Final answer:
The Theistic Evolution View holds that evolution is guided by a higher power, which is the correct answer to the student's question. This view accepts the scientific mechanisms of evolution, such as mutations and natural selection, as being part of a divine plan, and it does not support the evolution concepts as random without purpose or resulting from extraterrestrial origins.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Theistic Evolution View of the creation of the world posits that evolution is guided by a higher power. This perspective combines a belief in God with the acceptance of evolution as a scientific theory. It maintains that although the processes of evolution—which include mutations and natural selection—are indeed random and not purpose-driven, they are ultimately overseen or guided by a divine presence. Therefore, the main answer to the question is option (a): Evolution is guided by a higher power.While it is true that mutations, which contribute to genetic variability, occur randomly and can have unpredictable effects, theistic evolutionists believe that these random processes are part of a divine plan. Natural selection, as one of the forces driving evolution, is not random—it favors traits that increase the likelihood of survival and reproduction. However, theistic evolution does not support the idea of a purely natural, unguided process (option c), a random one without purpose (option b), or the hypothesis that evolution is a result of extraterrestrial intervention (option d).In conclusion, theistic evolution views the natural processes leading to the diversification of life as being under the overarching supervision of a higher power, hence making evolution a purposefully guided process within the belief system of its adherents.