Why did middle-class thinking challenge the Old Regime?

Because it wanted merit and rights instead of birth-based privileges

The governing concept is the conflict between Enlightenment ideas and the inherited privileges of the Old Regime. The educated middle class included merchants, professionals, lawyers, and officials who believed that social position should be connected to ability, work, and achievement rather than only to birth. Enlightenment thinkers also discussed liberty, equality before law, and representative government. These ideas challenged a system in which nobles and clergy enjoyed special rights while the Third Estate carried heavier obligations. Option A is correct because it expresses the middle class demand for merit and rights. Options B and C support feudal or clerical privilege, while D misrepresents the broader demand for political participation.

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