The Microsoft Publisher application typically opens to a template gallery for selecting pre-designed document layouts, not a blank document, recent documents listing, or formatting options.
When you initially open the Microsoft Publisher application, what you typically see on the screen is a template gallery. This gallery provides you with a variety of pre-designed templates sorted into different categories, that can help you to start creating your document quickly and efficiently. The 'template gallery' appears to encourage users to select a design that best suits the type of document they want to create, such as newsletters, brochures, flyers, or business cards. The goal is to give a starting point that can be further customized according to the user's needs.
If you are a frequent user of Publisher, the side panel may also display a list of recent documents which allows for quick access to your ongoing projects. However, this isn't what you immediately see upon opening the app for the first time. Option (a) and (d), a 'blank document' and 'formatting options', may follow after selecting a particular template or opening a new document, but they are not what initially appears.