Question 1.
Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.
Answer:
The characters in this poem are
Belinda, a little girl, and her pets: a little black kitten, a little grey
mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate.
| Characters | Pet name |
| Kitten | Ink |
| Mouse | Blink |
| Dog | Mustard |
| Dragon | Custard |
Question 2.
Why did Custard cry for a
nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?
Answer:
Custard cried for a nice safe
cage because it was a coward and was scared very easily. It is called
“cowardly dragon” because everyone else in the house is very brave while the
dragon is the only one, who fears a lot and looks for a nice safe cage for
himself. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink can
chase lions and Mustard is as brave as an angry tiger.
Question 3.
“Belinda tickled him, she
tickled him unmerciful…” Why?
Answer:
Tickling always works on people, who are a little softer. So, Belinda
tickled the dragon unmerciful as it worked a lot on him. Despite being a
dragon, a tickling could disturb him and this showed his cowardice on which
everyone laughed.
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:
In the poem, ‘The tale of
Custard, the Dragon’, the poet has used a lot of poetic devices. Following are
the devices used
1. Simile: mouth like a fireplace
2.
Repetition: the repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in stanza 1.
Question 5.
Read stanza three again to
know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer:
Do it yourself.
Question 6.
Can you find out the rhyme
scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
Answer:
The rhyme scheme of the poem is
‘aabb’.
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:
Writers always use such phrases and words that do not tell us directly about
what they mean but always gives us an indication of the meaning. Such words or
phrases are used to trigger our own imagination in painting the picture that
they mean. Use of such images in the poem is the following: ‘mouth like a
fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as
a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at a worm’, etc.
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 Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a very light and funny poem meant to be
enjoyed by everyone. The way the poem has been written with a fix rhyme
scheme, makes it very easy and enjoyable to read. The poet has even used wrong
spelling to maintain the rhyme scheme. The features of Belinda and her pets
described in the poem make it quite funny. Belinda’s bravery has been compared
to a barrel full of bears, a liquid substance. All the tiny creatures such as
the kitten and the mouse have been shown so brave that they can scare a lion
and the dog’s bravery is like a tiger’s rage. The biggest of them all, the
dragon is the only one, who has been shown as a coward and soft being, who
looks for a cage for himself, which is very ironic, hence making the poem
funny.