Why is identifying beneficiaries necessary in a question on deforestation?

Correct answer: It shows benefits and losses were not equal

The direct answer is A. Identifying beneficiaries means asking who gained from forest cutting and commercial forestry, and who bore the costs. Colonial governments gained revenue, timber supplies and administrative power; traders and industries could gain access to valuable wood. At the same time, forest-dependent communities could lose customary rights to collect fuel, graze animals, hunt, gather food or practise shifting cultivation. Thus benefits and losses were not distributed equally. Option A is correct because it reveals this unequal distribution. Option B is wrong because identifying beneficiaries does not tell us the age of trees; that requires botanical or growth-ring evidence. Option C is wrong because it does not measure rainfall; rainfall is measured with instruments such as rain gauges. Option D is wrong because the purpose is the opposite: examining beneficiaries helps make local loss visible rather than hiding it. In a history answer, name the state, traders, companies and local communities where relevant. Memory cue: “Who benefits? Who pays?”