French Revolutionary Symbols Quiz

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The red “Phrygian bonnet” has become one of the symbols of France. It was first seen during the revolutionary period in 1789 on. Why? It was adopted by revolutionaries to distinguish themselves from wig wearers. It was like the headgear worn in Ancient Greece by freed slaves from Phrygia. The Gauls wore it. Fishermen in some areas of France wore it.

2. Why were the revolutionaries called "sans-culottes"? This means “without breeches” as they preferred long pants or trousers to the breeches or hose of the aristocracy. They wore pants with a flap in the back. They did not wear underwear. They were looked down upon and therefore not able to afford breeches. Derogatory term.

3. The female embodiment of France, complete with her Phrygian bonnet, was popularised during the revolutionary days too. She was discarded during the Napoleonic era only to be brought back. She now graces the town halls, squares and stamps of France, even the Euro coins show her image. The model in recent days has been Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Laetitia Casta. What is the image’s name? Suzanne Jeanne d'Arc Marie-Ange Marianne

4. The 14th of July is France’s official national holiday since 1880. In French it is rarely referred to as Bastille Day. Why was the fourteenth so significant amongst the revolutionary dates the later government might have chosen? It commemorates the execution of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. It commemorates the taking of the fortress prison the Bastille that represented the absolute monarchy despite the fact it held only a handful of prisoners. It commemorates the drafting of the Rights of Man. It commemorates the new revolutionary year.

5. No quiz on the subject of the French revolution would be complete without a mention of the gruesome symbol, the guillotine. Which of the following is NOT true? Dr. Guillotin was executed by guillotine. Its use was advocated by Dr. Guillotin as a more humane way of executing criminals. It was first called “Louison” for Dr. Louis who developed it. It was used to execute approximately 15,000 enemies of the republic from 1792 to 1799.

6. The famous oath sworn at the "jeu de paume" in Versailles was not to leave until the Tiers-Etat formed a constitution. Why is it called this? Because 'jeu de paume' is modern tennis’ ancestor therefore a court and when the Tiers-Etat arrived there was not enough room for them to assemble in the “menus plaisirs” room with the nobles and the clergy. They held up their hands and swore the oath. The oath was sworn in a former apple orchard for lack of space inside the palace. They had to assemble in a bowling grounds as the nobles and clergy were in the "menus plaisirs" room.

7. Which of the following statements is NOT true about one of the most popular symbols of France, the rooster or “coq gaulois”? It is the most popular symbol for modern French sports teams. It dates back from Gaul and the word is the same for rooster and gallish in older French. It is the official legal symbol of France. Napoleon 1st spurned it as a symbol during the Empire as it wasn’t a strong animal, preferring the Eagle of course.

8. During the early revolutionary period, a movement to “de-christianize” France came about, to take them out from under the clergy’s power and adopt a more republican style religion. Which of the following were NOT actually measures taken to rid the country of Christian symbols and observances? They denied French people the right to worship in churches. They changed the holidays and festivals to natural symbols such as harvests or the more vague“festival of the supreme being”. They created a new calendar dating year one as the beginning of the new republic and having ten day weeks without the day of rest on Sunday, and all the months named for seasonal changes. They made priests swear an oath of fidelity and become more or less employees of the republic.

9. Charlotte Corday is known for her assassination of Jean-Paul Marat in his bathtub on July 13th 1793. Why did she do this? She was a faithful Catholic from the Vendée who resented the revolutionaries’ intrusion into her territory. She was a disillusioned Girondin supporter who saw Marat demanding more and more bloodshed and heads and thought she could prevent further damage. She was demanding equal rights for women as well as men and the leadership did not hear her plea. She was criminally insane and exiting a mental institution.

10. Why is the French national anthem called the "Marseillaise"? When it was written by Rouget-de-l’Isle in 1792 in Strasbourg the title was “Song of the Army of the Rhine”? Because Rouget-de-l’Isle was from Marseille. Because soldiers from Marseille were heard singing it during the insurrection in the Tuileries in August 1792. Because a woman from Marseille sang it in public. Because it was performed in Marseille first.