Home › Civic exam questions › What does the national holiday on 14 July recall?
What does the national holiday on 14 July recall?
Model-written, not yet read by a native reader.
Correct answer: The storming of the Bastille (1789) and the Fête de la Fédération (1790). 14 July recalls the storming of the Bastille (1789) and the Fête de la Fédération (1790). The storming of the Bastille marks the start of the French Revolution. It stands for the fight for freedom.
Sources: Sheet “La fête nationale” (French), read on 21 October 2026. Answer written by Hexaciv from this source. Hexaciv is an independent preparation tool. It is not an official website, is not linked to any government body and does not give legal advice. The authoritative source is the Ministry of the Interior's, cited on this page.
The four choices and why
- ✗ The end of the Second World War in Europe in 1945La fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le 8 mai 1945The end of the war is dated 8 May 1945.
- ✓ The storming of the Bastille (1789) and the Fête de la Fédération (1790)La prise de la Bastille (1789) et la Fête de la Fédération (1790)Correct answer. 14 July recalls the storming of the Bastille (1789) and the Fête de la Fédération (1790). The storming of the Bastille marks the start of the French Revolution. It stands for the fight for freedom.
- ✗ The birth of the Fifth Republic, on 4 October 1958La naissance de la Vème République, en 1958The Fifth Republic begins on 4 October 1958.
- ✗ The birth of the Second Republic, in the year 1848, after a revolutionLa naissance de la IIème République, en 1848, après une révolutionThe Second Republic dates from 1848.
What the source says
« C’est la première Fête de la Fédération, pour fêter l’anniversaire de la prise de la Bastille. »
Sentence copied word for word from the source, in French, read on 21 October 2026.
How it reads on exam day
The exam is in French, so this is the question you will see: « Que rappelle la fête nationale du 14 juillet ? ». Learn the English idea above and the French words in the options.
This question comes from the list of the naturalisation version of the exam (PDF relayed by Le Français des affaires, read on 14 October 2026; the Ministry's own page for this list did not answer). The list's wording: “Que commémore la fête nationale ?”.
Where the Ministry explains it
Sheet “La fête nationale” (French).
One question corrected is a start. Now see where you stand: 40 timed questions, corrected in English, French or Arabic.
Our rule of thumb: book only after 34 out of 40 on two mock exams. The official pass mark is 32 out of 40. A fail means registering and paying again.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions)