Section A: Multiple Choice Questions (1 x 5 = 5 Marks)

1. (c) Big businessmen, merchants, lawyers, peasants, and artisans

2. (c) Limit the powers of the monarch.

3. (b) Liberty

4. (d) Abbé Sieyès

5. (b) Tithe

Section B: Very Short Answer Questions (2 x 3 = 6 Marks)

6. Subsistence Crisis: A subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means
of livelihood are endangered. In 18th-century France, it was caused by a rapid
increase in population leading to a high demand for food grains. When harvests were
reduced by drought or hail, it led to a rapid rise in the price of bread, which was the
staple food. As wages did not keep pace with the rising prices, the poorest sections
of society could no longer afford to buy bread, leading to food riots and widespread
hardship.

7. The Jacobins: The Jacobins were the most radical and influential political club during
the French Revolution. Their members mainly came from the less prosperous
sections of society, such as small shopkeepers, artisans, servants, and daily-wage
workers. Their most prominent leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

8. The Tennis Court Oath: On 20th June 1789, the members of the Third Estate, who
had declared themselves the National Assembly, were locked out of their usual
assembly hall. They gathered in a nearby indoor tennis court in Versailles and took an
oath. They swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France that
would limit the powers of the monarch.

Section C: Short Answer Questions (3 x 3 = 9 Marks)

9. The social structure of France under the Old Regime was divided into three estates:

o First Estate (Clergy): This group consisted of the church officials. They owned
vast amounts of land and enjoyed privileges, including exemption from paying
taxes to the state.

o Second Estate (Nobility): This group consisted of the aristocracy and high-
ranking officials. They also enjoyed feudal privileges, owned large estates, and
were exempt from paying most taxes.
 o Third Estate (Commoners): This group comprised about 90% of the
population and included everyone else, from big businessmen and lawyers to
peasants and landless labourers. The Third Estate was considered
"unprivileged" because it had no political rights or social status and bore the
entire burden of paying all taxes, including the taille (direct tax) and tithes
(church tax).

10. Philosophers played a crucial role by spreading ideas of liberty, equality, and rational
governance, which inspired the French people to question the existing order.

o John Locke: In his book, 'Two Treatises of Government', Locke refuted the
doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch. He argued for a
government based on the consent of the governed.

o Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In his book, 'The Social Contract', Rousseau proposed

a form of government based on a social contract between the people and
their representatives. His idea of the "general will" empowered the concept
of popular sovereignty.

11. The main demands of women during the French Revolution were:

o The right to vote and be elected to the political assembly.

o The right to hold political office.

o Access to education and job training.

Two steps taken by the revolutionary government to improve the lives of women were:

o Creation of state schools, which made schooling compulsory for all girls.

o Divorce was made legal, and it could be applied for by both women and men.

Section D: Long Answer Question (5 x 1 = 5 Marks)

12. (Option 1) Main causes for the outbreak of the French Revolution:

The French Revolution of 1789 was the result of deep-seated social, economic, and political
issues.

o Social Causes: French society was rigidly divided into three estates. The First
(Clergy) and Second (Nobility) Estates enjoyed numerous privileges and were
exempt from taxes. The Third Estate, which included peasants, workers, and
the middle class, bore the entire financial burden of the state and had no
social or political rights. This deep inequality created widespread resentment.
 o Economic Causes: France was in severe debt due to its involvement in long
wars, like the American War of Independence, and the extravagant lifestyle of
the monarchy at the Palace of Versailles. To meet its expenses, the state
imposed heavy taxes only on the Third Estate. A subsistence crisis, triggered
by poor harvests and rising bread prices, worsened the situation for the
common people.

o Political Causes: France was ruled by an absolute monarch, Louis XVI, who
was an indecisive and ineffective ruler. The people had no say in governance,
and the king's attempts at reform were often blocked by the privileged
estates.

o Intellectual Causes (Role of the Middle Class): The 18th century saw the rise
of an educated and prosperous middle class. They were inspired by the ideas
of Enlightenment philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu, who
championed liberty, equality, and government based on consent. These ideas
spread through salons and books, creating a revolutionary consciousness.

OR

(Option 2) The 'Reign of Terror':

The period from 1793 to 1794 in France is referred to as the 'Reign of Terror'. It was a phase
of the revolution led by Maximilian Robespierre and the Jacobin government.

o Policy of Severe Control: Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and

punishment to consolidate the republic against its perceived enemies.

o Targets: Anyone whom he considered an "enemy" of the republic—such as

ex-nobles, clergy, members of other political parties, and even members of
his own party who did not agree with his methods—was arrested,
imprisoned, and tried by a revolutionary tribunal.

o The Guillotine: If the court found them "guilty," they were executed using the
guillotine, a device used for beheading. Thousands of people were guillotined
during this period.

o End of the Terror: Robespierre's methods became so extreme that his own
supporters began to demand moderation. He was seen as a dictator who was
eliminating all dissent. Ultimately, his own party turned against him. He was
arrested in July 1794, convicted by a court, and sent to the guillotine, which
marked the end of the Reign of Terror.

Section E: Source-Based Question (5 x 1 = 5 Marks)

 13. (a) According to Article 2 of the source, the natural and inalienable rights of man are
liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

(b) According to Article 6, the law is defined as "the expression of the general will."

(c) The fundamental principle established in Article 1 is that all men are born free and
remain free, and they are equal in their rights. It establishes the principles of liberty and
equality as the natural state of all human beings.