Question

american leaders called for the replacement of the articles of confederation because it
a. created too strong an executive.
b. lacked a bill of rights.
c. gave too little authority to the states.
d. made the central government too weak.

in france before the french revolution the third estate or commoner class, included
a. nobles
b. clergy members
c merchants
d. only women and children.

Explanation:

For the first question:

• The Articles of Confederation had a weak central government. It couldn't effectively levy taxes, regulate trade, or maintain a strong military. This led to problems like economic instability and inability to deal with external threats.
• Option A is wrong as there was no strong executive under the Articles.
• Option B: The lack of a Bill of Rights was a concern for the Constitution (later added as amendments), not the main reason for replacing the Articles.
• Option C: The Articles gave too much power to the states, not too little.

For the second question:

• In pre - French Revolution France, the Third Estate was the commoner class.
• Nobles were the First Estate.
• Clergy members were the Second Estate.
• The Third Estate included merchants, peasants, urban workers etc. Women and children were part of their respective estates (e.g., a woman from a merchant family was in the Third Estate, but the option D's description of "only women and children" is incorrect).

Answer:

For the first question: D. made the central government too weak.
For the second question: C. merchants.