Upstream oil activities involve the exploration and production of crude oil. This includes activities such as locating oil reserves, drilling wells, extracting the oil from underground, and bringing it to the surface for further processing. Essentially, upstream activities involve the initial stages of the oil extraction process, before the oil is refined and marketed as finished products. The other options mentioned in the question, such as refining of crude oil, marketing of finished products, and management of pollution, fall under downstream oil activities.