Daedalus and Icarus

Which of the following statements about King Minos and Daedalus best describes their relationship?

• King Minos became jealous of Daedalus’s cunning, so he imprisoned him.

• Daedalus worked for the king, but the king was unpredictable and eventually had Daedalus imprisoned.

• The king wanted to see if his architect was cunning enough to escape from the maze he built.

• Daedalus is a god and king Minos is jealous of this fact.

Which of the following statements best describes the nature of Daedalus’s warning to Icarus in paragraphs 5-6?

• Daedalus is worried that his invented wings are dysfunctional.

• Daedalus knows his son is disobedient by nature and so he warns him early to be careful.

• Daedalus knows from experience that the wings will melt and his son likes to fly high.Incorrect. Daedalus reached these conclusions through other methods than trial and error.

• The thought of flight and escape—which Daedalus warns can be dangerous—is too thrilling for Icarus to worry about safety.

Which of the following inferences best describes a theme of the myth?

• If you get too greedy, you will be punished.

• Evil will always be punished with death.

• There is a danger in men getting too close to the ways of the gods

• Sons cannot be trusted to equal their fathers in intellect and common sense.

Which passage from the text best supports the answer to Question 3?

• “ . . . The country folk, who caught a glimpse of them when they were high above the tree-tops, took it for a vision of the gods,--Apollo, perhaps, with Cupid after him.”

• “Are birds careful? Not they! And not an idea remained in the boy’s head but the one joy of escape.”Incorrect. This shows another theme of the story but doesn’t support the previous answer.

• “. . . He, in heavy grief, went to the temple of Apollo in Sicily, and there hung up his wings as an offering. Never again did he attempt to fly.”

• “Among all those mortals who grew so wise that they learned the secrets of the gods, none was more cunning than Daedalus.”

Reorder the following

• Icarus and Daedalus are taken for a vision of the gods.

• The feathers of Icarus’s wings fall like snowflakes.

• Daedalus warns his son not to fly too high or too low.

• Daedalus escapes from King Minos’s tower.