The correct answer is D) They realized that they didn't need to rely on England to protect them.
The French and Indian War led the settlers one step closer to the revolution in that they realized that they didn't need to rely on England to protect them.
After the French and Indian War, American settlers had two issues that upset them and directly contributed to thinking about independence from England. First, Great Britain had a deep debt due to the war and the king decided to increase taxation to the American colonists. This infuriated the colonies. The second one was frontier and land disputes in the Americas.
Things continued to go in the wrong direction between the colonies and the monarchy of Britain. More taxations, aggressions, and the fact that the colonies did not have any voice or representation in the British Parliament.