Worksheet – 2 Answer Key
Year: 2016-17 Topic: The French Revolution
Class: IX (A & B)
Subject: History
NAME: ___________________________________
Date: __________________
Q A. Answer the following questions in one word or a sentence.
1. Who was the king of France at the time of the French Revolution? Louis XVI
2. To which dynasty did Louis XVI belong to? Bourbon dynasty
3. Which incident had marked the onset of / initiated/ ignited / sparked the French Revolution?
The Storming of Bastille
4. Who stormed the Bastille, the fortress-prison in France during the last years of the 18th
century? The angry crowd
5. When did the storming of the Bastille take place? In July 1789
6. What did the fall of the Bastille signify? The beginning of the French Revolution
7. List the three estates into which the French society was divided? / Name the three main social
classes of the French society. / Name the categories which constitute the French society. The
First Estate – Clergy; The Second Estate-Nobles; The Third Estate-small peasants,
landless labour, servants, artisans, peasants, big businessmen, merchants, court officials,
lawyers, etc.
8. Which classes formed the privileged estates? / Who enjoyed certain privileges by birth in
France during the 18th century? The First Estate – Clergy and The Second Estate-Nobles
9. What were the privileges enjoyed by the First and Second Estates / the nobles and clergy?
They were exempted from the taxes ( They were not supposed to pay the taxes)
10.What were the taxes paid by the Third Estate called? To whom did they pay these taxes?
The taxes paid by the Third Estate were tithe – the tax paid to the church; taille- the
direct tax paid to the state and a few indirect taxes like the salt tax, tax on tobacco etc.
11.What was the other name of the Direct tax? Taille
12.What is ‘livre’? the contemporary currency of France during the French Revolution
13.Why the Third Estate was considered an unprivileged class? It was considered an
unprivileged class as they have to pay taxes to the church (tithe); state (taille) and
indirect taxes as salt tax and tax on tobacco.
14.Which sections of the French society were forced t o give up their power after the French
Revolution? The First Estate-Clergy and the Second Estate-Nobles
15.What was the immediate cause of rioting in France? The sudden increase in the cost of
bread
16.What is subsistence crisis? What was its main cause? The crisis wherein the basic needs of
life are not fulfilled for the people is known as the subsistence crisis. Its main cause was
the increase in the population of France which was unable to meet its food demand due
to low production or supply of grains and low wages.
17.Which social group had been emerged in the eighteenth century in France? The Middle
Class
18.Who constituted the middle class in France? The newly rich merchants and manufacturers
and educated professionals like lawyers and administrative officials constituted the
middle class.
19. Which class of the French society was behind the French Revolution? The middle class
20.Give the name of at least three philosophers who inspired the revolution. Voltaire, John
Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Montesquieu
21.What type of a society did the philosopher envisage (imagine)? They had envisaged a
society based on freedom, equal laws and opportunities for all.
22.Who inspired the philosophers? The American Constitution and its guarantee of
individual rights had inspired the philosophers.
23. Give the titles of the books written by John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Montesquieu.
They wrote ‘Two Treaties of Government’; ‘Social Contract’ and ‘The Spirit of Law’
respectively.
24.What ideas did John Locke propound in his book the ‘Two Treaties of Government’?
He had refuted the doctrine of divine and the absolute rights of the monarch.
25.Who had refuted (disapproved) the doctrine of the divine and absolute rights of the monarch?
John Locke
26.Which philosopher had forwarded the principle of voting by the assembly as a whole, where
each member should have one vote, during the rule of Louis XVI? Jean Jacques Rousseau
27. In which book did Rousseau mention the idea of one person, one vote? Social Contract
28.What was the main idea of Rousseau’s famous work the ‘Social Contract’?The main idea of
the ‘Social Contract’ was that the government should be based on the consent of the
governed.
29.Which book has proposed a division of power within government? The Spirit of Law
30.Who proposed a division of power within government? What was the philosophy of
Montesquieu? Montesquieu. His philosophy was the power should be divided between
the legislature, executive and thejudiciary.
31.Who wrote the pamphlet ‘What is the Third Estate’? Abbe’ Siey`es
32.What is an ‘’Old Regime’? The period in France before the French Revolution is known
as an Old Regime.
33.What is an Estates General? It is a political body to which the three estates of the French
society sent their representatives for the formation of laws.
34.Name the political body to which the three estates of the French society sent their
representatives. The Estate General
35.Who constituted the Estates General? The representatives of the First and the Second
Estate ( 300 each) and that of the Third Estate ( 600) as well as the king of France
constituted the Estate General.
36.Which institution / assembly in France had the authority to vote on new tax in the Old
Regime? The Estate General
37.When, where and why did Louis XVI convene the assembly of the Estates General? He had
convened the meeting of the Estate General nearly after almost 200 years in May 1789
in Versailles. He had called the meeting to pass the proposal of new taxes to overcome
the expenses made by the state.
38.Which sections of the society were denied entry to the General Assembly of the Estates
General? Peasants, artisans and the women
39.Who represented the Third Estate in the General Assembly of the Estates General? The
Third Estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated members like
lawyers, administrative officials and the merchants and the manufacturers in the
General Assembly.
40.On what principle was voting conducted in the Estates General? In the Estate General the
voting is based on one estate - one vote.
41.What was the demand of the Third Estate in the General Assembly of the Estates General?
They demanded the voting should be on the basis of one member – one vote rather than
the one estate - one vote.
42.What did the members of the Third Estate in the General Assembly of the Estates General do
when the king rejected their project? They walked out of the assembly in protest and in
June they assembled in the hall of the indoor tennis court in Versailles and declared
themselves a National Assembly.
43.Name the body formed by the representatives of the Third Estate in the General Assembly of
the Estates General. National Assembly
44.When and where was the formation of the National Assembly announced? In the hall of the
indoor tennis court in Versailles in June 1789.
45.Name two important leaders of the National Assembly. Mirabeau and Abbe’ Siey`es
46.What was the main objective of the constitution drafted by the National Assembly in 1791?
To limit the power of the monarch
47.What had made France a constitutional monarchy? With the completion of the drafting of
the Constitution the powers of the monarch had been reduced and instead of being in
the hands of the one person (king) the powers now were divided into institutions called
the legislature, executive and judiciary.
48.What do you mean by the ‘active citizens’? Only men above 25 years who paid taxes equal
to at least 3 days wages were given the right to vote and were called the active citizens.
49.What do you mean by the ‘passive citizens’? The men who do not belonged to the highest
bracket of taxpayers or were less than 25 years and all women were termed as the
passive citizens and were denied the right to vote.
50.What was the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens? The Constitution prepared by
the National Assembly in 1791 begin with the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens
that guarantees the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion and equality
before law.
51.Which rights were established as natural and inalienable rights by the constitution of 1791 in
France? / Why rights such as right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality
before law, were established as the ‘natural and inalienable rights’ by the constitution of 1791
in France? They were established as the ‘natural and inalienable rights’ as they belonged to
each human being by birth and can’t be taken away.
52.What do you mean by the broken chain, the bundle of rods or fasces, the eye within a triangle
radiating light, sceptre, snake biting its tail form a ring, Phrygian cap, the winged woman and
the law tablet?
The broken chain- Freedom; the bundle of rods or fasces-Strength lies in Unity; the eye
within a triangle radiating light – Knowledge; scepter – Symbol of royal power; snake
biting its tail form a ring – Eternity, as a ring has neither beginning nor end; Phrygian
cap – Freedom as it was worn by a slave on becoming free; the winged woman –
Personification of Law and the law tablet – Equal law for all.
53.What are the national colours of France? Blue-white –red
54.In 179, the National Assembly had voted to declare a war against which countries? Austria
and Prussia
55.What is ‘Marseilles’? The national anthem of France
56.What is the national song of France known as? Who had written it? Marseilles and was
written by Roget de L’Isle
57.What was the drawback of the Constitution of 1791? The Constitution had not given the
rights to all men and women. It favoured only richer sections of the society.
58.Why did many clubs mushroom in France after the Constitution of 1791? They mushroomed
to discuss the government policies and to plan the actions of the less prosperous sections
of the society.
59.What was Jacobin Club? Jacobin Club belonged to the less prosperous sections of the
society and included members such as small shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers,
pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers as well as servant and daily wagers. It was named
after the convent of the St. Jacob in Paris.
60.Who was the leader of the Jacobin club? Maximilian Robespierre
61.Who were the members of the Jacobin club? To which section of ht e society did they belong
to?
62.Name any one class that did not belong to Jacobin club. Nobles
63.Why were the Jacobins of France known as sans–culottes? They were nicknamed as sans–
culottes as they were without knee-breeches ( the outfit wore by fashionable section
especially –nobles). They wore loose long-striped trousers as well a a red cap.
64.What did the red cap worn by sans–culottes in France symbolise? Liberty
65.Why did a large number of Parisians plan an insurrection (revolt) in 1792 under the
leadership of Jacobins? As they were angered by the short supplies and high prices of
food.
66.What were the consequences of the insurrection led by Jacobins? King and the royal family
were imprisoned, elections were held and all men of 21 years and above regardless of
their economic status got the right to vote, a newly elected assembly called Convention
was formed and France became a republic as monarchy was abolished and the people
elected the head of the government.
67.What is Convention? The newly elected assembly made after the insurrection led by the
Jacobins was called the Convention.
68.Why was the Convention established? It was established as the monarchy was abolished
and France became republic.
69.When was France declared as a republic? After the insurrection led by Jacobins in 1792,
the king and the royal family was imprisoned, Convention was formed and France was
declared a republic.
70.Why was Louis XVI sentenced to death? When and where was he executed? He was
executed on the charge of treason. He was executed in January 1793 at the Place de la
Concorde.
71.What do you mean by the ‘Reign of Terror’? The period between September’ 1793 to July’
1794 – the period of Robespierre is known as the Reign of Terror.
72.Who followed a policy of severe control and punishment in France? Robespierre
73.What do you mean by the term guillotined? The act of beheading a person with a device
called guillotine – a device having two poles and a blade is known as guillotined.
74.Name the most revolutionary social reform of the Jacobin regime? Abolition of Slavery
75.What was the consequence of the fall of Maximilian Robespierre? With the fall of
Robespierre the power went in the hands of the wealthier middle class, a new
constitution was formed that denied the right to vote to non-propertied sections and a
five members- executive called the Directory was formed.
76.What do you mean by Directory? The Directory was the five members-executive formed
by the two elected legislative councils.
77.How many members constituted a Directory? Five
78.What had led to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte? The instability of the Directory which was
due to the clash between the Directors and the legislative councils led to Napoleon’s rise.
79.Who was Olympe de Gouges? She was one of the most politically active women in
revolutionary France who wrote a Declaration of the rights of Women and Citizens. She
criticised the Jacobin government for forcibly closing down women’s club.
80.What was the most famous women’s club known as? The Society of the Revolutionary and
the Republican Women.
81.Which laws were introduced by the revolutionary government in France to improve the lives
of women? Schooling was compulsory for all girls, no forced marriage, marriage was a
willing and legal contract, divorce was legalized and could be applied by both – men and
women, women can be trained for jobs, become artists or run small businesses.
82.Who won the right to vote in France in 1946? Women
83.Name the French colonies in Caribbean. Martinique, Guadeloupe and San Domingo
84.Why did French have colonies in Caribbean? As they were suppliers of tobacco, indigo,
sugar and coffee.
85.Name two French port cities that flourished due to slave trade. Bordeaux and Nantes
86.Name the continents between which the triangular slave trade was prevalent in the 18th
century? Europe, South Africa and America
87.When was slavery finally abolished in France? In 1848
88.What was the most important legacy of the French Revolution? The ideas of liberty and
democratic rights
89.Name any Indians who were influenced by the French Revolution. Tipu Sultan and Raja
Ram Mohan Roy
90.When did Napoleon Bonaparte Defeated? In 1815
91.Where was Napoleon Bonaparte Defeated? At Waterloo