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.
• What was Remo Giazotto’s reason for crediting the musical composition to Albinoni? Why is there some controversy surrounding his claims? How is this Adagio related to the novel’s themes of The Effects of War, The Redemptive Power of Art, and The Importance of Catharsis?

Chapter 1, Sections 1-3

Reading Check

1. What does Arrow do for a living?

2. Where does Kenan have to travel to find clean drinking water?

3. Where does Dragan believe his family is?

4. Where does Dragan work?

Short Answer

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

1. Why did Arrow change her name?

2. What does Arrow believe the men on the hill have taken from her?

3. How does Arrow distance herself from other assassins?

4. What does Kenan mean when he says, “He wants to sit up, anxious, waiting for his older daughter to return from a movie with a boy he doesn’t really like?”

5. What does Dragan fear most about dying?

Chapter 2, Sections 1-3

Reading Check

1. What building is Kenan most saddened by on his journey to collect water?

2. What happens to Emina?

Short Answer

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

1. What opportunity does the collection of water grant to the citizens of Sarajevo?

2. What happens as Kenan fills his bottles?

3. How does Dragan describe those who can escape Sarajevo?

4. How does Emina find the will to deliver medicine?

5. What is the purpose of the mission Nermin assigns to Arrow?

6. Why doesn’t the sniper shoot the cellist?

Paired Resource

“The Healing Power of Music”

• This article describes how music is used for psychological healing. (Subscription may be required for viewing.)
• What effect does music have on the body? Why do some doctors use music for healing? How might the cellist’s music be healing for Emina? How are the ideas here related to the novel’s themes of The Effects of War, The Redemptive Power of Art, and The Importance of Catharsis?

Chapter 3, Sections 1-5

Reading Check

1. What kills Nermin?

2. Who is Arrow’s new boss?

3. Who does Arrow refuse to kill?

Short Answer

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

1. How does Emilia change the way Dragan sees life and death?

2. Why does Arrow face a moral dilemma after she is dismissed from Nermin’s army?

3. What injustices has the war brought regarding the black market?

4. What does Dragan think will be the cause of the city of Sarajevo’s death?

Paired Resource

“Life and Death on my Street in Sarajevo”

• This article describes the experience of one reporter who lived in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War and the subsequent healing of the residents.
• Why did the author choose one street to write about in Sarajevo? What is the condition of Sarajevo following the siege? What happened to Sarajevo’s economy following the war? What impact has the war had on the people? How are these experiences related to the novel’s themes of The Effects of War and The Importance of Catharsis?

“Memories of Covering the Sarajevo Siege”

• This 7-minute video describes the experience of a CNN reporter living in Sarajevo during its siege.
• What are the dangers in Sarajevo for residents and reporters? What were the tunnels in Sarajevo used for? How are the tunnels used now? How has Sarajevo changed since the siege? How does the content of this resource connect to the novel’s themes of The Effects of War and The Importance of Catharsis?

Chapter 4, Sections 1-3

Reading Check

1. Who comes to Arrow’s door because she refuses to kill a civilian?

2. What does Arrow call herself when the men break down her door?

Short Answer

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

1. What does Dragan change about his behavior after his desire to restore Sarajevo to what it once was?

2. What effect does the cellist’s music have on Arrow?

Recommended Next Reads

The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric

• This novel is a fictional retelling of the history surrounding the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad.
• Shared topics include historical fiction, Bosnia, and cultural conflicts.
• Shared themes include The Effects of War.
• The Bridge on the Drina on SuperSummary

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

• This novel is about a book conservator who investigates the origins of the Sarajevo Haggadah.
• Shared topics include war, renewal, and art.
• Shared themes include The Effects of War, The Redemptive Power of Art, and The Importance of Catharsis.
• People of the Book on SuperSummary