The correct answer is:
A. It gave the British East India Company a monopoly over tea sales in the colonies.
Explanation:
1. The Tea Act of 1773 was a law passed by the British Parliament.
2. This act granted the British East India Company the exclusive right to sell tea to the American colonies.
3. Colonists were required to buy tea only from the British East India Company, eliminating competition.
4. This led to protests such as the Boston Tea Party, where colonists threw tea into Boston Harbor in defiance of this monopoly.
