.(i) pirate

Question. What was his one leg made of ?
(i) steel
(ii) iron
(iii) wood
(iv) alloy
Answer.(iii) wood

OR

Question. What was he holding in both hands ?
(i) pistols
(ii) guns
(iii) swords
(iv) knives
Answer.(i) pistols

Question. Name the poet.
(i) Ogden Nash
(ii) Carl Sandburg
(iii) Robin Klein
(iv) Robert Frost
Answer.(i) Ogden Nash

Question. Who is ‘he’ in the second line ?
(i) Dragon
(ii) Dog
(iii) Pirate
(iv) Poet
Answer.(iii) Pirate

Question. It was clear that the pirate meant no ................... .
(i) noise
(ii) good
(iii) harm
(iv) silence
Answer.(ii) good

3. Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him, No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

Question. Name the bravest creature who saved every body in Belinda’s house ?
(i) ink
(ii) mustard
(iii) blink
(iv) custard
Answer.(iv) custard

Question. Everyone embraced Custard because he had killed the ........................ .
(i) pirate
(ii) boy
(iii) man
(iv) lion
Answer. (i) pirate

Question. Actually the dragon was not .......................... .
(i) brave
(ii) a coward
(iii) courageous
(iv) weak
Answer.(ii) a coward

Question. Which word in the passage means the same as ‘hug’ ?
(i) gaped
(ii) embraced
(iii) mourned
(iv) gyrate
Answer.(ii) embraced

OR

Question. Name the poem.
(i) The Trees
(ii) The Tale of Custard the Dragon
(iii) Animals
(iv) How to Tell Wild Animals
Answer.(ii) The Tale Of Custard the Dragon

Question. Whom did Belinda embrace ?
(i) Blink
(ii) Ink
(iii) Custard
(iv) Mustard
Answer.(iii) Custard

Question. Find the word from the passage which means the same as ‘grieved’.
(i) embraced
(ii) licked
(iii) gyrate
(iv) mourned
Answer.(iv) mourned

Question. What is rhyme word of ‘gyrate’ in the stanza ?
(i) embraced
(ii) mourned
(iii) pirate
(iv) victim
Answer.(iii) pirate

OR

Question. Who is the victim ?
(i) mustard
(ii) ink
(iii) blink
(iv) pirate
Answer.(iv) pirate

Question. Which word means the same as ‘culprit’ in the stanza ?
(i) licked
(ii) embraced
(iii) victim
(iv) gyrate
Answer.(iii) victim

Question. Who does ‘him’ stand for in the first line ?
(i) pirate
(ii) mustard
(iii) custard
(iv) blink
Answer.(iii) custard

Question. The rhyme scheme of the stanza is
(i) abba
(ii) abab
(iii) aabb
(iv) abbb
Answer.(iii) aabb

Short Answer Type Questions 

Question. Do you find ‘The Tale of custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted comedy ? Give reasons to support your answer. 
Answer. ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a humorous, light hearted poem as the characters display behavioural attributes, contrary to their appearance as well as nature. It is extremely funny to imagine a fierce looking dragon crying for a safe cage or mouse raging like a lion.

Question. How did all boast of their false bravery?
Answer. 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. Is there a hidden message that the poet is wishing to convey or do you think that entertainment is the sole purpose of writing this poem ?
Answer. The interpretation of the message in the poem may vary for different readers. The situation narrated underscores a basic truth that the real test of courage is during a crisis. The dragon though never put his strength on display but exhibited it in action when it was required to do so.

Question. Describe the appearance of the dragon.
Answer. Custard, the dragon had a formidable appearance, with sharp teeth, toes like daggers, spikes on back and scales on the belly. Its mouth was a fireplace and the nose was always fuming like a chimney. However, in sharp contrast to the appearance, his temperament was extremely timid.

Question. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called the ‘‘cowardly dragon’’?
Answer. Custard, the dragon was not conscious of his strength. He was constantly worried about his safety. He always cried and begged for a nice safe cage in case he was in danger. Outwardly, the dragon had big sharp teeth. He had spikes on the top and scales underneath. He spat fire and his mouth looked like a fireplace. He looked very ferocious and strong. Unfortunately, he was not conscious of his power and strength. He swallowed the pirate but couldn’t convince himself that he was not a coward.

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.
Answer. Basically Ogden Nash’s, ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ has been written for children. It is a humorous poem. The poet tries to create a light-hearted atmosphere through the use of words and sounds which may tickle the young readers. All pet names Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard are funny names.
However, the poet gives quite a serious message. The poem highlights that outwardly strength and power may not convince cowardly people like Custard that they are not cowards. Self-confidence and self-respect are the traits which Custard, the dragon lacks in him.

Question. What were the names of Belinda’s pets? Do their names reflect their personalities?
Answer. Belinda has four pets. They are: a little black kitten, Ink, a little yellow dog, Mustard, a grey mouse named Blink and a dragon called Custard. Yes, their names reflect their colours and traits. The black kitten Ink is black like ink. Mustard, the dog is yellow like mustard flowers. The cowardly Custard has no strength of character like the dish, custard.

Question. How did they react when they heard a nasty sound?
Answer. Suddenly, Belinda and her pets heard a nasty sound. They were highly surprised. Mustard growled and Ink mewed. Belinda, hereself gave a cry of disbelief. Actually, it was the sound of a pirate climbing through the window.

Question. How did Belinda and her pets react on seeing the pirate?
Answer. Belinda and her pets were completely terrified on seeing the pirate. Belinda became pale with fear.
She started crying for help. The dog Mustard fled with a terrified yelp. Ink hid himself and Blink saved himself by entering a hole.

Question. How did Custard face the pirate differently than Belinda and her pets?
Answer. While Belinda herself was terrified on seeing the pirate, her other pets also behaved quite cowardly.While they fled away in fear, Custard faced the pirate like a hero. He attacked the pirate with his tall tail. He pounced upon the pirate as a robin pounces upon an insect. He swallowed the pirate within no time.

Short Answer Type Questions-II 

Question. Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer. In the third stanza, the poet describes the appearance of the dragon, Custard. Custard had big sharp teeth. He had spikes on the top of him. There were scales underneath. His mouth spat fire and looked like a fireplace. His long nose resembled a chimney. And he had ‘daggers’ on his toes.

Question. Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean.
Can you trace some images used in the poem?
Answer. Writers, particularly poets, use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Some words that give such images are in the poem:
(i) realio, trulio, little pet dragon
(ii) Custard the dragon
(iii) chimney for a nose
(iv) daggers on toes

Question. How is the bravery of Belinda and her pets described in the poem? Do they really prove their courage and bravery?
Answer. Belinda and her pets are projected as very courageous and brave in the poem. Belinda is braver than a barrel of bears. Ink and Blink could chase even lions down the stairs. Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage. Only Custard, the dragon was considered to be timid and cowardly. Ironically, all proved cowards except Custard who fought against and swallowed the pirate.

Question. Why did Belinda tickle Custard mercilessly? Why was he teased as ‘Percival’?
Answer. Belinda had a very poor opinion of Custard. She considered him a coward and always taunted and tickled him for being so. All other pets, Ink, Blink and Mustard mocked at Custard’s timidity and lack of courage. Tauntingly, they called him Percival, who was a brave knight of King Arthur.

Question. How did Belinda and her pets behave when the pirate was killed?
Answer. Belinda became so happy that she embraced Custard intimately. Her pets also celebrated the death of the pirate by dancing around Custard joyfully. However, they gave no credit to Custard for his heroic feat. On the other hand, they indulged in self-praise and self-patting.

Question. What lesson or the message does the poet seem to give to the readers?
Answer. The poet gives a definite message. Merely outer appearances and physical strength don’t make a person brave. One should have the strength of mind and self-confidence to be really great. The dragon, Custard had a lot of physical strength and he swallowed the pirate. In spite of that, he was bullied and mocked at for his timidity and cowardly behaviour.

Long Answer Type Question 

Question. ‘Bravery is spontaneous’ Explain with reference to the poem.
Answer. Custard was truly brave and did not boast like Belinda and her other pets. Custard had the courage to face real danger, whereas other ones only boasted of their bravery. Custard faced the pirate and killed him, and he proved it by not running away. Bravery and courage are qualities which are exhibited when someone actually faces a dangerous situation. Thus these qualities are spontaneous, taking the example of Custard. The incident mentioned in the poem reveals a basic truth that the real test of courage is during a crisis. The dragon though never put his strength on display but exhibits it in action when it was required to do so.

A person exhibits many qualities in his genes. The attribute of a dragon is always dangerous and fierce. How could he look for a safe cage all the time ? He had a hidden bravery inside him, of which he was unaware, and has been mocked as a coward. In real sense, Custard was not at all a coward, he was brave by birth, but he had no chance to prove it before. Bravery reacted spontaneously, when he killed the pirate and saved all.

Question. In spite of being so powerful and displaying rare bravery of killing and swallowing the pirate, why does the dragon Custard taunted as being a coward always asking for a nice safe cage?
Answer. No doubt, Custard has a lot of physical strength. Even his exterior was quite formidable. He had big sharp teeth. There were spikes on his top. There were scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace always spitting fire. He proved his strength and bravery when he encountered the terrible pirate. The pirate had two pistols and a dagger but failed to hurt or overpower Custard. The dragon fought valiantly and swallowed the pirate within no time.

Custard is constantly ridiculed and taunted by the weaker and more cowardly pets of Belinda. The reason was simple. Custard had no self-respect. Nor was he aware of his great strength. He had a very low opinion of himself. He always asked for a nice safe cage for his protection. This was the reason that he was always taunted and ridiculed as a coward.

Question. Who are the characters in the poem? List them with their pet names.
Answer. There are six characters described in the poem.
(i) There is a girl and her name is Belinda.
(ii) There is a black kitten. His pet name is Ink.
(iii) There is a little grey mouse. His pet name is Blink.
(iv) There is a little yellow dog and his pet name is Mustard.
(e) There is a pet dragon. He is called Custard.
(f) There is a pirate who is killed and swallowed by the dragon.

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 asimile. Can you, with your partner,list some more poetic devices used in the poem?
Answer.