The French Revolution – MCQs with Answers and Explanations
CBSE
CBSE Class 9 — History
Chapter 1: The French Revolution — 30 MCQs with Detailed Explanations (NCERT-aligned)
NCERT • Class 9
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Content Bank
Topics: French society during the eighteenth century; The outbreak of the revolution; France abolishes monarchy and becomes a republic; Did women have a revolution?; Abolition of slavery; The revolution and everyday life.
French society during the eighteenth century — (Questions 1–6)
1. Which of the following was NOT an estate in eighteenth-century France?
Answer: D. Fourth Estate (Merchants)
Explanation: The three estates were the clergy, nobility and commoners. 'Fourth Estate' is a later term sometimes used for the press, not a formal estate in ancien régime France.
2. Who primarily bore the tax burden in eighteenth-century France?
Answer: C. Third Estate
Explanation: The Third Estate (peasants, workers, bourgeoisie) paid most taxes and feudal dues, while clergy and nobility enjoyed many exemptions—this fiscal inequality fuelled resentment.
3. The term 'bourgeoisie' in the context of the French Revolution refers to:
Answer: C. Wealthy merchants and professionals
Explanation: The bourgeoisie were the urban middle class—lawyers, merchants, bankers—economically powerful but politically limited, and they pushed for legal and political reforms inspired by Enlightenment ideas.
4. Which of the following best describes feudal dues?
Answer: B. Payments and obligations peasants owed to landlords
Explanation: Feudal dues were regular payments, labour services or produce that peasants owed to their landlords under the ancien régime.
5. Enlightenment thinkers influenced the Revolution by:
Answer: B. Promoting reason, rights and critique of arbitrary power
Explanation: Thinkers like Rousseau and Montesquieu criticised absolute power and argued for popular sovereignty, separation of powers and natural rights, inspiring revolutionary ideas.
6. Rising bread prices in cities led to:
Answer: C. Food riots and popular unrest
Explanation: Rising bread prices hit urban poor hardest, sparking riots and protests that became integral to revolutionary mobilisation.
The outbreak of the Revolution — (Questions 7–14)
7. What year did the Estates-General meet leading to revolutionary events?
Answer: B. 1789
Explanation: Louis XVI called the Estates-General in May 1789 to address the financial crisis, which set off a chain of events culminating in the Revolution.
8. The Tennis Court Oath was significant because:
Answer: B. It pledged not to separate until a constitution was made
Explanation: On June 20, 1789, members of the Third Estate met in an indoor tennis court and vowed to draft a constitution, signalling a shift to popular sovereignty.
9. The storming of the Bastille is celebrated on which date?
Answer: A. July 14, 1789
Explanation: The fall of the Bastille on July 14 became a symbol of popular uprising against royal authority and is commemorated as France's national day.
10. Which document proclaimed liberty, equality and fraternity?
Answer: B. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
Explanation: Adopted in August 1789, it set out key principles such as liberty, equality before law and national sovereignty that guided revolutionary reforms.
11. What immediate action did the National Assembly take in August 1789 regarding feudalism?
Answer: B. Abolished feudal dues and privileges
Explanation: The August decrees removed many feudal obligations to calm peasant unrest and restructure rural relations.
12. The Women's March on Versailles demanded:
Answer: B. Bread and action against the king's policies
Explanation: The march (October 1789) was led by women protesting food scarcity and brought the royal family to Paris under pressure.
13. Which event showed that peasants could directly influence policy?
Answer: C. Rural attacks on manorial records
Explanation: Peasants targeted documents recording dues, pressuring the Assembly to abolish feudal privileges to stop unrest.
14. Voting by 'order' meant:
Answer: B. Each estate voted as a bloc
Explanation: Voting by order allowed clergy and nobility to outvote the Third Estate despite smaller numbers, prompting demand for voting by head.
France abolishes monarchy & becomes a republic — (Questions 15–20)
15. The Flight to Varennes occurred in which year?
Answer: B. 1791
Explanation: The king's attempted escape in 1791 undermined trust and suggested royal opposition to reforms, accelerating calls for abolition of the monarchy.
16. When was the French Republic proclaimed?
Answer: C. September 21, 1792
Explanation: The National Convention declared the Republic on 21 September 1792 after the monarchy was suspended.
17. The execution of Louis XVI took place in:
Answer: B. 1793
Explanation: Louis XVI was tried and executed in January 1793, marking the radical phase and shocking monarchies across Europe.
18. The Reign of Terror was associated with which committee?
Answer: B. Committee of Public Safety
Explanation: The Committee of Public Safety, led by figures like Robespierre, centralised power and used revolutionary tribunals during the Terror (1793–1794).
19. Which political group was noted for radical policies and central control?
Answer: B. Jacobins
Explanation: The Jacobins were a radical club pushing centralised revolutionary measures and were influential in the Terror.
20. One major reason for radicalisation of the Revolution was:
Answer: B. War with foreign powers and internal threats
Explanation: External wars and counter-revolutionary pressures justified emergency measures and centralisation, contributing to radical policies.
Did women have a revolution & Abolition of slavery — (Questions 21–26)
21. Who wrote the 'Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen'?
Answer: B. Olympe de Gouges
Explanation: Olympe de Gouges authored the 1791 declaration demanding women's rights; it challenged revolutionary leaders and highlighted gender inequalities.
22. Which statement about women during the Revolution is correct?
Answer: B. Women were generally excluded from formal political rights
Explanation: Although women participated in protests and political clubs, formal political rights like voting were largely denied to them during the Revolution.
23. Which colony's slave revolt had a major impact on French abolition policy?
Answer: B. Saint-Domingue (Haiti)
Explanation: The large-scale slave uprising in Saint-Domingue pressured French authorities and helped push the National Convention to abolish slavery in 1794.
24. In which year did the National Convention proclaim abolition of slavery in French colonies?
Answer: B. 1794
Explanation: The National Convention abolished slavery in French colonies in 1794, though it was later reinstated in some places under Napoleon.
25. Why was abolition not permanent immediately after 1794?
Answer: B. Political shifts and economic interests led to reinstatement under later regimes
Explanation: Napoleon reinstated slavery in some colonies (from 1802) showing that reforms depended on political will and were vulnerable to reversal.
26. Which of these was a direct result of revolutionary policies on Church property?
Answer: B. Nationalisation of Church lands to raise state revenue
Explanation: The National Assembly nationalised Church lands to address the financial crisis and reduce clerical power.
The Revolution and everyday life — (Questions 27–30)
27. Which group were the 'sans-culottes'?
Answer: B. Urban working-class militants
Explanation: Sans-culottes were urban workers who supported radical measures like price controls and were influential during revolutionary upheavals.
28. The revolutionary calendar aimed to:
Answer: B. Replace religious-based timekeeping with a secular system
Explanation: The revolutionary calendar sought to secularise public life and break ties with Church-influenced timekeeping.
29. Which symbol became associated with the French nation during the Revolution?
Answer: B. Tricolour flag
Explanation: The tricolour (blue, white, red) emerged as a national emblem representing revolution, unity and republicanism.
30. A long-term legacy of the French Revolution was:
Answer: B. Spread of ideas of legal equality and nationalism
Explanation: The Revolution promoted modern ideas of citizenship, equality before law and nationalism that influenced political developments across Europe and the world.