The Tale of custard the Dragon Previous Years’ questions and answers are given here. Short and long answer type questions are given here but students should be ready to enlarge the answers as per the requirement of the questions in the test papas.
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[CBSE Question Bank, 2020-21]
Short Answer Type.
Q. 1. Custard humbly accepts that other animals are braver than him. Give a reason to support your stance that humility is a virtue worth possessing. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. Custard was actually very humble. He had a very low opinion of himself. Belinda and other animals pretended to be brave and inject mocked at custard. But on seeing the pirate they behaved in a cowardly way.
Q. 2. The usage of words like ‘realio trulio’ creates a wonderful poetic effect. How? [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. The poet Ogden Nash has used the words ‘realio trulio’ to create wonderful rhyme in the poem and also bring an amazing comic effect to the poem. The word ‘realio’ means ‘really’ while ‘trulio’ means ‘truly’. These words add humor to the poem.
Q. 3. Why is it fair to say that Custard could be the ‘poster-boy’ for the belief that the real nature of a person is revealed at times of the greatest difficulty? [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. Custard, the dragon, was the only one who was actually brave. The others were all cowards. They disappeared when they saw the pirate. But the dragon faced him bravely and swallowed him up.
Q.4. The poet could have included a burglar or an intruder in the poem, but chose to include a pirate. Explain this choice. [CBSE QB 2021]
Ans. The poet chose a pirate over any burglar or a thief because a pirate looks evil and nasty. The way his leg crippled as one of them was of wood, pistol in both of his hands and a cutlass between his teeth was scarier than a burglar.
Ans. As a friend, I would advise Belinda to be nice to custard. She should have made him feel comfortable and safe in the house and also give him equal importance instead of making fun of him. Because those who are inferior in strength and power should have no right to haunt and ridicule others.
Q. 2. The poem is a light-hearted ballad with a powerful message. If the poem was written in any other style, do you think it would have created the same effect on readers? Justify your response with reason(s). [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. Generally, ballads are tales of adventures and heroism. In the poem, the poet does present the encounter of clustered and the pirate in a typical spirit of a ballad. Hence, no other style would have created the same effect on readers other than a ballad.
Q. 3. Imagine that Custard writes a blog on ‘Overcoming fears. A part of the blog focuses on ways to overcome the fears within.
As Custard, write this part of the blog.
You may proceed like this:
While we agree that fear is like a big monster that resides within us. This monster shall continue to overpower us if we do not overpower it. To begin with, …… [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. ……. To begin with the best thing to do is to examine the reasons behind the fears, ask yourself it is a caution or irrational fear and focus on the positive. All fears are worse when we face them alone. So, find someone to share your fears with. Finally, face your fears. Accept failure as a part of life and get through it and over it
Long Answers
Q. 1. Custard was discriminated against, bullied and made fun of. Such behaviour often has a disastrous impact on the victims and etches a permanent scar on their minds. Write opinions of Wanda and Mandela on this issue.
Wanda: In my personal opinion, ………………………………. (continue)
Nelson Mandela: I strongly believe that……………………. (continue) [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans.
Wanda: In my opinion, bullying and teasing can leave a person depressed for life. One might never get his/her self-confidence back, especially if it is traumatic. The mocking which seems fun to the doer might destroy the victim’s positive mindset. The world is full of evil people. Moreover, if the person who is bullying other people succeeds in doing so, then he will get
confident and continue bullying people. Such cases should be reported immediately.
Nelson Mandela: I strongly believe that the people who are victim of bullying learn to handle these situations independently if they receive proper assistance. Therefore, a person should be taught to retaliate against the bully, and at the same time, they should be taught not to bully on the weaker people to show them the power. The oppressor should not suppress, and the victim should protest against this.
Q. 2. Being impressed by Custard’s feat, the young seagull’s sister wrote a letter to Custard seeking advice on addressing the situation with her young brother. Write Custard’s response to this letter. Base the advice from his experiences.
You may begin like this:
Dear Ms. Seagull
Thank you for seeking me out. I’m humbled. Based on my limited experiences, I feel………………. [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Answer:
Dear Ms. Seagull.
Thank you for seeking me out. I’m humbled. Based on my limited experiences, I feel that what a human actually possess in him can only be proven at the times of utmost difficulty. In my case, not only Belinda and the other pets took me as a coward, but also, I was unaware of my own courage. It was only when I saw Belinda crying for help on the sight of a pirate breaking in; I knew that I had to do it at any cost. So, I without thinking, I charged at the pirate with all my strength. Similarly, I believe that when your younger brother will face such a situation where he would be left with no choice but to fly, he would definitely take the plunge. He was too unaware of the courage he had in himself like me. But he would soon prove himself to everyone.
Q. 3. Custard though mocked for his cowardice, displayed courage and was the one who saved the day in the end.
Pick a character from any of the units (lessons/poems) in First Flight, who displayed similar characteristics, like Custard and overcame a troubling issue?
What similarities and differences do you find between the character and Custard? [CBSE QB, 2020-21]
Ans. Custard, the dragon is portrayed as a timid dragon. He is also a humble dragon, pure in character. He never boasted about his bravery. Courage can be measured at the time of serious situation. And custard proved that he was the most courageous among all by not running away from the danger. According to me, the similar characteristics, like Custard can be seen in Wanda Petronski from the chapter ‘The Hundred Dresses’ written by EL Bsor Ester Wanda was very shy and quiet. She did not talk to anyone and hardly spoke anything in class or laughed. She quietly Sat in the last raw of the class with naughty boys so that nobody noticed her. Everybody teased her in class for her dress and shoes every day. In anger, she claimed of having a hundred dresses and six pairs of shoes at hours. She was very determined and humble. She showed her determination in drawing competitions by displaying a hundred sketches of dresses. She claimed to own. She possessed a great capacity for forgiveness and extending friendship. She, too, overcame a troubling issue like Custard, the dragon with humility
The Tale of Custard the Dragon Extra Questions
Q. What did Custard look like? [CBSE 2016]
Ans. Custard, the dragon, had big sharp teeth, spikes on top of him and scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace, his nose looked like a chimney, emitting smoke and daggers on his toes
Q. ‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.’ Who is Custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice safe cage’? [AI 2011]
Ans. Custard was a dragon. Although he appeared to be fiercest of all Belind’s pets, Custard cried for a nice safe cage because of his basic nature, which was calm and quiet-almost mistaken to be cowardly.
Q. How do the other pets celebrate Custard getting rid of the pirate?
Ans. When Custard successfully destroyed the pirate, Belinda embraced him. The other pets too celebrated his victory. Mustard, the dog licked him, Ink, the cat and Blink, the mouse danced around him in circles. They showed their love and appreciation to him in their own ways.
Thank you very much ❤️❤️