Candide Study Guide

1. As a philosopher, Voltaire embodies most the values of

• Neoclassicism
• Puritanism
• the Enlightenment
• the Renaissance

2. The etymological root of the word "candid" implies which of the following other meaning(s)?

• spotless
• uncorrupted
• white
• all of the above

3. The persecution of a Protestant family in the Calas affair led Voltaire to

• give a passionate speech in their defense before the National Assembly
• leave France in solidarity with the Calas family
• convert himself to Protestantism in admiration
• write Traité sur la tolérance

4. Voltaire's Lettres Philosophiques contended that

• divine intervention did not influence the outcome of historical events
• royal censorship was a threat to free philosophical reflection in France
• only a written Constitution would ensure the liberty of men
• there were fewer barriers to occupation in England than in France

5. Candide was originally presented in January 1759

• in the form of an opera at the Garnier concert hall in Paris
• with a dedicatory epistle to Frederic the Great
• by the acting troupe of the Comédie française
• under a fake preface and attributed to an anonymous author

6. Voltaire received his primary education

• in a Catholic monastery before attending the Académie française
• at a private school in Switzerland before emigrating to Germany
• at a working-class vocational school on the outskirts of Paris
• at a Jesuit college, then enrolled in law school

7. Which of Voltaire's following books was banned and forced him to leave France?

• Oedipe
• Traité sur la tolérance
• Lettres Philosophiques
• Histoire de Charles XII

8. The Enlightenment can best be described as a philosophical movement that

• sensitized the common man to the oppressive conditions of existence
• sought to elevate human consciousness above daily preoccupations
• rejected organized religion as delusional and antiquated
• put faith above all in science, progress, and rationality

9. What is the alternate title of Candide chosen by Voltaire?

• or, Destiny
• or, Free Will
• or, Optimism
• or, Misery

10. Pangloss traces his bout of syphilis back to

• the King of the Bulgars
• Christopher Columbus
• Paquette
• African pestilence