The 3rd Estate comprised about 97% of the population and paid the most taxes.

The 3rd Estate comprised about 97% of the population and paid the most taxes.

• A. 3rd Estate
• B. 1st Estate
• C. 2nd Estate
• D. Sans Culottes

Answer: (A)

This question tests how population size and tax burden were distributed under the Old Regime in France. The Third Estate made up about 97% of the population and included peasants, laborers, and the rising bourgeoisie. Yet it bore the heaviest taxes, while the First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (nobility) enjoyed many exemptions and privileges. That combination—being the vast majority and still paying most of the taxes—defines the statement. The Sans Culottes were not a separate estate; they were a radical group within the Third Estate later in the Revolution, so they don’t fit the description of a distinct estate with that tax burden. So, the group described is the Third Estate.

This question tests how population size and tax burden were distributed under the Old Regime in France. The Third Estate made up about 97% of the population and included peasants, laborers, and the rising bourgeoisie. Yet it bore the heaviest taxes, while the First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (nobility) enjoyed many exemptions and privileges. That combination—being the vast majority and still paying most of the taxes—defines the statement. The Sans Culottes were not a separate estate; they were a radical group within the Third Estate later in the Revolution, so they don’t fit the description of a distinct estate with that tax burden. So, the group described is the Third Estate.