Which change did the Third Estate push for in the Estates-General that heightened tensions?

• A. Voting by estate rather than by head.
• B. A requirement that only landowners could vote.
• C. Voting by head rather than by estate.
• D. Universal suffrage for all men and women.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how voting rules shape political power. In the Estates-General, each of the three estates had one vote, so the First and Second Estates could unite to block reforms even though the Third Estate represented the vast majority of the population. The Third Estate pushed for voting by head, meaning each delegate would cast an individual vote. This would turn their larger numbers into greater influence and challenge the privileges of the clergy and nobility, heightening tensions as the Third Estate eyed a more realistic say in decisions. Under voting by head, the Third Estate could block or push through measures more effectively, which is why this change intensified conflict. The other options don’t fit the demand: sticking with voting by estate preserves the old balance; restricting voting to landowners would sideline the many commoners; universal suffrage for all men and women wasn’t the immediate demand of the period and would have been far more radical than what was being pursued at that moment.