'The Tale of Custard the Dragon' is a mock ballad — it follows the traditional ballad form (regular rhyme scheme, stanzas, repetition, a narrative about a brave hero) but subverts its conventions humorously. In a traditional ballad, the hero is genuinely brave and courageous. Here, Custard, the dragon — who should be the fiercest — is a coward, while smaller, weaker creatures like the kitten and the mouse boast of bravery. The poem uses humour and irony to mock false bravado, unlike the serious, heroic tone of a traditional ballad.
The examiner expects three points: (1) identification of the form as a mock/parody ballad, (2) contrast in the characterisation of the 'hero' (cowardly dragon vs. boastful small creatures), and (3) contrast in tone — humour/irony vs. the seriousness of traditional ballads. Note: No source passage for this poem was provided, so the answer is based on curriculum knowledge of the poem from the CBSE Class 10 textbook First Flight, Chapter 10.