THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON
The tale of Custard the Dragon is a whimsical fantasy in verse about a little girl named Belinda. She had pets and all were little. She lives alone in her house with for pets viz. a little kitten named Ink, a grey coloured mouse named Blink, a little yellow coloured dog named Mustard and a dragon named Custard.. All the people of the house pride themselves on their fearlessness at make believe games, and they look down upon poor Custard for his timidity. But one day when a pirate arrives, only Custard is ready with a suitably ferocious response. He gobbles the pirate up and shows his friends that he can be brave in certain circumstances. After the danger is past, everyone begins to boast again their courage and Custard agrees that everyone also is braver than he is. But none everyone knows the fact as who is brave and who is coward.
Q.1 Who are the characters of the Poem ? List them with their pet names.
Answer: The characters in the poem are Belinda, a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow pet dragon and a pirate.
Character Name
Kitten Ink
Mouse Blink
Dog Mustard
Dragon Custard
Q.2. Why did Custard cry for a nice, safe cage ? Why is the dragon called a ‘Cowardly Dragon’?
Answer: Custard cried for a nice, safe cage because it was a coward. He is called a ‘Cowardly Dragon’ because all other animals laughed at him. Hie didn’t like that. So he cried to a nice and safe cage.
Q.3. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…………”- why ?
Answer: Belinda tickled the dragon because it was very scared and cried for a safe cage. They all laughed at it it was a coward.
Q.4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. List some more such poetic devices used in the poem.
Answer: In the entire poem the poet has made extensive use of similes. Some of them are – a part from simile, another poetic device that has been used is repetition. For example the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in the first stanza to emphasise how everything from the house to Belinda to her pets were all little. Also, in the seventh stanza, the poet has made use of incorrect spelling as a poetic device to maintain the rhyme scheme of the poem. He has to chosen to write ‘Winda’ instead of ‘window’ as winda rhymes with Belinda, whereas ‘window’ does not. He has also used alliteration in the poem. For example, in the tenth stanza, ‘Custard’ has ‘clashed’ his tail with a ‘clatter’ and a ‘clank’. Similarly, in stanza eleven, the pirate ‘gaped’ at the dragon and ‘gulped’ some ‘grog’.
Q.5. 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: Some such images used in the poes are ‘big sharp teeth’, ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel’, brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘snorting like an engine’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at worm’ etc.
Q.6. Rhyming words of the followings.
House – mouse
Wagon – dragon
Ink – Blink
Teeth – underneath
Nose – toes
Bears – stairs
Rage – cage
Age – cage
Sound – around
Right – bright
Wood – good
Dragon – flagon
Hit – bit
Gyrate – pirate
Q.7. Name the poet of the poem ” The Tale of Custard the Dragon”.
Answer: The poet of the poem is Ogden Nash
Q.8. What is ballad ?
Answer: A ballad is a song or poem that tells a story.
Q.9. Where did Belinda live ?
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house.
Q.10. What was the name of the little black kitten ?
Answer: The name of the black kitten was Ink.
Q.11. What was the name of the little grey mouse ?
Answer: The name of the little grey mouse was Blink.
Q.12. What was the name of the little yellow dog?
Answer: The name of the little yellow dog was Mustard.
Q.13. What did Belinda call the little pet dragon ?
Answer: Belinda called the little pet dragon Custard.
Q.14. Name the pets of Belinda.
Answer: The pets of Belinda were- the kitten was named Ink, the mouse was named Blink, the dog was named Mustard and the dragon was names Custard.
Q.15. Who were the pets of Belinda?
Answer: A kitten, a mouse, a little dog, and dragon were the pets of Belinda.
Q.16. Who possessed the big sharp teeth ?
Answer: The dragon called Custard possessed the big sharp teeth.
Q.17. How did the dragon’s mouth looked like ?
Answer: The dragon’s mouth looked like a fireplace.
Q.18. The dragon was called Percival. Who called it Percival ?
Answer: Ink, Blink, and Mustard called the dragon as Percival.
Q.19. How brave was Belinda ?
Answer: Belinda was as brave a full of bears.
Q.20. Whom did Belinda tickle?
Answer: Belinda tickled Custard , the dragon.
Q.21. How did Ink react when it heard a nasty sound ?
Answer: Ink cried “meowch” when it heard a nasty sound.
Q.22. How did Custard look like when he clashed with the pirate ?
Answer: Custard looked like a robin at a worm when he clashed with the pirate.
Q.23. Why did Belinda cry for help ?
Answer: Belinda cried for help because she saw the pirate with a pistol in his hand.
Q.24. With what did the poet compare Belinda’s braveness ?
Answer: The poet compared Belinda’s braveness with a barrel full of bears.
Q.25. Who ate the pirate ?
Answer: Custard ate the pirate.
Q.26. What happened when Belinda laughed ?
Answer: The house shook when Belinda laughed.
Q.27. Who according to all pets and Belinda coward ?
Answer: According to all pets and Belinda, Custard was coward.
Q.28. Who chased lions down the stairs ?
Answer: Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs.
Q.29. Who amongst the pets was judged as brave ?
Answer: Amongst the pets, Custard was judged as brave.
Q.30. Who entered Belinda’s little white house ?
Answer: A pirate entered Belinda’s little white house .
Q.31. What did the dragon have on his toes ?
Answer: The dragon had daggers on his toes.
Q.32. Why did the dragon cry for a nice safe cage ?
Answer: The dragon cried for a nice safe cage because it was a cowardly dragon.
Q.33. Why did the dragon called “cowardly dragon” ?
Answer: The dragon was called a ‘cowardly dragon’ because it used to cry for a nice safe cage.
Q.34. What did the pirate carry in both of his hands ?
Answer: the pirate carried pistols in both of his hands.
Q. 35. With what, was the pirate’s one leg made of ?
Answer: The pirate’s one leg made of wood.
Q.36. State whether the following are true or false.
a. Belinda had a little black kitten named Blink.
Answer: False.
b. Belinda had a pet dragon name Custard.
Answer: True.
c. Belinda had a pet tiger named Mustard.
Answer: False
d. The dragon had a big sharp teeth.
Answer: True
e. Percival was the other name given to dragon.
Answer: True
f. A thief had entered Belinda’s little white house.
Answer: false
g. Custard finished off the pirate by gobbling.
Answer: true.
h. Custard had been compared to a robin.
Answer: True
i. Custard agreed that he alone was brave.
Answer: false.
Q.37. The poem ‘The tale of Custard the Dragon’ is written by Ogden Nash / Robin Klein / John Berryman.
Answer: Ogden nash
Q.38. Belinda live in a cottage / palace / little white house.
Answer : Little white house.
Q.39. The name of the little black kitten is Blink / Ink / Mustard.
Answer: Ink
Q.40. Belinda called the dragon as Custard / Mustard / Blink.
Answer: Custard.
Q.41. The dragon’s mouth was like a chimney / mantelpiece / fireplace.
Answer: Fireplace.
Q.42. They all heard a _________ sound. (Sweet / nasty / buzzing)
Answer: nasty.
Q.43. The pirate was equipped with pistol in his left hand / pistol in his right hand / pistols in both hands.
Answer: Pistols in both hands.
Q.44.Where did Belinda live. Name the pets possessed by her.
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house. The pets possessed by Belinda were Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard.
Q.45. Briefly describe the physical features of the dragon.
or
How did the dragon look in appearance ?
Answer: Custard the dragon looked terrifying. It had big sharp teeth and claes like daggers. Its mouth was like a fireplace and nose was like a chimney. It had scales underneath.
Q.46. What information do you get a about Belinda ?
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house. She had four pets namely- a little black kitten, a little yellow dog, and a little grey mouse. Her little pet dragon was very friendly and loving by nature.
Q.47. How did they all show their bravery ? How was the dragon different ?
Answers: Belinda was as a brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were fearless. They followed the lions down the stairs. Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage. Custard showed crying for a nice safe cage.
Q.48. Describe briefly about the pirate.
Answer: The pirate had a black bushy beard and a wooden leg. He held pistols in his hands and a sharp cutlass in his teeth. It was clear from his activities that he meant no good.
Q.49. How was the dragon ?
Answer: The dragon was named Custard. It had big sharp teeth. On the top of there were spikes on his body. It’s underneath body had scales. Its mout was like a firplace and its nose was like a chimney. There were daggers on his toes.
Q.50. How did Custard the dragon face the pirate ? What was the outcome of their fight ?
Answers: Custard the dragon jumped up snorting. He clashed his tail. Thus he prepared himself to face the pirate. The pirate was amazed at his 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.
Answer: In the entire poem the poet has made extensive use of similes. Some of them are – a part from simile, another poetic device that has been used is repetition. For example the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in the first stanza to emphasise how everything from the house to Belinda to her pets were all little. Also, in the seventh stanza, the poet has made use of incorrect spelling as a poetic device to maintain the rhyme scheme of the poem. He has to chosen to write ‘Winda’ instead of ‘window’ as winda rhymes with Belinda, whereas ‘window’ does not. He has also used alliteration in the poem. For example, in the tenth stanza, ‘Custard’ has ‘clashed’ his tail with a ‘clatter’ and a ‘clank’. Similarly, in stanza eleven, the pirate ‘gaped’ at the dragon and ‘gulped’ some ‘grog’.
Q.5. 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: Some such images used in the poes are ‘big sharp teeth’, ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel’, brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘snorting like an engine’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at worm’ etc.
Q.6. Rhyming words of the followings.
House – mouse
Wagon – dragon
Ink – Blink
Teeth – underneath
Nose – toes
Bears – stairs
Rage – cage
Age – cage
Sound – around
Right – bright
Wood – good
Dragon – flagon
Hit – bit
Gyrate – pirate
Q.7. Name the poet of the poem ” The Tale of Custard the Dragon”.
Answer: The poet of the poem is Ogden Nash
Q.8. What is ballad ?
Answer: A ballad is a song or poem that tells a story.
Q.9. Where did Belinda live ?
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house.
Q.10. What was the name of the little black kitten ?
Answer: The name of the black kitten was Ink.
Q.11. What was the name of the little grey mouse ?
Answer: The name of the little grey mouse was Blink.
Q.12. What was the name of the little yellow dog?
Answer: The name of the little yellow dog was Mustard.
Q.13. What did Belinda call the little pet dragon ?
Answer: Belinda called the little pet dragon Custard.
Q.14. Name the pets of Belinda.
Answer: The pets of Belinda were- the kitten was named Ink, the mouse was named Blink, the dog was named Mustard and the dragon was names Custard.
Q.15. Who were the pets of Belinda?
Answer: A kitten, a mouse, a little dog, and dragon were the pets of Belinda.
Q.16. Who possessed the big sharp teeth ?
Answer: The dragon called Custard possessed the big sharp teeth.
Q.17. How did the dragon’s mouth looked like ?
Answer: The dragon’s mouth looked like a fireplace.
Q.18. The dragon was called Percival. Who called it Percival ?
Answer: Ink, Blink, and Mustard called the dragon as Percival.
Q.19. How brave was Belinda ?
Answer: Belinda was as brave a full of bears.
Q.20. Whom did Belinda tickle?
Answer: Belinda tickled Custard , the dragon.
Q.21. How did Ink react when it heard a nasty sound ?
Answer: Ink cried “meowch” when it heard a nasty sound.
Q.22. How did Custard look like when he clashed with the pirate ?
Answer: Custard looked like a robin at a worm when he clashed with the pirate.
Q.23. Why did Belinda cry for help ?
Answer: Belinda cried for help because she saw the pirate with a pistol in his hand.
Q.24. With what did the poet compare Belinda’s braveness ?
Answer: The poet compared Belinda’s braveness with a barrel full of bears.
Q.25. Who ate the pirate ?
Answer: Custard ate the pirate.
Q.26. What happened when Belinda laughed ?
Answer: The house shook when Belinda laughed.
Q.27. Who according to all pets and Belinda coward ?
Answer: According to all pets and Belinda, Custard was coward.
Q.28. Who chased lions down the stairs ?
Answer: Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs.
Q.29. Who amongst the pets was judged as brave ?
Answer: Amongst the pets, Custard was judged as brave.
Q.30. Who entered Belinda’s little white house ?
Answer: A pirate entered Belinda’s little white house .
Q.31. What did the dragon have on his toes ?
Answer: The dragon had daggers on his toes.
Q.32. Why did the dragon cry for a nice safe cage ?
Answer: The dragon cried for a nice safe cage because it was a cowardly dragon.
Q.33. Why did the dragon called “cowardly dragon” ?
Answer: The dragon was called a ‘cowardly dragon’ because it used to cry for a nice safe cage.
Q.34. What did the pirate carry in both of his hands ?
Answer: the pirate carried pistols in both of his hands.
Q. 35. With what, was the pirate’s one leg made of ?
Answer: The pirate’s one leg made of wood.
Q.36. State whether the following are true or false.
a. Belinda had a little black kitten named Blink.
Answer: False.
b. Belinda had a pet dragon name Custard.
Answer: True.
c. Belinda had a pet tiger named Mustard.
Answer: False
d. The dragon had a big sharp teeth.
Answer: True
e. Percival was the other name given to dragon.
Answer: True
f. A thief had entered Belinda’s little white house.
Answer: false
g. Custard finished off the pirate by gobbling.
Answer: true.
h. Custard had been compared to a robin.
Answer: True
i. Custard agreed that he alone was brave.
Answer: false.
Q.37. The poem ‘The tale of Custard the Dragon’ is written by Ogden Nash / Robin Klein / John Berryman.
Answer: Ogden nash
Q.38. Belinda live in a cottage / palace / little white house.
Answer : Little white house.
Q.39. The name of the little black kitten is Blink / Ink / Mustard.
Answer: Ink
Q.40. Belinda called the dragon as Custard / Mustard / Blink.
Answer: Custard.
Q.41. The dragon’s mouth was like a chimney / mantelpiece / fireplace.
Answer: Fireplace.
Q.42. They all heard a _________ sound. (Sweet / nasty / buzzing)
Answer: nasty.
Q.43. The pirate was equipped with pistol in his left hand / pistol in his right hand / pistols in both hands.
Answer: Pistols in both hands.
Q.44.Where did Belinda live. Name the pets possessed by her.
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house. The pets possessed by Belinda were Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard.
Q.45. Briefly describe the physical features of the dragon.
or
How did the dragon look in appearance ?
Answer: Custard the dragon looked terrifying. It had big sharp teeth and claes like daggers. Its mouth was like a fireplace and nose was like a chimney. It had scales underneath.
Q.46. What information do you get a about Belinda ?
Answer: Belinda lived in a little white house. She had four pets namely- a little black kitten, a little yellow dog, and a little grey mouse. Her little pet dragon was very friendly and loving by nature.
Q.47. How did they all show their bravery ? How was the dragon different ?
Answers: Belinda was as a brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were fearless. They followed the lions down the stairs. Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage. Custard showed crying for a nice safe cage.
Q.48. Describe briefly about the pirate.
Answer: The pirate had a black bushy beard and a wooden leg. He held pistols in his hands and a sharp cutlass in his teeth. It was clear from his activities that he meant no good.
Q.49. How was the dragon ?
Answer: The dragon was named Custard. It had big sharp teeth. On the top of there were spikes on his body. It’s underneath body had scales. Its mout was like a firplace and its nose was like a chimney. There were daggers on his toes.
Q.50. How did Custard the dragon face the pirate ? What was the outcome of their fight ?
Answers: Custard the dragon jumped up snorting. He clashed his tail. Thus he prepared himself to face the pirate. The pirate was amazed at his 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.