Answer: C
Step-by-step explanation:
The closest stage to the initiation stage from Knapp's Relationship Escalation Model is **C. contact.**
In Knapp's model, the stages progress as follows:
1. Contact
2. Involvement
3. Intimacy
4. Deterioration
5. Repair
6. Dissolution
The initiation stage corresponds to the very beginning of a relationship when two people first make contact or become aware of each other's existence.