LIWA

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

CBSE Class 10 · English · Chapter 18

Past board exam questions

CBSE 2026 board paper · 3 marks

How was Custard’s reaction on seeing the pirate different from that of others ? (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – at least two value points; Expression 1) When the pirate came, Belinda cried out for help and turned pale, while Ink, Blink and Mustard fled with terrified cries. Custard, who was called a coward, behaved differently: he snorted like an engine, charged at the pirate fearlessly and gobbled him up, proving the bravest of all.

CBSE 2025 compartment paper · 5 marks

Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow : Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him, No one mourned for his pirate victim. Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate Around the dragon that ate the pirate. (The Tale of Custard the Dragon) (i) Complete the following suitably : (1) Belinda’s and Mustard’s reaction reflected a sense of _________. (ii) ‘Embraced’ in this context means : (1) (A) to accept (B) to feel awkward and sheepish (C) to put your arms around someone (D) to show disagreement (iii) Select the option that applies the same rhyme scene as the lines of the given extract. (1) (A) I have a cat I have a house I have a mouse I have a hat. (B) She went there The house was bare Not a sound was heard Except the tweet of a bird. (C) People along the sand all turn to look one way. The wetter ground like glass swept their gaze away. (D) The bird flew to the sky blue It was beauty true I have to say (iv) What is the irony in the behaviour of the characters in the given extract ? (2)

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(i) (Any one) joy / relief / happiness / gratitude (ii) (C) to put your arms around someone (iii) (B) She went there / The house was bare / Not a sound was heard / Except the tweet of a bird. (rhyme scheme aabb) (iv) (Both) Ink and Blink, who had always mocked Custard as a coward, are forced to appreciate his power and now dance around him in glee. The dragon who was laughed at by the other animals turns out to be the real hero, while they themselves had hidden in fear of the pirate.

CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks

Ogden Nash’s ‘The Tale of Custard The Dragon’ is a humorous ballad – a song on a poem that tells a story. Justify. (Answer in 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – any two relevant points; Organisation 1) The poem tells a story – Belinda and her pets mock the ‘cowardly’ dragon Custard, but when a pirate attacks, it is Custard who kills him while the others hide. It is humorous, with funny names (Ink, Blink, Mustard), non-standard words like ‘realio, trulio’, a lively rhyme and rhythm, and irony: the coward turns out to be the hero, yet at the end he is still called a coward.

CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks

Bring out the central idea of the poem, ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’. (Answer in 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – any two relevant points; Organisation 1) The poem shows that appearances are deceptive and we should not judge others hastily. Custard, mocked as a coward by Belinda and her pets, alone fights and kills the pirate while the boastful ones hide. A crisis brings out a person’s real character – true courage is shown in adversity, not in boasting.

CBSE 2024 board paper · 5 marks

Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two, (a) or (b) : Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage, But Custard cried for a nice safe cage. (The Tale of Custard the Dragon) (i) Comment upon the contrast that is reflected in the last two lines of the extract. (1) (ii) Fill in the blank with one word. (1) While describing Ink and Blink, the speaker says that they could chase lions down the stairs. By saying so, he is revealing the ______ characteristic of their personality. (iii) Comment on the poet’s use of language in these lines in about 40 words. (2) (iv) Which of the following best describes the theme of the poem ? (1) (A) Bravery and heroism (B) Humility leads to bravery (C) Valour and diligence (D) Crisis reveals character

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(i) The contrast is between the behaviour of the dog and the dragon: a dragon is considered more ferocious than a dog, yet Mustard the dog behaves as brave as a tiger while Custard the dragon wants the safety of a cage. (ii) fearless (also: valorous / daring / heroic / bold / courageous) (iii) The poet uses simple, easy-to-understand language, with similes (‘as brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘as brave as a tiger in a rage’), alliteration and imagery, and gives a humorous description of the characters; the poem is written as a ballad. (Any two points.) (iv) (D) Crisis reveals character

CBSE 2024 compartment paper · 5 marks

Read the following extracts and answer the questions for any one of the given two, (a) and (b) : Belinda paled, and she cried Help ! Help ! But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household, And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed. (The Tale of Custard the Dragon) (i) Which animal came out as a real hero in this situation ? (1) (ii) ‘Help ! Help ! is an example of : (1) (A) personification (B) alliteration (C) simile (D) repetition (iii) The phrase ‘trickled down’ means ____________ . (1) (A) stepped down quickly (B) ran away fearfully (C) tricked mercilessly (D) moved down slowly (iv) How did Belinda react in the face of crisis ? (2)

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(i) Custard the Dragon (ii) (D) repetition (iii) (D) moved down slowly (iv) (Any two points) Belinda was terrified; she became pale with fear and started crying for help (‘Help ! Help !’).

CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks

‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a humorous ballad. How does Ogden Nash create humour and entertainment in the poem ? (Answer in 40 – 50 words.)

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(Content 2 – any two relevant points; Organisation 1) Nash uses non-standard, playful language and made-up words such as ‘realio, trulio’, and gives the pets funny rhyming names. He creates vivid and funny imagery of the pirate and the characters, like a kitten named Ink and a mouse named Blink. The humour is also ironic: Belinda and her pets boast of their bravery but flee in the face of danger, while Custard, the ‘cowardly’ dragon, fights the pirate.

CBSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks

What makes Custard, the dragon look fearsome? Explain. (Answer in about 40-50 words.)

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(Content 2 – any two–three relevant points; Organisation 1) (Any two) Custard looks fearsome because of his physical features: he has big sharp teeth, spikes on top of him and scales underneath; his mouth is like a fireplace and his nose like a chimney; and he has daggers (sharp claws) on his toes. Yet, ironically, he is a coward who cries for a nice safe cage – until he bravely fights the pirate.