Final answer:
A totipotent stem cell has the ability to give rise to any type of cell in the body, including forming the entire organism, which makes it the correct answer to the student's question.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of animal stem cell that can give rise to any type of cell in the body is a totipotent stem cell. A totipotent stem cell, such as the zygote or fertilized egg, has the unique ability to develop into all cells of the human body, including the extra-embryonic tissues necessary for embryo development. These totipotent stem cells differentiate and give rise to pluripotent stem cells, which can become any cell type within the human body but cannot form the entire organism. Further specialization occurs where pluripotent stem cells differentiate into multipotent stem cells, which can give rise to different cell types within a particular lineage or group.
Down the hierarchy, multipotent stem cells can become even more specialized into oligopotent and unipotent cells, with progressively restricted differentiation potential. An oligopotent stem cell can become one of a few different cell types, whereas a unipotent cell is fully specialized and can only reproduce its own specific cell type.