REVIEW - SELECTION ASSESSMENT The Flight of Icarus

Which statement is a theme of the myth?

• Wisdom grows with time.

• Fear is a strong emotion.

• People should obey their elders.

• People can’t escape their destinies.

How does the setting impact the plot of the myth?

• A) Daedalus sees the air as a means of escape.

• B) Daedalus tries to escape but fails.

• C) Daedalus is imprisoned in a high tower.

• D) Daedalus is a gifted inventor.

Read the sentence from paragraph 2.

Daedalus was an ingenious artist and was not discouraged by his failures.

This sentence explains that Daedalus is a —

• successful artist but afraid of failure

• smart person who persists

• smart person but afraid of failure

• successful artist who gives up

Reread the last sentence of paragraph 3.

Icarus played about on the beach happily while his father worked, chasing the feathers that blew away in the strong wind that swept the island and sometimes taking bits of the wax and working it into strange shapes with his fingers.

This description of Icarus shows that —

• he avoids helping

• he is happy to be on the island

• he wants to be an artist

• he likes to play

Read the sentence from paragraph 6.

Icarus, standing in the bright sun, the shining wings dropping gracefully from his shoulders, his golden hair wet with spray, and his eyes bright and dark with excitement, looked like a lovely bird.

The purpose of this comparison is to describe Icarus’s —

• inability to fly

• love for his father

• joy when he flies

• wings coming off

The word anxiety comes from the Latin word angere, which means “to choke.”

What does anxiety mean in paragraph 8?

• Consuming fear

• Obsessive anger

• Devastating sadness

• Overwhelming misery

Which quote from paragraph 7 of the myth shows that Icarus flew too high?

• . . . until he reached the clouds.

• Up and up Icarus soared . . .

• . . . the sun became so hot that the largest feathers dropped off . . .

• He cried out to his father . . .

The word exaltation comes from the Latin word exaltare, which means “to raise
or elevate.”

What does exaltation mean in paragraph 9?

• Flotation

• Delight

• Promotion

• Singing

Which two quotes from the myth best support the theme that reaching beyond your limits can cause problems?

• Daedalus managed to escape from the tower . . . (paragraph 1)

• . . . but he does not control the air . . . . (paragraph 2)

• . . . if you fly too high, the heat will melt the wax . . . (paragraph 5)

• He was bewitched by a sense of freedom and beat his wings frantically . . . (paragraph 7)

• . . . he mourned for the birdlike son who had thrown caution to the winds in the exaltation of his freedom . . . (paragraph 9)

Label the events of the myth in the order in which they happen. The first event will be
labeled 1, and the last will be labeled 6.

• Daedalus decides to build wings for them to use to escape the island.

• They take flight, and Icarus flies too high, melting the wax on his wings; he falls

• Daedalus and Icarus become prisoners on the island.

• Daedalus escapes but loses his son.

• Daedalus cautions Icarus not to fly too high or too low.