Correct answer: D. Clergy and nobles
Explanation: The direct answer is D: the clergy and the nobles stood at the top of French society. The First Estate consisted of clergy and the Second Estate consisted of nobility. They possessed wealth, social prestige and important privileges, while the Third Estate included peasants, workers, artisans, merchants and the bourgeoisie. The question asks for the groups at the social top, so D is exact. Option A is wrong because peasants and workers generally belonged to the Third Estate and carried many burdens. Option B is wrong for the same reason: workers and artisans were not the privileged top groups. Option C is wrong because merchants and shopkeepers were generally part of the Third Estate, even though some could become wealthy. Option D works because clergy and nobles formed the first two privileged estates. Memory cue: in the old French hierarchy, remember ‘First clergy, Second nobility, Third everyone else’.