CLASS 10TH ENGLISH – THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON
SUMMARY OF THE POEM – The tale of Custard the dragon is a ballad. It is a humorous poem
about a girl named Belinda who lives in a white house and has four interesting pets. She had a
black kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog Mustard, and a cowardly dragon
Custard. Of her pets, the most interesting one is a dragon named 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 bears, tigers, or lions 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 in 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 braver 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.
Q1. Describe the appearance of the dragon.
Answer: Custard, the dragon had a fearful appearance, with sharp teeth, toes like daggers,
spikes on the 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 his appearance, his nature was extremely
cowardly and timid.
Q2. 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 behavioral 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 a mouse raging like a lion.
Q3. Is there a hidden message that the poet wishes 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.
Q4. What do you think changed the attitude of the other animals and that of Belinda towards
the dragon?
Answer: The dragon, Custard, initially received 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 realized his worth and came to respect him genuinely.
Q5. Why did the Custard, the dragon cry for a nice, safe cage?
Answer: Custard, in fact, was very brave but still he kept asking for a nice, safe cage. It made
people think of him to be cowardly. He might be crying for a nice, safe cage so that he might not
harm anyone when in anger or he might be proving that a little safety cage averts a disaster. The
others thought that he cried for a cage as he was a coward.
Q6. What did Belinda and her pets hear?
Answer: Belinda and her pets heard a nasty sound made by the pirate breaking in through the
window. Belinda and her pets except Custard were terrified and cried for help. Ink, Blink, and
Mustard fled away cowardly. Custard fought with him bravely and killed him.
Q7. What terrified the pirate? Who killed him and how?
Answer: Custard, the dragon, jumped up, snorting and clashing his tail. He was making a lot of
clatter and clanking and he was squirming (moving quickly). He attacked the pirate. It terrified
the pirate. He fired two bullets at Custard and missed. Custard killed him by swallowing him up.
It shows that he was brave.
Q8. How did Custard accept his cowardice and other’s bravery?
Answer: Custard was really humble. After killing the pirate, other animals again boasted about
their bravery which they didn’t show at the time of danger. However, Custard was so humble
that he accepted that all of them, Mustard, Ink, and Blink were braver than him. He always cried
for a nice safe cage.
Q9. Describe how Custard’s reaction was different from that of others, on seeing the pirate.
Answer: Custard was always teased as being the cowardly one, by all others. When the pirate
arrived, others ran away to hide. Mustard cried and ran away. Ink trickled down to the bottom
of the household and Blink strategically mouseholed. Custard was the only one who stood up to
fight with him.
Q10. ‘’Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful… ‘’ Why?
Answer: Unlike other dragons, Custard was a frightened little soul. Belinda, well aware of this
fact, tickled him mercilessly because she was sure he would never hurt her. Belinda had a very
poor opinion of him. She considered him a coward. Belinda tickled the dragon unmercifully
because it was very scared and cried for a safe cage. They all laughed at it as if it was a coward.
