Why did tea coffee and rubber plantations increase pressure on forests?

Correct answer: Large forest areas were cleared for them

The direct answer is C: large forest areas were cleared for tea, coffee and rubber plantations. A plantation is a large commercial farm, usually organised to grow one main crop for sale, processing or export. Colonial plantation owners needed suitable land, so forests were cut and the cleared land was prepared for these crops. The reasoning is: demand for tea, coffee and rubber increased → plantations were established for the market and export → forest land was cleared → pressure on forests increased. Option A is wrong because growing plantations normally changed the forest landscape; clearing land was a major part of establishing them. Option B is wrong because commercial plantations required large areas, not merely household yards. Option C is correct because it describes the direct physical reason for forest loss. Option D is wrong because tea, coffee and rubber were plantation crops, not the usual materials from which railway sleepers were made. Timber, especially suitable trees, was used for railway sleepers. The memory cue is: plantation means a large commercial crop area, so think ‘forest cleared for market crops’, not a small home garden.