Class 10 English Poem 10 Solution – The Tale of Custard the Dragon | SEBA Assam

Class 10 English Poem 10 – The Tale of Custard the Dragon – All Textual Solutions | ASSEB Assam (English Medium)

Class 10 English Poem 10 – The Tale of Custard the Dragon Complete Textual Question Answers and Solutions (ASSEB / SEBA Assam – English Medium)

The tenth poem of the Class 10 English textbook ‘First Flight’, titled ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ by Ogden Nash, is a highly entertaining and humorous ballad. Based on the latest guidelines of the new ASSEB (Assam State School Education Board) syllabus and the New Education Policy (NEP) for upcoming board exams, we have prepared complete textual question answers and solutions for this poem. This special compilation includes very short answers (VSA), short questions, long answers, and poetic device explanations. At Ospin Academy, these solutions are provided in an easy, accurate, and completely exam-oriented format.

This poem tells the funny story of a little girl named Belinda and her pets: Ink (a black kitten), Blink (a grey mouse), Mustard (a yellow dog), and Custard (a cowardly dragon). While everyone else boasts of their immense bravery and mocks Custard for crying for a “nice safe cage,” it is ultimately the timid dragon who steps up and gobbles down a terrifying pirate who attacks their house. For board candidates, understanding the ironic humor, the ballad format, and the character sketches in this poem is extremely important. Our textual solutions cover not only the textbook exercise questions but also extra important questions and answers that may appear in the exams, helping students prepare thoroughly.

What you will learn and get from these textual solutions:

• Detailed summary and analysis of the poem’s humorous plot and underlying message about true bravery.
• Perfect answers for 1-mark very short questions (VSA objective type) and 2-3 mark short questions.
• Simple and standard solutions for 4-5 mark long questions and extract-based stanza explanations.
• Proper knowledge of poetic devices like simile, metaphor, repetition, and the rhyme scheme used in the ballad.
• Solutions for the latest pattern MCQ questions along with important questions according to the new syllabus.

Special benefits of these Ospin Academy solutions:

• Complete textual solutions prepared on the basis of the latest ASSEB new syllabus.
• 100% accurate, high-quality notes written in simple English that are easy for students to memorize (Class 10 English Notes).
• Specially curated easy-to-understand answers for quick revision before exams.
• A special collection of extra important questions from ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ for the board examinations.

Keeping in mind the academic upliftment of the students, Ospin Academy has brought forward these special textual solutions. Start your board exam preparation now and step forward towards scoring the highest marks in English.

Chapter 10

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Thinking about the Poem

Q.1 Who are the characters in the poem? List them with their pet names.

Ans.: There are five characters described in this poem. A girl Belinda and her four pets; a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon. List with their pet names

Character	Pet Names
1. A girl	Belinda
2. A black kitten	Ink
3. A little grey mouse	Blink
4. A little yellow dog	Mustard
5. A little dragon	Custard5

Q.2 Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called the ‘cowardly dragon’?

Ans.: Custard cried for a nice safe cage to be safe in case some danger comes up. The dragon had a very ferocious and frightening appearance but did not behave in an aggressive manner. This made others think that he was a coward and thus he is called the ‘cowardly dragon’.

Q.3 “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful..,” Why?

Ans.: Belinda and everyone considered the dragon to be a coward. She wanted the dragon to show some behaviour that suited his fearsome external appearance. Also, as she was not afraid of him she behaved very casually around him.

Q.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 poetic devices used in the poem?

Ans.:

Lines	Poetic Device
1. And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard	Simile
2. Mouth like a fireplace	Simile
3. Chimney for a nose	Metaphor
4. Belinda was as brave as a barrel	Simile

Q.5 Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon

Ans.: In the third stanza, the poet describes the appearance of the dragon as having big sharp teeth, spike on the top body and scales underneath it. The dragon’s mouth had fire and thus has been called a fireplace and the nostrils have been compared with the chimney.

Q.6 Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?

Ans.: The rhyme scheme of the first and second stanza is-aa bb.

Q.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?

Ans.: The looks of the dragon have been illustrated by simulating a visual imagery of fireplace and nostrils. The author has depicted the bravery of the cat, dog, and the mouse by creating a written image of them chasing lions etc. In the latter part of the poem, the author uses these imageries to describe the appearance and the engagement of pirate with Belinda and her pets.

Q.8 Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans.: The poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a humorous poem. The names of the characters are funny. The pets called Custard by funny names, which makes the poem all the more humorous. All the pets boasted of being very brave but went into hiding as soon as the pirate arrived. After the events have finished, they again started to boast like nothing has happened. This part is funny as well.

Q.9 This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such modem songs or lyric that tells a story? If you know one, tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.

Ans.: ‘Light of Asia’ is an epic ballad. It tells the story of Prince Siddartha, whose life started as a royal and culminated as a saint.