Answer:
A). cause-effect/effect.
Step-by-step explanation:
A 'cause-effect' essay is one of the most commonly employed essay types that primarily aims to persuade readers by displaying the actions or reasons that have led to distinct consequences or outcomes.
As per the question, the given description adopts a 'cause-effect' pattern to convince the audience by displaying the causes like 'smoking during pregnancy' that have led to consequences like 'leading to complications at birth'. Such an essay is primarily devoted to convincing the audience to understand how certain actions can lead to devastating outcomes and therefore, persuade them to avoid such actions(causes) to let occur. Thus, option A is the correct answer.