The Flight of Icarus Myth and Traditional Literature

1. RL3 Daedalus made wings for himself and his son in order to . . . 

• A  teach his son to fly. 
• B  be more like the gods. 
• C  escape from the island of Crete.        
• D  show that he was an ingenious artist. 

2. RL3 Why did Daedalus have “misgivings” while watching Icarus fly?      

• A  He thought that Icarus would be too afraid.
• B  He thought that the wings would not be strong enough.          
• C  He thought that the winds would be too strong. 
• D  He thought that Icarus would be too bold and reckless.

3. RL3 Why did Icarus fly higher and higher into the sky? 

• A  He wanted to impress the shepherds and plowmen.    
• B  He did not know how to control his wings.
• C  He was bewitched by a sense of freedom.        
• D  He was obeying his father’s instructions. 

4. RL3 Daedalus first knew that his fears had come true when . . .     

• A  he saw feathers floating from the sky.
• B  he heard Icarus cry out to him.    
• C  he felt the heat of the sun.          
• D  he saw his son plunge into the sea. 

5. RL3 When Daedalus arrived safely in Sicily he . . . 

• A  buried his son.      
• B  built a temple.      
• C  made another pair of wings.
• D  rejoiced in his escape.

6. RL3 Daedalus could not follow Icarus into the sky because . . . 

• A  he was too heavy.
• B  he was too cautious.
• C  he was too slow.          
• D  he was too anxious.

A moderate amount of something is

• A. very generous
• B. just enough
• C. too little
• D. well earned

What does Prowess mean?

• Strength
• Arrogance
• Intelligence
• recklessness

Something that is done in a frantic way

• calmly
• deliberately (on purpose)
• lovingly
• hastily (quickly)

A sign that a person that is experiencing anxiety might be

• an angry frown
• sweaty palms
• relaxed smile
• tiredness