Case Based Questions: The French Revolution | Social Studies (SST) Class 9 PDF Download

Case Study 1

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate option:

In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of France. He was 20 years old and married to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. Upon his accession the new king found an empty treasury. Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. Added to this was the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles. Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain. The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres. Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10 per cent interest on loans. So, the French government was obliged to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes. Yet even this measure would not have sufficed. French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates, and only members of the third estate paid taxes. The society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the middle ages. The term Old Regime is usually used to describe the society and institutions of France before 1789.

Q1. Identify the correct option regarding the French treasury when Louis XVI became King of France in 1744.

a. The financial resources of France had drained

b. The French treasury was empty

c. Taxes were increased to improve the cost of maintenance

d. Interest on loans were increased to raise the credit

Q2. Name the group of persons invested with special functions in the church.

a. Peasants

b. Nobles
c. Clergy
d. Feudals
Q3. Which family was ruling in France when the French Revolution took place?

a. Bourbon family

b. Sultan family

c. Middle class family

d. Jacobins

Q4. How many American colonies gained independence from Britain under Louis XVI?

a. 12

b. 13

c. 14

d. 15

Q5. Why was the French government obliged to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments alone?

a. To meet the regular expenses

b. To reduce the debt burden

c. Lenders were charging 10 per cent interest on Loans

d. To fulfill the requirements of huge amount of money for maintenance

Q6. Identify the cause(s) for the empty treasury of France under Louis XVI.

a. The king’s court at the immense palace of Versailles required huge amount of money for its maintenance.

b. Taxes were levied only on the third estate and the first and second estates who were rich were exempted from paying taxes.
c. The war with Britain added more than a billion livres to a debt that had already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
d. All of the above.

1. Ans. (b)
2. Ans. (c)
3. Ans. (a)
4. Ans. (b)
5. Ans. (c)
6. Ans. (d)

Case Study  2

Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate option:

Although Louis XVI had signed the Constitution, he entered into secret negotiations with the King of Prussia. Rulers of other neighbouring countries too were worried by the developments in France and made plans to send troops to put down the events that had been taking place there since the summer of 1789. Before this could happen, the National Assembly voted in April 1792 to declare war against Prussia and Austria. Thousands of volunteers thronged from the provinces to join the army. They saw this as a war of the people against kings and aristocracies all over Europe. Among the patriotic songs they sang was the Marseillaise, composed by the poet Roget de l'Isle. It was sung for the first time by volunteers from Marseilles as they marched into Paris and so got its name. The Marseillaise is now the national anthem of France. The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the people. While the men were away fighting at the front, women were left to cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking after their families. Large sections of the population were convinced that the revolution had to be carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of society. Political clubs became an important rallying point for people who wished to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action. The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins, which got its name from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris. Women too, who had been active throughout this period, formed their own clubs.

Q1. How did the volunteers from various provinces see war against Prussia and Austria?

a. As a war to endanger the basic means of livelihood.

b. As a war of the people against kings and aristocracies all over Europe.

c. As a direct consequence of measures taken by the government.

d. As a matter of political tension in the whole of Europe.

Q2. What is the national anthem of France?

a. Chateaux

b. Marseillaise

c. Sans-culottes

d. Taille

Q3. Identify the incorrect statement regarding Jacobins.

a. The Jacobins or the society of the friends of the Constitution was the most famous and influential club prior to the French Revolution.

b. It became an important rallying point for people who wished to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.

c. The members belonged mainly to the prosperous section of society.

d. Shopkeepers, artisans like shoe-makers, pastry cooks, servants, daily wage workers were included in it.

Q4. How did the Jacobin club get its name?

a. From the society of the friends of the Constitution.

b. From the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

c. From the active women who formed their own clubs.

d. From the fashionable sections of society especially nobles who wore knee length breeches.

Q5. Name the poet who composed the patriotic song, Marseillaise.

a. Louis XVI

b. Mirabeau

c. Abbé Sieyes

d. Roget de l’Isle

Q6. Who seized power after the fall of the Jacobin government?

a. The third estate
b. The clergy and the nobility
c. The wealthier middle classes
d. The first and second estates

1. Ans. (b)
2. Ans. (b)
3. Ans. (c)
4. Ans. (b)
5. Ans. (d)
6. Ans. (c)