If pastoralists' old routes close and taxes rise, what will be the combined effect on their economy?

Correct answer: Herd maintenance will become costly and risky

Direct answer: Option A, herd maintenance will become costly and risky. Pastoralists need routes that connect seasonal grazing areas, water sources, markets, and settlements. If old routes close, herders may have to travel farther, buy fodder, keep animals in smaller or poorer areas, or face conflict and official penalties. A rise in taxes adds another expense, whether it is a grazing fee, livestock tax, or payment for movement. Thus the two changes work together: access becomes harder while the financial burden increases. Option A correctly describes the combined pressure on herd maintenance and income. Option B is wrong because restrictions and higher costs do not automatically increase livestock. Option C is wrong because earning more without cost is the opposite of the likely effect. Option D is wrong because taxes do not create pastures; they are a charge on people or animals. The reasoning is: closed routes → less convenient fodder and movement; higher taxes → higher expenditure; together → riskier and more expensive pastoralism. Memory cue: route loss raises physical difficulty, while tax rise raises financial cost.