Select the most appropriate word to fill in the blank. The French Revolution…

Correct answer: led

Explanation: This sentence refers to a completed historical event, so the past simple is appropriate. The past tense of "lead" is "led", and the phrase "led to" expresses that one event caused another.

• Why the other choices are incorrect:

  • "is leading" is present continuous and describes an action happening now, not a past historical cause.

  • "were leading" is past continuous with a plural verb; the subject "The French Revolution" is singular, and the continuous aspect is inappropriate for a completed historical result.

  • "was led" is passive voice and would imply the revolution was guided by someone to the end rather than the revolution itself causing the end.

Thus, "led" correctly expresses that the French Revolution caused the end of the monarchy.