Which term describes the period of intense social, political, and economic change in Quebec from about 1960 to 1966?

• A. Quiet Revolution
• B. Cultural Pluralism
• C. Multiculturalism
• D. Assimilation

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is recognizing Quebec’s Quiet Revolution—a period roughly from 1960 to 1966 when the province underwent rapid modernization, secularization, and state-led reform. Under Premier Jean Lesage, the Liberal government aimed to modernize institutions and reduce the Catholic Church’s influence over public life. Key moves included modernizing education, expanding social services, and nationalizing electricity through Hydro-Québec, which symbolized a shift of power from church and traditional elites to the provincial state. This era reshaped Quebec’s identity and laid the groundwork for later nationalist and political shifts.

The other terms describe attitudes toward culture and integration rather than a specific era of transformative change in Quebec. Cultural pluralism and Multiculturalism refer to how diverse groups coexist in a society, while Assimilation describes absorbing minority cultures into a dominant one. They don’t capture the distinctive modernization and secularization that define the Quiet Revolution.