Question 1

True or false: Voltaire's real name was François-Marie Arouet.

Accepted Answer

True. He adopted 'Voltaire' as a pen name, likely derived from 'Arouet le jeune' (the younger).

Question 2

True or false: Voltaire spent years imprisoned in the Bastille for his writings.

Accepted Answer

True. He was exiled to England after his second Bastille stint, which shaped his views on liberty.

Question 3

True or false: Voltaire was a lifelong atheist who rejected all belief in God.

Accepted Answer

False. He was a deist who believed in a creator but opposed organized religion and superstition.

Question 4

True or false: Voltaire died peacefully in his sleep at age 83.

Accepted Answer

False. He died in excruciating pain from prostate cancer, reportedly railing against the church on his deathbed.

Question 5

True or false: Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were close friends who never disagreed.

Accepted Answer

False. They had a bitter rivalry; Voltaire mocked Rousseau's ideas, and Rousseau accused Voltaire of elitism.

Question 6

True or false: Voltaire invented the modern concept of human rights.

Accepted Answer

False. While he championed civil liberties, the concept predates him; he popularized it through his writings.

Question 7

True or false: Voltaire's play 'Zaïre' was set in the Middle East and criticized religious fanaticism.

Accepted Answer

True. Written in 1732, it explores love and prejudice in a Muslim context, subtly attacking intolerance.

Question 8

True or false: Voltaire wrote over 20,000 letters during his lifetime.

Accepted Answer

True. His correspondence is vast, with estimates exceeding 20,000 letters to figures across Europe.

Voltaire Trivia Questions