What effect did turning forests into plantations have on both land and labour?

Correct answer: Forest land changed into commercial production and labour demand increased

The direct answer is option A: forest land became commercial production land and the demand for labour increased. A plantation was not a natural forest; it was an estate where one or a few cash crops were grown for sale. To establish it, forest had to be cleared, land prepared, and crops planted. Such work required people for clearing, planting, weeding, harvesting, processing, and transport. In many colonial plantations, labour was recruited or controlled under unequal conditions. Option A is correct because it explains both land change and labour demand. Option B is absurd and wrong: land did not become sea, and plantation work did not end labour. Option C is wrong because the forest was not left untouched and labour was necessary. Option D is wrong because plantations depended heavily on human work; they could not normally operate without people. Memory cue: plantation economy means cleared land plus cash crop plus labour.