Answer:
The correct answer is causes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In a story, events that set up the conflict in the beginning of the story are called causes.
Conflicts are usually an opposition of two different forces, which are usually a protagonist and an antagonist.
They can be divided into external or internal.
An internal conflict occurs in the protagonist's mind, where his emotions create an internal conflict.
While the external conflict as its name implies, it shows the protagonist struggling with something foreign to him. Something that prevents him from advancing in history.
Given this information we can say that the correct answer is causes.