Lesson Y213.1

Y213.1 The causes of the French Revolution from 1774 and the events of 1789 Quiz: OCR History, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y213.1, The causes of the French Revolution from 1774 and the events of 1789: 20 multiple choice questions for the OCR History (H505), Unit 2: Unit group 2: Non-British period study, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which popular finance minister was dismissed by Louis XVI in July 1789?

    • Anne-Robert Turgot
    • Charles de Calonne
    • Jacques Necker
    • Etienne de Brienne

  2. Which heavily hated salt tax caused widespread discontent in pre-revolutionary France?

    • Gabelle
    • Taille
    • Capitation
    • Corvée

  3. In which year did the Estates-General meet at Versailles, starting the French Revolution?

    • 1790
    • 1787
    • 1788
    • 1789

  4. What proportion of land in pre-revolutionary France was directly owned by the First Estate?

    • About 50%
    • About 25%
    • About 10%
    • About 70%

  5. Which group declared itself the National Assembly on 17 June 1789?

    • Second Estate
    • Paris Commune
    • First Estate
    • Third Estate

  6. What oath did delegates take on 20 June 1789 promising not to disband?

    • August Decrees
    • Tennis Court Oath
    • Civil Constitution
    • Edict of Versailles

  7. Which medieval fortress and prison was stormed by Parisian citizens on 14 July 1789?

    • The Conciergerie
    • The Bastille
    • The Temple
    • The Tuileries

  8. What period of widespread rural panic and violence against landlords occurred in summer 1789?

    • The Great Fear
    • Reign of Terror
    • September Massacres
    • White Terror

  9. Which major structural reform was passed by the National Assembly on 4 August 1789?

    • Ban on Catholicism
    • Trial of Antoinette
    • Abolition of feudalism
    • Execution of Louis

  10. What landmark document defining individual and collective rights was adopted in August 1789?

    • Civil Code
    • Declaration of Rights
    • Napoleonic Code
    • Social Contract

  11. What primary shortage triggered the march of Parisian women to Versailles in October 1789?

    • High salt taxes
    • Bread shortages
    • Foreign invasion
    • Execution of Necker

  12. Which social class constituted the First Estate in France under the Ancien Régime?

    • The Nobility
    • The Peasantry
    • The Bourgeoisie
    • The Clergy

  13. Which direct land tax was largely borne by the peasantry and Third Estate?

    • Dixième
    • Taille
    • Octroi
    • Vingtième

  14. Who wrote the famous 1789 pamphlet titled 'What is the Third Estate?'

    • Honoré Mirabeau
    • Abbé Sieyès
    • Maximilien Robespierre
    • Jean-Paul Marat

  15. Which body of nobles did Calonne convene in 1787 to approve new land taxes?

    • Assembly of Notables
    • National Convention
    • Paris Parlement
    • Estates-General

  16. Which judicial bodies led aristocratic resistance to royal tax reforms between 1787 and 1788?

    • Intendants
    • Estates
    • Parlements
    • Directory

  17. Which severe financial crisis forced King Louis XVI to convene the Estates-General in 1788?

    • Stock market crash
    • Royal bankruptcy
    • War with Britain
    • Harvest surplus

  18. Which citizens' militia was established in Paris in July 1789 and commanded by Lafayette?

    • Royal Guard
    • Swiss Guard
    • National Guard
    • Revolutionary Army

  19. To which Paris location was the royal family forcibly relocated during the October Days of 1789?

    • Bastille Fortress
    • Palace of Versailles
    • Tuileries Palace
    • Château de Fontainebleau

  20. What voting system at the Estates-General favoured the First and Second Estates over the Third?

    • Voting by order
    • Universal suffrage
    • Voting by ballot
    • Proportional voting

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