IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.
Section 1: Chapters 1-4
Vocabulary
- allegro: a quick tempo in music
- tenacity: very determined in a task
- catastrophe: a disastrous or destructive event
- exasperate: to irritate someone
- annihilate: to destroy something completely
- ambivalent: having mixed feelings about someone or something
- coherent: logical and clear
Comprehension Questions
- A cadenza is when the violin plays alone, and there are three cadenzas in Mozart’s Fourth Concerto in D. pg. 3
- Double strokes are two notes played at once on different strings. pg. 4
- Mr. Kaplan wants Allegra to remember that Mr. Bloch had tenacity, fearlessness, and a great soul. pg. 10
- Allegra thinks it will be a catastrophe if she doesn’t play in the competition because then she will be just another boring violin student and won’t get noticed by Joel Smirnoff. pg. 11
- Allegra says you can always pick out a violinist in the crowd by the bruise on their neck caused by the chin rest on their instruments. pg. 19
- Allegra thinks of the man dancing in the crowd when she is trying to sleep. pg. 27
- Allegra’s great grandmother died at Treblinka during the Holocaust. pg. 31
- The first thing that Allegra plans to do before the Bloch competition is to memorize her concerto. pg. 41
- Mr. Kaplan wants Allegra to be in “partnership” with her concerto in order to grow closer to Mozart. pg. 50
- Allegra likes the Green Violinist because is looks like the man is making the music fly into the air. pg. 54
- Deidre says Allegra must remember everything she’s learned about her music, and forget it at the same time in order to make the music her own. pg. 58
- In addition to playing sections loud, Allegra also practices playing sections softly. pg. 68
- Allegra and Deidre discover that the sculture makes different tones when you strike it in different places. pg. 71
- Deidre means that music already exists, and is merely discovered by people. pg. 75
Section 2: Chapters 5-8
Vocabulary
- hinterland: an uncharted area beyond a body of water
- bewilder: to cause someone to be amazed or confused
- maniac: someone who acts wild or violent
- imbecile: a dumb person
- irresponsible: making rash decisions
- inspire: to make someone want to do something
- unique: one of a kind, or unlike anything else
Comprehension Questions
- Mozart had written so much music during his life that there was no particular order to the pieces after he died. pg. 78
- Allegra’s father believes that the wonderful voice is what is really inside of Deidre. pg. 81
- Allegra wonders what it is that brings the music out of the man’s instrument. pg. 92
- Cadenzas were different in Mozart’s time in that the musician was supposed to improvise and the part was not written down. pg. 98
- Mr. Kaplan thinks that the spirit is wonderful in community orchestras. pg. 103
- Allegra had forgotten that anyone else was there, which made the second movement cadenza sound unusually beautiful. pg. 107
- Physics make performing outside difficult because it makes strings go out of tune and makes it hard for people to hear depending on where they’re sitting. pg. 112
- Jessica thinks that the dancing man is lonely. pg. 113
- After dancing with the dancing man, Jessica tells Allegra that his name is Trouble. pg. 114
- Allegra goes for a bike ride when she needs to relax at 12:22 a.m. pg. 120
- If Allegra’s mother’s orchestra is locked out, she will have to play the competition in the afternoon and a concert that same night. pg. 127
- The girls’ teacher sometimes calls them the “Three Weird Sisters.” pg. 129
- The dancing man tells Allegra that he has lost his “Waltz Tree” song. pg. 137
- According to Jessica, bamboo is a symbol for bending but not breaking. pg. 142
Section 3: Chapters 9-11
Vocabulary
- nuance: a subtle difference in the sound of music
- pernicious: having a subtle but harmful effect on something
- flippant: lacking a respectful attitude
- delirious: in a wildly excited state of mind
- savagery: fierceness
- upstage: to steal attention from something
- mete: to punish
Comprehension Questions
- David asks his parents to worry less about what she will be in the futre, and notice what she is now. pg. 151
- Allegra thinks her mother saves insect’s lives because they are alive one minute and dead the next. pg. 151
- Allegra realizes that her parents are terrified of losignt heir loved ones. pg. 152
- Allegra discovers that her new stand partner will be playing at the Bloch finals. pg. 156
- Allegra says that hitting a wrong not interrupts your concentration. pg. 160
- Allegra thinks that watching Steve play pushed her out of bed abnormally early. pg. 160
- Mrs. Kaplan warns Allegra about the dangers of riding her bike after offering her popovers and jam. pg. 161
- Mr. Kaplan asks Allegra to play Brahms’ Lullaby however she is feeling right then. pg. 165
- Allegra’s grandmother gives her a photograph of her great grandmother. pg. 169
- Allegra sees her Jewish half, and her Gentile half, noticing the Polish purse. pg. 172
- When the Bloch competition is five weeks away, Allegra asks herself if she going to play in it. pg. 175
- Allegra realizes that she can relearn the entire concerto just as if she was a beginner. pg. 176
- Michelangelo says that he hammers the marble because there is an angel inside and he’s trying to let it out. pg. 184
- Allegra says that Steve’s notes sound round and smooth like waves in the ocean. pg. 190
Section 4: Chapters 12-14
Vocabulary
- gurgle: to make a bubbly sound
- sprawl: to lay down in an awkward way
- frenzy: uncontrolled and wild behavior
- berserk: out of control with emotion
- vague: unclear
- persistence: continuing a task in spite of difficulty
- empathy: to understand the feelings of someone else
Comprehension Questions
- Allegra tells her grandmother that she will play in the competition in honor of her great grandmother. pg. 192
- The cartoon shows Allegra as a giant, and shows her playing too harsh on the violin. pg. 197
- Allegra will not admit to anyone that her practice is getting easier. pg. 199
- Karen says that that, if you let the music heal you, you’ll be okay. pg. 206
- The Bloch contestants think that Larry Ladley is ignorant and childish. pg. 209
- Karen calls Steve a “cucumber” when he won’t talk to anyone in the elevator. pg. 213
- Allegra believes Steve will become a concert violinist because he is a prodigy. pg. 219
- Allegra thinks that geniuses are weird. pg. 219
- Allegra’s mother advises her to remember that she needs to enjoy herself. pg. 223
- Allegra’s father reminds her to take delight in her performance. pg. 223
- The violinists will remain anonymous by performing behind a screen. pg. 225
- Violinist number two broke their D string during their performance. pg. 227
- Allegra pictures her great-grandmother when she is about to perform. pg. 229
- Christine thinks that Steve is mad when he gets second place in the competition. pg. 233