Summary – The Tale Of The Custard The Dragon
The tale of custard the Dragon is a whimsical fantasy in verse about Belinda, who lives alone in her house with four pets viz. a little kitten named Ink, a grey coloured mouse name 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(violent, strong) 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 about their courage, and Custard agreed that everyone also is brave than he is. But, everyone knows the fact as who is brave and who is coward.
Extra Question Answers
Question 1. Why did Belinda cry for help? Who came to her help?
Ans. (i) Belinda cried for help because she was afraid of the pirate.
(ii) The custard came to her help.
Question 2. How did Belinda’s pets other than Custard face the pirate?
Ans. All the animals other than the dragon used to boast about their bravery and made the fun of the dragon. But when the pirate entered the house, all got scared and ran away and disappeared except Custard, the dragon.
Question 3. How did each of Belinda’s pets react at the sight of the pirate?
Ans. Each of Belinda’s pets ran away and hid. They were scared at the sight of the pirate.
Question 4. Give a brief description of the pirate in the poem The Tale of Custard the Dragon’.
Ans. The pirate entered from the window. He had pistols in his left and right hand. He held a knife in his teeth. His beard was black and one leg was wood.
Question 5. Belinda was a sweet little girl who lived in her sweet little white house. Who else lived with her in that house?
Or
Who all lived in a white house with Belinda?
Ans. Belinda lived in a white house with Ink— a black kitten, Blink — a grey mouse, Mustard — a yellow dog, Custard — a dragon.
Question 6. Why did everyone make fun of the dragon?
Ans. Everyone in the house used to laugh at the dragon because he always cried for a safe cage whereas others used to boast about their bravery.
Important Long/ Detailed Answer Type Questions- to be answered in about 100 -150 words each
Question 1. Why do you think Custard, the dragon, was called a coward? How was Custard able to save all his house-mates from the pirate? What values should Belinda have possessed so that Custard too could have been among her favourites?
Ans. The dragon appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage so he was called a cowardly dragon. Later, when the pirate entered the house with pistols in his left and right hand, everyone was scared and ran away and disappeared, except Custard who faced him boldly-attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him. Belinda should have been nice to him. She should have made him feel comfortable and safe in the house instead of laughing and making fun of him with other pets. Belinda should have been protective towards him.
Question 2. Describe the fight between the dragon and the pirate.
Ans. The dragon had big sharp teeth, and spikes on top of him and scales underneath but everyone laughed at him as he always cried for a safe cage whereas everyone boasted about their bravery. But when the pirate entered, all were scared and ran away and disappeared except Custard who faced him boldly, attacked him, hit him hard with his forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him. All of them later felt obliged to Custard for saving their lives.
Question 3. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why the dragon is called ‘cowardly dragon’? How did he prove everyone wrong?
Ans. The Custard every time cried for a nice safe cage because he thought that the little white house in which he lived with Belinda and her other friends was not safe.
The dragon appeared to be a coward as he always cried for a safe cage so he was called a dragon. Later when the pirate entered the house everyone was scared and ran and disappeared, except Custard who faced him boldly, attacked him, hit him hard with forceful tail and gobbled every bit of him.