Why did the Bastille event become important despite the small number of prisoners there?

Because the Bastille was a powerful symbol of royal repression

The Bastille was important mainly because of what it represented, not because it held many prisoners. It was a royal fortress and prison associated in the public mind with the arbitrary power of the monarchy. Its fall on 14 July 1789 showed that ordinary people could challenge royal authority and seize a powerful symbol of oppression.

Therefore option A is correct. The event’s historical significance cannot be measured only by the number of prisoners released. The Bastille was not the national parliament, a peasant granary, or a Church school. Its capture became a symbol of the Revolution and is remembered because it represented resistance to royal repression. This distinction between a small immediate event and its wider symbolic meaning is essential for understanding the outbreak of the Revolution.

This is a Class 9 History question. Chapter: The French Revolution. Topic: The Outbreak of the Revolution.