The Cellist of Sarajevo

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Prologue

Reading Check

1. Who was attacked during the massacre the cellist remembers at the beginning of the novel?

2. What is the building the cellist is especially disappointed has been destroyed?

3. What was the cellist’s occupation before the Siege of Sarajevo?

4. What musical composition does the cellist decide to play for the people of Sarajevo?

5. How many days does the cellist decide to compose music?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does the cellist feel personally connected to the attack of the civilians in the massacre he remembers?

2. What does the cellist decide to do with his musical talents?

Paired Resource

Albinoni, Adagio Boston Cello Quartet

• This 6-minute video is the musical composition of Albinoni Adagio.
• What is the mood of the musical composition of the Adagio? Why do you think the cellist chose this composition for the people of Sarajevo? How is the composition related to the novel’s theme of The Redemptive Power of Art?

Albinoni’s Adagio

• This article describes the destruction in Dresden following World War II and the history behind the composition of Albinoni’s Adagio.