Why was animal counting more a tool of power than simple information under colonial rule?

Correct answer: Because counting could determine tax, permits and grazing control

The direct answer is A: counting animals could determine tax, permits and grazing control. In a pastoral economy, the number of animals is connected with wealth, livelihood and the use of land. Step by step: officials counted herds; the figures showed the size of a pastoralist’s resources; the state could use them to assess taxes, issue permits or regulate grazing; thus counting became a means of governing people, not mere information. A is correct. B is absurd because animals cannot receive voting rights through a census. C is wrong because counting animals alone did not give forest ownership. D is wrong because such data had a direct administrative connection. A useful exam idea is that statistics can become power when the government uses them to classify, tax and control.