Icarus’s Flight

Which statement best describes the message of the poem?

• Icarus flew too far for no good reason.

• Icarus learned something by flying too far.

• Icarus had a habit of flying too far.

• Icarus was pushed into flying too far.

How does the poet use language to set the tone of the poem?

          

• The poet uses exciting language to set a fiery tone.

• The poet uses formal language to set an uncaring tone.

• The poet uses reasoning language to set a thoughtful tone.

• The poet uses mournful language to set a sad tone.

Which sentence best describes the theme of the poem?

• Destiny is unavoidable.

• Freedom comes with limits.

• Wisdom comes from freedom.

• Fear should be ignored.

Reread the first line of the poem. Which sentence best describes the poet’s purpose for beginning the poem this way?

"What else could the boy have done?"

• The poet wants to criticize Icarus.

• The poet wants to establish sympathy for Icarus.

• The poet wants to establish the idea that Icarus was a young boy.

• The poet wants to establish that Icarus did not know what he was doing.

In lines 1, 5, 14, and 18, the poet puts a question mark before the end of the line. The poet does this to —

        

• make the reader pause

• create a random line break

• express a strong feeling

•    strengthen the meaning of the line

The poet’s use of the words liberty (line 9) and freedom (lines 4, 5) creates what mood in the poem?

"But how could he appreciate

his freedom without knowing the exact point

where freedom stopped?"

"But at last in his anticipated plummeting

he grasped the confines of what had been

his liberty."

• Cautious

• Careless

• Serious

• Frightening

The poet begins a sentence at the end of each stanza and does not finish it until the first line of the next stanza, as in lines 3–5 of the poem. Which statement best describes why the poet uses this structure?

"And so he flew. But how could he appreciate

his freedom without knowing the exact point

where freedom stopped?"

• He uses it to change the rhythm of ideas throughout the poem.

• He uses it to make the reader think about what is happening in each stanza.

• He uses it to maintain the flow of the poem and the feeling of being drawn downward.

• He uses it to make the reader go back and read the previous stanza to understand the next one.

Which sentence best describes the theme of the poem?

• Destiny is unavoidable.

• Freedom comes with limits.

• Wisdom comes from freedom.

• Fear should be ignored.

Read this sentence from lines 18–19 of the poem. He now had his answer, laws to uphold him in his downward plunge. What is the connotation of the word plunge?

• Neutral

• Positive

• Negative

• Emotional

Which phrase reflects the poet’s purpose in writing the poem?

• To retell the myth of Icarus

• To compare wisdom and freedom

• To question the lesson in the myth of Icarus

• To persuade the reader that Icarus was careless