Question

Taxes a bar graph titled taxes, france. the x-axis is labeled first estate, second estate, third estate. the y-axis is labeled percent of income paid in taxes from 0 to 60. the first estate is near 0. the second estate is at 0. the third estate is at 50 percent. which of these statements is supported by information in the graph?

1) The aristocracy paid more in taxes than the clergy.
2) Most people were members of the first and second estates.
3) The peasants of France faced severe economic hardships.
4) Taxes paid by the first estate had increased in recent years.

Answer 1

The bar graph supports the statement that the peasants of France faced severe economic hardships, because it shows the Third Estate bearing 50% of income in taxes while the First and Second Estates paid nearly nothing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The bar graph you have described clearly shows the disproportionate tax burden borne by the different estates in pre-revolutionary France. The burden of paying taxes fell largely on the shoulders of the Third Estate, which consisted of the remaining 95 percent of the French population, including peasants, the urban poor, the wealthy bourgeoisie, and professionals. Meanwhile, the First Estate, made up of the clergy, and the Second Estate, the nobility, paid little to no taxes.

Given the tax percentages described in the bar graph, 50% for the Third Estate and nearly 0% for the First and Second Estates, it is evident that the statement supported by information in the graph is: "The peasants of France faced severe economic hardships." This is in line with historical records that the Third Estate shouldered a heavy tax burden relative to their income, which was a significant factor contributing to the economic distress that precipitated the French Revolution.