The Icarus Quiz: 20 Questions

Plot & Sequence (8 questions)

1. What painting does Icarus swap in Mr. Black's mansion during the opening chapter?

   • A) Monet's Haystack
   • B) Warhol's Red Lenin
   • C) Rothko's Untitled
   • D) Rodin's Orpheus Losing Eurydice

2. In Chapter 26, who catches Icarus red-handed in the mansion?
   (Short answer)

3. For how many years have Icarus and his father been stealing from Mr. Black?

   • A) 3 years
   • B) 6 years
   • C) 10 years
   • D) 12 years

4. What valuable object does Icarus consider stealing during the museum sculpture swap in Chapter 40?
   (Short answer)

5. In Chapter 188, what drug did Mr. Black give Helios for his broken ribs?
   (Short answer)

6. How do Icarus and Helios escape from the mansion roof in Chapter 191?

   • A) They use a fire ladder.
   • B) They jump while strapped to a hinge.
   • C) They rappel down the side.
   • D) They slide down a laundry chute.

7. What causes Icarus and Helios to fall in Chapter 192?

   • A) The hinge breaks.
   • B) Mr. Black cuts the rope.
   • C) The rope snaps.
   • D) Helios accidentally releases the lock.

8. What does Angus reveal about the apartment building in Chapter 195?

   • A) It is rented month-to-month.
   • B) It is owned by Mr. Black.
   • C) It is in Icarus's name.
   • D) It will be seized by the Feds.

Character Motivation (5 questions)

1. Why does Icarus deliberately avoid forming close friendships?

   • A) He dislikes most people.
   • B) He cannot risk answering questions about his life.
   • C) His father forbids him from having friends.
   • D) He is too busy with schoolwork.

2. What drives Angus to steal from Mr. Black over many years?

   • A) Greed for expensive art.
   • B) Revenge for Mr. Black's broken promise to pay for his wife's cancer treatment.
   • C) A dare from college.
   • D) A need to fund Icarus's education.

3. Why does Icarus refuse to steal artworks from public museums?

   • A) He believes public art belongs to everyone.
   • B) He is afraid of the security systems.
   • C) His father warned him not to.
   • D) Helios asked him not to.

4. Why does Icarus ultimately decide to steal the gold torque?

   • A) To give it to Helios as a gift.
   • B) To sell it and fund his escape.
   • C) To prove he is better than his father.
   • D) To replace a stolen museum piece.

5. In Chapter 183, why does Celestina kiss Icarus on the eyelids?

   • A) She is saying goodbye.
   • B) She is teasing him.
   • C) She wants to wake him up.
   • D) She is trying to comfort him.

Theme & Symbol (4 questions)

1. What does the fern Icarus filiformis symbolize in the story?

   • A) Icarus's father's artistic legacy.
   • B) Icarus's connection to his mother and his own fragility.
   • C) The wealth of Mr. Black.
   • D) The theme of flight and falling.

2. The sculpture Orpheus Losing Eurydice appears in the mansion foyer. What central theme does it reinforce?

   • A) The danger of looking back and the cost of loss.
   • B) The beauty of classical art.
   • C) The importance of music.
   • D) The power of love.

3. What does the gold torque represent for Icarus?

   • A) His religious faith.
   • B) Freedom and the temptation to break his own rules.
   • C) His father's approval.
   • D) Helios's imprisonment.

4. Throughout the novel, Icarus experiences touch as overwhelming. What does this motif primarily symbolize?

   • A) His physical strength.
   • B) His vulnerability and deep longing for connection.
   • C) His dislike of other people.
   • D) His training as a thief.

Synthesis (3 questions)

1. How do the names Icarus and Helios connect to the Greek myth, and how does the novel subvert it?

   • A) Icarus flies too close to the sun (Helios) and dies; in the novel, both survive and escape together.
   • B) Helios is the sun god who burns Icarus; the novel keeps this fate.
   • C) The names are unrelated to the myth.
   • D) Icarus is the sun and Helios is the moon.

2. In the Author's Note, what does K. Ancrum say is the novel's central arc?

   • A) A weak teenager becomes strong.
   • B) A strong teenager learns vulnerability.
   • C) A thief becomes a hero.
   • D) A father and son reconcile.

3. Why does Icarus finally reveal his real name to Helios in Chapter 91?

   • A) He makes a mistake.
   • B) He trusts Helios deeply and wants to share his true identity.
   • C) He is forced to by circumstance.
   • D) Helios guesses it correctly.

Answer Key

1. B) Warhol's Red Lenin – Chapter 1: Icarus swaps the Warhol with a forgery made by his father.

2. Helios Black (Ike) – Chapter 26: A red-haired boy in blue pajamas catches Icarus in the act.

3. B) 6 years – Chapter 24: Icarus has been breaking into the mansion since age twelve; he is almost eighteen.

4. Pre-Columbian gold torque – Chapter 40: Icarus considers stealing the torque to fund a new life.

5. Methadone – Chapter 188: Mr. Black gave Helios methadone for his broken ribs.

6. B) They jump while strapped to a hinge – Chapter 191: Icarus hammers a hinge into the shingles and jumps with Helios.

7. C) The rope snaps – Chapter 192: The rope cracks and they plummet.

8. C) It is in Icarus's name – Chapter 195: Angus tells Icarus the building is owned by him, not rented.

9. B) He cannot risk answering questions about his life – Chapter 7: Icarus limits friendships to avoid exposing his thefts.

10. B) Revenge for Mr. Black's broken promise – Chapter 108: Angus stole because Mr. Black refused to pay for his wife's cancer treatment after commissioning a painting.

11. A) He believes public art belongs to everyone – Chapter 65: Icarus tells Helios he will not steal from public museums for this reason.

12. B) To sell it and fund his escape – Chapter 40: He sees the gold as a means to start over.

13. A) She is saying goodbye – Chapter 183: Celestina kisses Icarus's eyelids as part of their final day together before his escape.

14. B) Icarus's connection to his mother and his own fragility – Chapter 2: Icarus's mother, a botanist, named him after the fern; the plant suggests resilience and delicacy.

15. A) The danger of looking back and the cost of loss – The myth of Orpheus mirrors the characters' struggles with grief and the risk of revisiting the past.

16. B) Freedom and the temptation to break his own rules – Icarus is tempted to steal the torque without a replacement, symbolizing his desire for independence and the risk it carries.

17. B) His vulnerability and deep longing for connection – Icarus's hypersensitivity to touch (Chapter 10, 13) underscores his isolation and yearning for intimacy.

18. A) Icarus flies too close to the sun (Helios) and dies; in the novel, both survive and escape together – The novel reverses the tragic ending: Icarus and Helios support each other rather than being destroyed.

19. B) A strong teenager learns vulnerability – Author's Note: Ancrum explains she wanted to show an extraordinary teenager learning to be vulnerable.

20. B) He trusts Helios deeply and wants to share his true identity – Chapter 91: Icarus smiles and says his name for the first time as an act of trust.

Want to explore more? Check out the book overview, questions and answers, or the ending explained.