Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows:

The spread of railways in the 1850s created a new demand. Railways were essential for colonial trade and the movement of imperial troops. To run locomotives, wood was needed as fuel, and to lay railway lines sleepers were essential to hold the tracks together. Each mile of railway track required between 1,760 and 2,000 sleepers.

From the 1860s, the railway network expanded rapidly. By 1890, about 25,500 km of track had been laid. In 1946, the length of the tracks had increased to over 765,000 km. As the railway tracks spread through India, a larger and larger number of trees were felled. As early as the 1850s, in the Madras Presidency alone, 35,000 trees were being cut annually for sleepers. The government gave out contracts to individuals to supply the required quantities. These contracts began cutting trees indiscriminately. The forest around the railway tracks quickly started disappearing.

Railways created a new demand from

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The 1950s

The 1850s

The 1580s

The 1800s

answer is B.

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Detailed Solution

Railways created a new demand from 1850. Railways were crucial for colonial trade and imperial force movement. Wood was required as fuel for locomotives, and sleepers were required to hold railway lines together. Every mile of railway track required approximately 1,760 and 2,000 sleepers. The railway line expanded fast, beginning in the 1860s. Around 25,500 kilometres of track had been completed by 1890. The length of the rails had grown to nearly 765,000 km by 1946. As railway tracks stretched across India, an increasing number of trees were cut.

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