Candide Reading Questions
Chapter 1
1. How does Candide show naiveté or ignorance?
2. How do the Baron and his family show excess?
3. How is Pangloss’s view of optimism portrayed?
Chapter 2
1. How does Voltaire satirize the concept of punishment?
2. What’s Voltaire’s take on armies?
Chapter 3
1. What’s the significance of the death and destruction at the beginning of the
chapter?
2. What is the audience to make of the orator and of James?
Chapter 4
1. How does Pangloss justify is now ruined existence?
2. What happens to Cunegonde?
Chapter 5
1. What happens to James? How are we to take the sailor?
2. How does Pangloss justify the earthquake at Lisbon?
Chapter 6
1. Why are they having an auto-da-fe?
2. What happens to Candide and Pangloss?
Chapter 7
1. Why does the “Old Woman” help Candide?
Chapter 8
1. What happened to Cunegonde?
2. What is Voltaire saying through this story?
Chapter 9
1. What happens to Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor?
2. Where do they head to?
Chapter 10
1. How does Candide become a captain?
2. How are they still clinging to the optimism of Pangloss?
Chapter 11
1. What are the key details to the “Old Woman’s” history?
2. How does she get to where she is now?
Chapter 12
1. See the questions from Chapter 11
Chapter 13
1. What happens with Cunegonde and the governor?
2. Why must Candide leave? How does this tie in with the rest of the story?
Chapter 14
1. Who is Cacambo and what are we to make of him?
2. Who does Candide meet at the end of Chapter 14?
Chapter 15
1. What causes Candide to kill Cunegonde’s brother?
2. How does Candide escape?
Chapter 16
1. How does Candide think he saved the two young girls? What really
happened?
2. How does Cacambo save them from being killed?
Chapter 17
1. How do they get to El Dorado?
2. What do they see when they get there?
Chapter 18
1. What conclusions can we draw from the people of El Dorado?
2. Why don’t they stay there for good?
Chapter 19
1. How does Candide lose all of his money (sheep)?
2. What happens to Cacambo? Where does he go?
3. What’s the significance of the sugar worker?
Chapter 20
1. What is Martin’s philosophy? How does it differ with Pangloss’s?
2. What does Candide find in the sea?
Chapter 21
1. What other justifications does Martin give for his philosophy?
Chapter 22
1. What’s the general feel of France (according to Voltaire)?
2. What happens to Candide and his money?
3. How does the Abbe and the Marchioness trick Candide?
Chapter 23
1. What happens to the English admiral? Why?
Chapter 24
1. What happens to Pacquette?
2. How does “perception” factor into this chapter?
Chapter 25
1. What’s the significance of Lord Pococurante?
2. What does he have and how does value what he has?
Chapter 26
1. What’s the significance of the kings that Candide meets?
2. Why is it important that Cacambo returns?
Chapter 27
1. In their travels to Constantinople, who do Candide and Cacambo meet?
2. What are the circumstances that put these new found men on the ship to
Constantinople?
Chapters 28 – 30
1. What happens to the key characters?