The rule punishing timber transport without permission shows which larger colonial principle?

Correct answer: A state monopoly over forest produce was established

The direct answer is C: a state monopoly over forest produce was established. If timber could not be transported without official permission, the state claimed the authority to decide who could take, move or sell forest products. This is a monopoly because control over an important resource was concentrated in the government rather than left with local communities or free users. C is correct and directly follows from the permit-and-punishment system. A is wrong because the rule did not recognize forests as private property of local families. B is too narrow and does not describe the wider economic and political control. D is wrong because strict timber regulation itself shows that forests had economic value and colonial interest. Memory cue: permit plus punishment means state control, often a monopoly over forest produce.