Which statement correctly combines social and economic causes?

Birth based privileges and tax burden increased discontent

A social cause concerns the way people are ranked and treated, while an economic cause concerns money, taxes, prices, production, or material hardship. In late eighteenth-century France, birth-based privileges allowed some groups to enjoy exemptions and advantages. At the same time, the Third Estate, especially peasants, faced substantial taxes and other financial burdens. These two kinds of inequality reinforced one another: people who had fewer privileges often carried more obligations, increasing anger against the old system.

Option D correctly combines both causes. The statement in A is wrong because high bread prices and scarcity, not cheap bread, contributed to unrest. B is false because French society was not equal. C reverses the historical arrangement: nobles generally held privileges, while peasants bore many burdens. Thus, the combination of inherited privilege and unequal taxation in D best explains the growth of discontent.

This is a Class 9 History question. Chapter: The French Revolution. Topic: French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century.