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History Quiz - The French Revolution 01 (Questions)

This KS3 History quiz looks at the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was on the throne at the time of the French Revolution. The peasants were ruled by local lords, to whom they had to pay taxes. There was discontent amongst the peasants as there had been bad harvests and rising food prices. The government of France was suffering economic difficulties and the king was weak and indecisive which made him unpopular. The monarch of France had absolute power and refused to share it with any form of parliament - "I have no intention of sharing my authority" were words allegedly spoken by King Louis XVI. This attitude led to him losing not only his power but also his life. He was guillotined in Paris in January 1793, aged just 38.

The political and social system of France during the fifteenth to the end of the eighteenth century is called the Ancien Régime.

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It was a system in which the position of king was inherited and the nobles ran a feudal system. Thanks to wars and other factors, the system was a mess. Despite that, France was a rich and powerful nation whose people enjoyed greater political freedom than many other European countries.

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1. What was the name for the outdated and unfair system of rule in France?
[ ] Ancien Regime
[ ] Mal Politique
[ ] Systeme Gauche
[ ] Vieux Ordre
2. The French Revolution began in which year?
[ ] 1781
[ ] 1784
[ ] 1789
[ ] 1792
3. Who was King of France at that time?
[ ] Louis XIV
[ ] Louis XV
[ ] Louis XVI
[ ] Louis XVIII
4. Louis XVI is best described as what type of ruler?
[ ] Absolute
[ ] Convolute
[ ] Dissolute
[ ] Resolute
5. The French Revolution was inspired by which event?
[ ] The American War of Independence
[ ] The Gunpowder Plot
[ ] The Peasants' Revolt
[ ] The Seven Years' War
6. How many 'Estates' was France divided into?
[ ] 2
[ ] 3
[ ] 4
[ ] 6
7. What was the First Estate?
[ ] The Church
[ ] The nobility
[ ] The peasants
[ ] The Royal Family
8. Which of the following groups of people were not part of the Third Estate?
[ ] Landless labourers
[ ] Professional people
[ ] The nobility
[ ] Town workers
9. Who was the wife of Louis XVI?
[ ] Marie Angelique
[ ] Marie Antoinette
[ ] Marie Helene
[ ] Marie Therese
10. Louis thought he was God's servant and so ruled by .......
[ ] Biblical Authority
[ ] Blessed Intervention
[ ] Divine Right
[ ] Holy Powers
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History Quiz - The French Revolution 01 (Answers)
1. What was the name for the outdated and unfair system of rule in France?
[x] Ancien Regime
[ ] Mal Politique
[ ] Systeme Gauche
[ ] Vieux Ordre
This came to an end with the French Revolution
2. The French Revolution began in which year?
[ ] 1781
[ ] 1784
[x] 1789
[ ] 1792
The first act of violence was the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris
3. Who was King of France at that time?
[ ] Louis XIV
[ ] Louis XV
[x] Louis XVI
[ ] Louis XVIII
He became King in 1774 aged 19
4. Louis XVI is best described as what type of ruler?
[x] Absolute
[ ] Convolute
[ ] Dissolute
[ ] Resolute
He had no parliament to share his power
5. The French Revolution was inspired by which event?
[x] The American War of Independence
[ ] The Gunpowder Plot
[ ] The Peasants' Revolt
[ ] The Seven Years' War
French soldiers had helped throw the British out of America
6. How many 'Estates' was France divided into?
[ ] 2
[x] 3
[ ] 4
[ ] 6
Only the third estate was required to pay taxes
7. What was the First Estate?
[x] The Church
[ ] The nobility
[ ] The peasants
[ ] The Royal Family
Also referred to as the clergy
8. Which of the following groups of people were not part of the Third Estate?
[ ] Landless labourers
[ ] Professional people
[x] The nobility
[ ] Town workers
The nobility formed the Second Estate
9. Who was the wife of Louis XVI?
[ ] Marie Angelique
[x] Marie Antoinette
[ ] Marie Helene
[ ] Marie Therese
She was Austrian and accused of wasting money
10. Louis thought he was God's servant and so ruled by .......
[ ] Biblical Authority
[ ] Blessed Intervention
[x] Divine Right
[ ] Holy Powers
Many other rulers throughout history have also believed the same