Read the following passage and choose the correct option below:

The society of estates was a part of the feudal system that dated back to the Middle Ages. The term Old Regime is usually used to describe the society and institutions of France before 1789. French society was organised in a system of estates. Peasants made up about 90 percent of the population. However, only a small number of them owned the land they cultivated. About 60 percent of the land was owned by nobles, the church, and other richer members of the Third Estate. The members of the first two estates, that is, the clergy and nobility, enjoyed certain privileges by birth. The most important of these was the exemption from paying taxes to the state. The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges. These included feudal dues, which they extracted from the peasants. Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord- to work in his house and fields – to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.

The term old Regime describes the society and institutions of France before