Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 9 Previous Year Questions - The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Ans: Ink, the kitten, and Mustard, the dog, play roles as boastful but cowardly pets. They mock Custard’s timidity, projecting bravery, but flee when the pirate appears, revealing their fearfulness, contrasting with Custard’s unexpected heroism.
Explanation: Ink and Mustard are depicted as confident, ridiculing Custard’s fearfulness, with Ink meowing and Mustard growling to assert dominance. However, their cowardice surfaces during the pirate’s attack, as they run away, highlighting their superficial bravado. This contrast underscores Custard’s transformation from a perceived coward to the true hero, emphasizing the poem’s humorous irony.

Ans: In The Tale of Custard the Dragon, Ogden Nash uses exaggerated imagery and playful rhyme, like “realio, trulio” and comparing Custard to Percival, to humorously subvert expectations when the timid dragon becomes heroic. In The Proposal, Anton Chekhov employs witty dialogue and exaggerated arguments over trivialities, like land disputes, to create comedic tension between Lomov and Natalya. Both texts use irony—Custard’s unexpected bravery and the lovers’ petty quarrels despite their proposal—to evoke laughter. Nash’s whimsical language and Chekhov’s absurd situations highlight human and animal foibles, making the narratives amusing through clever linguistic choices.
Explanation: Nash’s playful tone, with nonsensical words and exaggerated pet descriptions, creates a light-hearted, absurd atmosphere. Chekhov’s rapid-fire, contradictory dialogue amplifies the absurdity of the characters’ priorities, turning serious moments into comedy. Both use language to invert expectations, enhancing humor through irony and exaggeration.

Ans: Initially, Ink, Blink, and Mustard mock Custard’s cowardice, teasing him for wanting a “nice safe cage.” However, after Custard bravely defeats the pirate, they reluctantly acknowledge his heroism while resuming their teasing, maintaining their boastful facades.
Explanation: The pets’ initial scorn reflects their perceived superiority, laughing at Custard’s fearfulness. His heroic act forces a brief recognition of his courage, but their return to mockery underscores their unchanged arrogance, adding humor through their denial of Custard’s newfound status as the true hero.

Ans: (C) It emphasises that an unexpected noise was heard.
Explanation: The repetition of “suddenly, suddenly” in the extract heightens the sense of surprise and urgency, signaling the abrupt intrusion of the pirate’s “nasty sound.” It shifts the playful tone to one of tension, alerting the characters and readers to an unexpected threat, enhancing the narrative’s dramatic effect.

Ans: Custard prefers a cage due to his timid nature, seeking safety and comfort. His fearfulness, mocked by the other pets, makes the cage a refuge from perceived dangers, reflecting his lack of confidence before his heroic transformation.
Explanation: Custard’s desire for a “nice safe cage” stems from his cowardly disposition, as he is intimidated by the world outside. The cage symbolizes security for him, contrasting with the other pets’ boldness, and sets up the irony of his eventual bravery, highlighting his character arc.

Ans: (D) Through the telescope she saw a star / Which she thought was very far / Her hand she stretched afar / But felt the crumble of the sand.
Explanation: The first four lines of the extract follow an AABB rhyme scheme (house/mouse, age/cage). Option D mirrors this with star/far, afar/sand, maintaining the paired rhyming pattern, unlike the other options, which have inconsistent or different rhyme structures.

Ans: Coward.
Explanation: In the extract, Custard is depicted as fearful, crying for a “nice safe cage,” while Ink, Blink, and Mustard project confidence, teasing him. This contrast highlights Custard’s cowardly behavior, setting up the irony of his later heroic actions as a dragon.

Ans: Hyperbole.
Explanation: The first sentence, “Belinda lived in a little white house,” uses hyperbole implicitly through the context of the exaggerated, whimsical world Nash creates. While the sentence itself is simple, the exaggerated descriptions of pets and events in the poem amplify the humorous tone, characteristic of hyperbole.

Ans: Calling Custard “Percival,” a name associated with a legendary brave knight, is ironical because Custard is initially portrayed as a cowardly dragon who seeks safety in a cage, contrasting sharply with the heroic connotations of the name.
Explanation: Percival, a knight from Arthurian legend, symbolizes courage and valor. Custard’s timid behavior, mocked by the other pets, makes the name ironic, as he appears far from heroic. This irony is resolved when Custard bravely defeats the pirate, aligning with the name’s heroic implications.

Ans: Cruel in her teasing.
Explanation: The term “unmerciful” describes Belinda’s relentless teasing of Custard for his cowardice, implying her harshness and lack of empathy. Alongside her pets, she mocks Custard’s fear, creating a contrast with her otherwise cheerful demeanor, which adds to the poem’s humorous tone.

Ans: A timid, fearful dragon.
Explanation: The lines depict Custard crying for a “nice safe cage,” portraying him as a cowardly figure who seeks security, unlike the bold personas of Ink, Blink, and Mustard. This image sets up the ironic twist of his later bravery, enhancing the poem’s humor.

Ans: 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.
Explanation: This opening stanza introduces the whimsical setting and characters, establishing a playful tone with its rhyming structure and exaggerated language like “realio, trulio.” It presents Belinda’s pets, including the seemingly unremarkable Custard, setting the stage for the humorous contrast between their perceived and actual bravery.

Ans: The poem is funny and entertaining. There is use of vivid description, rhyming names of the pets, light-hearted tone and imagination. The light hearted story becomes serious when a pirate enters the scene and then the truth of bravery versus cowardice is brought to light.

Ans: Even though he was braver and more courageous than other characters during the pirate attack episode, Custard the Dragon was revealed to be a character full of humility. Although Custard was known to be extremely timid and shy, the entire Belinda household witnessed his bravery and couldn’t believe their eyes.

Ans: The poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is not a traditional ballad as a ballad narrates the tale of courage and heroism and are usually not humorous. However, this poem is different as it is a humorous ballad that ends with a parody.

Ans: Fable is a fictitious narrative usually with animals, birds, etc. as characters. It also conveys a strong message. On the other hand, a ballad is a narrative verse that can be silly or heroic. The theme of a ballad is an adventure, bravery, romance etc. It is highly musical due to its rhyme scheme. The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a humorous and fictitious story of a dragon named Custard and how he bravely saved everyone from a pirate. The poem may have all the qualities of a ballad but it is a parody. Thus, it qualifies more as a fable than a ballad. 

Ans: Custard the Dragon is a character in the poem who is initially portrayed as a cowardly dragon. However, he later proves this tag to be untrue by displaying bravery and courage.

Ans: When a pirate appeared, everyone refused to attack except Custard. He faced the pirate courageously, jumping in front of him and making dangerous gestures. The pirate fired shots at Custard, but he managed to swallow the pirate whole, proving his bravery.

Ans: A ballad is a poem that tells a story. The theme of a ballad is an adventure, bravery, romance, etc. The ballad is highly musical due to its rhyme scheme. The Tale of Custard the Dragon has these qualities. But it is a parody of a ballad. The poet shows these qualities in a humorous way. 

Ans: 
HINTS:

• Custard was always teased as being the cowardly one, by all others.
• When the pirate arrived, others ran away to hide 
• Custard was the only one who stood up to fight with him/who attacked him.

Ans: (a) Custard the dragon was tickled by Belinda.
(b) She tickled him in order to tease or make fun of him.
(c) Ink is a black kitten, Blink is a little grey mouse, and Mustard is a dog.
(d) They all laughed at 'him' because they thought he was a coward. 

Ans: (a) Belinda is the little girl who is the owner of the cat, mouse, dog, and the dragon.
(b) Belinda and the other pets sat in a little red wagon and laughed at the dragon.
(c) The word that means the same as 'unkind' in this extract is 'rudely'.