They were accused of witchcraft. Many people back in those days feared it. However, anyone could accuse someone of witchcraft in those days without evidence. Some were accused because others had a grudge against them. Some people thought that because some of the women were convulsing or acting out of the ordinary that they must have been involved in witchcraft. Punishment was carried out to discourage others from getting involved in the wicked religion so to speak.
The answer is C. Hope this helped
The correct answer to this open question is the following.
You forgot to include the painting and the options for this question. However, doing some research, we can say the following.
The most likely message this painting sends to French citizens is that "one must be prepared to sacrifice their own children to preserve France."
The painting describes the scene when Brutus, a Roman official, had to defend Rome against the rebels. Among those rebels were the Brutus's sons. So Brutus had to make a decision. To defend their own sons or fight to defend his own nation. Brutus chose the second one.
In the painting, we can see Brutus and family members mourning the death of the sons.