Correct answer: C. 14 July 1789
Explanation: The direct answer is option C: 14 July 1789. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute power of the French king. In 1789, France faced serious economic trouble, high bread prices and anger against unequal privileges. On 14 July, the people of Paris attacked and captured the Bastille mainly to obtain gunpowder and weapons. This event showed that ordinary people could openly challenge royal authority and is remembered as a symbolic beginning of the French Revolution. Option A, 5 May 1789, is wrong because it was the date when the Estates-General meeting began. Option B, 20 June 1789, is wrong because it was the date of the Tennis Court Oath, when representatives of the Third Estate promised to continue meeting until France had a constitution. Option C is correct because the storming of the Bastille occurred on 14 July 1789. Option D, 4 August 1789, is wrong because that night the National Assembly moved toward abolishing feudal privileges. Keep the event-date pair clear: Estates-General—5 May, Tennis Court Oath—20 June, Bastille—14 July, abolition of feudal privileges—4 August. A common mistake is to confuse the date of the Bastille with the date of the Estates-General.