All economic activities namely primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary, revolve around obtaining and utilising resources necessary for survival. Secondary activities add value to natural resources by transforming raw materials into valuable products. Cotton in the boll has limited use but after it is transformed into yarn, becomes more valuable and can be used for making clothes. Iron ore, cannot be used; directly from the mines, but after being converted into steel it gets its value and can be used for making many valuable machines, tools, etc. The same is true of most of the materials from the farm, forest, mine and the sea. Secondary activities, therefore, are concerned with manufacturing, processing and construction (infrastructure) industries.

Which of the following activities deal with extraction of natural resources ?

Primary activities

The correct answer is Option 1: Primary activities

Primary activities are directly related to the extraction and collection of natural resources from nature, such as agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry, and hunting.

Option 2: Secondary activities. Secondary activities involve processing raw materials into finished goods, such as manufacturing and construction.

Option 3: Tertiary activities. Tertiary activities provide services such as transport, banking, trade, education, and healthcare.

Option 4: Quaternary activities. Quaternary activities are knowledge-based services such as research, information technology, and consultancy.