Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follows:

Cottage industry is the smallest manufacturing unit. The artisans use local raw materials and simple tools to produce everyday goods in their homes with the help of their family members or part-time labour. Finished products may be for consumption in the same household or, for sale in local (village) markets, or, for barter. Capital and transportation do not wield much influence as this type of manufacturing has low commercial significance and most of the tools are devised locally. Some common everyday products produced in this sector of manufacturing include foodstuffs, fabrics, mats, containers, tools, furniture, shoes, and figurines from wood lot and forest, shoes, thongs and other articles from leather; pottery and bricks from clays and stones. Goldsmiths make jewellery of gold, silver and bronze. Some artefacts and crafts are made out of bamboo, wood obtained locally from the forests.

Small scale manufacturing is distinguished from household industries by its production techniques and place of manufacture (a workshop outside the home/cottage of the producer). This type of manufacturing uses local raw material, simple power –driven machines and semi-skilled labour. It provides employment and raises local purchasing power. Therefore, countries like India, China, Indonesia and Brazil, etc. have developed labour-intensive small scale manufacturing in order to provide employment to their population.

Large scale manufacturing involves a large market, various raw materials, enormous energy, specialised workers, advanced technology, assembly-line mass production and large capital. This kind of manufacturing developed in the last 200 years, in the United Kingdom, north-eastern U.S.A. and Europe. Now it has diffused to almost all over the world.

Large scale manufacturing is not __________.

Fill in the blank with the correct option.

labour intensive

The correct answer is Option (4) - labour intensive

Explanation:

• Capital intensive: Large scale manufacturing often requires significant capital investment in machinery, equipment, and facilities.

• Energy intensive: It usually involves substantial energy consumption due to the operation of heavy machinery and large-scale production processes.

• Technology intensive: Large scale manufacturing relies heavily on advanced technology for efficient production, automation, and quality control.

• Labour intensive: Large scale manufacturing tends to minimize the use of manual labor through automation and mechanization, making it less labor intensive compared to small-scale or traditional manufacturing processes.