Why was recording animal numbers in permits useful for the colonial state?

Correct answer: It made tax assessment and grazing control easier

The direct answer is A: recording animal numbers made tax assessment and grazing control easier. A permit is an official document that can identify a pastoralist, the animals owned and the area or period allowed for grazing. Step by step: officials record the herd; they can estimate the tax according to the number of animals; they can check whether the herd exceeds the permitted number; they can monitor movement and enforce rules. Thus a simple record becomes a tool of administration and control, not merely useful information for the herder. A is correct. B is wrong because counting animals did not give pastoralists all pastures. C is wrong because animals cannot receive government posts. D is wrong because official counting did not increase local ownership of forests. The permit could also make movement more bureaucratic and restrictive. Memory cue: record, calculate, permit, control.