Question 1

True or false: Women led the march to Versailles, forcing the royal family to return to Paris.

Accepted Answer

True. On October 5, 1789, thousands of women marched from Paris to Versailles, demanding bread and compelling the king to relocate.

Question 2

True or false: Marie Antoinette famously said 'Let them eat cake' when told peasants had no bread.

Accepted Answer

False. No credible evidence supports this quote; it likely originated from earlier propaganda about a different princess.

Question 3

True or false: The storming of the Bastille freed hundreds of political prisoners.

Accepted Answer

False. Only seven prisoners were inside: four forgers, two lunatics, and a sexual offender—no political prisoners at all.

Question 4

True or false: The guillotine was named after its inventor, Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.

Accepted Answer

False. Guillotin proposed a humane execution method, but the machine was actually built by a German engineer named Tobias Schmidt.

Question 5

True or false: Louis XVI was a skilled locksmith who enjoyed fixing locks in his spare time.

Accepted Answer

True. The king had a personal workshop at Versailles and was known for his passion and skill for locksmithing, a surprising hobby for a monarch.

Question 6

True or false: Robespierre was executed by the same guillotine he used on his enemies.

Accepted Answer

True. Maximilien Robespierre, architect of the Terror, was guillotined on July 28, 1794, without trial, using the same device.

Question 7

True or false: The metric system was invented during the French Revolution to unify measurements.

Accepted Answer

True. Revolutionaries introduced the metric system in 1795 to replace chaotic regional units, promoting rational, equal standards.

Question 8

True or false: The Reign of Terror was primarily directed at aristocrats and clergy.

Accepted Answer

False. About 85% of the 17,000 executed were commoners—peasants, workers, and lower-middle class—not the elite.

French Revolution Trivia Questions