The Flight of Icarus

Which word could be used to describe a main TOPIC in the myth?

• Fearlessness

• Wisdom

• Freedom

• Imprisonment

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

Which statement best explains how the setting impacts the plot of a story?

• Daedalus saw the air as a means of escape.

• Daedalus was a gifted engineer and inventor.

• Daedalus tried to escape to Crete but failed.

• Daedalus was imprisoned in a high tower.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

Read the sentence:

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

The author's purpose for using this sentence in paragraph 2 of the myth is to-

• explain the Daedalus was a successful artist but afraid

  of failure.

• explain that Daedalus was a smart person but afraid of

  failure.

• explain that Daedalus was a smart person who does

  not give up.

• explain that Daedalus was a successful artist but easily

  discouraged.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

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.

What is the effect of this description of Icarus playing on the shore?

• It shows that Icarus wanted to be an artist like his

  father.

• It shows that Icarus was happy to be on the island.

• It shows that Icarus was a young boy who liked to play.

• It shows the reader that Icarus did not help his father.

Tags

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RL.6.10

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.8.10

Reread 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 author compares Icarus to a bird. The purpose of this comparison is to-

• foreshadow Icarus's love for his father

• foreshadow Icarus's joy when he flies

• foreshadow Icarus's inability to fly

• foreshadow Icarus's wings coming off

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

Reread paragraph 8:

"Daedalus, crazed by anxiety, called back to him, “Icarus! Icarus, my son, where are you?"

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

Which is the effect of the use of the word anxiety in paragraph 8 of the myth?

• It shows that Daedalus was angry that Icarus would fall

  quickly

• It shows that Daedalus wanted to punish Icarus

• It shows that Daedalus was consumed by his fear for

  Icarus's safety

• It shows that Daedalus was extremely sad about

  Icarus's safety

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9

Which detail from the selection supports the key idea that Icarus flew too high?

• Up and up Icarus soared...

• ....until he reached the clouds....

• He cried out to his father...

• ...the sun became to hot that the largest feathers

  dropped off...

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.7.2

Reread this line from paragraph 9:

"And he mourned for the birdlike son who had thrown caution to the winds in the exaltation of his freedom from the earth."

The word exaltation is derived from the Latin word exaltare, which means "raise or elevate."

What does exaltation mean in paragraph 9?

• singing

• promotion

• flotation (to float)

• praise

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

In the text, Daedalus teaches Icarus how to fly by using nature as their teacher.

"He bade him watch the movements of the birds, how they soared and glided overhead"

This line emphasizes that-

• Daedalus wanted to make wings from bird's feathers.

• birds were worshiped as god in ancient Greece

• nature was highly respected by ancient Greeks

• flying by your own power was possible but dangerous

Tags

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.7.5

CCSS.RL.8.5

Against his father's advice, Icarus few higher and higher because he-

• often disobeyed his father's commands

• was overtaken by the thrill that came from flying freely

• was eager to prove that he was stronger than his father

• became lost when the sun blinds him

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.9

CCSS.RL.8.9