Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on “The French Revolution (1789-1799) – World History”

1. What was the primary cause of the French Revolution?

• a) Industrial Revolution
• b) Financial crisis due to costly wars
• c) Discovery of new lands
• d) Alliance with Great Britain
• Answer: b) Financial crisis due to costly wars

2. Which estate in France paid the majority of taxes before the French Revolution?

• a) First Estate (Clergy)
• b) Second Estate (Nobility)
• c) Third Estate (Commoners)
• d) The King
• Answer: c) Third Estate (Commoners)

3. What was the name of the prison stormed on July 14, 1789, a symbolic event in the French Revolution?

• a) Bastille
• b) Versailles
• c) Conciergerie
• d) Louvre
• Answer: a) Bastille

4. The French Revolution led to the rise of which political ideology?

• a) Communism
• b) Fascism
• c) Republicanism
• d) Monarchism
• Answer: c) Republicanism

5. Who was the King of France during the French Revolution?

• a) Louis XIV
• b) Louis XV
• c) Louis XVI
• d) Napoleon Bonaparte
• Answer: c) Louis XVI

6. The Estates-General was convened in May 1789 primarily to:

• a) Declare war on Britain
• b) Discuss the financial crisis
• c) Draft a new constitution
• d) Celebrate the King’s birthday
• Answer: b) Discuss the financial crisis

7. What was the significance of the Tennis Court Oath?

• a) It declared war on Austria
• b) It marked the formation of the National Assembly
• c) It led to the execution of Louis XVI
• d) It abolished the feudal system
• Answer: b) It marked the formation of the National Assembly

8. Which document, adopted in August 1789, outlined the rights of the citizens of France?

• a) Magna Carta
• b) The Bill of Rights
• c) Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
• d) Napoleonic Code
• Answer: c) Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

9. The Reign of Terror (1793-1794) was led by which revolutionary leader?

• a) Georges Danton
• b) Jean-Paul Marat
• c) Maximilien Robespierre
• d) Napoleon Bonaparte
• Answer: c) Maximilien Robespierre

10. What was the purpose of the Committee of Public Safety?

• a) To negotiate with foreign powers
• b) To maintain internal security and order
• c) To draft a new constitution
• d) To execute King Louis XVI
• Answer: b) To maintain internal security and order

11. The term sans-culottes referred to:

• a) The wealthy aristocrats
• b) The revolutionary working-class
• c) The royal guards
• d) The clergy
• Answer: b) The revolutionary working-class

12. The Great Fear in 1789 was characterized by:

• a) Peasant revolts across France
• b) Fear of foreign invasion
• c) A series of natural disasters
• d) The fear of economic collapse
• Answer: a) Peasant revolts across France

13. What was the main result of the Women’s March on Versailles in October 1789?

• a) The arrest of King Louis XVI
• b) The relocation of the royal family to Paris
• c) The abolition of the monarchy
• d) The drafting of a new constitution
• Answer: b) The relocation of the royal family to Paris

14. The execution of King Louis XVI took place in:

• a) 1789
• b) 1791
• c) 1792
• d) 1793
• Answer: d) 1793

15. The fall of which revolutionary leader marked the end of the Reign of Terror?

• a) Georges Danton
• b) Jean-Paul Marat
• c) Maximilien Robespierre
• d) Camille Desmoulins
• Answer: c) Maximilien Robespierre

16. The French Revolution inspired which significant event in the Caribbean?

• a) The Haitian Revolution
• b) The Cuban Revolution
• c) The Brazilian Independence
• d) The American Revolution
• Answer: a) The Haitian Revolution

17. The Thermidorian Reaction refers to:

• a) The overthrow of the monarchy
• b) The fall of Robespierre and end of the Reign of Terror
• c) The beginning of the Reign of Terror
• d) The signing of the Napoleonic Code
• Answer: b) The fall of Robespierre and end of the Reign of Terror

18. Which political club became the most influential during the French Revolution?

• a) The Girondins
• b) The Feuillants
• c) The Jacobins
• d) The Cordeliers
• Answer: c) The Jacobins

19. Who was the leader of the Girondins, a political faction during the French Revolution?

• a) Georges Danton
• b) Jean-Paul Marat
• c) Maximilien Robespierre
• d) Jacques-Pierre Brissot
• Answer: d) Jacques-Pierre Brissot

20. What was the significance of the Battle of Valmy (1792)?

• a) It marked the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars
• b) It was the first major victory for the French revolutionary army
• c) It led to the execution of King Louis XVI
• d) It ended the Reign of Terror
• Answer: b) It was the first major victory for the French revolutionary army

21. What was the main goal of the Continental System established by Napoleon Bonaparte?

• a) To blockade Great Britain and weaken its economy
• b) To unify Europe under French rule
• c) To spread revolutionary ideas across Europe
• d) To establish free trade in Europe
• Answer: a) To blockade Great Britain and weaken its economy

22. The French Revolution led to the rise of which famous military leader?

• a) Horatio Nelson
• b) Duke of Wellington
• c) Napoleon Bonaparte
• d) Otto von Bismarck
• Answer: c) Napoleon Bonaparte

23. The Directory was:

• a) The legislative body of the Revolution
• b) The governing five-member committee during the latter stages of the Revolution
• c) A radical political club
• d) The title of the King’s advisors
• Answer: b) The governing five-member committee during the latter stages of the Revolution

24. Which event is often considered the official end of the French Revolution?

• a) The execution of Louis XVI
• b) The fall of Robespierre
• c) The establishment of the Consulate
• d) Napoleon’s coup d’état of 18 Brumaire
• Answer: d) Napoleon’s coup d’état of 18 Brumaire

25. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen emphasized which Enlightenment principle?

• a) Absolute monarchy
• b) Divine right of kings
• c) Equality before the law
• d) Feudal privileges
• Answer: c) Equality before the law

26. Which foreign countries formed the First Coalition against revolutionary France?

• a) Austria and Prussia
• b) Spain and Portugal
• c) Britain and Russia
• d) The United States and Great Britain
• Answer: a) Austria and Prussia

27. The National Convention declared France a republic on:

• a) 14 July 1789
• b) 22 September 1792
• c) 18 Brumaire Year VIII
• d) 5 May 1789
• Answer: b) 22 September 1792

28. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was controversial because:

• a) It granted the Church more power
• b) It placed the Church under state control
• c) It abolished the Catholic Church in France
• d) It allowed religious freedom
• Answer: b) It placed the Church under state control

29. The September Massacres of 1792 were characterized by:

• a) Mass executions of prisoners in Paris
• b) The storming of the Bastille
• c) The signing of a peace treaty with Austria
• d) The coronation of Napoleon
• Answer: a) Mass executions of prisoners in Paris

30. The slogan of the French Revolution was:

• a) “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”
• b) “Peace, Land, and Bread”
• c) “Workers of the world, unite!”
• d) “For God and Country”
• Answer: a) “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

These questions cover key events, figures, and concepts related to the French Revolution, providing a comprehensive overview of this critical period in world history.