Question

The forest Act of 1878 divided forests into
(a)Reserved and protect forests
(b)Protected and village forest
(c)Biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries
(d)Reserved, protected and village forests

Answer 1

Hint: Protected forests could also be closed to fuelwood collection and grazing, whenever it was deemed necessary to do so. As timber demand for empire increased, it was found the limited control the state had granted itself to be inadequate, thus many protected forests were re-designated as reserved forests.

Complete answer:
Indian forests are divided into 3 parts that are reserved forests (completely government-controlled), protected forests (partly government-controlled), and village forests (controlled by abutting villages) by the Indian Forest Act of 1878.

Additional Information: The basic aim of the Act was to remove local rights in the Reserved Forests and keep them exclusively as government reserves. Protected forests were those forest areas where it was not possible to reduce local use, while the Village forest was to be assigned to villagers to fulfill subsistence needs. To meet the needs of the local communities the Village Forests were to be created from parts of the Reserve Forests. They were managed by those communities under the supervision of the Forest Department. The latter provision remained largely unsend until 1931 when it was in Uttar Pradesh to constitute “Van Panchayats” or “community forests”. To establish control over forests, this Act was made as an extension of the government policy. This Act also made several provisions for the imposition of duties on timber which later became one of the major sources of government revenue. In 1927, this act was further amended and succeeded by the Indian Forest Act.
So, the correct answer is, ‘Reserved, protected and village forests’.

Note: The British government in India to manage India's forest resources. Under this act, the tribals and people living in forests were deprived of their traditional rights over forests. They could no longer collect wood, gather fruits, hunt or graze their cattle in forests.