How did clearing forests for fields give double benefit to the colonial state?

Correct answer: Cultivation could provide both production and land tax

The colonial government considered converting forests into farmland profitable because crops could be grown there and land revenue could be collected from cultivators. Thus, it gained both agricultural production and tax income. Option D is incorrect because producing crops is the basic purpose of cultivation. Exam tip: remember agricultural expansion and land revenue together as major colonial reasons for deforestation.