CBSE Class 10 English The Tale of Custard the Dragon Worksheet

The Tale of Custard the Dragon 

GIST
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.

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

1. 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.

Question. Who tickled the dragon ?
(i) ink
(ii) blink
(iii) mustard
(iv) Belinda
Answer.(iv) Belinda

Question. Who is Belinda ?
(i) a lady
(ii) a little girl
(iii) an old woman
(iv) a married woman
Answer.(ii) a little girl

Question. Find the word in the passage that means same as ‘unkind’.
(i) unmerciful
(ii) rudely
(iii) percival
(iv) cowardly
Answer.(i) unmerciful

Question. Where all sat laughing ?
(i) in little room
(ii) in library
(iii) in little red wagon
(iv) in study room
Answer.(iii) in little red wagon

                         OR

Question. The name of the cat is ..................... .
(i) Custard
(ii) Blink
(iii) Mustard
(iv) Ink
Answer.(iv) Ink

Question. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza ?
(i) abab
(ii) aabb
(iii) abba
(iv) aaab
Answer. (ii) aabb

Question. With whom was Belinda unmerciful ?
(i) Ink
(ii) Blink
(iii) Custard
(iv) Mustard
Answer.(iii) Custard

Question. Blink was a
(i) cat
(ii) dragon
(iii) rat
(iv) dog
Answer.(iii) rat

2. 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.

Question. What was beneath his body ?
(i) spikes
(ii) scales
(iii) fireplace
(iv) chimney
Answer.(ii) scales

Question. Which poetic device is used in the above lines, ‘Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose’ ?
(i) personification
(ii) metaphor
(iii) simile
(iv) alliteration
Answer.(iii) simile

Question. Who was Custard ?
(i) dog
(ii) kitten
(iii) rat
(iv) dragon
Answer.(iv) dragon

Question. How does his nose looked like ?
(i) scales
(ii) chimney
(iii) fireplace
(iv) spikes
Answer.(ii) chimney

3. 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. 

Question. How many bullets did he fire ?
(i) one
(ii) four
(iii) six
(iv) two
Answer.(iv) two

Question. Find the word from the passage which means same as ‘swallowed’.
(i) gaped
(ii) gobbled
(iii) gulped
(iv) flagon
Answer.(ii) gobbled

Question. The pirate gaped at ‘Belinda’s
(i) dog
(ii) rat
(iii) dragon
(iv) cat
Answer.(iii) dragon

Question. Who gobbled him every bit ?
(i) Blink
(ii) Mustard
(iii) Ink
(iv) Custard
Answer.(iv) Custard

4. 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. 

Question. What did Mustard, Ink and Blink do ?
(i) ran away
(ii) faced the pirate
(iii) hid themselves
(iv) saved Belinda
Answer.(i) ran away

Question. Who cried for help ?
(i) Mustard
(ii) Ink
(iii) Blink
(iv) Belinda
Answer.(iv) Belinda

Question. Name the rhyme scheme of the stanza.
(i) aaab
(ii) abab
(iii) aabb
(iv) abba
Answer.(iii) aabb

Question. Ink trickled down to the .................. of the household.
(i) top
(ii) underneath
(iii) bottom
(iv) outer
Answer.(iii) bottom

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1.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. Why was everyone frightened?
Answer.Everyone was frightened because a pirate was climbing up the window.

Question. What does a ‘nasty sound’ refer to?
Answer.A nasty sound refers to the entry of a pirate into the house.

Question. Which poetic device is used in these lines?
Answer.In the first line, the poet has used repetition in ‘Suddenly, suddenly’.

Question. Which word in the stanza means “unpleasant”?
Answer.The word is ‘Nasty’.

2.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. 

Question. Find from the passage a word which means a structure through which smoke or steam is carried up away from a fire.
Answer.The word is ‘Chimney’.

Question. Why is the dragon’s mouth called a chimney?
Answer.Dragons can spit fire, therefore Custard’s mouth has been called a fireplace.

Question. What did the dragon look like?
Answer.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. Which word in the stanza means the same as “a small sword”?
Answer.The word is ‘Dagger’.

 

3.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. Why did everyone cry for help?
Answer.Everyone cried for help because they all got frightened of the pirate.

Question. Write the antonym of ‘bottom’.
Answer.The antonym of bottom is ‘brim’.

Question. How did the people in the house react on seeing the pirate?
Answer.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. What does ‘mouseholed’ mean?
Answer.Mouseholed has been used by the poet to mean the hole made by the mouse in which it disappeared.

Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:

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 name of the dog?
Answer. Mustard

Question. Why was the dragon named as “Custard” ?
Answer. Because he was a coward.

Question. What name did she give to the mouse?
Answer. The mouse was named Blink

Question. How was the kitten was described ?
Answer. The kitten was described little and black

Question. Which poetic device used in the third line of the given stanza ?
Answer. Simile.

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath’
Mouth like a fire place, chimney for a nose
And realio,trulio daggers on his toes

Question. What sort of teeth Custard the dragon have ?
Answer. Custard had big sharp teeth.

Question. What was on the top of the dragon’s body ?
Answer. The dragon had spikes on the top of his body

Question. How does the poet describe the dragon’s mouth and nose ?
Answer. The poet describes his mouth like a fireplace and nose like a chimney.

Question. Identify the rhyme scheme of the stanza .
Answer. Rhyme Scheme : aa bb

Question. Find out the poetic device applied in the following “chimney for a nose”
Answer. Metaphor

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.

Question. Where did Belinda live ?
Answer. Belinda lived in a little white house.

Question. How is the kitten described ?
Answer. The poet describes as little and black kitten

Question. Which other animals were living with Belinda apart from the kitten?
Answer. A mouse, a dog, and a dragon

Question. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza ?
Answer. Rhyme scheme: aa bb

Question. Identify the poetic device applied in the fourth line - ----‘-pet dragon.’
Answer. Oxymoron

Very Short Answer Type Questions

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?
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. Custard humbly accepts that other animals are braver than him.
Give a reason to support your stance that humility is a virtue worth possessing.
Answer. Custard was actually very humble. He had a very low opinion of himself. Belinda and other animals pretended to be brave and inject mocked at custard. But on seeing the pirate they behaved in a cowardly way.

Question. The usage of words like ‘realio trulio’ creates a wonderful poetic effect. How ?
Answer. The poet Ogden Nash is remembered for his ‘non-sense poetry’. The poem is full of rhyming words like ‘realio trulio’ which create wonderful rhyme in the poem.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. How did Belinda and her pets behave when the pirate had been killed by Custard?
Answer. When the pirate had been killed by Custard, Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him and Ink and Blink gyrated around him.

Question. What do you think changed the attitude of the other animals and that of Belinda towards the dragon ?
Answer. The dragon, Custard, initially commanded no amount of respect from Belinda and the other pets, on account of his cowardice; but when the house was attacked by an armed pirate and all others panicked and ran for shelter,the dragon savagely attacked the pirate and ate him up. Thus, the other animals realised his worth and came to respect him genuinely.

Question. 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. The poem is a light-hearted ballad with a powerful message. If the poem was written in any other style, do you think it would have created the same effect on readers? Justify your response with reason(s).
Answer. Generally, ballads are tales of adventures and heroism. In the poem , the poet does present the encounter of clustered and the pirate in a typical spirit of a ballad . Hence, no other style would have created the same effect on readers other than a ballad.

Question.  Imagine that Custard writes a blog on ‘Overcoming fears’.
A part of the blog focuses on ways to overcome the fears within.
As Custard, write this part of the blog.
You may proceed like this :
While we agree that fear is like a big monster that resides within us. This monster shall continue to overpower us if we do not overpower it. To begin with, ……
Answer. ....... To begin with the best thing to do is to examine the reasons behind the fears, ask yourself it is a caution or irrational fear and focus on the positive. All fears are worse when we face them alone. So find someone to share your fears with. Finally, face your fears. Accept failure as a part of life and get through it and over it.

Question. How did Custard the dragon face the pirate? What was the outcome of their fight?
Answer. 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 mean time, Custard the dragon swallowed him.

Question. Belinda and 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. And the little mouse ran into his hole.

Question. How did they say their admiration for the dragon after the death of the pirate?
Answer. They became very happy . Belinda embraced him and mustard licked him.Ink and Blink jumped with happiness. .Thus they expressed their joy .

Question. Who are the characters of the poem? List them with their pet names .
Answer. Littlie black kitten Ink
Littlie grey mouse Blink
Littlie yellow dog Mustard
The dragon Custard

Question. Belinda shares a post on Instagram with the following hashtags.
#Ink#Blink#Mustard#Bravehearts#My family#My world#
She doesn’t mention Custard in her post.
As a friend of Belinda, what would be your advice to her and why?
Answer. As a friend, I would advice Belinda to be nice to custard. She should have made him feel comfortable and safe in the house and also give him equal importance instead of making fun of him. Because those who are inferior in strength and power should have no right to haunt and ridicule others.

Question. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?
Answer. The custard was coward. That is why he was called “cowardly dragon”. All other animals laughed at him. He did not like that. So he cried for a nice safe cage.

Question. “Belinda tickled him, she tickeld him unmerciful….”why?
Answer. Belinda tickled Custard to tease him for his cowardice.

Question. Read the stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer. The poet describes the physical side of the dragon . By stating his ‘ big sharp teeth’ , “spikes’ and “scales”, the poet makes him fearful.

Question. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
Answer. Second stanza ---aa bb
Third stanza __aa bb

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.
Answer. Similes used in this poem
__ And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard.
__Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears
__Snorting like an engine.
__He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Question. How did Custard prove to be brave when the pirate came ?
Answer. Custard jumped and snorted like an engine and 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. how did the pirate react when the dragon attacked him?
Answer. The pirate swallowed some liquor from his pocket flagon and fired two bullets but did not hit the dragon. The dragon attacked him and swallowed him in the end.

Question. Who among them was really brave? How did they show his bravery ?
Answer. Cusatard ,the dragon, was the only one who was brave. The others were all cowards. They disappeared when they saw the pirate. But the dragon faced him bravely and swallowed him up.

Question. Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answer. It is a light-hearted poem. The animals have been treated as human beings. There is irony in the poem. The animals who boast of their power and courage, prove to be cowards. Whereas the dragon whom everyone calls cowardly, fights bravely and kills the pirate.

Long Answer Type Questions

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.
Answer. 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. 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.
Answer. 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.

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?
Answer. 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.

Question. Being impressed by Custard’s feat, the young seagull’s sister wrote a letter to Custard seeking advice on addressing the situation with her young brother. Write Custard’s response to this letter. Base the advice from his experiences.
You may begin like this:
        Dear Ms. Seagull
       Thank you for seeking me out. I’m humbled. Based on my limited experiences, I feel…
Answer. Dear Ms. Seagull.
Thank you for seeking me out. I’m humbled. Based on my limited experience, I feel that being is the defining characteristic of an unpretentious and modest person, someone who does not think that he or she is better or more important than others. The opposite of humility is pride. Humility means peace and harmony. Each person must look into their heart and make changes so that you may become humble when you reach your destination. Humility is the basis of true love. It is an essential attitude for success in life. pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. It gives ground to fulfillment and opportunity for one’s true intent to branch out. Just remember the words of swami Vivekananda. Be yourself, the greatest religion is to be true to your nature. Have faith in yourself.

Question. Discuss some of the images used by the poet in the poem
Answer. The poet has aptly used many images in the poem to make reader clearly understand what actually they mean in the context of the poem .The mouth of the Dragon is compared to a fireplace. A fireplace is the place in a house where the sticks are burnt to keep oneself warm from cold climate. The nose is compared to a chimney showing how the nose of the dragon was fuming with smoke. Belinda was as barrel of bears .Bears are powerful animals. Barrel indicates container or the front tubular part of a gun . This shows that Belinda had the explosive power of many bears. Custard cried for a nice safe cage . Cage here signifies refuge or a safe place. Custard snorted like an engine . Custard angrily sprang into action like an engine on move . The image of Robin shows the way how it would charge at its prey.

Question. What is the major theme of the poem ?. Discuss.
Answer. It is said that a book should never be judged by seeing its cover. All the pets including Belinda fall into this folly of making quick judgements - as they see Custard cwardly , ridiculing the Dragon and calling it names. They continued to tease the dragon until the time of the arrival of the pirate. The so called powerful and brave pets of Belinda run away after seeing the pirate. The only creature who faces the pirate boldly is the Dragon. The dragon charges at him angrily and gobbles up the pirate completely. Immediately the pets and Belinda run towards the dragon to celebrate the success. Now they have come to realise the real strength of the Dragon.

Question. Custard was discriminated against, bullied and made fun of.
Such behaviour often has a disastrous impact on the victims and etches a permanent scar on their minds.
Write opinions of Wanda and Mandela on this issue.
Wanda: In my personal opinion, ……………………………….(continue)
Nelson Mandela: I strongly believe that…………………….(continue)
Answer. Wanda: In my personal opinion, a person who is bullied regularly or has been bullied before, suffers huge mental trauma and physical trauma. Some people lose their mental steadiness due to these bullies. They also lose their confidence after getting bullies. They also lose their confidence after getting bullied either temporarily or permanently. Moreover, if the person who is bullying other people succeeds in doing so, then he will get confident and continue bullying people. Such cases should be reported immediately.
Nelson Mandela: I strongly believe that the people who are victim of bullying learn to handle these situations independently if they receive proper assistance. Therefore, a person should be taught to retaliate against the bully, and at the same time, they should be taught not to bully on the weaker people to show them the power.
The oppressor should not suppress, and the victim should protest against this.

Question. Custard though mocked for his cowardice, displayed courage and was the one who saved the day in the end.
Pick a character from any of the units (lessons/poems) in First Flight, who displayed similar characteristics, like Custard and overcame a troubling issue?
What similarities and differences do you find between the character and Custard?
Answer. Custard, the dragon is portrayed as a timid dragon. He is also a humble dragon, pure in character. He never boasted about his bravery. Courage can be measured at the time of serious situation. And custard proved that he was the most courageous among all by not running away from the danger.
According to me, the similar characteristics, like Custard can be seen in Wanda Petronski from the chapter ‘The Hundred Dresses’ written by EL Bsor Ester Wanda was very shy and quite. She did not talk to anyone and hardly spoke anything in class or laughed. She quietly Sat in the last raw of the class with naughty boys so that nobody noticed her. Everybody teased her in class for her dress and shoes everyday. In anger, she claimed of having a hundred dresses and six pairs of shoes at hours. She was very determined and humble. She showed her determination in drawing competitions by displaying a hundred sketches of dresses. She claimed to own. She possessed a great capacity for forgiveness and extending friendship. She, too, overcame a troubling issue like Custard, the dragon with humility.