NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon

The Tale of Custard the Dragon NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 10

Students who need help with their studies, don’t pass up the NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English opportunity. This is why they should take advantage of NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Poem 10 The Tale of Custard the Dragon which will provide them with all that’s needed in order to succeed during such as important year for students! This ballad named The Tale Of Custard is a humorous poem featuring a dragon named custard. The dragon is the pet of Belinda, living on a little white house along with her pet animals. The poet cals the dragon and coward and other animals as brave and fierce.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Text Book Questions and Answers

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Thinking about the Poem

Question 1.
Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.
Answer:
The kitten was called Ink and the mouse was called Blink. She called her dog Mustard and the dragon was called Custard.

Question 2.
Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?
Answer:
The Custard cried for a nice safe cage because Belinda and her other pets were very brave and bold but it wanted to hide itself. So everyone called him a coward.

Question 3.
“Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful ” Why?
Answer:
Belinda was very proud of Ink and Blink who were very brave. She did not like cowardly Custard, therefore she tickled him unmercifully.

Question 4.
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:
The poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a beautiful poem highlighting many poetic devices used by Ogden Nash, for example, the poet has used simile in the following lines to show the comparison.

  • And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard :
  • Mouth like a fireplace.
  • He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
  • Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears
  • Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage

Question 5.
Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer:
In the third stanza, the poet has drawn a very vivid picture of the furious dragon whose name was Custard. His sharp teeth intensify his fierceness as he is gifted with spikes on top and scales under-neath. The fiery dragon’s mouth is compared to fireplace and very appropriately his nose has been compared to a chimney which emnates smoke. He has got dagger like toes. Overall, the dragon ap-pears to be very frightening.

Question 6.
Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
Answer:
The poem maintains a ryhme pattern almost all over the poem with each stanza consisting of four lines. The rhyming scheme is:
[…house … mouse … wagon … dragon] [… Ink … Blink … Mustard … Custard]

Question 7.
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:
Sometimes poets use irony to present an image or a picture. Rather than saying it directly, they say . it rhetorically or emphasising a point which means first the opposite, for example, in this poem the lines – And Custard said, I quite agree’ That everybody is braver than me’ whereas the readers know the reality about their so-called bravery as Mustard fled from there and the little mouse Blink hid himself in the mousehole.

Question 8.
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:
The poem ‘Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a serious story told in a light-hearted manner. It is a tale of a pirate who wanted to kill a young girl, Belinda, but her pet dragon gobbles him up bit by bit. The poet is also aiming at commenting on the people and their boastful nature but when it comes to real help, they are nowhere to help their near and dear ones.

At the same time, they do not miss an opportunity to praise themselves once the crisis is over to win back their lost image. On the other hand, he has depicted the character of Dragon who was ridiculed by very little and tiny animals like ‘ the mouse, the cat and the dog, but he does not mind it and helps his master, Belinda when she is in danger, by gobbling up the pirate.

The poem presented in a light-hearted manner is appreciable as it is very humorous to see a mouse making fun of a fierce dragon. All the animals giggle at the dragon for being a coward but ultimately, he is the bravest of them all.

Question 9.
This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such modern song or lyric that tells a story? If you know one, tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.
Answer:
The teachers can conduct this activity in the class by giving some suggestions about ballad like Khub ladi mardani, Woh to Jhansi wali rani thi.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Extra Questions and Answers

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Reference-to-Context Questions

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

Question 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.

(a) The little dog was called ………….. because it was sharp.
Answer:
mustard

(b) Belinda’s pets are a black kitten, grey mouse, yellow dog and
Answer:
dragon

(c) Belinda called the dragon
Answer:
custard

(d) Find the antonym of ‘brave’ in the extract.
Answer:
coward

Question 2.
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a noes.
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

(a) Belinda thought that Custard the dragon was a
Answer:
coward

(b) The dragon had ‘realio, trulio’ on his toes.
Answer:
daggers

(c) “Realio, trulio” (really, truly) is used for poetic effect in the extract.
Answer:
True.

(d) Find the antonym of ‘blunt’ in the extract.
Answer:
sharp.

Question 3.
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.

(a) Mustard the yellow dog has been compared to a ………….
Answer:
tiger

(b) Belinda was as brave as a full of bears.
Answer:
barrel

(c) Custard cried for a nice safe cage, which shows his bravery.
Answer:
False

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘followed’ in the extract.
Answer:
chased.

Question 4.
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.

(a) Belinda tickled Custard, the dragon
Answer:
unmerciful

(b) Ink, Blink and Mustard called the Custard
Answer:
Percival

(c) Custard, the dragon, lived in the black wagon.
Answer:
False

(d) Find the antonym of ‘merciful’ in the extract.
Answer:
unmerciful.

Question 5.
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,…

(a) The pirate’s intention was to ………. Belinda and others.
Answer:
kill

(b ) The pirate held a bright in his teeth.
Answer:
cutlass

(c) Belinda attacked the pirate brutally.
Answer:
False

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘sword’ in the extract.
Answer:
cutlass

Question 6.
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.

(a) Belinda cried for help because she was by a pirate with a pistol.
Answer:
attacked

(b) Mustard fled with a terrified
Answer:
yelp

(c) Blink hid strategically in a mousehold.
Answer:
True

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘howl’ in the extract.
Answer:
yelp

Question 7.
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”.

(a) Custard, the dragon has been compared to an
Answer:
engine

(b) Custard attacked the pirate like a on a worm.
Answer:
robin

(c) ‘Simile’ is used in the line ‘clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon’.
Answer:
True

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘wriggle’ in the extract.
Answer:
squirm.

Question 8.
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.

(a) The pirate fired two ………… from his pistol.
Answer:
shots

(b) The pirate met his end when the dragon ………….. him up.
Answer:
gobbled

(c) The pirate gaped at the dragon because he was not scared.
Answer:
False

(d) Find the same meaning of ‘drank’ in the extract.
Answer:
gulped.

Question 9.
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.

(a) Everyone embraced the dragon because he had the pirate.
Answer:
gobbled up

(b) The Custard proved that he was not a
Answer:
coward

(c) Nobody was happy because the pirate was not eliminated. (True/False)
Answer:
False

(d) Find the antonym of ‘unhappy’ in the extract.
Answer:
glee.

The Tale of Custard the Dragon Long Answer Question

Question 1.
‘Appearances are deceptive’ is an apt summation of the poem, ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon.’ Elucidate.
Answer:
Belinda’s pet dragon though ferocious in looks, believed he was a coward at heart, it seemed. In comparison, the other pets boasted of their bravery, their ability to chase lions and their tiger cries, while the dragon just whimpered for a safe cage to hide in. The appearance of a pirate brought forth the dragon’s true worth for while the other creatures scuttled off to hide, the dragon measured up to the pirate’s threats by snorting at him, clattering his steely tail, and finally, gobbling him up.

Once the enemy was conquered, the animals emerged and made lame excuses about their inability to confront the pirate In true warrior spirit, the dragon magnanimously said that he truly a coward, exposing their weaknesses.

Conclusion

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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight (Poetry)

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