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The Tale of Custard the Dragon, About the PoetFrederic Ogden Nash (1902-1971) was an American poet famous for his light verse. He was known as the, producer of humorous poetry. He received Sarah Josepha Hale Award in 1964., Introduction:, The Tale of Custard the Dragon – Ogden Nash has written a poem about a little girl Belinda who owns, many pets, namely, a black kitten named ink, grey mouse named blink, yellow dog named mustard and a, coward dragon named custard. The poet has described every character to be brave except the dragon, who is a coward. But the whole situation changes when a pirate attacked Belinda’s house. No one else, had the guts to face him, it was the dragon that killed the pirate. All the characters are happy because, they are saved by the dragon but quickly change their thoughts and describe themselves to be more, powerful had the situation not been so confusing for all of them., Summary, The tale of custard the dragon is a ballad. It is a humorous poem about a cowardly dragon named, custard. Custard is a pet of Belinda, a little girl who lives in a little white house with her pets. She had a, black kitten named ink, a grey mouse named blink, a yellow dog mustard and a cowardly dragon, custard. The poet says that all of them are very brave except the dragon. Others were described as, brave and are compared with animals like bear, tiger or lion but the dragon is very timid. He always, demands a safe place for himself. All the other characters make fun of him. But one night they are, surprised by the entry of a pirate in the house. All of them get frightened and start hiding here and, there. But to everyone’s surprise, the dragon not only tackles him but also eats him up. As all of them, are saved by custard, they thank him. But at the end, they realize that they used to make fun of the, dragon because of his being timid. So, all of them suddenly start saying that they are more brave and, could have handled the situation in a much better way. Here the poet has tried to say that sometimes a, timid person is the actual hero in the toughest situations of life., Explanation, Stanza 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.
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Wagon: a vehicle used for transporting goods or another specified purpose., Explanation - The poet says that once there was a little girl named Belinda. She lived in a little white, house. She lived with some creatures who were her pets. They were a black kitten, a grey mouse, a, yellow dog, a little red wagon and a creature that the poet says was really and truly a dragon., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, wagon-dragon), Repetition: use of the word ‘little’, Oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings ‘ “pet dragon”, Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines. (And a little ….And a realio), Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,), Poetic license: realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have been changed to create a musical effect, Stanza 2, Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,, And the little grey mouse, she called him Blin7k,, And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard., Word meanings, Mustard: a yellow coloured flower, Coward: weakling, Explanation – The poet explains the name of all the animals that are tamed by Belinda. He says that the, name of black kitten is ink. The name of grey mouse is blink. The little yellow dog had yellow colour and, so she calls him mustard and the dragon that was a coward means was a weakling was called custard., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (ink-blink, mustard-custard), Simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard”, Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” – “c” sound
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Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive lines (And the little grey…And the little, yellow), Repetition: use of word little, Stanza 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., Word meanings, Spikes: thin pointed surface, Scales: Thin bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles., Underneath: situated directly below, Fire place: An outdoor structure of brick, stone or metal for an open fire, Dagger: A sharp knife, Explanation – The poet describes the dragon that it had big sharp teeth and spikes on top. This means, that its skin was pointed on the top. On the lower part it had scales which were bony plates to protect, the skin. His mouth has been compared to a fireplace because it is assumed that dragons can release fire, from the mouth. Even his nose is compared to a chimney which is used to pass out smoke. His feet are, like a sharp knife i.e. a dagger., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (teeth-underneath, nose-toes), Simile: Dragon‘s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth like a fireplace), Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,), Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney., Stanza 4, Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,, And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
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Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,, But Custard cried for a nice safe cage., Word meanings, Barrel: drum, Chased: hunt, follow, Rage: anger, Explanation - So, now the poet explains the inner strength or the bravery of various characters of the, poem. He says that Belinda was as brave as a group of bears and ink and blink were so brave that they, could hunt lions. So here he has shown the bravery of the kitten and the little mouse that could hunt, even a lion. The dog was very brave just like an angry tiger. But to contrast of all of them was Custard., Custard, the dragon was not brave he was so afraid of everything that he always demanded a safe cage., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (bears-stairs, rage-cage), Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b” sound is repeated, Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full of bears (as a barrel full of bears), Mustard’s, bravery is compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage), Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears), Stanza 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., Word meanings, Tickled: stroke, here it means to tease, Unmerciful: cruel, Percival: A knight in King Arthur’s court
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Explanation – Belinda used to stroke the dragon in a very cruel way. Ink, blink and mustard made fun of, him by comparing him to a knight named Percival who was thought to be brave but ran away due to lack, of courage. They used to tease the dragon while sitting in their little red wagon., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (unmerciful-Percival, wagon-dragon), Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio,), Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’, Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival), Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival, Stanza 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., Word meanings, Giggled: to laugh, Weeck: Here it is the sound made by the mouse, Explanation - The poet says that Belinda used to laugh so loudly that her voice echoed in the house., Blink, the mouse used to laugh and make a sound of weeck. On the other hand, ink and mustard would, tease him by asking the dragon his age whenever he used to demand for a nice safe cage., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, rage-cage), Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (giggled, weeck), Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage, Stanza 7, Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,, And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
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Meowch! Cried Ink, and ooh! Cried Belinda,, For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda, Word meanings, Nasty: bad or unpleasant, Growled: bark, Pirate: A person who robs ship in the sea, Winda: it is used for window, Explanation - So, while all of them were making fun of the dragon, they heard a sound of someone, entering the house. When they looked towards the window they saw a pirate climbing up the wall. The, dog barked at him and the kitten meowed to him. Belinda cried ‘ooh’ because all of them were, scared of the pirate (who robs ships)., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (sound-around, Belinda-winda), Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound), Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (Mustard growled, Meowch, cried ink), Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’ to create rhyme., Stanza 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, Word meanings, Pistol: a handgun, Cutlass: a short sword with a curved blade., Explanation – The poet describes the appearance of the pirate. He says that the pirate was holding, handguns in both his hands and had a little sword too. He was holding his sword with his teeth. He had a, black beard and his one leg was made of wood. This means that though the pirate was a disabled person, but still he was frightening all the other characters. Moreover, he intended to harm them.
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Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (right- bright, wood- good), Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h”, Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the pirate., Stanza 9, 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, Word meanings, Paled: turn yellow due to fear, Yelp: a short sharp cry, Trickled: here, run, Strategically: planned, Mouseholed: here it is the hole where the mouse lives., Explanation – When all of them saw the pirate they got frightened. Belinda was so frightened that she, turned yellow due to fear and started crying for help. Mustard the dog started crying for help too. The, kitten ink ran down towards the bottom of the house as if he had already planned for it. The mouse ink, ran into his little mouse hole in order to save himself., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (help-yelp, household – mousehold), Transferred epithet: terrified yelp, Repetition: help help, Poetic license: use of the word mousehold to rhyme with household, Stanza 10, But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,, Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
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With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,, He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm., Word meanings, Snorting: make a sudden explosive sound through one‘s nose, Clashed: fought, Dungeon: underground prison, Clatter Clank: sound of hard object falling on each other, Jangling squirm: sound of hard object falling on each other, Robin: A bird, When all the other characters that were earlier defined as very brave got frightened, the dragon did the, most unexpected thing. He jumped onto the pirate and made such a strong sound with his nose as if the, engine was producing a sound. Not only this, he hit his tail on the ground with great force that it, produced a heavy sound of metal being rubbed against each other in the underground prisons. He, attacked the pirate just like robin bird that attacks the worms., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (engine-dungeon, squirm-worm), Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine (snorting like an engine), Clashed his tail like, irons in a dungeon, dragon‘s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird (like a robin at a worm), Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic effect (clatter, clank, jangling), Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to make an image in our minds., Stanza 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., Word meanings, Gaped: stared with mouth wide open
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Gulped: swallow, Grog: a drink, Flagon: a container made of silver in which drink is stored, Gobbled: swallowed hurriedly, The pirate got so shocked by the dragon‘s reaction that he opened his mouth wide with shock. To, gather some strength, he drank some alcohol from a container in his pocket. After gathering some, courage, he fired two bullets on the dragon but missed it. Custard the dragon ate every bit of this fierce, looking pirate., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (dragon-flagon, hit-bit), Alliteration: gulped some grog “g”, Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by the pirate on seeing the dragon., Stanza 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., Word meanings, Embraced: to hug, Mourned: feel sorrow for the death of someone, Victim: sufferer, Glee: delight, Gyrate: danced, Explanation - When the pirate was dead, Belinda hugged the dragon and mustard licked him. No one, was sad for the death of the pirate, they all were happy. Both ink and blink were running around the, dragon in happiness. So, here the poet says that all the characters were happy and they were showing, their gratitude towards the dragon as he had saved them., Literary Devices:
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Rhyme scheme: aabb (him-victim, gyrate-pirate), Alliteration: glee did gyrate “g”, Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and blink in, glee did), use of vowel sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate), Stanza 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., Word meanings, Flustered: upset or confused, Explanation - After they thanked and showed their love towards the dragon, they changed their mind., They were reminded of how they used to make fun of this coward dragon and now they all were, praising him. So at once the dog said that it was just because of some confusion that he wasn't able to, do anything otherwise he would have been twice as brave as custard. Both ink and blink also said that, they would have been three times braver than custard. To this, the dragon said that he fully agreed to, this that all of them were more powerful and braver than him., Literary Devices:, Rhyme scheme: aabb (mustard-flustered, blink-ink, agree-me), Stanza 14, Belinda still lives in her little white house,, With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,, And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,, And her realio, trulio little pet dragon., Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,, And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
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Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,, But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage, Explanation - At last, the poet used the same lines again to show that after this terrific episode in which, the dragon was the hero where all the other characters still undermined him by saying that they were, more powerful than him and could have handled the situation in a much better way, the poet says that, life started again in the same manner. Belinda still lives in that little white house with ink, blink, mustard, and custard and all of them are very brave whereas the dragon is still a coward who always wants to, stay safe in his cage., Literary Devices, Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a realio, trulio), Repetition: stanza has been repeated, Question Answers, Q1- Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names., A1 Following are the characters of the poem:, A little girl named Belinda., A little black kitten whose name is ink., A little gray mouse named blink., A dog named mustard because he is yellow in colour., A coward dragon whose name is Custard., Q2- Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?, A2- Custard cries for a safe cage because he is A coward. He is called cowardly dragon because other, characters are defined to be very brave in the following manner, Belinda is described to be as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and blink can chase lions down the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a tiger in rage., Q3- “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why?, A3- Belinda tickled him unmerciful because custard the dragon was a coward. He always demanded a, safe cage. That is why all of them made fun of him.
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Q4- 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?, A4- The poet has used many poetic devices to enhance the beauty of the poem. Like, to create rhyme, with ‘Belinda’, he used the word ‘winda’ instead of ‘window’. Other such rhyming words are, ‘household’ used with ‘mouseholed’ and ‘wagon’ with ‘dragon’. Not only this, he also, uses poetic device of repetition for example the word ‘little’ is used many times to describe her, house and her pets. There is also the use of poetic device of refrain because we can see the repetition of, line “And her realio, trulio little pet dragon” in many stanzas., Q5- Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon?, A5- The looks of the dragon are explained in a way that it has big sharp teeth and spikes on top. This, means its skin is pointed on the top. On the lower part it has scales which are bony plates meant to, protect the skin. His mouth has been compared to a fireplace because it is assumed that the dragons can, release fire from the mouth. Even his nose is compared to a chimney which is used to pass out the, smoke. His feet are like a sharp knife i.e. a dagger., Q6- Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?, A6- Rhyme scheme of the second and third stanza is aabb., Q7– 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?, A7- Following are the words used to give us picture or image:, Mouth like a fireplace, Chimney for nose, Barrel full of bears, Brave as a tiger in the rage, He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm, Q8- Do you find The Tale of Custard the Dragon to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to, support your answer., A8- The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light hearted poem. All the characters have names which are, rhyming with each other. They all are defined to be very brave except the dragon. But in reality the, dragon proves to be the real hero. When they are attacked by the pirate, the dragon gulps him. Though, all the other characters were not brave enough to handle the pirate but still they define themselves as
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more powerful than the dragon after the incident is handled by the dragon alone. Though, the dragon, was defined as a coward by the poet right from the beginning of the poem., Extra Questions, Extract Based Questions, Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow., Question 1.With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red, wagon, And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon., (a) Where did Belinda live?, (b) How many pets did she have?, © Which word in the stanza means “carriage”?, (d) Whose young one known as a ‘kitten’?, Answer:, (a) Belinda lived in a little white house., (b) She had four pets, a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon., © The word is ‘Wagon’., (d) A cat‘s young one is known as a kitten., Question 2. Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink, And the little gray mouse, she called her, Blink, And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard., (a) What is the colour of Belinda‘s dog?, (b) What were the kitten and the mouse called?, © Which word is the stanza means “fear easily”?, (d) ‘Blink’ here is the name of a mouse but what actually the word means?, Answer:, (a) Belinda‘s dog is yellow as mustard., (b) The Kitten was called Ink and the mouse was called Blink by Belinda.
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© The word is ‘Coward’., (d) The word ‘blink’ means to shut and open eyes frequent in quick succession., Question 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., (a) What did the dragon look like?, (b) Why is the dragon‘s mouth called a chimney?, © Which word in the stanza means the same as “a small sword”?, (d) Find from the passage a word which means a structure through which smoke or steam is carried up, away from a fire., Answer:, (a) 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., (b) Dragons can spit fire, therefore Custard‘s mouth has been called a fireplace., © The word is ‘Dagger’., (d) The word is ‘Chimney’., Skip to content, CBSE Sample Papers, Mobile Menu, The Tale of Custard the Dragon Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight, July 23, 2021July 24, 2021, In this article, we are providing The Tale of Custard the Dragon Extra Questions and Answers PDF Class, 10 English First Flight CBSE, Extra Questions for Class 10 English was designed by subject expert, teachers., , The Tale of Custard the Dragon Extra Questions and Answers Class 10 English First Flight, Extract Based Questions [3 Marks each]
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Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow., Question 1., With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a, realio, trulio, little pet dragon., (a) Where did Belinda live?, (b) How many pets did she have?, © Which word in the stanza means “carriage”?, (d) Whose young one known as a ‘kitten’?, Answer:, (a) Belinda lived in a little white house., (b) She had four pets, a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon., © The word is ‘Wagon’., (d) A cat‘s young one is known as a kitten., , Question 2., Now the name of the litde black kitten was Ink, And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink, And the, little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard., (a) What is the colour of Belinda‘s dog?, (b) What were the kitten and the mouse called?, © Which word is the stanza means “fear easily”?, (d) ‘Blink’ here is the name of a mouse but what actually the word means?, Answer:, (a) Belinda‘s dog is yellow as mustard., (b) The Kitten was called Ink and the mouse was called Blink by Belinda., © The word is ‘Coward’.
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(d) The word ‘blink’ means to shut and open eyes frequendy in quick succession., Question 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., (a) What did the dragon look like?, (b) Why is the dragon‘s mouth called a chimney?, © Which word in the stanza means the same as “a small sword”?, (d) Find from the passage a word which means a structure through which smoke or steam is carried up, away from a fire., Answer:, (a) 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., (b) Dragons can spit fire, therefore Custard‘s mouth has been called a fireplace., © The word is ‘Dagger’., (d) The word is ‘Chimney’., Question 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., (a) How brave were the Kitten and the mouse?, (b) Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage?, © Which word is similar to “anger”?, (d) Which figure of speech has been used in the first and the third line of the passage., Answer:, (a) The kitten and the mouse were so brave that they could scare away lions., (b) Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward., © The word is ‘Rage’., (d) Figure of speech used in first and third line is Simile.
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Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow., Question 1., With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse, And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon, And a, realio, trulio, little pet dragon., (a) Where did Belinda live?, (b) How many pets did she have?, © Which word in the stanza means “carriage”?, (d) Whose young one known as a ‘kitten’?, Answer:, (a) Belinda lived in a little white house., (b) She had four pets, a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon., © The word is ‘Wagon’., (d) A cat‘s young one is known as a kitten., Question 2., Now the name of the litde black kitten was Ink, And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink, And the, little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,, But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard., (a) What is the colour of Belinda‘s dog?, (b) What were the kitten and the mouse called?, © Which word is the stanza means “fear easily”?, (d) ‘Blink’ here is the name of a mouse but what actually the word means?, Answer:, (a) Belinda‘s dog is yellow as mustard., (b) The Kitten was called Ink and the mouse was called Blink by Belinda., © The word is ‘Coward’., (d) The word ‘blink’ means to shut and open eyes frequendy in quick succession.
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Question 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., (a) What did the dragon look like?, (b) Why is the dragon‘s mouth called a chimney?, © Which word in the stanza means the same as “a small sword”?, (d) Find from the passage a word which means a structure through which smoke or steam is carried up, away from a fire., Answer:, (a) 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., (b) Dragons can spit fire, therefore Custard‘s mouth has been called a fireplace., © The word is ‘Dagger’., (d) The word is ‘Chimney, Question 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., (a) How brave were the Kitten and the mouse?, (b) Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage?, © Which word is similar to “anger”?, (d) Which figure of speech has been used in the first and the third line of the passage., Answer:, (a) The kitten and the mouse were so brave that they could scare away lions., (b) Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward., © The word is ‘Rage’., (d) Figure of speech used in first and third line is Simile., Question 5.
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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) Why did everyone laugh?, (b) What did the other three pet call the dragon?, © What does realio, trulio mean?, (d) Give the synonym of ‘un merciful’., Answer:, (a) Everyone laughed at the Dragon because Belinda tickled him unmerciful., (b) The other three pet, Ink, Blink and Mustard rudely called Custard Percival., © Realio, trulio actually mean really and truly. The words have been changed by the poet so as to give, rhythm to the poem., (d) The synonym of‘un merciful’ is ‘merciless’., Question 6., Belinda giggled till she shook the house, And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse, Ink and, Mustard rudely asked his age, When Custard cried for a nice safe cage., (a) What did shake the house?, (b) How did the mouse giggle?, © Write the antonym for giggle., (d) Find the antonym of the word ‘insecure’ from the passage., Answer:, (a) Belinda giggled so hard that it shook the house., (b) The giggling sound of mouse is ‘week’., © The word is ‘Cry’., (d) The antonym of insecure is ‘Safe’., Question 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.
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(a) Which poetic device is used in these lines?, (b) Why was everyone frightened?, © Which word in the stanza means “unpleasant”?, (d) What does a ‘nasty sound’ refer to?, Answer:, (a) In the first line, the poet has used repetition in ‘Suddenly, suddenly’., (b) Everyone was frightened because a pirate was climbing up the window., © The word is ‘Nasty’., (d) A nasty sound refers to the entry of a pirate into the house., Question 8., Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, And he held in his teeth a cudass bright, His beard was black,, one leg was wood; It was clear that the pirate meant no good., (a) How many weapons was the pirate carrying?, (b) Describe the physical appearance of the pirate., © What does cutlass mean?, (d) What is the rhyming scheme adopted in the stanza?, Answer:, (a) The pirate was carrying two pistols in each hand and a cutlass in his teeth., (b) The pirate‘s beard was black and he had one wooded leg. He looked very frightening., © Cutlass is a small sword like weapon with a very sharp blade., (d) The rhyme scheme adopted is aabb, Question 9., 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) How did the people in the house react on seeing the pirate?, (b) Why did everyone cry for help?
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© What does ‘mouseholed’ mean?, (d) Write the antonym of ‘bottom’., Answer:, (a) 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., (b) Everyone cried for help because they all got frightened of the pirate., © Mouseholed has been used by the poet to mean the hole made by the mouse in which it disappeared., (d) The antonym of bottom is ‘brim’., Question 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., (a) Why did Custard jump?, (b) What sounds did Custard‘s body make?, © What does dungeon mean?, (d) Find at least two words from the passage which are examples of onomatopaea (a figure of speech)., Answer:, (a) Custard jumped to fight the pirate., (b) Custard‘s tail clashed like irons in a dungeon and he moved with a clatter and a clank and a jangling, squirm., © Dungeon means an underground prison cell., (d) Words are clattes, clank, jangling., Question 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., (a) What did the pirate do on seeing the dragon?, (b) What did Custard do to the pirate?, © Which word means the same as “swallow”?
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(d) Find from the passage a word which means a large bottle or similar container with a handle in which, wine etc is sold or served., Answer:, (a) The pirate gulped some wine from his bottle., (b) Custard swallowed the pirate and left no trace of him., © The word is ‘Gobble’., (d) The word is ‘flagon’., Question 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., (a) What was everyone‘s reaction after Custard gobbled the pirate?, (b) Why is the pirate called a victim here?, © What does gyrate mean?, (d) Give a synonym of the word ‘mourn’., Answer:, (a) Everyone became happy and hugged Custard. Ink and Blink started to dance around him., (b) The pirate is called a victim because he suffered death at the hands of Custard as he ate him up., © Gyrate stands for circular movements., (d) A synonym of the word mourn is ‘Lament’., Short Answer Type Questions:Question 1., Where did Belinda live and with whom?, Answer:, Belinda lived in a little white house with her four pets and a wagon. She had a black kitten named Ink, a, grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard and a coward dragon named Custard., Question 2.
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What did Custard look like?, Answer:, Custard looked really dangerous with spikes on his top and scales underneath. His mouth was like a, fireplace and nose like a chimney. His toes looked like daggers., Question 3., Describe the bravery of everyone in the house., Answer:, Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were brave enough to chase lions away., Mustard‘s bravery was like a tiger’s rage. It was only Custard, who was a coward, everyone else was, very brave., Question 4., Did Custard match his physical appearance?, Answer:, No. Custard barely matched his appearance as he looked ferocious but he actually was a coward. He, always cried for a nice and safe cage and everyone laughed at him for his cowardice., Question 5., Was everyone really as brave as they claimed?, Answer:, Belinda and her three pets, excluding Custard, were very proud of their bravery but they were not really, brave. It was only Custard, who had the courage to face the pirate so he was the real brave., Question 6., 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 trickled to the bottom of the house while Blink disappeared in his mouse hole., Custard jumped in front of the Pirate to fight him., Question 7., How did Custard face the pirate?
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Answer:, Custard jumped in front of the pirate to fight him. The pirate fired two bullets at him but missed both of, them. Then Custard gobbled whole of the pirate and left no trace of him., Question 8., ‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage. ’ Who is Custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice safe cage’?, Answer:, Custard is Belinda‘s pet Dragon. He cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward, who feared, easily and looked for comfort and safety of himself., Question 9., How did everyone react after Custard ate the pirate?, Answer:, Belinda embraced Custard because he had saved everyone by killing the pirate. Mustard licked him to, show his affection while Ink and Blink started dancing around Custard out of happiness., Question 10., How did the other three pet boast of their bravery?, Answer:, After Mustard, Ink and Blink fled on seeing the pirate, it was Custard, who fought him and killed him., The other pets soon made excuses for their cowardice and said that they would have been twice and, thrice as brave as Custard., Question 11., Did Custard accept his cowardice and their bravery?, Answer:, Yes, Custard seemed like a really humble animal as even after killing the pirate he accepted that he is a, coward and everyone else is braver than him, Long Answer (Value Based) Type Questions:Question 1., 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.
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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 2., Do you think that one should be made fun of because of their‘preferences and choices in life? Explain, in the contexAnswer:, 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 himt of Custard, the dragon.
