The French Revolution – NDA History PYQs

Q. 1. The ‘Reign of Terror’ in revolutionary France referred to

(a) Bands of revolutionaries moving around to terrorise people who did not participate in the revolution

(b) The royal forces punishing people who participated in the revolution

(c) Trial and beheading persons considered enemies of the republic by the revolutionary tribunal

(d) The general atmosphere of insecurity perceived by people after the beheading of the king

Answer: (c) Trial and beheading persons considered enemies of the republic by the revolutionary tribunal

Explanation: The Reign of Terror centred on formal trials by the revolutionary tribunal. Those found to be enemies of the republic faced execution by guillotine. It was not simply informal terrorising, royalist punishment, or vague unease. So option (c) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Actual mechanism defining the Reign of Terror

NDA 2021-II

Q. 2. Who among the following wrote the famous text ‘A Discourse on Political Economy’?

(a) Montesquieu

(b) Voltaire

(c) Rousseau

(d) Adam Smith

Answer: (c) Rousseau

Explanation: Rousseau wrote ‘A Discourse on Political Economy’. It appeared as part of Diderot’s Encyclopédie project. Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Adam Smith wrote separate influential works. So option (c) Rousseau is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Author of ‘A Discourse on Political Economy’

NDA 2019-II

Q. 3. Which among the following statements is not correct about the Reign of Terror?

(a) The Jacobins dashed out the Girondists with the help of sans-culottes.

(b) The Jacobins were in league with the French clergy.

(c) The arrest for anti-revolutionary activities was by law restricted to the political class.

(d) The Reign of Terror came to an end with the execution of Robespierre by guillotine in July 1794.

Answer: (b) The Jacobins were in league with the French clergy.

Explanation: Jacobin rule was actually marked by fierce anti-clerical de-Christianisation. Priests refusing loyalty oaths faced persecution, not alliance with the state. So statement (b) wrongly claims a partnership with the clergy. The Jacobins did remove the Girondins with sans-culotte support. The Terror did end with Robespierre’s own execution in July 1794. These other statements about the Reign of Terror are accurate. Concept Tested: The Jacobins’ actual anti-clerical stance during the Terror

★ JOVIK Exam Insight: NDA often reverses the Jacobins’ real relationship with the clergy. They pursued active de-Christianisation, not partnership with religious authorities.

NDA 2019-II

Q. 4. Which country among the following was not a part of the Third Coalition against Napoleon?

(a) Russia

(b) Prussia

(c) Sweden

(d) France

Answer: (d) France

Explanation: France stood as the target of the Third Coalition, not a member of it. Russia, Prussia, and Sweden joined this alliance against Napoleon. So option (d) France is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Membership of the Third Coalition against Napoleon

NDA 2019-I

Q. 5. The treaty of Schonbrunn (1809) was signed after which one of the following battles?

(a) Battle of Austerlitz

(b) Battle of Tilsit

(c) Battle of Wagram

(d) Battle of Lisbon

Answer: (c) Battle of Wagram

Explanation: The Treaty of Schönbrunn followed Napoleon’s 1809 victory at Wagram. This treaty imposed harsh terms on defeated Austria. Austerlitz, Tilsit, and Lisbon relate to separate battles and treaties. So option (c) Battle of Wagram is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Battle preceding the Treaty of Schönbrunn

NDA 2018-I

Q. 6. Which one of the following statements about the Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793) is correct?

(a) She declared that although citizens should have equal rights, they are not entitled to the same honours by the State

(b) She was a supporter of the Jacobin government

(c) She was jailed for treason by the National Assembly

(d) She declared that the nation is the union of woman and man

Answer: (d) She declared that the nation is the union of woman and man

Explanation: Olympe de Gouges declared the nation to be a union of woman and man together. This central claim ran through her own Declaration of Rights. She actually opposed, rather than supported, the Jacobin government. She was executed under the Jacobin-led Terror, not simply jailed by an earlier body. So option (d) is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Olympe de Gouges’s core declared principle

NDA 2015-I

Q. 7. Which of the following statement(s) is/are true for Olympe de Gouges?

1. She was one of the most important politically active woman in revolutionary France.

2. She was one of the members of the Committee that drafted the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.

3. She wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 2

(d) 1 and 3

Answer: (d) 1 and 3

Explanation: Olympe de Gouges was indeed a leading politically active woman of the era. She actually wrote her own separate Declaration in response to the original. She was not herself a member of the committee behind the men’s Declaration. So statement 2 wrongly places her among its official drafters. She did write the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen. Statements 1 and 3 together are correct among the three. Concept Tested: Olympe de Gouges’s actual role versus the original Declaration

NDA 2014-II

Q. 8. Who among the following was not a member of the ‘Big Four’ in the Congress of Vienna (1815)?

(a) Great Britain

(b) Russia

(c) Austria

(d) France

Answer: (d) France

Explanation: The Big Four at the Congress of Vienna were Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia. France, as the defeated power, was not among this core group. Britain, Russia, and Austria genuinely held Big Four status. So option (d) France is the correct answer. Concept Tested: Composition of the Congress of Vienna’s ‘Big Four’

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