Correct answer: C. Less effective representation
Explanation: The direct answer is option C: less effective representation. The French society was divided into three Estates. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate was the nobility, and the Third Estate included the vast majority of ordinary people, such as peasants, workers, artisans and the middle class. Although the Third Estate formed about 97 percent of the population, voting in the Estates-General was traditionally by Estate, so each Estate could have one vote. The privileged First and Second Estates could therefore combine and defeat the Third Estate two votes to one. The Third Estate had many people but little real political influence. This unfair arrangement helped lead to the formation of the National Assembly. Option A, too much representation, is wrong because the Third Estate did not have excessive political power. Option B, having all rights, is wrong because it lacked many privileges enjoyed by the first two Estates. Option C is correct because its large population was not matched by effective political representation. Option D, being the king, is wrong because the Third Estate was not the monarch; it represented common people. Remember: numerical majority does not always mean political power. In this question, the important contrast is “many people, little influence.”
