The French Revolution – Very Short Answer Type Questions
CBSE
CBSE Class 9 — History
Chapter 1: The French Revolution — 50 Very Short Answer Questions (NCERT-aligned)
NCERT • Class 9
CBSE Board Examinations — How these VSAQs help
- Designed for quick revision of key facts and terms for 1–2 mark questions.
- Topic-wise organisation mirrors NCERT chapter structure for easy practice.
- Use these for rapid-fire drills, quizzes and last-minute revision.
Content Bank (Chapter 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 1–9)
1. What were the three estates in eighteenth-century France?
The First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobility) and Third Estate (commoners).
2. Who made up the Third Estate?
Peasants, urban workers, artisans and the bourgeoisie (merchants, professionals).
3. Which estates enjoyed tax exemptions?
The First (clergy) and the Second (nobility) Estates.
4. What were feudal dues?
Payments and obligations peasants owed to landlords for use of land.
5. Define 'bourgeoisie'.
A social class of urban professionals, merchants and businessmen with economic power but limited political rights.
6. Why were rising bread prices significant?
High bread prices caused hardship for urban poor and triggered unrest and protests.
7. What is meant by 'privilege' in the eighteenth-century French context?
Special legal or fiscal rights enjoyed by clergy and nobility, like tax exemptions.
8. How did Enlightenment ideas affect French society?
They questioned absolute monarchy and promoted rights, reason and equal laws.
9. Which group led petitions for political reform within the Third Estate?
The bourgeoisie, who sought greater political influence and legal equality.
The outbreak of the revolution — (Questions 10–20)
10. What financial problem forced Louis XVI to call the Estates-General in 1789?
A severe state financial crisis due to debt from wars and an inefficient tax system.
11. When did the Estates-General meet in 1789?
May 1789.
12. What was the main dispute at the Estates-General?
Whether voting would be by order (estate) or by head (individual representatives).
13. When was the National Assembly proclaimed?
June 17, 1789.
14. What was the Tennis Court Oath?
A pledge by the Third Estate representatives on June 20, 1789, not to separate until a constitution was made.
15. Why was the storming of the Bastille important?
It symbolised popular resistance to royal authority and became a key revolutionary moment (July 14, 1789).
16. What immediate effect did the peasant uprisings in 1789 have?
They pressured the National Assembly to abolish feudal privileges.
17. What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen?
A 1789 document proclaiming liberty, equality and national sovereignty.
18. What triggered the Women's March on Versailles?
Bread shortages and high prices, plus anger at the king's policies (October 1789).
19. What happened after the Women's March on Versailles?
The royal family was brought from Versailles to Paris under popular pressure.
20. Name one short-term cause of the Revolution.
The immediate financial crisis of the monarchy (state debt and deficit).
France abolishes monarchy & becomes a republic — (Questions 21–30)
21. What was the Flight to Varennes?
King Louis XVI's failed attempt to flee France in 1791.
22. What effect did the king's flight have on public opinion?
It eroded trust and strengthened calls to end the monarchy.
23. When was the French Republic proclaimed?
September 21, 1792.
24. What happened to Louis XVI in 1793?
He was tried for treason and executed in January 1793.
25. What was the Reign of Terror?
A period (1793–1794) of radical repression with tribunals and executions to suppress opposition.
26. Which body governed France during the radical phase?
The Committee of Public Safety led by revolutionary leaders like Robespierre.
27. Who were the Jacobins?
A radical political club supporting republicanism and centralised revolutionary rule.
28. Who were the Girondins?
A moderate revolutionary group favouring a federalised republic and less centralised control.
29. Why was the Declaration of the Rights significant politically?
It provided a philosophical basis for limiting absolute monarchy and asserting citizens' rights.
30. Name one reason for the radicalisation of the Revolution.
War with foreign powers and internal counter-revolutionary threats.
Did women have a revolution? — (Questions 31–36)
31. Did women participate in revolutionary events?
Yes; they participated as protestors, demonstrators and political activists.
32. What was the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen?
A 1791 pamphlet by Olympe de Gouges demanding equal rights for women.
33. What was one outcome for women after the Revolution?
Women gained more public voice but were largely excluded from formal political rights.
34. Name a famous woman associated with revolutionary writing.
Olympe de Gouges.
35. What did the Women's March on Versailles demonstrate?
Women’s ability to mobilise and influence political decisions (e.g., bringing the king to Paris).
36. Were women allowed to vote during the Republic?
No; women were generally excluded from voting and formal political rights then.
Abolition of slavery — (Questions 37–42)
37. Which colonies had significant slave populations under France?
Colonies such as Saint-Domingue (Haiti) had large enslaved populations.
38. When did the National Convention proclaim abolition of slavery?
In 1794 (during the Revolution).
39. What role did slave uprisings play?
They pressured the revolutionary government to grant freedom and citizenship to enslaved people.
40. Was abolition permanent immediately after 1794?
No; slavery was later reinstated in some colonies under Napoleon (from 1802).
41. How did abolition in 1794 influence the world?
It strengthened anti-slavery movements and inspired colonial revolts for freedom.
42. Which revolutionary ideals motivated abolition?
Ideas of liberty, equality and the rights of man influenced abolitionist arguments.
The revolution and everyday life — (Questions 43–50)
43. How did the Revolution affect feudal obligations?
Feudal obligations were abolished, freeing peasants from many dues.
44. What was the revolutionary calendar?
A new calendar introduced to break with old religious and royal traditions.
45. How did the Revolution change the Church's position?
The state took control of Church property and reduced clerical privileges.
46. Who were the 'sans-culottes'?
Urban working-class militants who supported radical revolutionary policies.
47. Name one cultural change after the Revolution.
Symbols like the tricolour flag became national emblems.
48. What was a negative effect of the Revolution on daily life?
The Reign of Terror caused fear, arrests and executions disrupting everyday life.
49. How did political clubs and newspapers affect ordinary people?
They spread political ideas and involved ordinary people in public debate.
50. Give one long-term significance of the French Revolution.
It promoted modern ideas of citizenship, equality before law and influenced future revolutions.
Note: These VSAQs are aligned with the NCERT chapter and ideal for 1–2 mark practice. Always cross-check with the textbook and practise past CBSE papers.