The legislative branch of the French government prior to the French Revolution; it could meet only with permission from the king (May 5th, 1789).

• A. Estates
• B. Third Estate
• C. First Estate
• D. Estates-General

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is recognizing the legislative body that existed in pre-revolutionary France and could be convened only with the king’s approval. The Estates-General was that assembly—the representative body of all three estates (the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners). It was not a standing parliament; it met only when the king summoned it and with his permission, often to approve taxes or pursue reforms. In May 1789, Louis XVI called the Estates-General to meet at Versailles for the first time in many decades, a moment that helped push forward demands for constitutional change and ultimately contributed to the Revolution. The other options refer to the social orders themselves (First Estate, Third Estate) or to the collective concept of the estates (Estates), not to the actual legislative body that met by royal invitation.