In studying the causes of the French Revolution of 1789, which of the following best summarizes the main reasons why the revolution broke out?

Introduction / Context:
The French Revolution of 1789 is one of the most important events in world history. It brought down the old monarchy, challenged traditional privileges, and introduced new ideas about rights and citizenship. Historians agree that the revolution did not have one single cause. Instead, several kinds of problems came together in the late eighteenth century. This question asks you to select the option that best summarizes the combined causes of the revolution.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The event is the French Revolution that began in 1789.
• Possible causes include political, cultural and social, and financial factors.
• Options a, b, and c focus on only one type of cause or misdescribe it.
• Option d mentions all three types working together.

Concept / Approach:
Political causes included the absolute monarchy, lack of representation for the Third Estate, and resentment against royal authority. Cultural and social causes included Enlightenment ideas about liberty and equality, and tensions among social classes such as nobles, clergy, and commoners. Financial causes involved heavy state debt, costly wars, and unfair taxation that placed the main burden on ordinary people. The revolution broke out because these different causes interacted. Political dissatisfaction, spread of new ideas, and economic crisis reinforced each other until the old order collapsed.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that before 1789, France was ruled by an absolute monarchy with limited participation by ordinary people.Step 2: Remember that Enlightenment thinkers criticized absolute rule and promoted rights, which influenced educated groups in France.Step 3: Note that the French state faced a serious financial crisis due to war debts and an unfair tax system, which angered taxpayers and frightened elites.Step 4: Understand that historians usually explain the revolution as the result of all these pressures combined, not a single narrow cause.Step 5: Select the option that mentions a combination of political, cultural and social, and financial causes working together, which best reflects this understanding.

Verification / Alternative check:
Most textbooks on the French Revolution are organized into sections labeled political causes, social causes, and economic or financial causes. They explain how the Estates General was called because of the financial crisis, how social divisions in the estates caused anger, and how political demands for a constitution arose. No serious account claims that only one type of cause explains everything. Therefore, a summary that includes all three types is the most accurate at exam level.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a wrongly suggests that only political causes mattered and that the government was efficient and admired, which is not the case; the monarchy was criticized and blamed for many problems.
Option b restricts the causes to cultural and social issues like court luxury and ignores the serious financial and political crises that played a central role.
Option c claims only financial causes, and even misstates them by mentioning a small debt and light taxation, when in fact France had a large debt and heavy, uneven taxation.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners try to remember a single main cause and forget that complex events like revolutions usually arise from a mix of factors. Others may focus only on dramatic images, such as the storming of the Bastille, and overlook the long term economic and intellectual developments behind those events. To avoid such errors, it is helpful to think of the French Revolution as the meeting point of political dissatisfaction, social tensions, and financial crisis, all influenced by Enlightenment ideas.

Final Answer:
The French Revolution broke out because of a combination of political, cultural and social, and financial causes working together.