Which of the following options can be used to identify the intended partition for mounting instead of supplying an explicit device in /etc/fstab?

The choice of LABEL is indeed an effective way to identify a specific partition for mounting in the /etc/fstab file. When you use a LABEL, you can assign a human-readable name to a filesystem during its creation, which allows you to reference it by that name instead of specifying the device file (like /dev/sda1). This can be especially useful in scenarios where disk configurations change, or when multiple disks are involved, as the label remains consistent regardless of which device is assigned the corresponding device file.

Using LABELs in /etc/fstab makes it easier for system administrators to manage mounts, as they can recall the labels without needing to remember the specific device paths, which can vary between boots or setups.

Although options such as ID and UUID could also be relevant, the reason LABEL is often favored is due to its simplicity and clarity for human administrators. UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) is also a commonly used method due to its uniqueness across systems, making it robust; however, it is less user-friendly than using explicit labels. The term NAME is not commonly used in the context of filesystem identification in /etc/fstab. Therefore, LABEL stands out as the correct and most straightforward choice for identifying partitions for mounting.