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Practice each question, then open the answer or worked solution.
Have you ever planned something entirely on your own, without taking grownups into your confidence? What did you plan, and how? Did you carry out your plan?
Activity to be done by yourself.
(Note: Students can write this answer as per their personal experiences.)
Have you made a journey that was unforgettable in some way? What made it memorable?
Activity to be done by yourself.
(Note: Students can write this answer as per their personal experiences.)
Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?
Activity to be done by yourself.
(Note: Students can write this answer as per their own understanding.)
Question 1:
Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.
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.
The names of the pets are listed below:
| Character | 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”?
Custard cried for a nice safe cage because it was a coward and used to get scared easily. It is called a “cowardly dragon” because everyone in the house is very brave. Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink could chase lions down the stairs, Mustard was as brave as a raging tiger, but Custard always cried for a nice safe cage as it feared a lot and wanted to stay safe from any danger.
Question 3:
“Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful…” Why?
Belinda tickled Custard, the dragon, unmercifully because it was always very scared and cried for a nice safe cage. She rubbed her fingers, creating a tingling sensation that would disturb the dragon, and everyone would laugh at its cowardice.
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?
The poet has extensively used similes throughout the poem. One such simile was “mouth like a fireplace”. Also, he has repetitively used the word ‘little’ in the first stanza to emphasize that everything in Belinda’s house, including her pets, was little in size. In the seventh stanza, the poet uses an incorrect spelling as a poetic device, such as ‘winda’ instead of ‘window’ that rhymes with Belinda’s name in the previous line. Furthermore, the poet also usedsalliteration in the tenth stanza in the sentences “Clashed his tail” and “With a clatter and a clank”. In the eleventh stanza, the poet used the terms, “The pirate gaped” and “gulped some grog” as some of the poetic devices in the poem.
Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
The poet describes the appearance of the dragon, Custard as one which had big sharp teeth and spikes on top of its body and scales underneath. Its mouth was like a fireplace with a chimney-like nose and sharp dagger-like toes.
Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
The rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem is ‘aabb’.
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?
Writers often use words and phrases that do not directly convey a meaning but are indicative of their related meanings. Such words or phrases are basically used to trigger our imagination into thinking and visualizing them like a painting with a hidden meaning. The poet has used some images in the poem such as: ‘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.